Snowmobilers Show

Sun., March 15, 1998

Staff And Wire Reports

Yellowstone National Park

Snowmobile traffic at Yellowstone National Park increased in the first two months of the park’s winter season despite fears that conflicts over snowmobile trails would hurt the tourist trade.

Park figures show that 37,153 snowmobile visitors entered the park in December and January, compared with 33,306 in December 1996 and January 1997.

However, the 28,516 snowmobilers entering the park in February was down compared to 29,531 that came in the same month last year.

Park spokeswoman Marsha Karle said some of the increase might be the result of publicity early in the winter, when the National Park Service considered closing one snowmobile trail to study the impact of the move on wildlife.

The Park Service studied closing the trail as part of its settlement of a lawsuit filed by the Fund for Animals. But the agency said its environmental assessment of the proposal did not justify the closure. , DataTimes

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