Over the next two years, the park will consider how to provide for public access in winter while protecting Yellowstone’s wildlife, air quality, and quiet. After a decade of struggle, we anticipate this will be the last environmental study leading to a permanent plan for winter use.

We’ve made enormous progress in providing the best possible protection for Yellowstone over the past decade, eliminating the noisiest and most-polluting forms of winter access and moderating disruption to wintering wildlife. We’re getting somewhere and you have helped!

Every living former director of the National Park Service has agreed with you that snowcoach visitation ought to replace snowmobiles; the EPA and a federal court have agreed with you that the Park Service has not applied its best available, sound science and adopted visitation that best protects Yellowstone. The park has indeed become healthier as snowmobile numbers have dwindled and visitors have turned increasingly to snowcoaches as their means of visiting and enjoying Yellowstone.

Now, we have a final opportunity to urge Yellowstone to adopt a permanent plan for winter access that protects the park, but also increases visitors’ knowledge of Yellowstone and by means that are accessible to everyone, young or old. Help us complete the transition to winter access via snowcoach.

You can take action to further improve the winter experience in Yellowstone – submit written comments by March 30, 2010.