Plan issued for snowmobiles in Yellowstone
Temporary measure sets limits lower than plan rejected by judge.
A new snowmobile plan for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks would allow up to 318 of the machines a day into the parks for the next two to three winters.
That proposal was released today in the wake of a federal judge's recent rejection of plans for up to 540 snowmobiles daily. U.S. District Judge Emmett Sullivan said that many snowmobiles would increase air pollution, disturb wildlife and cause too much noise in the country's first national park.
Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said the 318-a-day limit would meet Sullivan's concerns while park administrators reconsider their long-term management plan for the machines.
Last year, an average of 294 snowmobiles a day entered the two parks.
