[at-l] Endangered Parks List

[yumitori@montana.com (Ron Martino)]

> The report I read indicated that the smog in Yellowstone is as bad as
> Denver and Atlanta, and indicated that the primary cause was
> snowmobiling.  This makes me doubt the accuracy of this report, and
> here's why:  How many cars does it take to produce as much pollution as
> a snowmobile?  How many snowmobiles are run in Yellowstone every year
> and for how long?  It sounds like propaganda to me.  However, I'll also
> admit that I've not yet been to Yellowstone and have no experience with
> snowmobiles.  I'm just saying that on the surface this report brings
> questions to my mind that I'd like to have clarified.
> 
> Anyone out there capable of clearing this up for me?  And please, I'm
> just honestly looking for facts, not opinions or rants.
> 
> Cleek

	Air pollution isn't the only issue. There's the noise damage, wildlife
harassment, speeding (there are rangers' reports of riders clocked going
over 80 mph, to give you an idea...), violations of wilderness zones,
etc.

	But as for the air pollution... As has been pointed out, the engines
are much heavier polluters than autos, if that can be imagined. Further,
during popular periods use is extremely high. There are essentially
traffic jams of hundreds of idling motors. This all takes place in
weather conditions that often trap the smog close to the ground. The
result is similar to an idling car inside a garage - the same vehicle
sitting out by the curb is no real danger, but in the enclosed space,
the pollutants can lead to illness or death from carbon monoxide.

	All this takes place in a Class I Airshed that mandates the Park
Service protect the regional air quality.

	A couple of links. The second is very pro-ban, and discusses all of the
problems in detail  -

	http://ens.lycos.com/ens/mar2002/2002L-03-22-07.html

	http://www.saveyellowstone.org/letter.html

	Ron    
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yumitori(AT)montana(DOT)com