[at-l] OT - Cell tower in Yellowstone?

[jbullar1 at twcny.rr.com (Jim Bullard)]

At 09:16 PM 3/17/2004 -0500, RoksnRoots@aol.com wrote:

>In a message dated 3/17/04 12:38:45 PM, pmags@yahoo.com writes:
>
>
> > CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- An environmental group says a
> > 100-foot cell-phone tower overlooking Old Faithful in
> > Yellowstone National Park is an unnecessary eyesore
> > and might signal the beginning of "the death of
> > solitude" in America's national parks.
> >
>
>             *** There you go. Thanks mags...
>
>                    The park said "it was a matter of safety." Bull's-eye. 
> Hey
>isn't NPS also overseeing the AT? Gee, I wonder how they feel about it over
>there?

It took some looking to find a photo. Most of the sites carrying the story 
don't have any pictures but there is a picture with this one 
<http://www.cellular-news.com/story/10834.shtml>. It's pretty obvious. I 
wonder why they felt it necessary to more than double the planned height.

When the Congress passed the bill that enabled the building of cell towers 
they gave cell tower companies powers akin to eminent domain in locating 
them. I know there have been some skirmishes in the Adirondacks over 
whether the "Forever Wild" clause has more authority or whether the tower 
companies mandate is greater. So far it isn't a big problem because the 
customer base is too small for wide coverage of the 'Dacks to be cost 
effective. That's probably not true in National Parks and one more reason 
we don't want a National Park in the Adirondacks.