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CNN Saturday Morning News
Yellowstone Snowmobiles: Endangered Species?
Aired January 18, 2003 - 09:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: You can put a mechanical animal on the endangered species list, at least in Yellowstone National Park.
CNN's David Mattingly is there now with the very latest on the situation.
Hi, David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Believe it or not, before snowmobiles, there was very little winter tourism to speak of here at Yellowstone. But these vehicles have taken what was once considered an impassable road like this -- there is pavement under there, trust me -- and turned it into a great experience for tens of thousands people every season.
In fact, look at sunrise. We're in single digits right now, but it's going to be a beautiful day here for snowmobiling. And here's one guy right here, right now.
Snowmobiles have become so popular here they've actually created some air pollution problems rivaling American cities. So there are some changes under way that could have an impact on what has become a 40-year tradition.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Some weekends, over 1,000 snowmobilers a day, many unsupervised, pay the $15 entrance fee and buzz through the gates at Yellowstone for an eye-popping look at the park in winter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's a lot of fun. We're enjoying it, because we get to see different types of terrain and country.
MATTINGLY: But the days of free-wheeling, do-it-yourself snowmobiling may soon end. New rules pending for Yellowstone would ban some snowmobiles, limit others, and restrict riders to guided tours.
JOHN SACKLIN, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: Cleaner snowmobiles, quieter snowmobiles, with guides -- they'll be able to appreciate and understand the park even better than they do today.
MATTINGLY: And it could have been worse. Air pollution from snowmobiles in Yellowstone is so bad, the Clinton administration tried to have them banned.
Environmentalists also say their noise is harmful to wildlife. This video from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition shows bison scattering, unable to share the road.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I'd like these people to come back in July and August and look at the vehicles with diesel and gasoline, and the people that harass the animals.
MATTINGLY: But after 40 years of no restrictions, can the Yellowstone snowmobile tradition endure?
I took to the road for an icy thrill ride along the wintry landscape, passing long lines of single-file riders and encountering snowmobilers worried about their loss of freedom, but equally worried about the future of the park.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We definitely think there's some things that could be done to improve air quality, if that's part of the issue.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: These new rules meeting with critics on both sides. Renters of snowmobiles say it will cut into their livelihood if they have to convert to cleaner snowmobiles. Also, environmentalists say, it's not going to have much impact on actually cleaning up the air in Yellowstone, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, David Mattingly coming from beautiful Yellowstone National Park, thank you.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, Heidi, you have done that, right?
COLLINS: I have done that. I have snowmobiled there and other places.
O'BRIEN: You feeling OK...
COLLINS: In Colorado and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: ... feeling OK about it?
COLLINS: I feel great about it. It was a blast.
O'BRIEN: All right, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COLLINS: We had an opportunity to see those animals up close.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well...
COLLINS: Didn't hurt them.
O'BRIEN: You didn't hurt them.
COLLINS: Didn't hurt them. O'BRIEN: You saw the animals. All right.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired January 18, 2003 - 09:55 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: You can put a mechanical animal on the endangered species list, at least in Yellowstone National Park.
CNN's David Mattingly is there now with the very latest on the situation.
Hi, David.
DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
Believe it or not, before snowmobiles, there was very little winter tourism to speak of here at Yellowstone. But these vehicles have taken what was once considered an impassable road like this -- there is pavement under there, trust me -- and turned it into a great experience for tens of thousands people every season.
In fact, look at sunrise. We're in single digits right now, but it's going to be a beautiful day here for snowmobiling. And here's one guy right here, right now.
Snowmobiles have become so popular here they've actually created some air pollution problems rivaling American cities. So there are some changes under way that could have an impact on what has become a 40-year tradition.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY (voice-over): Some weekends, over 1,000 snowmobilers a day, many unsupervised, pay the $15 entrance fee and buzz through the gates at Yellowstone for an eye-popping look at the park in winter.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it's a lot of fun. We're enjoying it, because we get to see different types of terrain and country.
MATTINGLY: But the days of free-wheeling, do-it-yourself snowmobiling may soon end. New rules pending for Yellowstone would ban some snowmobiles, limit others, and restrict riders to guided tours.
JOHN SACKLIN, NATIONAL PARK SERVICE: Cleaner snowmobiles, quieter snowmobiles, with guides -- they'll be able to appreciate and understand the park even better than they do today.
MATTINGLY: And it could have been worse. Air pollution from snowmobiles in Yellowstone is so bad, the Clinton administration tried to have them banned.
Environmentalists also say their noise is harmful to wildlife. This video from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition shows bison scattering, unable to share the road.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: I'd like these people to come back in July and August and look at the vehicles with diesel and gasoline, and the people that harass the animals.
MATTINGLY: But after 40 years of no restrictions, can the Yellowstone snowmobile tradition endure?
I took to the road for an icy thrill ride along the wintry landscape, passing long lines of single-file riders and encountering snowmobilers worried about their loss of freedom, but equally worried about the future of the park.
UNIDENTIFIED MAN: We definitely think there's some things that could be done to improve air quality, if that's part of the issue.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MATTINGLY: These new rules meeting with critics on both sides. Renters of snowmobiles say it will cut into their livelihood if they have to convert to cleaner snowmobiles. Also, environmentalists say, it's not going to have much impact on actually cleaning up the air in Yellowstone, Heidi.
COLLINS: All right, David Mattingly coming from beautiful Yellowstone National Park, thank you.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now, Heidi, you have done that, right?
COLLINS: I have done that. I have snowmobiled there and other places.
O'BRIEN: You feeling OK...
COLLINS: In Colorado and (UNINTELLIGIBLE).
O'BRIEN: ... feeling OK about it?
COLLINS: I feel great about it. It was a blast.
O'BRIEN: All right, (UNINTELLIGIBLE)...
COLLINS: We had an opportunity to see those animals up close.
O'BRIEN: All right. Well...
COLLINS: Didn't hurt them.
O'BRIEN: You didn't hurt them.
COLLINS: Didn't hurt them. O'BRIEN: You saw the animals. All right.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
