Star-Tribune Editorial Board

A temporary National Park Service plan to allow no more than 318 snowmobiles to enter Yellowstone daily is inadequate.

Each year that there is no acceptable, permanent plan, Yellowstone gateway communities suffer the business consequences. Visitors who had planned snowmobile trips to the park cancel their reservations out of frustration with the lack of certainty.

Has the Park Service forgotten that its mission includes making sure that people have access to Yellowstone throughout the year?

For the past four years a temporary plan has been in place, capping the daily number of snowmobiles at 720. Last winter's average was only 294 per day, so 318 might seem like a reasonable compromise.

But on some days, 400 to 500 machines entered the park. The snowmobile numbers exceeded the proposed 318 limit more than one-third of the days the park was open last winter. At West Yellowstone, operators were able to guide up to 400 snowmobiles daily through the West Gate. Under the temporary proposal, that has been cut to only 160 snowmobiles per day.

Based on the 720 limit set for the last four years - as well as the Park Service's proposal earlier this year of 540 snowmobiles daily - it was reasonable for operators to book reservations this winter for many more snowmobiles than will be allowed if the temporary plan is approved.

U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan of Washington, D.C., rejected the 540 plan in September. He said it would have failed to adequately protect the park's wildlife and air quality, among other things.

But conservation groups aren't even happy with the 318 limit. The Greater Yellowstone Coalition has said it would prefer snowmobiles be banned from the park, and only snowcoaches allowed.

If the temporary plan is approved, snowmobile operators will have lost a lot of ground that will never be regained. Many will not be able to stay in business with the reduced numbers, which means more visitors will be turned away from the park.

Until a permanent plan is finally approved by the federal court, the temporary limit of 720 should remain in place. Gateway businesses need to be able to plan their seasons with some consistency, which can't happen if the snowmobile numbers are routinely shifted downward.