Yellowstone to Hold Six Public Meetings on New Winter Use Plan

Yellowstone to Hold Six Public Meetings on New Winter Use Plan
Two public webinars also scheduled

Yellowstone National Park’s Draft Environmental Impact Statement (Draft EIS) for a new winter-use plan, released earlier this month, is open for public review and comment through July 18, 2011. The Draft EIS analyzes a variety of approaches to managing future use of snowmobiles and snowcoaches in the park.

Six public meetings and two webinars have been scheduled to give the public an opportunity to learn more about the details of the proposed new long-term plan for winter use at Yellowstone.

Public meetings are scheduled as follows:
• Jackson, WY: Wednesday, June 1 at The Virginian, 750 West Broadway
• Cody, WY: Thursday, June 2, Holiday Inn, 1701 Sheridan Ave.
• West Yellowstone, MT: Tuesday, June 7, Holiday Inn, 215 Yellowstone Ave.
• Bozeman, MT: Wednesday, June 8, Holiday Inn, 5 Baxter Lane
• Lakewood, CO: Tuesday, June 21, Sheraton on Union, 360 Union Blvd.
• Washington, DC: Thursday, June 23, in the DAR President General’s Assembly Room, 1776 D Street NW.

Each meeting will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. local time. Meetings will include a presentation on the draft winter-use plan, and opportunities to meet informally with National Park Service staff and to give formal public comment.

Two webinars (electronic “meetings” via computer) also are planned to allow those who cannot attend the six public meetings the opportunity to learn about and comment on the range of alternatives in the Draft EIS.

The webinars are scheduled for Tuesday, June 21, noon to 2 p.m. MDT, and Wednesday, June 22, 5 to 7 p.m. MDT. Details on how to participate in the webinars will be posted in a few days on the National Park Service’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yell. From the Yellowstone PEPC page, look for “Winter Use Plan/EIS” under “Current Projects,” and click on the link for “Meeting Notices.”

Additional details on the proposed winter plan and an electronic form to submit comments via the internet are available at the same PEPC website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov/yell. You can request a copy of the Draft EIS on compact disc or in printed paper form and submit written comments (hard copy) by mail to: National Park Service, Management Assistant’s Office, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190. Comments may be submitted in writing through the PEPC website, in person, or by mail. Comments will not be accepted over the phone, by fax, or email. No bulk comments will be accepted.