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Top 40 Issue 7: Yellowstone, WY.
posted September 7, 2000
ISSUE: In November 1998, American Whitewater submitted a groundbreaking proposal to Yellowstone
National Park asking for reconsideration of the 1964 ban on boating, while simultaneously asking
for boating use to be studied and carefully managed based on the primary goal of conserving the
resource. American Whitewater suggested that limited opportunities for boating could be allowed
under a cooperative conservation paradigm in which the welfare of the environment came first and
opportunities for recreation came second.
In our proposal, American Whitewater recommended opening 45 miles of whitewater on the Yellowstone, Gardner, Lamar, and Lewis rivers, including a notorious 23-mile stretch of the Black Canyon. The proposal recommends implementing seasonal restrictions during sensitive wildlife breeding seasons, and suggests that all visitors and users in the backcountry areas of the park should be held to the same high standards that American Whitewater has proposed for boaters.
Yellowstone should protect opportunities for people to visit, touch, experience, and enjoy the very qualities that makes the parks unique and special. This requires balancing access for all visitors with the goal of protecting the natural resources and visitor enjoyment. In order to achieve its mission, Yellowstone should manage all visitor uses based on impacts to the environment. Activities with documented negative environmental and social impacts, such as snowmobile or jet ski use, should be tightly controlled. Less intrusive activities such as hiking, canoeing, and kayaking should be permitted.
At present, Park planners are still reviewing American Whitewater's proposal. A decision on whether to formally re-examine the ban on boating is expected this Fall. In the meantime, boating is still banned in Yellowstone under the largest river closure in North America.
GOAL: Obtain limited access to the Black Canyon and 4 other river segments in Yellowstone.
In our proposal, American Whitewater recommended opening 45 miles of whitewater on the Yellowstone, Gardner, Lamar, and Lewis rivers, including a notorious 23-mile stretch of the Black Canyon. The proposal recommends implementing seasonal restrictions during sensitive wildlife breeding seasons, and suggests that all visitors and users in the backcountry areas of the park should be held to the same high standards that American Whitewater has proposed for boaters.
Yellowstone should protect opportunities for people to visit, touch, experience, and enjoy the very qualities that makes the parks unique and special. This requires balancing access for all visitors with the goal of protecting the natural resources and visitor enjoyment. In order to achieve its mission, Yellowstone should manage all visitor uses based on impacts to the environment. Activities with documented negative environmental and social impacts, such as snowmobile or jet ski use, should be tightly controlled. Less intrusive activities such as hiking, canoeing, and kayaking should be permitted.
At present, Park planners are still reviewing American Whitewater's proposal. A decision on whether to formally re-examine the ban on boating is expected this Fall. In the meantime, boating is still banned in Yellowstone under the largest river closure in North America.
GOAL: Obtain limited access to the Black Canyon and 4 other river segments in Yellowstone.