The grooming of snowmobile trails encourages bison to leave Yellowstone's boundaries. Carbon monoxide causes dizziness, headaches, throat irritation, and nausea. Park Rangers at entrance stations complained that they were feeling ill, and Yellowstone's Park Service now pumps fresh air into its entrance stations. We're concerned about the health of rangers exposed to this exhaust, but we're also extremely worried that snowmobile accidents are being caused by high carbon monoxide levels to which drivers are unknowingly exposed. Snowmobiles emit 500-1000 times more CO than modern cars.
Accidents are a major concern.
In a study in Public Health Reports , Dr. Michael Landen of New Mexico's Public Health Department concludes that snowmobile operators are nine times more likely to die or be injured in accidents than automobile drivers, on a mile per mile comparison. In a wide-ranging attack on snowmobiles, Bluewater Network is petitioning five other agencies to study or regulate snowmobiles.