Three out of every five tourists say they return for a second visit. Snowmobiles are strictly forbidden in some other national parks, such as Glacier National Park, because of the impact on wildlife. We must find some middle ground. Yellowstone isn't the only place in Montana where snow machines are causing concern. They also face few restrictions in Montana's many national forests, except in designated wilderness areas.
Environmentalists say today's stronger machines allow riders to get higher into the mountains.
That infiltration not only jeopardizes permanent wilderness status for some roadless areas but disrupts sensitive wildlife species such as wolverines, Canada lynx and herds of elk. After a national effort by businessmen in Wallace, Idaho, to promote access to 1,000 miles of groomed snowmobile trails, much of it along the Montana-Idaho border, the Ninemile Ranger District on the Lolo National Forest began steps to protect its proposed Great Burn Wilderness. In 1991, about 10 machines every week climbed up to the state line trail, according to Ken Britton, Ninemile's resource manager. This year about 100 machines make the trek every weekend. We haven't analyzed the impact yet because the use hadn't been great before now.