JENNIFER TALHELM Associated Press writer | Posted: Tuesday, June 20, 2006 12:00 am
WASHINGTON - Snowmobilers and all-terrain vehicle enthusiasts will have a tougher time getting permission to ride in national parks under a new government plan announced Monday.
The plan stresses that conserving natural and historic places will be the parks' predominant job. A draft of the new policy announced by Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne reverses a controversial proposal that would have shifted the parks' priorities toward recreation and put less emphasis on preservation.
Conservation "is the heart of these policies and the lifeblood of our nation's commitment to care for these special places and provide for their enjoyment," Kempthorne said.
Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., said the subcommittee on national parks that he chairs was to hold a hearing today on the new policies.
"To the Park Service's credit, they listened to the concerns of both employees and the public and have responded with a document which takes management of the parks to a higher level," Thomas said in a statement.
The new parks policy will become final in about three weeks, officials said. It is one of Kempthorne's first moves after resigning as Idaho's governor to take over the Interior Department less than a month ago.
Critics, including some members of Congress, had chided former Interior Secretary Gale Norton and the Park Service for proposing wide-ranging changes they said would benefit recreation and commercial interests at a cost to conservation.
The new guidelines don't settle some outstanding questions, such as whether snowmobiles should be allowed in Yellowstone National Park at all. That question will be decided in an environmental study later this year, Kempthorne said.