PlusDid White House Intervene in Yellowstone?Did White House Intervene in Yellowstone?The Associated PressThe Bush White House intervened late last year to reverse a National Park Service plan to close a section of Yellowstone park in the winter because of avalanche risk, according to officials familiar with the long-running policy fight. (July 24)[Notes:various beauty shots of park and wildfire] It's during winter that the world's first national park takes on a different kind of grandeur. Drenched in snow -- Yellowstone exudes tranquility, Visitors dwindle. And even wildlife, seems to hunker down. So who would guess, that a plan to close one of the park's five entrances for three months a year would attract attention from: [Notes:dissolve to White House exterorior]... The White House. SOT: Tom Martin, National Parks Conservation Association: certainly vice president Cheney has taken an interest in things that happen in Wyoming, things that happen in Cody -- but what happened this time, I can't say. What happened -- was years in the making, but turned on a dime. [Notes:map showing the park's entrances -- zoom into eastern] After great study, the National Park Service was on the verge of deciding it didn't make sense to keep the eastern entrance, which is at extreme risk of avalanches during winter -- open during those months, since doing so means putting employees at risk, [Notes:photo of the yellowstone Howitzer]and requires a howitzer and explosives. SOT: the only was you can keep it safe for the very few people who use it, is you bomb the park //butt to// SOT: it's really a bad idea to be bombing your national parks. [Notes:addition graphic over blurred yellowstone video] And keeping it safe would come at a cost: about 3-and-a-half-million, for about 460 Sylvan pass visitors last year. That's about 8-thousand bucks per person. SOT: Tom Martin, National Parks Conversation Association: in a park whose budget is already strained asking them to do this for 5 visitors a day just doesn't seem to make any sense at all But dollars and cents are also at the root of opposition. The pass leads to nearby Cody Wyoming -- which has been trying to increase its winter tourism -- Businesses there claim revenue was threatened by the closure talk. [Notes:graphic?]"our business started dropping big time" -- the town's mayor told the AP -- "Tour guides couldn't count on the pass being open" (Roger Sedam, Cody Mayor) [Notes:more generic yellowstone] The local spat soon got the ear of Washington. Last fall -- White House officials asked to see key sections of the Park Service's recommendations. Then came a series of closed door meetings. Documents show opinions evolving - And by June -- the Park Service had done a one-eighty - shelving the closure idea. SOT:All I know is one day the park service said it makes imminent sense to close it we've studied this for years -- suddenly after a few closed door meeting with political leaders, they change their tune 180 degrees, something happened, I don't know what. A White House spokesman says the discussions were 'standard practice' - adding "the Park Service rendered their decision after taking into account all pertinent factors." ____, the Associated Press. Author: AssociatedPress Keywords: fighting over-yellowstone white house intervene yellowstone? Added: July 24, 2008
