acsa responds to park service ban

Christine Jourdain, Executive Director of the American Council of Snowmobile Associations in East Lansing, Michigan, called the National Park Service ban of snowmobiles in the majority of national parks "… a political decision, (that) has nothing to do with environmental protection."

"This is the Clinton/Gore administration flexing their muscles by making an end run around Congress and around the court system," she said.

An ACSA press release said, "The decision announced this Thursday by the Department of Interior was the first of many steps by the Clinton/Gore administration to ban individual transportation in favor of mass transit in all National Parks. At the heart of the Clinton/Gore "land legacy" is closing the public lands to the public.

Emphasized Jourdain, "Our philosophy is simple, we think the public lands should be open to the public. Eliminating access by snowmobile makes the parks inaccessible in the winter.

"The snowmobile community has been working with the National Park Service and other agencies to develop reasonable and effective winter recreation management plans for our public lands. The snowmobile industry has made much progress in the development of cleaner, quieter snowmobiles. However, the administration decided to move quickly on this decision and apply a one-size-fits-all management plan that avoids the normal process."

Jourdain said that snowmobilers nationwide would not give up easily. "If the Clinton/Gore administration thinks this order will end the discussions, they don't know snowmobilers. We will fight them with all tools available, including the ballot box and the courts. Closing off these national treasures to the people who enjoy them in the winter is just bad politics."

Jourdain noted snowmobilers fully recognize that some regulation is necessary, but those regulations are already in place. Additional regulations should be based on good science--not political science. Any human activity has some affect on the environment, but managed snowmobile access is one of the least significant.

"Actions like this cater to the radical environmental groups and the big money foundations behind them. No abuse of the democratic process is off-limits to this administration including executive orders, national monument authority and the regulatory process--anything that will close the Public lands to the public."

The American Council of Snowmobile Associations (ACSA) represents the 27 State Snowmobile Associations across the U.S. and works to promote the expansion and improvement of snowmobiling in the U.S.