Associated Press Note how the green groups are trying to paint a picture in their favor in releasing information at a critical time in Winter Planning in Yellowstone. They forget to mention why figures they quote are what they are because those types of events don't happen every year in West Yellowstone. *************************************************************** WASHINGTON (AP) - Conservation groups that want snowmobiles banned from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks released figures Friday that they claim prove towns along the parks' border don't need snowmobiles to thrive. But the Chamber of Commerce in West Yellowstone, Mont., a major destination for winter snowmobilers, said the tax collection figures cited were taken out of context and paint a misleading picture. Community leaders have suggested that if snowmobiles are banned or restricted from the park - a proposal that the National Park Service is considering - local economies could be devastated. The figures released Friday by The Wilderness Society and the Greater Yellowstone Coalition show that tax collections from West Yellowstone tourists in March 2001 jumped considerably from March 2000, despite an early end to the snowmobile season in the park last year because of poor snow conditions. "The change in access (to the park) did not hurt at all the local economy," Betsy Buffington, a spokeswoman for The Wilderness Society, said in a conference call with reporters. West Yellowstone collected $109,001 in sales taxes during March 2001. That was a 63 percent increase over March 2000 when the snowmobile season was in full swing. Leona Stredwick, the chamber spokeswoman, said the tax figures are accurate, but the interpretation is not. While the park closed early to snowmobiles, Stredwick said other events unrelated to park snowmobiling led to an unexpected - and unusual - boost in tax collections in West Yellowstone last March. A huge snowmobile industry rally known as "Snow Shoot," was moved to West Yellowstone because of a lack of snow in the Midwest, where the event is normally held, she said. In addition, West Yellowstone hosted a major biathlon competition in March 2001, and at least seven teams of cross-country skiers were in the area practicing for the Winter Olympics. "None of that was going on the previous year," Stredwick said. "So you can't even try to make a direct comparison." The release of the data comes at a critical time in the debate over whether snowmobiles should be allowed in the parks and the John D. Rockefeller Jr. Memorial Parkway, which connects them. The National Park Service is expected to release a revised environmental study early next month that will be used to help determine future snowmobile use in the parks. The Interior Department, which oversees the Park Service, agreed to the supplemental review as part of a settlement of a lawsuit filed by the snowmobile industry. The industry sued when the Clinton administration proposed phasing out snowmobiles by 2003-2004, citing concerns over the machines' effects on wildlife and the environment. The Bush administration backed away from that plan and the Park Service has been reviewing other alternatives since. The House Small Business Committee plans to hold a field hearing Saturday at the request of Rep. Denny Rehberg, R-Mont. "Before it's decided whether or not to ban snowmobiling there, I think we need to hear from the local people who have a stake in this issue," Rehberg said Friday. |