Law Proposing Paddle Travel on Yellowstone Waters Sees Resistance

JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) — The Greater Yellowstone Coalition is among various groups opposing proposed legislation that would open up more rivers and streams to paddling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.

The Yellowstone and Grand Teton Paddling Act was introduced last month by Wyoming Republican U.S. Rep. Cynthia Lummis. Caroline Byrd, who directs the Greater Yellowstone Coalition in Bozeman, Montana, says the proposed bill is not the right way to address a new recreational use in a national park.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reports that the Greater Yellowstone Coalition joins the National Parks Conservation Association and Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance in opposing the bill. Lummis says her bill allows park managers to manage paddling as they do any other recreational activity in the parks.