It may not have been the most ringing of endorsements of National Park Service management, but the end result was the same, as Wyoming District Court Judge Clarence Brimmer -- no fan of NPS practices -- declined to strike down a Yellowstone National Park temporary winter-use management plan, leaving intact a limit of 318 snowmobiles per day in the upcoming winter season.

Brimmer is the judge responsible for the 720-sled limit of last winter; his ruling lifted previous limits, as he ruled the National Park Service could not lower snowmobile limits until a permanent plan was in place.

After Yellowstone Park officials announced the new temporary-use plan, the state of Wyoming and Park County came back to Brimmer and asked his to do basically the same thing: strike down a temporary plan until a permanent plan was in place.

This time Brimmer demurred, saying that because his previous ruling was under appeal, he was powerless to intervene. Muddying the water is a ruling from a Washington, D.C. court striking down last year’s temporary-use plan.

So much of this is academic, of course; last winter saw a decline in snowmobile usage, and only on a few days did usage approach the 318-sled limit adopted by the National Park Service in the new temporary plan.

RELATED STORIES: Wyoming Seeks to Overturn Obama Administration Winter Rules; Obama Administration Sets 318-Sled Limit for 2009-2010 Winter Season

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