NewsDude
09-18-2008, 03:41 PM
Yellowstone National Park officials, attempting to balance competing demands for cell phone service and preserving the park's tranquility, have released a draft plan to guide the development of wireless services within the park.
The environmental assessment proposes a limited increase in cell phone coverage in the 3,500-square-mile (9,000-square-kilometer) park while excluding cellular towers from the backcountry, park road corridors and smaller developed areas.
The plan also calls for providing cell phone service and wireless Internet in larger developed areas with hotels and stores.
"That doesn't mean there couldn't be some service outside those immediate developed areas, but it's not something we're planning, proposing or intending," park spokesman Al Nash said Tuesday.
The assessment found that Yellowstone's wireless communication plan would have negligible effects on resources such as threatened and endangered species, migratory birds and wilderness. It found a potentially moderate impact on "visitor use and experience."
Under the plan, the cellular tower located near Old Faithful geyser -- the park's most visited site -- would be transferred to a less visible site at a nearby water treatment plant.
Its placement within sight of Old Faithful about 10 years ago kicked off a debate over the construction of cellular towers in the park, said Tim Stevens, program manager for National Parks Conservation Association.
He said Yellowstone's plan is key to protecting the park's natural resources. He said it would also protect public safety by providing the necessary infrastructure for park staff to communicate. It also is likely to set a precedent for other national parks, he said.
"One of the things that it comes down to in an increasingly noisy and hectic world is that it's critical that Yellowstone continue to provide the solitude and peace and quiet that our first national park has to offer," Stevens said.
John Woody, vice president of Union Telephone, said the Wyoming-based company leases...
More... (http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61923)
The environmental assessment proposes a limited increase in cell phone coverage in the 3,500-square-mile (9,000-square-kilometer) park while excluding cellular towers from the backcountry, park road corridors and smaller developed areas.
The plan also calls for providing cell phone service and wireless Internet in larger developed areas with hotels and stores.
"That doesn't mean there couldn't be some service outside those immediate developed areas, but it's not something we're planning, proposing or intending," park spokesman Al Nash said Tuesday.
The assessment found that Yellowstone's wireless communication plan would have negligible effects on resources such as threatened and endangered species, migratory birds and wilderness. It found a potentially moderate impact on "visitor use and experience."
Under the plan, the cellular tower located near Old Faithful geyser -- the park's most visited site -- would be transferred to a less visible site at a nearby water treatment plant.
Its placement within sight of Old Faithful about 10 years ago kicked off a debate over the construction of cellular towers in the park, said Tim Stevens, program manager for National Parks Conservation Association.
He said Yellowstone's plan is key to protecting the park's natural resources. He said it would also protect public safety by providing the necessary infrastructure for park staff to communicate. It also is likely to set a precedent for other national parks, he said.
"One of the things that it comes down to in an increasingly noisy and hectic world is that it's critical that Yellowstone continue to provide the solitude and peace and quiet that our first national park has to offer," Stevens said.
John Woody, vice president of Union Telephone, said the Wyoming-based company leases...
More... (http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=61923)