Did Cody Uproar Spur Tourism?
Aug 6th 2007ScottPolitics & Wyoming & Yellowstone East Gate & multiple use
Yellowstone has had it tough from this gateway community. They’ve been talking about closing our precious East Gate to winter use because of avalanche danger. Granted, no one has died because of an avalanche on Sylvan Pass, located just inside of the East Entrance. But let’s remember that the avalanches have been mitigated by a howitzer. Talk about unsafe if a dud were to land on the mountain side for some unsuspecting passerby to come across some time. Worse yet, a mud slide might happen sending that puppy down to the road. But even then, a recent mudslide (which neither trapped nor injured no one) turned up no unexploded ordinance.
Well, another blow was dealt to the anti-East Gate crowd with the following info:
And despite gas prices, visitation gains in Yellowstone Park continued at a near-double-digit pace in July, with the East Entrance leading a way with a total of 102,784 recreational visitors, up 38 percent from June, which in turn saw a 36 percent rise from the same time last year.
[…]
Year-to-date through July, the East Entrance drew 208,295 visitors, up 31 percent from last year.
In July alone, a total of 102,784 visitors passed through the east gate, an increase of 38 percent from July 2006 visitation.
Meanwhile, the north gate in July drew 110,498 visitors, down about 5 percent, while the west gate saw 345,075 in July, up 11 percent.
The south gate drew 197,737, up 5.6 percent, and the northeast gate in July saw 52,507 visitors, up 3 percent.
Through June the east gate had been posting a 36 percent increase (77,377 visitors) compared to 2006 (56,676), according to Park Service information.
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