Yellowstone accepting public comment on revised commercial use plans - Buckrail

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Kayaking on Yellowstone Lake. Photo: Jacob W. Frank // NPS

MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS, Wyo. — Yellowstone National Park is seeking public comment on revised Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) and service-related operating plans that will guide commercial services in the park for the next five years, announced the park today, Nov. 9.

The purpose of these revisions is to update the existing CUA and operating plans, last approved on April 25, 2013. These revisions would improve the CUA program’s consistency with federal laws, policies and guidelines, and accommodate changing visitor needs and interests. The park would begin operating under this new plan beginning Jan. 1, 2022.

The revised plans would affect both existing and potential CUA holders, and includes the following updates:

Activity-based CUAs: Bicycling Tours, Environmental Education Tours, Skiing/Snowshoeing, Motorized Boating, Non-Motorized Boating, Overnight Backcountry Trips, Painting and Photography Workshops, Stream and Shoreline Fishing, Road-Based Transportation (groups 1-25), Wedding and Portrait Photography and Single-session Wedding and Portrait Photography.
Service-based CUAs: Towing and Automotive Services (RV and RV appliance repair, tire repair, locksmith) and Water Access (specific to the Yellowstone River in Gardiner, Montana).
CUA applications are accepted year-round. Applications may be submitted any time during the current operating year of Jan. 1-Dec.31 (the previous application period was Oct. 1-March 1). Applications for the following operating year will be accepted beginning Oct. 1 of the current year.
CUA permit application fees cost $300 annually for each activity-based CUA requested (remains unchanged), $150 every two years for a service-based CUA and $100 per Single-session Wedding and Portrait Photography CUA.
Management fees remain unchanged and include 3%, 4% or 5% of annual gross receipts. Additional fees are not required for service-based or Single-session Wedding and Portrait Photography CUAs.

Details for each CUA can be found here.

Comments must be received by November 23, 2021. Comments may be submitted online or by mail.

Mail comments to Compliance Office, Attention: CUA Plan Revisions, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.

About The Author

Buckrail @ Lindsay

Lindsay Vallen is a Community News Reporter covering a little bit of everything; with an interest in politics, wildlife, and amplifying community voices. Originally from the east coast, Lindsay has called Wilson, Wyoming home since 2017. In her free time, she enjoys snowboarding, hiking, cooking, and completing the Jackson Hole Daily crosswords.