In the winter sports department, snowmobiling in Yellowstone National Park has been getting all the attention lately. But around here, Acadia National Park is what counts. The bottom line is that snowmobiling in Acadia will go on as usual this coming winter, but the future remains clouded.

First, a bit of history. In April 2000, the National Park Service announced a broad ban on all off-road vehicles at nearly all the national parks, including Acadia and Yellowstone. Assistant Interior Secretary Donald J. Barry said that “the time has come for the National Park Service to pull in its welcome mat for recreational snowmobiling.” He called snowmobiles “noisy, antiquated machines that are no longer welcome in our national parks.”

A backlash came quickly. Outraged protests erupted from snowmobilers, manufacturers and operators of hotels, motels, service stations and rental agencies, as well as nearby communities whose economies benefit from the annual winter influx. Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota, where snowmobiles are a big deal, demanded a broad rule-making process before any such ban would be invoked. The Interior Department backed off. Secretary Bruce Babbitt said there would be no ban pending thorough restudy and public comment on the whole matter.

Still, the industry was taking no chances. The International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association (and others including the state of Wyoming) filed a lawsuit attacking the ban in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. It argued that the Park Service had disregarded improvements in snowmobiles that reduced noise and pollution. In any case, the association said, “Snowmobilers use the exact same roads automobiles use – except in smaller numbers – and they have the same noneffect on wildlife.” It claimed that snowmobiles cause no significant harm to humans, animals or the environment.

But in the last days of the Clinton administration, President Bill Clinton gave fresh approval to the Park Service rule that would have phased out snowmobiles.

Everything changed when George W. Bush became president and appointed a hard-line conservative, Gale Norton, as interior secretary and boss of the Park Service. Now the department has settled the lawsuit, agreeing to broader rule-making as well as a revised environmental impact statement. It promised “greater local input, new information, scientific data and economic analysis and wider public involvement.”

The settlement leaves the old rule in effect in the rest of the national parks. That means snowmobilers this winter may continue to roam along 50 miles of roadways in Acadia National Park, including about two miles of the Park Loop Road centered on Thunder Hole and specified carriage roads and fire roads, as long as they obey speed limits and stay off alcohol.

Superintendent Paul Haertel awaits any further word from Washington on the new environmental impact statement. He will continue looking after the occasional accident and taking frequent complaints from hikers, skiers and snowshoers about noise and fumes. The snowmobilers are safe for another winter, but not necessarily forever.