Yellowstone Park Felt Sole Ban Announced Today

[Longs for Cutts]

Not much to add to the title. We got an email blast from the park today saying no felt in 2018. Kinda surprised, as all the research I've heard has suggested that felt sole bans don't do the trick against aquatic invasives. If people don't wash/dry their gear, the evil critters move...

[ScottP]

Maybe it's to protect those folks walking thru snow in felts; the sudden increase in height can be treacherous.

Regards,
Scott

[hap]

Alaska went that way several years back and it looks like they will finally reverse it this year. It is ridiculous here and the research it was based on was flimsy and not peer-reviewed prior to being used to impose the ban.

It resulted in a lot of bad falls...

[The Chronicler]

The danger that we all face is not what we know but what we think we know that is not true. Transporting invasive species on felt soles has been proven to be untrue but early on it was widely promote as being true before we had an hard science to back it up. Now we are stuck with bad science that has become law.

[narcodog]

VT went that way a few years ago and have also reversed their decision. As some of you know MT is in a invasive species crisis and I would venture a guess that this is where this decision came from.

[krauseb]

I might have mentioned this in the past.
In Chile when we came off the water there where barrels to disinfect our boots.
If felt can carry anything, so can shoe laces, inside the boot, & waders.

[Longs for Cutts]

VT went that way a few years ago and have also reversed their decision. As some of you know MT is in a invasive species crisis and I would venture a guess that this is where this decision came from.

Felt's still legal in Montana, and anyway there are more NZMS in the park than outside and a felt ban will do nothing to keep zebra mussels out of the park. They've had boat inspection stations for them for years.