Yellowstone Wants Cell Tower Change

The tower would be within 100 yards of the park and visible for up to two miles along the North Entrance Road, according to park administrators. It would be built by Alltel Corp. at the Rocky Mountain Campground, a private facility.

In an Oct. 16 letter to Alltel, Yellowstone Superintendent Suzanne Lewis asked the company to consider "potential options or alternatives that would avoid or lessen the impacts" of the proposal.

Park spokesman Al Nash declined to say what changes the park is seeking.

Both the north entrance road and Roosevelt Arch, a distinctive rock structure that marks the gateway to Yellowstone, are in a designated historic district.

Lewis requested a meeting with Alltel staff to discuss the tower, but no date has been set, said Alltel spokesman Andrew Moreau. "We're interested in that feedback and taking that into account," he said.

Moreau added that the proposal was "very early in the process."

The letter from Lewis was first disseminated by Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. The group's executive director, Jeff Ruch, commended Lewis for challenging the tower proposal, but added that the park also should work to adopt restrictions to towers within the park.

There are now five cellular towers inside Yellowstone. Park staff are drafting a telecommunications plan to guide where additional towers could be built. Nash said that document could be completed by the end of the year.