Sustainability in the National Parks--Part VI

By Marilyn Pitts

In addition to the extensive green building and other sustainable efforts I surveyed in the National Parks during my summer tour, I also noticed numerous hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles. In fact, it was difficult not to see the highly colorful Toyota Prius hybrid parked at a trailhead in Yellowstone National Park.

It’s no surprise that hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles are popping up on National Park byways; today’s parks face increased congestion and pollution along with the increase in visitors and vehicles. In fact, the National Park Service (NPS) has numerous projects underway designed to help decrease emissions to help preserve the natural environment as the number of park visitors continues to rise.

Take Yellowstone, for example. Last year Toyota USA donated four Prius vehicles to the park. The hybrid vehicles operate primarily on electricity, with a gasoline engine to supplement the vehicle's power requirements. (In its electric mode, the vehicle emits zero emissions.) The vehicles are used by interpretive rangers and other highly visible staff. Not only do the vehicles cut down on emissions, they also help educate many of the Yellowstone’s three million annual visitors about hybrid technology and the park's commitment to explore new and innovative technologies.

Yellowstone also has been using alternative fuels, such as biodiesel and other alternative fuels and vegetable-based lube and hydraulic oils, in many of its vehicles. In addition, all diesel-powered vehicles used by park employees and by Xanterra (Yellowstone’s concessionaire) use a 20 percent blend of canola-derived biodiesel and petroleum diesel. Gasoline-powered vehicles in the park use an ethanol blend (E-10).

Increasing Hybrid Visibility
Yellowstone is not the only National Park with Toyota hybrids. In September, Toyota donated four Toyota Prius vehicles to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Similar to the Prius I saw in Yellowstone, each Prius has a unique exterior image depicting various park resources and programs, including a river otter by a waterfall and a park ranger conducting educational programs.

Two of the vehicles will support the Smokies’ Parks as Classrooms program--a series of curriculum-based lessons for elementary and middle school students from western North Carolina and east Tennessee--that utilizes Great Smoky Mountains National Park as an outdoor classroom, focusing on cultural and natural resources, including air quality. The other two vehicles will support the park’s Volunteer Visitor Assistance Program.

Ford Motor Company also has been donating hybrid vehicles for NPS use. Last year, Ford gave 12 new 2005 Ford Escape “full” hybrid SUVs to the National Park Foundation, the official nonprofit partner of America's National Parks.

Two Ford Escape Hybrids are being used by park rangers and staff at the Chesapeake and Ohio (C&O) Canal Historical National Park and National Capital Parks-Central, which maintains sites including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, Ford's Theatre National Historic Site, the Petersen House (the house where Lincoln died), Pennsylvania Avenue National Historical Park and the Old Post Office Tower. The remaining vehicles are being utilized primarily in urban National Parks in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York.

In fact, as a “proud partner” of America’s National Parks, Ford works closely with the National Park Foundation and the NPS to develop transportation and environmental solutions, according to the company. The premier project of the partnership is the restoration of a fleet of 33 historic red buses in Glacier National Park. The buses were restored with new chassis and engines that run on cleaner burning propane fuel, yet they still maintain their historic appearance. Since the Red Bus project, Ford has supported transportation research and education in more than 50 National Parks.

Also, Ford has donated 600 TH!NK neighbor zero-emission electric vehicles to National Parks and other land management agencies in California, New York and Massachusetts. Among the recipients are Channel Islands National Park, Death Valley National Park, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Redwood National & State Parks, and Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.

Catching the Bus
Once again, Zion stands out as a shining example of sustainability in the National Parks. In addition to its “green” buildings, Zion practices other eco-conscious measures such as using 30 propane buses and 21 accompanying trailers from April to October. The shuttle buses ferry visitors from the nearby community of Springdale to the visitor’s center and through Zion Canyon. Estimates show that 75 percent of the park's visitors catch a ride on the shuttle service, resulting in an average daily usage of more than 2,500 miles per bus.

The shuttle service was implemented after the park experienced a tremendous increase in visitors from 1985 (when there were about 1.5 million) to 2000 (when there were 2.5 million). At that time, during the summer, about 4,000 cars competed for 400 parking spaces on a daily basis.

The increased traffic in the park caused severe road congestion, vegetation damage, noise and emissions, which in turn disrupted the ecosystem and caused much of the wildlife to leave the park. Consequently, in 1999, park managers decided to restrict personal vehicle use and commercial tour bus business in the busiest section of the park in favor of a mandatory free shuttle bus system. They evaluated the performance benefits of several motor fuels and decided on the current propane-powered shuttle bus fleet system.

The park service also works with a local propane marketer to use high-quality propane that results in less internal maintenance of the engine and fuel system. The longer life span of the buses--estimated to be up to 350,000 miles per bus--helps control capital expenditures. As an added bonus, the reduction in noise and traffic has resulted in the return of wildlife to the canyon in greater numbers.

In fact, Zion National Park's mass transportation system has been so successful that it has been replicated in other national parks. For example, at Acadia National Park, more than 4,000 passengers a day are shuttled through the park on the public transportation system fueled by propane--the Island Explorer. Congestion has decreased, noise levels along park roads have noticeably lessened and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions have dropped by one-third.

One of the most recent hybrid additions occurred in Yosemite National Park. In March, Yosemite received the first fleet of hybrid buses to operate in a U.S. National Park--18 Gillig shuttle buses powered by GM’s advanced hybrid technology. In addition to improved fuel economy and a reduction of certain emissions by up to 90 percent, GM’s hybrid technology offers significantly reduced noise and emissions.

The buses shuttle visitors in Yosemite Valley and in the Mariposa Grove of Sequoias. The National Park Service’s concern for increasing noise and emissions levels in the Yosemite Valley were the main factors behind the decision to replace its existing fleet of conventional diesel buses with hybrid-powered buses.

The hybrid buses operate year-round, carry up to 1,050 passengers per hour and provide continuous service to visitors for 15 hours a day. Yosemite Valley ridership averages 17,800 passengers per day on busy days and can reach up to 23,000 passengers.

Published 11/11/2005