The cell tower array atop Mount Washburn is one of Yellowstone's more unsightly cell tower complexes/NPS file
A tentative deal has been reached between the National Park Service and Verizon to remove an unsightly cell tower that stands on a ridge above the Old Faithful complex in Yellowstone National Park, according to the park's superintendent.
Under the plan, the tower will be relocated "somewhere in the government area" of the Old Faithful area and "likely won't be as tall," said Cam Sholly.
Removing the tower will resolve some current "scenic resource degradation" it now causes, and should improve cell coverage in the Old Faithful area while also substantially reducing "the bleedover into the backcountry," he said during a phone call.
“It’s actually going to shrink coverage, but it’s going to make it better in the area that it’s in, right there in the developed site,” Sholly said last week. The new tower likely is "going to be invisible to the public," he added.
Elsewhere in the park, the superintendent said he wanted to relocate another tower that's currently on a ridge above Mammoth Hot Springs to a less conspicuous site.
Sholly also has instituted a moratorium on additional cell towers in the park.
"We’ve basically made it indefinite," he replied when asked how long it would be in place. "So I’m not even considering new towers."
At the same time, park staff currently is reviewing public comments received on a plan to install fiber optic cable in the park.
"We’ll make a decision on that soon. There are some good comments in there,” the superintendent said.
Under that proposal, a fiber optic network running nearly 200 miles would be brought into developed areas in the park to improve telecommunications and allow for the removal of microwave dishes and other telecommunication equipment atop mountaintops. The plan calls for fiber optic cable to be installed along existing park roads. Additionally, existing telecommunications equipment in the general vicinity of Madison, one in the Old Faithful area, one on Bunsen Peak, and two on Buffalo Plateau would be removed.
Going forward, Sholly said the park will not take a piecemeal approach to expanding cell coverage. Simply installing the "newest technology of the day" isn't a sound approach, he said. Rather, he hopes to look for the best technology "that reduces the resource degradation of the past.”
Comments
GREAT THANK YOU FOR CARING ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN LIFE APPLAUSE TO YOU. I am hoping others will follow
It would have been more contextual to lead with an image of the visible Old Faithful tower in question, rather than the recently approved and installed conversion of the fire lookout atop Mt Washburn that only a few day hikers ever encounter.
Fiber optic cable as opposed to WIFI is the safest and most unobtrusive way to go. You won't be subjecting tourists or wildlife to the damaging effects of EMFs.
Bravo to you for doing away with these monstrous and unhealthy cell towers, and limiting any more to be placed in the park! Fiber optics sound like a good way to go but make sure it is not connected to 5G in any way, shape, or form.
If you read the research on these towers effects on trees and insects and birds, (See Balmori's research) then you will have an understanding that the ugliness is the least of your concerns regarding the towers, yes cable is a great idea.
I commend you for your forward-thinking actions that protect the best interest of the parks, the trees that make our public lands wondrous, the wildlife who have a deserving place in nature and the health of the public. Not only are the cell towers an abomination to the eyes, the radiofrequency radiation emitted from them 24/7 is highly detrimental to all living beings including the flora and fauna in our parks.
The following studies are but a few of many which would support your decision to remove the cell tower. Aside from mitigating the degradation of the park's scenic resources which would improve the public's experience, you would be protecting the well-being and longevity of our living natural resources. If the proposal to install fiber optic cables is approved throughout the park system, it would be ideal if these cables did not carry 5G through them or the benefits to the environment may be reduced.
Thank you.
Waldmann-Selsam, C., et al. "Radiofrequency radiation injures trees around mobile phone base stations." Science of the Total Environment 572 (2016): 554-69.
Breunig, Helmut. "Tree Damage Caused By Mobile Phone Base Stations An Observation Guide." (2017). You can also download the Tree Observation Guide at: Competence Initiative for the Protection of Humanity, the Environment and Democracy
S Sivani, D Sudarsanam, Impacts of radio-frequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) from cell phone towers and wireless devices on biosystem and ecosystem ? A review, Volume 4, Issue 4, Pages 202-216, 2012
Alfonso Balmori, Electromagnetic radiation as an emerging driver factor for the decline of insects, Science of The Total Environment, Volume 767, 2021,
Haggerty, Katie. "Adverse Influence of Radio Frequency Background on Trembling Aspen Seedlings." International Journal of Forestry Research2010.836278 (2010).
Halgamuge, M.N. "Weak radiofrequency radiation exposure from mobile phone radiation on plants." Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine, vol. 36, no. 2, 2017, pp. 213-235.
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Halgamuge MN, Skafidas E, Davis D. A meta-analysis of in vitro exposures to weak radiofrequency radiation exposure from mobile phones (1990-2015). Environ Res. 2020;184:109227. doi:10.1016/J.ENVRES.2020.109227
Halgamuge MN, Davis D. Lessons learned from the application of machine learning to studies on plant response to radio-frequency. Environ Res. 2019. doi:10.1016/j.envres.2019.108634
Gustavino, B., et al. "Exposure to 915 MHz radiation induces micronuclei in Vicia faba root tips." Mutagenesis 31.2 (2016): 187-92.
Halgamuge, Malka N., See Kye Yak and Jacob L. Eberhardt. "Reduced growth of soybean seedlings after exposure to weak microwave radiation from GSM 900 mobile phone and base station." Bioelectromagnetics 36.2 (2015): 87-95.
"Tree Damage from Chronic High Frequency Exposure Mobile Telecommunications, Wi-Fi, Radar, Radio Relay Systems, Terrestrial Radio, TV etc." by Dr. Volker Schorpp Lecture (about 31 MB)
Shepherd et al., Increased aggression and reduced aversive learning in honey bees exposed to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields. PLoS One. 2019 Oct 10
Balmori, Alfonso. "Anthropogenic radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as an emerging threat to wildlife orientation." Science of The Total Environment 518-519 (2015): 58-60.
Balmori, A. "Electrosmog and species conservation." Science of the Total Environment, vol. 496, 2014, pp. 314-6.
Cucurachi, C., et al. "A review of the ecological effects of radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF)." Environment International, vol. 51, 2013, pp. 116-40.
Susan,
I think you are misunderstanding what the fiber cable is doing. There will still be WiFi as the fiber will be backhauling the signal. Do you have a fiber optic plug in your cell phone? How do you think computers access the internet? Via fiber optic cables plugged into your tablets or laptops???
Yes. It's simply the backbone and not directly related to whether or not one can attach Wi-Fi for the end user to access. Wi-Fi can be connected to almost any kind of network, even if provided by dial-up.