Vol 3, # 29

   Monday, March 15, 1999

YELLOWSTONE
WEATHER
Highs 40s, Lows 20s
Partly Cloudy
 

Yellowstone Net Home Page

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- The bison crisis drags on, as the Montana Department of Livestock continue to slaughter bison while federal and state agencies try to hammer out a solution that is acceptable to all involved.  The four agencies involved in working out a solution to the bison problem -- the State of Montana, Department of Interior's National Park Service, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) -- have been working on an Interagency Bison Management Plan, and to that end, released a draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) last summer. 

The public was invited to comment on the draft of the EIS from June 12 to November 12 of last year.  According to the National Park Service, some 67,520 letters containing 212,249 individual comments were received.  According to NPS, "comments were received from federal and state agencies, tribes, non-governmental organizations, and interested individuals from every state in the United States and 66 countries throughout the world."

The majority of responses to the draft of the EIS advocate more protection for Yellowstone's bison than the Interagency Bison Management Plan initially recommends.   It is clear that Yellowstone's owners -- the American public -- think the bison merit more protection from those that would harass and kill the animals because they are carriers of the disease brucellosis, which can cause cattle to abort their fetuses.

In fact, most of the bison killed by the Montana DOL this winter were not infected with brucellosis; there is no scientific evidence that bison can transmit the disease to cattle; and many more elk are carriers of the disease than are bison, yet the DOL is making no effort to slaughter elk which carry the disease.

The agencies comprising the Interagency Bison Management Plan asked for public input, and they have received it.  Yellowstone's owners have demanded that the Park's bison be protected: it remains to be seen whether the agencies in whose fate the bison hang will listen to the owners of Yellowstone National Park?

To see the NPS analysis of public comments on the bison management plan, go to http://www.nps.gov/planning/yell/bisoncom/pubcomm.htm

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS

Ralph Maughan
Kim Steinbacher
Kevin Sanders
Steve Brashear
Clint Wilkes
Tim Gourley
Hon. Bob Gammage
Ruth Colter-Frick
Lee Whittlesey
Tom Mazzarisi
Russ Finley
David Monteith
Denise Elmer
Dr. Bob Bara

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS)-- Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Michael Finley has announced that the Environmental Assessment (EA) to reconstruct the road between Madison Junction to Norris Junction in Yellowstone National Park is available for review and comment. The Environmental Assessment-Madison Junction to Norris Junction Road Improvement considers three alternatives, including a preferred alternative, to preserve and extend the life of the road and provide a safer and more enjoyable driving experience for park visitors. Construction on this project would occur in three contract phases, lasting between four to six years if funding is available.

The Madison Junction to Norris Junction road project is part of a 20-year parkwide road reconstruction plan to improve the park's road system. The roads are substandard for today's vehicles and lack structural integrity, are too narrow, and do not conform to engineering safety standards. This portion of road, like many in the park, is in poor condition, with both a deteriorating road surface and a failing road base. Routine maintenance is no longer sufficient to keep the road in good condition.

The preferred alternative would reconstruct the existing 22-24 foot wide road to a 30-foot standard width for primary roads in Yellowstone. The first phase of the project would reconstruct the 4.5 miles section between Madison Junction and the Gibbon Falls picnic area. Work on the first phase is proposed to begin in late 1999 and be completed in 2001. Later phases include a proposed removal and relocation of a 1.8 mile segment of road along the Gibbon River between Gibbon Falls and Tanker curve.

Superintendent Finley encourages all interested parties to comment on the EA during the 60-day comment period. Comments may be submitted through May 6, 1999. Copies of the Environmental Assessment-Madison Junction to Norris Junction Road Improvement may be obtained by writing: Madison Junction to Norris Junction Road Project, Planning Office, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.

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Montana House Bill 643 will be heard in the House Ag Committee, 3pm, March 18, 1999. A rally at 1:30pm with speakers and drummers on the Capitol steps will precede the hearing. Media

HB 643, introduced by Rep. Gail Gutsche (D-Missoula) would modify management of wild buffalo in Montana, outside of Yellowstone National Park. The bill will include several provisions that will prevent the wanton slaughter of wild buffalo that may have been exposed to brucellosis.

House Bill 643 has four main provisions:

1) Transfers primary management of buffalo from the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) to the Montana Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks (FWP). This puts wildlife biologists, not cattle folks in charge of the public's wildlife.

2) Mandates that Montana follow the federal Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service's (APHIS) definition of low-risk buffalo, and honor the 30-60 grace period on public lands.

APHIS has stated that bulls, calves and non-pregnant females cannot transmit the disease under normal conditions in the wild, and should be considered "low-risk" by the state, and could be allowed to winter undisturbed on public lands outside of Yellowstone National Park. APHIS also allows that a 30 day window of separation between the time pregnant females leave lands that cattle will be grazing on is sufficient to protect against transmission of the disease.

3) Prevents the state from selling, and/or profiting from, the sale of live or slaughtered buffalo.

In 1997, the slaughter of almost 1200 buffalo brought the State of Montana's Dept of Livestock coffers a profit of almost 200 grand! The practice of profiting from the slaughter has been most offensive to many people.  Meanwhile they continue to beg for federal tax dollars and have already gotten 1/2 million of your tax dollars committed to their trap plans!>

4) Directs the MT Department of Fish Wildlife and Parks to conduct a study of the carrying capacity for buffalo on public lands outside of Yellowstone, and to develop a management plan--in  conjunction with tribal interests--to manage the herd for that population.

What you can do:

* Attend the Hearing and Rally; Folks in Missoula can call 728-0867 to arrange car pooling.

* Write, email, or fax letters to members of the House AG committee, or call them and leave a message. Letters to all of the members would be great. If you email them, send an email to each member.

For more information on how to get involved, go to http://www.wildrockies.org/buffalo.

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Snowfall in the basin this year has been above average. Snow water equivalent (SWE) is about 141 percent of average (165 percent of last year) in the Madison drainage. SWE in the Yellowstone drainage is about 133 percent of average (153 percent of last year at this time). See the "Snow Course Basin Summary" at the beginning of this document for more details on specific sites.

Precipitation
February precipitation in the Madison and Yellowstone drainage was about 154 percent of average (307 percent of last February) for the 6 reporting stations. Percentages range from 122 to 246 percent. Water-year-to-date precipitation is about 129 percent of average (144 percent of last year's amount). Year to date percentages range from 102 to 156.

Reservoir
Ennis Lake is storing 28,500 acre-feet (89 percent of average and 74 percent of capacity). Hebgen Lake is storing about 307,800 acre-feet of water (117 percent of average and 77 percent of capacity). Hebgen Lake is storing about 106 percent of last year's volume.

Streamflow
All the following forecasts are the 50 percent chance runoff for the April through September runoff period. Yellowstone at Lake Outlet has is expected to yield about 990,000 acre feet (125 percent of normal). Yellowstone at Corwin Springs will yield about 2,450,00 acre-feet (127 percent of normal). Yellowstone near Livingston will yield about 2,850,000 acre-feet (127 percent of normal). Hebgen lake inflow is estimated to be 565,000 acre feet (116 percent of normal). See the following page for detailed runoff volumes.

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