Vol 3, # 50

   Wednesday, May 12, 1999

YELLOWSTONE
WEATHER
Highs 40s, Lows 20s
Scattered Snow
 

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BOZEMAN, Mont. (GYC) -- Our lives are punctuated daily by news stories about wildlife: Whooping cranes have returned to Yellowstone…Grizzly bear populations are increasing but their habitat is shrinking…A new subdivision has claimed cottonwoods where bald eagles once nested.

What if these trends were analyzed together? What patterns would emerge? What future would they suggest for Greater Yellowstone’s storied wildlife?

The Greater Yellowstone Coalition will shine a bright spotlight on the diverse lives and roles of Yellowstone’s wild creatures when it convenes top wildlife experts at its annual meeting in West Yellowstone, Montana, June 4-5.

Prominent biologists, resource managers, and journalists will bring their unique expertise and perspectives to the meeting, held in the historic Union Pacific Dining Hall with field trips into Yellowstone National Park and adjacent public lands.

The keynote speaker is Gloria Flora, Supervisor of the  Humboldt -Toiyabe National Forest. Flora is a rising star in the Forest Service, known for making bold decisions while her agency has struggled to redefine its mission. While she was Supervisor on Montana’s Lewis and Clark National Forest, Flora blocked oil and gas drilling on the Rocky Mountain Front. She recognized that industrial development would fragment roadless land and deal a blow to the grizzly bear’s future and other values important to the public.

The theme of this year’s GYC annual meeting, "From Wriggles to Roars, Exploring the Life of Yellowstone," reflects a broad look at the entire food chain, from grizzly bears and wolves to the microscopic life in Yellowstone’s hot springs.

Enclosed is the agenda listing speakers, panel discussions, and field trips. Please call the  GYC office in Bozeman, (406) 586-1593, if you plan to attend.

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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. Robert Bara

BELGRADE, Mont. (YNET) -- Occasionally I allow a guest columinist to appear in my P&P column. I read this recently and wanted to share it with those of you who may have missed in in other news publications.

TALKING IT OVER
by Hillary Rodham Clinton

I would bet that most Americans can name their favorite teacher or remember the day when she or he singled them out for praise -- or, worse, a  scolding in front of the class.

When President Harry Truman handed out the first Teacher of the Year award in 1952, he said that, next to one's mother, a teacher has the greatest  influence on what kind of citizen a child will grow up to be. This is not  much of an exaggeration. For as many as eight hours a day, five days a week, nine months a year, teachers hold the future of America in their hands.

This week, my husband carried on the tradition of recognizing great teachers when he honored Andy Baumgartner of Augusta, Ga., as the new Teacher  of the Year.

A former Marine, Andy is a bundle of energy. Whether he's using popcorn  to teach counting or leading a solemn funeral for a departed pet tarantula,  Andy's ability to rivet the attention of his kindergarten students is the  envy of his colleagues.

When he accepted his award, Andy said, "Educational accountability is  the shared responsibility of all Americans. We can no longer continue to make excuses for not providing optimal learning environments for our children, who deserve nothing less than the best."

He went on to list what he thinks makes a learning environment optimal: small classes with strong parental and community involvement, access to the latest technology, an end to disparities between rich and poor schools, and a  highly qualified and professionally compensated teacher in every classroom.

I've cared deeply about these issues for many years ...

... Among my husband's proudest achievements in his first term was the enactment of the Goals 2000: Educate America Act and the reauthorization of  the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Together, they fundamentally  changed the role of the federal government in our educational system by establishing standards and holding schools, teachers and students
accountable for meeting them.

Now, as part of a second major revision of the ESEA, the President has laid out a comprehensive three-part strategy to continue the progress we have made. His plan targets funds to prepare disadvantaged students, promotes student, teacher and school accountability, and strives to recruit, prepare and retain the very best teachers ...

... The President would fund scholarships and other programs to attract more mid-career professionals to teaching and to lure more teachers  to high-poverty and rural public schools.

... A major goal of the President's initiative is to reduce class size, particularly in the elementary grades. A recent five-year study of the  Milwaukee schools confirmed that students in smaller classrooms outperformed those in larger ones, including those who used vouchers to study outside the public school system. Congress has already funded about a third of the President's proposal to put 100,000 new teachers in the classroom. Now, he is  asking lawmakers to finish the job ...

As we stand on the brink of the new century, making our public schools the best in the world will be more important than ever. It will take imagination and daring, commitment and perseverance, equity and resources.  But we can do no less for our children and for our future.  (Originally published on 4/21/99)

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (NPS) --  In Yellowstone's early years, America and the world understood Yellowstone as a majestic and mysterious place.  Only those with a good deal of money -- or those who were migrating West -- could generally afford to visit the Park, but others could read about the ongoing Yellowstone saga through the pages of certain popular magazines.   And read they did!  And although few could actually afford to visit Yellowstone, there were more than enough tourists for some Yellowstone lovers.

The following is an another excerpt from Forest and Stream magazine (as reprinted in the latest edition of Yellowstone Science), a publication which chronicled the early years of Yellowstone:

"The volume of travel to the Park has been very great this year, even to the point of evoking a remonstrance from some of the old-timers, whose sentiments are probably expressed by one of our correspondents when he writes: I have no further use for the National Park ... It is full of men, women and children.   Last night I counted seven boats on the lake; camping parties of women were singing; I heard a baby cry.  The country is fairly populous.  Doubtless this is a good thing, but I don't want to travel where people are so thick.  The Park is too crowded, and I do not mean to visit it again, unless I come in the capacity of 'tourist.' " (September 19, 1889)

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This Saturday marks the dedication of the new Old Faithful Snow Lodge.  Construction of the new lodge began in the spring of 1997, with some guest rooms opening to the public during the past summer season.  More rooms were opened this month.  The lodge consists of a restaurant, gift shop and ski rental shop..

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