Vol 3, # 68

   Wednesday, July 21, 1999

YELLOWSTONE
WEATHER
Highs 70s, Lows 30s
Partly Sunny
 

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- After a long time waiting, the date for oral arguments of the appeal before the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals on Judge Downes' wolf removal order has been set--July 29, 1999. Downes' ruled in December 1997 that the reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone and central Idaho was a violation of section 10j of the Endangered Species Act. He ordered all of the reintroduced wolves and their offspring "removed." This now is about 225 wolves and will be probably be well over 300 by the time the U.S. Court of Appeals rules whether Downes was correct.

Downes' stayed his removal order pending appeal. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife has indicated that if Downes' removal order is upheld the wolves will have to be killed. Sometime after his decision, Downes wrote that he didn't mean for the wolves to be killed, only removed. He offered no solution as to where to put the wolves.

Should Downes be upheld, informed observers predict civil disobedience and unrest as citizens strive to protect this biologically successful project.

(Visit the Greater Yellowstone Coalition's website at www.greateryellowstone.org, or Ralph Maughan's website at http://www.poky.srv.net/~jjmrm/.)

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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) -- All of my lawyer friends are going to really enjoy this column, especially #30.

These are 30 things people actually said in court, word for word.

1.     Q: What is your date of birth? A: July fifteenth. Q: What year? A: Every year.

2.     Q: What gear were you in at the moment of the impact? A: Gucci sweats and Reeboks.

3.     Q: This myasthenia gravis, does it affect your memory at all? A: Yes. Q: And in what ways does it affect your memory? A: I forget. Q: You forget.  Can you give us an example of something that you’ve forgotten?

4.     Q: How old is your son, the one living with you. A: Thirty-eight or thirty-five, I can’t remember which. Q: How long has he lived with you? A: Forty-five years.

5.     Q: What was the first thing your husband said to you when he woke that morning? A: He said, “Where am I, Cathy?” Q: And why did that upset you? A: My name is Susan.

6.     Q: And where was the location of the accident? A: Approximately milepost 499. Q: And where is milepost 499? A: Probably between milepost 498 and 500.

7.     Q: Sir, what is your IQ? A: Well, I can see pretty well, I think.

8.     Q: Did you blow your horn or anything? A: After the accident? Q: Before the accident. A: Sure, I played for ten years.   I even went to school for it.

9.     Q: Do you know if your daughter has ever been involved in voodoo or the occult? A: We both do. Q: Voodoo? A: We do. Q: You do? A: Yes, voodoo.

10.    Q: Trooper, when you stopped the defendant, were your red and  blue lights flashing? A: Yes. Q: Did the defendant say anything when she got out of her car? A: Yes, sir. Q: What did she say? A: What disco am I at?

11.    Q: Now doctor, isn’t it true that when a person dies in his sleep, he doesn’t know about it until the next morning?

12.    Q: The youngest son, the twenty-year old, how old is he?

13.    Q: Were you present when your picture was taken?

14.    Q: Was it you or your younger brother who was killed in the war?

15.    Q: Did he kill you?

16.    Q: How far apart were the vehicles at the time of the collision?

17.    Q: You were there until the time you left, is that true?

18.    Q: How many times have you committed suicide?

19.    Q: So the date of conception (of the baby) was August 8th? A: Yes. Q: And what were you doing at that time?

20.    Q: She had three children, right? A: Yes. Q: How many were boys? A: None. Q: Were there any girls?

21.    Q: You say the stairs went down to the basement? A: Yes. Q: And these stairs, did they go up also?

22.    Q: Mr. Slatery, you went on a rather elaborate honeymoon, didn’t you? A:  I went to Europe, Sir. Q:  And you took your new wife?

23.    Q: How was your first marriage terminated? A: By death. Q: And by whose death was it terminated?

24.    Q: Can you describe the individual? A: He was about medium height and had a beard. Q: Was this a male, or a female?

25.    Q: Is your appearance here this morning pursuant to a deposition notice which I sent to your attorney? A: No, this is how I dress when I go to work.

26.    Q: Doctor, how many autopsies have you performed on dead people? A: All my autopsies are performed on dead people.

27.    Q: All your responses must be oral, OK?  What school did you go to? A: Oral.

28.    Q: Do you recall the time that you examined the body? A: The autopsy started around 8:30 p.m. Q: And Mr. Dennington was dead at the time? A: No, he was sitting on the table wondering why I was doing an autopsy.

29.    Q: Are you qualified to give a urine sample?

30.    Q: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse? A: No. Q: Did you check for blood pressure? A: No. Q: Did you check for breathing? A: No. Q: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy? A: No. Q: How can you be so sure, Doctor? A: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar. Q: But could the patient have still been alive nevertheless? A: It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Some observers have noted that bear sightings are becoming more common in Yellowstone.  One explanation is that bears seem to more and more be seeking food along road corridors.  According to Park biologists, some fifteen bears are regularly spending time foraging within sight of roadways. 

Decades ago, the sight of bears was so commonplace that one could hardly come to Yellowstone without seeing bears.  When the Park Service began realizing the "friendly" bears posed a threat to visitors, efforts were made to made to make the Park's bears dependent upon natural food sources rather than human handouts.  Today, the rare bear-sighting is one of the greatest thrills of a Yellowstone visit.

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The Endangered Species Act is succeeding, according to two environmental groups, even though only 11 of more than 1,400 species listed worldwide have been reclassified or have recovered. Critics of the act often point to the small number of recovered species as evidence that the act is a failure. However, a report released Wednesday by two environmental groups argues that the act has actually fostered significant improvement in the well-being of many listed species.

For the full story from ENN, go to http://www.enn.com/news/enn-stories/1999/06/061099/esa_3667.asp

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