Vol 3, # 65

   Monday, July 12, 1999

YELLOWSTONE
WEATHER
Highs 80s, Lows 40s
Sunny and Warm
 

Yellowstone Net Home Page
 

ROAD REPORT
All entrances
are now open.
There are some
construction
delays in the
Park.
 

PROTECTING YELLOWSTONE
by Bruce Gourley

Yellowstone is a national treasure which is owned by the American public.  Protecting Yellowstone is the responsibility of the American public.   This weekly feature will help identify and explore the issues which are crucial to the ongoing, healthy existence of the "Crown Jewel" of America's National Park system.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- Earlier this month a visitor to Yellowstone was fined $100for feeding a grizzly bear in the Park.   Unfortunately, many visitors do not heed Park regulations, which are designed both to protect the wildlife and visitors.  One reader of the Yellowstone Net Newsletter, Penny Pickett of Washington, offered the following observation:

While reading the newsletter just now, I was enraged that a fine of only $100.00 was levied against a man for  feeding a grizzly.  It should be a much stronger punishment that would send a message to all people and possibly reach those that wildlife education cannot reach "A fed bear, is a dead bear" obviously isn't working, lets hit these  mindless individuals where it really hurts, in their almighty pocketbook, minimum fine of $1500.00 and mandatory jail time.  These animals are priceless, and the loss of just one that has become habituated is to high of a price to pay.

Another reader offered the following brief summary of her Park experience:

My family and I visited Yellowstone from June 16 to June 19. We camped at Madison  and had the most wonderful time. We drove, we walked, we climbed up and down mountains, we saw some of the most amazing sights.

Yellowstone is indeed "most amazing."  However, it will remain an amazing place only if visitors do their part in helping to protect the priceless treasure that is Yellowstone.  Reading and heeding Park regulations should be the duty of all visitors.

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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. -- Yellowstone National Park officials report that on July 2, 1999, park staff discovered a broken sewage line spilling raw sewage into a meadow between the Chittenden Bridge and Upper Falls in the park. Several thousand gallons of raw sewage spilled into the meadow before the sewage line could be shut down. The break occurred in a section of pipe located in an unstable, geologic slump area that has slowing been giving way. Upon discovery, sewage flowing into the pipe was immediately shut down, and restroom facilities in the Uncle Tom's parking area have been closed until the pipe can be repaired.

Park staff will replace the damaged pipe, constructed in the early 1970s, next week with a pipe that will more appropriately handle and adjust to the shifting and movement of the geologic slump. Additional temporary restroom facilities will be placed near the parking area to accommodate park visitors during the long holiday weekend and until the sewage line can be repaired.

None of the raw sewage reached any water courses. The incident has been reported to the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality.

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The American bald eagle, the most famous bird in Yellowstone National Park, is no longer endangered.  At the time of the founding of the United States, as many as half a million bald eagles lived in North America. 200 years later, only a few hundred breeding pairs existed in the contiguous 48 states.  First declared endangered in 1967, thanks to hunting, loss of prey and habitat and widespread use of the pesticide DDT (which made the birds' eggs too fragile to survive), the continued existence of the Bald Eagle seemed in doubt. However, after years of tireless efforts to restore this symbol of America, in 1995 the eagle was upgraded from endangered to threatened.  Then, last week, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally proposed the eagle be declared fully recovered. Final action is due in one year. However, if the population declines significantly, bald eagles will go back on the list.

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MOUNT RUSHMORE, South Dakota -- Four wayside exhibits at Mount Rushmore feature images, quotations, and career and lifetime achievements of the presidents immortalized on the memorial. The project is the result of a partnership of the National Park Service with the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) and the South Dakota Humanities Council. The exhibits complement an NEH-funded exhibit, "Hail to the Chief: Presidents, Politics and Power."

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