Vol 3, #78

   Friday, September 10, 1999

YELLOWSTONE
WEATHER
Highs 60s, Lows 20s
Partly Sunny
 

Yellowstone Net Home Page
 

ROAD REPORT
Some road
construction
delays.

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- National attention is again focused on lands abutting Yellowstone National Park. And once again, the interest is over enormous public benefits that have emerged after years of conflict.

On Tuesday, August 31, representatives of a wide range of interests shook hands and celebrated what they have produced through patient collaboration. Leaders of the Church Universal and Triumphant (CUT) joined conservation groups, sportsmen, and top government officials in celebrating a landmark transfer of property to the American public. Highlights included:

7,800 acres in one of the most important wildlife corridors in America has been brought into public ownership and conservation easement; the land, on the northern doorstep of Yellowstone National Park, has been one of the principal killing fields for bison wandering across the park boundary in search of winter forage. Public acquisition now sets the stage for a bison management plan that moves away from slaughter to accommodation of bison; and  the area is also crucial to elk, deer, antelope, bighorn sheep, wolves and grizzly bears.

"This is a ramp to survival for Yellowstone's wildlife" said Mike Clark of the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. "For thousands of years, animals have escaped Yellowstone's severe winters by migrating down this gentle valley. With public purchase of the land and a conservation easement, we are ensuring that this safety valve will exist for the park's wildlife for generations to come."

Clark says the Church Universal and Triumphant, which has owned the land since 1981,  deserves thanks from the public for working through the many hoops and hurdles of  federal land acquisition. "They could have turned to private buyers and perhaps achieved a quicker or more lucrative sale," said Clark.   "Yellowstone's wildlife and the American public would have been big losers in that scenario. We're glad the church worked so hard to balance its own interest with the public interest."

This land deal follows closely on the heels of another sweeping victory for wildlife in the Yellowstone region--the Gallatin Land Consolidation Act--which largely erased the checkerboard pattern of public and private lands, intermingled across four mountain ranges north of Yellowstone Park. Large blocks of publicly-owned land have replaced those checkerboards, providing much greater opportunities to protect water quality, fish and wildlife habitat, and public access in the Gallatin, Madison, Bridger and Bangtail mountain ranges.

Together with the Gallatin I swap in 1993 and purchases north of Yellowstone in the Porcupine drainage in 1994-96, the net gain in publicly-owned land is now more than 60,000 acres.

"We should be proud that our generation seized the opportunity to bring these areas into public ownership--a tremendous gift for our children and grandchildren," said Bob Ekey of The Wilderness Society. "These land deals would not have been possible without support from Congress, which appropriated a total of $33 million from the Land and Water Conservation Fund to buy this open space and wildlife habitat that, in effect, provides a crucial safety valve for America's first national park."

"This is a proud accomplishment for Montana's sportsmen," said Ken Barrett of Orion The Hunters Institute. "Some members of Congress listen better to us; other members maintain a good dialogue with conservationists. In this case, we all wanted the same thing--a vital link between Yellowstone and wintering grounds outside the park. We communicated the need. Congress listened and acted. Everyone is benefiting."

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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) -- Autumn weather is unpredictable; roads may be closed temporarily by snow or other weather conditions. Travelers to the park are urged to contact park headquarters at (307) 344-7381 for current road and weather conditions.

This autumn's road closing schedule is as follows:

The only park road that remains open to wheeled vehicles all winter is the road from Gardiner, MT at the North Park Entrance to Silver Gate & Cook City at the Northeast Park Entrance.

Other roads close on the following schedule:

Tower Fall to Canyon Village closes on October 12.

Beartooth Pass closes on October 12.

All other park roads except those noted above close November 8.

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Yellowstone National Park officials have been looking for a new home for a young grizzly bear that was caught raiding a campground and destroying tents. The bear is two to three years old and weighs 180 pounds and was considered a "sub-adult."  The animal had made a series of appearances in the Indian Creek Campground (which is now open only to hard-sided units), but had not attacked any people. Authorities say the bear's actions were menacing enough that it will not be released back into the wild. They will instead try to find it a home in a zoo. If that doesn't work, the animal will be put to death.

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Yellowstone National Park authorities are reminding visitors that it is illegal to carry firearms in the park's back country. Several violations of that rule have been reported in recent weeks...including a boy scout troop that rangers found in possession of a Glock 40-caliber handgun, and a group from Utah that had a 12-gauge shotgun. Officials say anyone caught with such weapons is liable for fines, citations, and court appearances.

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