Yellowstone Net Newspaper

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YELLOWSTONE WEATHER Highs 60s, Lows 20s Partly Sunny		Yellowstone Net Home Page	IN THE NEWS TODAY: Protecting Yellowstone -- Bruce Gourley Fish Update -- Bruce Gourley Winter Use Plan Meeting -- News Brief Winter Vacations in Yellowstone -- News Brief NEW! Daily Environmental News -- from ISyndicate
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ROAD REPORT Some road construction delays.		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) -- A week ago this past Saturday, tragedy unfolded upon the Yellowstone landscape when Norma Jean Vaughn, a frequent visitor to the Park, fell to her death in the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. It was a sober reminder that Yellowstone is a place of danger, as well as a place of beauty and wonder. Even as Yellowstone must be protected as a symbol of what America was and is, visitors to Yellowstone must also be careful to take protective measures and heed posted signs and warnings to ensure their own safety. Anytime someone dies in Yellowstone, it is a tragedy. Jean's death, however, was especially tragic to me, as she was a friend whom I truly admired. Jean, along with her husband Cal, was well known among Baptist circles in Montana. In their retirement, she and Cal have been actively involved in volunteering their time and talents to help Montana Baptist churches and ministries throughout the state. Indeed, I came to know her through my own involvement in Montana Baptist life. Jean was the model grandparent, so much so that she was affectionately known as "Granny Jean" even by many people outside of her family. She left behind a large family, and her children and grandchildren paid tribute and honor to her at her funeral this past week in Billings. There were lots of tears shed, with the smiles of fond memories in between. Her funeral was also a great testimony to and witness of her faith in Christ. Jean was a true friend of Yellowstone. She and her husband Cal visited the Park probably more times than they could count. Their love for the Park carried over in their grandchildren, two of whom worked in the Park in recent summers as employees of Amfac, the Park concessionaire, and members of the Yellowstone Christian Innovators, a ministry to Park employees sponsored by Montana Southern Baptists and Gardiner Baptist Church in Gardiner, Montana. Time relentlessly marches on in the face of tragedy. Cherished memories harbored in the minds and hearts of loved ones left behind, however, only grow stronger. Today and tomorrow, there will be many people reliving memories of Norma Jean Vaughn, even as she will live on in the memory of Yellowstone National Park. BACK TO TOP
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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		FISH UPDATE by Bruce Gourley YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Cutthroat trout infected with whirling disease have been discovered in a second tributary of Yellowstone Lake, raising concerns among officials that the deadly disease is spreading throughout the Park's waterways. Last year whirling disease, which can kill young trout infected with it, was discovered in trout taken in Yellowstone Lake near Clear Creek. This second discovery was found in trout taken from Bridge Creek, the tributary which flows into the Lake at Bridge Bay. This location was a good ten miles from the first location. Whirling disease was first found among Montana's trout population in 1994, in the Madison River to the west of Yellowstone Park. The disease is caused by a parasite that infects young trout and cripples them, usually leading to death. However, even as Park officials struggle with how to cope with the expanding presence of whirling disease among the trout population, officials have noted progress in their effort to eradicate the non-native Lake Trout population from Yellowstone Lake. Lake trout were somehow introduced into the Lake several years ago, and their size and aggressive nature have endangered the native cutthroat population, which Yellowstone's grizzly population depend upon as a food source during the spring season. Despite equal efforts as compared to last year, significantly less Lake Trout have been netted this year than last year, indicating that the population is indeed declining. BACK TO TOP
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		WINTER USE PLAN MEETING News Brief This week representatives from Montana, Wyoming and Idaho, as well as representatives from the five counties which adjoin Yellowstone, will meet in Livingston, Montana, to discuss a controversial winter use plan for Yellowstone National Park. Park officials have put forth several possible proposals for dealing with the winter use problems which plague Yellowstone, one of which would be to plow the road from West Yellowstone to Old Faithful, allowing automobiles to drive to Old Faithful in the winter months. This particular proposal has led to cries of protest from local businesses dependent upon the snowmobile industry, state and local political leaders, and animal-rights activists who fear that paving the roadways would led to an increase of animal fatalities from the automobile traffic. BACK TO TOP
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		WINTER VACATIONS IN YELLOWSTONE News Brief Now that the summer season in Yellowstone is drawing to a close, winter will soon be uppermost in the minds of Yellowstone vacationers. Yellowstone offers a unique winter experience, whether from a snowmachine or on cross-country skies. The season runs from mid-December through early March, and it is not too early to begin making winter plans in Yellowstone. For more information, click here. BACK TO TOP