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YELLOWSTONE |
IN THE NEWS TODAY: Protecting Yellowstone -- by Bruce Gourley Public Meetings About Winter Use Proposal -- by NPS Bison Slaughtered -- by Bruce Gourley Hunter Found Guilty of Illegally Killing Elk -- by NPS NEW! Daily Environmental News -- from ISyndicate |
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ROAD REPORT
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 PROTECTING YELLOWSTONEby 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) -- An alert reader in our Discussion Forums noted over the weekend that our listing of congressional email addresses on our Support Yellowstone page was partially outdated. She was right, as it turns out, so we have updated our information, which now not only includes links to current email addresses of congressional representatives from throughout the United States, but also provides even more links to assist you in your efforts to support the continued protection and preservation of Yellowstone National Park. One resource in particular which we would encourage you to use is letters to the editors of newspapers and magazines throughout the United States. We provide links to hundreds of such publications through a public advocacy website, and you can easily compose your emails online and send them automatically. Also, our online survey is already quite a success. It allows you to voice your opinion about the protection and preservation of Yellowstone, among other things. Some one hundred persons have filled it out during the first week. We are discovering that most of you feel that the number one problem facing Yellowstone is lack of adequate funding for Park operations (the bison slaughter and wolf reintroduction are the next biggest problems, according to survey takers). We are also seeing that the biggest attraction in Yellowstone is .... drum roll please ... the wildlife! This is turning out to be the case by a large margin of voters. These and the rest of the results of the ongoing survey are available for everyone on the Internet to access. If you have not taken the survey, please click here to do so and make your voice heard!
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Ralph Maughan
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PUBLIC MEETINGS
ABOUT WINTER USE PROPOSAL National Park ServiceYELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- The National Park Service (NPS) has announced the locations for a series of meetings that have been scheduled to accept public comment on the Draft Winter Use Plan/Environmental Impact Statement for the Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway. The meetings have been scheduled for the following dates and locations: October 14 - Idaho Falls, ID October 21 - West Yellowstone, MT October 23 - Livingston, MT October 26 - Cody, WY October 28 - Jackson, WY November 3 - Lakewood, CO All meetings will be held from 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., with the exception of the Livingston meeting which will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Members of the public will each be offered five minutes to offer their substantive comments on the various alternatives contained in the Draft Winter Use Plan/EIS. The meetings will be chaired by a hearing officer, and park managers will be on hand to listen to the comments expressed by audience members during the meetings. Public comments will be recorded by a court reporter, with the resulting transcript included as part of the official record of the planning process. There will be no formal presentations or question and answer period. On August 15, 1999, the complete Draft Winter Use Plan/EIS was made available to the public via the Internet (www.nps.gov/yell/technical/planning) for a ninety-day review and comment period--double the length of time required by departmental policy and thirty days longer than required by the settlement agreement. At the time of the Internet release, it was noted that printed copies of the complete document would be available to the public after September 15. Unfortunately, printing and shipping difficulties delayed the availability of the printed document. Therefore, the public comment period has been extended until December 1, 1999. Written comments can be submitted to: Clifford Hawkes, National Park Service, 12795 West Alameda Parkway, Lakewood, CO 80228. |
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SLAUGHTERED by Bruce Gourley Winter has yet to arrive in Yellowstone, but the bison slaughter has already begin, albeit in a different manner than expected. Last week a man who owns land adjacent to Yellowstone National Park in the West Yellowstone area shot and killed a bull bison which he claims was threatening his cattle. The landowner's name is Dale Koelzer, and his land is used to help the Montana Department of Livestock in their capturing and killing of Yellowstone's bison which leave the Park during the winter months. The bison was found last week with its head, part of its hide and genitals missing. The incident is under investigation. Bison can legally be killed by landowners only if they are threatening someone's safety or harassing livestock. Conviction for illegally killing a bison in Montana carries a fine of up to $2000 and up to six months in jail. |
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| HUNTER FOUND
GUILTY OF ILLEGALLY KILLING ELK IN PARK by National Park Service YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Michael Finley has announced that David H. Jones, 23 years old, of Ketchum, Idaho, pled guilty on September 27, 1999, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Stephen E. Cole in Mammoth Hot Springs to three charges: illegal hunting and killing of a wild animal; possession of an illegal weapon; and interference with a law enforcement officer. Shortly after 6 p.m. on September 25, an off-duty park ranger discovered Jones in the woods near Norris Junction with a bow and quiver of arrows. The ranger contacted Jones and instructed him to return to the roadway with him. Upon their arrival at the roadway, Jones got into a private vehicle --against the instruction of the ranger--and fled the scene. The ranger notified the park's Communication Center, and Jones was apprehended and arrested by park rangers in the Madison area. Jones' bow, arrows, and other hunting equipment was confiscated. An investigation determined that Jones had killed a bull elk near the area where he had initially been contacted; the bull elk appeared to have been shot by four arrows. Jones was sentenced to 90 days in jail with 60 days suspended, ordered to pay $3,260 restitution to the park, and placed on supervised probation for three years. During his probation, he is prohibited from entering Yellowstone National Park. Superintendent Finley reminds the public that hunting is not permitted within the boundaries of Yellowstone National Park. Hunters are reminded that the possession of any weapon within the backcountry of the park is prohibited. Anyone contacted inside the park with a dead or wounded animal, in possession of a loaded weapon, or suspected or removing an animal from inside the park will be charged under Federal Law. Violators are subject to fines, the confiscation of equipment and possible prison sentences. |
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