|
| . | . | . | ||
| Site Search | Support Yellowstone! Discussion Forums Free Stuff Email Newsletter | |||
YELLOWSTONE |
IN THE NEWS TODAY: Protecting Yellowstone -- by Bruce Gourley National Parks Budget Lags Behind -- by NPCA New at Yellowstone Net -- by Bruce Gourley Yellowstone Net Online Maps -- by Bruce Gourley NEW! Daily Environmental News -- from ISyndicate |
|||
| . | . | . | ||
| Travel News: | ||||
ROAD REPORT PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-
|
 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) -- Yellowstone, it seems, is a magnet for controversy. The ongoing debate over the Winter Use issue is just one of many ongoing controversies, including the bison and brucellosis debate, the wolf reintroduction program, the status of the Grizzly, the dangers to the Park's trout population, non-native plant species, and bio-prospecting, to name some. Added to this list is a new controversy which has surfaced just this fall: the salt-baiting of elk near the Park's southern boundary. Following is a excerpt written by Tom Beno of the Wolf Justice League in regards to this newest of Yellowstone controversies: The issues are hunter ethics, "fair chase," conservation of public resources and safety. Elk are "hunted," killed and dressed-out at salt baits within a few yards of the Yellowstone Park border, leaving gut piles and other remains which are an attractant for grizzlies and other predators (evidenced by repeated tracks). This is a human-grizzly conflict waiting to happen. It's preventable, but the "shooting fish in a barrel" aspect of elk "hunting" over salt bait – within the shadow of Yellowstone National Park - is too attractive for outfitters/hunters to resist: Trophy elk heads for big bucks ($$$) taken with minimal physical exertion are more important. Although USFWS and the Forest Service both claim that there've been no (proven) grizzly confrontations (yet) as a result of salt-baiting elk, it's logically only a question of time before a hunter or hiker meets the wrong bear under the wrong (salty) circumstances. USFWS Law Enforcement has insufficient manpower (USFWS Director Jamie Clark is being copied on this), USFS doesn't take the issue seriously enough (until someone is killed?), and Wyoming Fish and Game turns its back on the "non-issue.” Salt-baiting is a “federal” crime, but is legal under state (Wyoming) law – similar to how killing endangered wolves is a federal crime, but Colorado still has a state bounty. The agencies (except Wyoming Fish and Game) agree that salt-baiting is unethical and unacceptable - but "catching someone in the act" is difficult. Some of the offending outfitters are rich, well-entrenched and politically powerful, and federal "prosecutors" - especially in Wyoming, it seems – need to have convictions gift-wrapped, airtight, and beyond the influence of the "good ol' boy" network before they'll consider "prosecuting." Yellowstone Net provides you opportunity to voice your opinion regarding the Grizzly and other issues to your congresspersons and to editorial sections of magazines and newspapers by clicking here. |
|||
| . | . | . | ||
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Ralph Maughan
|
NATIONAL PARKS
BUDGET STILL LAGS BEHIND by National Parks and Conservation AssociationWASHINGTON, D.C. -- The federal budget agreement approved today by the House of Representatives does not meet the needs of the National Park System, the nation's largest park advocacy group today said. "The most important mission of the park system is to protect irreplaceable national resources - whether they are the bison of Yellowstone or the Longfellow library," said Tom Kiernan, president of the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA). "The bottom line is that Congress has not been providing enough money to do that properly." "Every year we are falling further and further behind in the protection of our national parks," Kiernan said. The fiscal year 2000 Interior Department budget provides $255 million for resource stewardship in the National Park System. This is $26 million more than in FY 99, but $12 million less than the Park Service had requested for this year. However, according to the National Park Service, natural-and-cultural- resource-protection needs approach $1 billion in parks across the country. The total operational budget for the park system through the agreement is just $1.4 billion. "We recognize that Congress has tried to gradually increase the amount of money going to protect national parks," Kiernan said, "but it is not enough." Kiernan noted that the multi-billion-dollar backlog of maintenance needed in the national parks is slowly being pared down through a special program that channels increased entrance fees directly back to the parks. NPCA believes that a similar dedicated funding source should be created to help protect the natural and cultural resources that are the heart of the National Park System. NPCA has endorsed a bipartisan Senate bill known as the National Park Preservation Act (S. 819). This legislation would allocate funds from offshore drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf to the restoration and preservation of natural, cultural, and historic resources in the National Park System. Although the FY 2000 budget does not provide the full funding that parks need, it does include additional funding for the acquisition of park land threatened by commercial development. In addition, White House negotiators were able to remove several anti-park "riders" that had been added to the bill without open congressional debate. For example, the original bill tried to delay efforts to restore natural quiet at the Grand Canyon and to continue damaging livestock grazing in Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area in Washington. Unfortunately, the compromise bill still blocks efforts by the Interior Department to prohibit destructive lead mining near the Ozark National Scenic Riverway. "These anti-environment riders are an affront to the American people," Kiernan said, "President Clinton and the many members of Congress who opposed them right down to the wire deserve our thanks." |
|||
| m | . | . | ||
| NEW AT
YELLOWSTONE NET by Bruce Gourley BELGRADE, Mont. (YNET) -- Yellowstone Net continues to add new online resources for fans and supporters of Yellowstone National Park. Features added within the past week include a graphical, two-day Yellowstone weather forecast on the home page, a new automated public Cool Links page, and a "Random Yellowstone Fact" generator on the home page. Also, the Webmaster's Resource Section has been expanded. New resources include the JavaScript for the aforementioned Random Yellowstone Fact generator, a Random Yellowstone Website generator, the Yellowstone Ticker (a news and information applet) and more. |
||||
| . | . | |||
| YELLOWSTONE
NET ONLINE MAPS by Bruce Gourley BELGRADE, Mont. -- Yellowstone Net offers the finest collection in online Yellowstone maps. These exclusive maps are designed by award-winning photographer and offer the user detailed information about the Park. The maps cover the Main Features of Yellowstone, the Geyser Basins, Mileage, the Old Faithful Area, and the Canyon Area. The maps are set against the backdrop of Russ' award-winning photos. |
||||
| |
||||
