Vol 3, # 100

   Monday, November 29, 1999

YELLOWSTONE
WEATHER
Highs 40s, Lows 10s
Partly Sunny

   

Yellowstone Net Home Page
 

ROAD REPORT
North entrance
open only.
 

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- This week we'll briefly take an updated look at several threats to the Yellowstone ecosystem, one familiar, and one which may not be so familiar.

To begin with, the public comment period on the Draft Winter Use Plan / Environmental Impact Statement is coming to an end this week.   This EIS has to do with how the Park Service will manage Yellowstone during the crucial winter months, and has garnered much attention, as we have noted in recent issues of this publication.  The plan can be found online at http://www.nps.gov/planning/yell/winteruse.   Public comments must be received by Wednesday, December 1. 

You may not have heard that foreign snails are also presently threatening Yellowstone.   New Zealand mudsnails (a tiny mollusk) have found their way into several of Yellowstone's waterways, most notably the Gibbon River, Madison River, Firehole River and Nez Perce Creek.  In some instances, they now comprise up to 95 percent of all invertebrates in the river, thus posing a possible threat to trout by displacing the fishes' natural food supplies.  The New Zealand mudsnails are just one of a number of exotic species which scientists have identified in the Yellowstone ecosystem.

Yellowstone Net provides you opportunity to voice your opinion regarding the various Yellowstone issues to your congresspersons and to editorial sections of magazines and newspapers by clicking here.

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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) -- Yellowstone's winter season opens next month.  Park visitors should be aware that Yellowstone has many hidden and unmarked hazards.  Freezing, thawing, and extreme temperatures can create dangerous conditions.  Take proper precautions; use common sense and extreme caution near canyons, waterfalls, thermal areas, viewpoints, and wildlife.  Watch your children.  Your hand and your voice may be too far away once your child leaves your side.

In addition, road conditions on the stretch of road open to automobiles -- from Gardiner, Montana, to Cooke City, Montana -- can be icy, snowpacked, and hazardous.   Snowtires or chains are always recommended and may be required to drive this road in winter.

Please drive, walk, snowmobile, and ski safely to protect your park and yourself.

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CROW AGENCY, Mont. -- A traveling exhibit called "The American Buffalo" will be on exhibit at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument through January 2.  The exhibit traces the history of the American buffalo from prehistoric times to the present, including the uses of buffalo by native people, the exploitation and near extinction of the animal, and its symbolic use.  The exhibit is presented by State Historic Society of North Dakota.

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KALISPELL, Mont. -- Federal officials who are managing Montana's wolves have decided to move or kill wolves which attack family pets.  U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials are aware of only a few instances in which wolves have killed family pets in Montana, but do feel that changing wolf management policy to include wolf attacks upon pets is necessary in light of the strong ties which often exist between pets and their owners.

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