Vol 3, # 105

   Monday, December 20, 1999

YELLOWSTONE
WEATHER
Highs 30s, Lows 10s
Partly Sunny

   

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ROAD REPORT
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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) -- The winter snows have started falling, and the bison controversy is heating up once again.

The state of Montana made news last week when the four federal agencies (including the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the National Park Service) seeking to craft a bison management plan with the state of Montana disassociated themselves with the state of Montana, citing that the state had refused to back a compromise which would have helped solve the bison controversy.

The state of Montana, meanwhile, has re-iterated that it will not stop shooting bison until all bison in the Park herd have been vaccinated against brucellosis.  Then over the weekend, the Greater Yellowstone Coalition released results of the most exhaustive lab study on Yellowstone's bison, conducted by the National Veterinary Laboratory in Ames, Iowa.  The lab tests showed quite conclusively that four of five bison killed because of brucellosis concerns did not even have the disease.  Last year, only four of the thirty-six bison examined who were slaughtered actually had the disease.  But again, the state of Montana refuses to back down from it's relentless and unwarranted campaign against Yellowstone's bison.

Even in the larger picture, there is no shred of scientific evidence that wild bison have ever transferred the disease (which can cause cows to abort their fetuses) to domestic cattle.  Thus, the fears of Montana officials have no factual basis.   Furthermore, it is a known fact that wild elk can transmit brucellosis to domestic cattle, and yet neither the state of Montana and ranchers in the Yellowstone area have ever said a work against elk, much less sought to slaughter the brucellosis-infected elk.   Why the double standard?  Elk are an important game animal to both hunters and ranchers.  Bison, on the other hand, have long been viewed as competition to domestic cattle, competition which needs to be eradicated.

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

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is seeking to determine whether to list the prairie dog for protection under the Endangered Species Act.  The Prairie Dog's range includes an eleven state area, in which the animal's presence has been reduced to 1% of its historic range, and the FWS has asked those eleven states in the Mountains and Plains regions of the U.S. to submit their own conservation plans for the Prairie Dog.  To date, only Montana has submitted a conservation plan.  Montana's plan was drafted by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks, along with assistance from a number of other organizations and agencies. 

Now, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has opened a thirty day comment period on a proposed multistate conservation plan.  Only North Dakota and Colorado have not signed the multi-state plan, and although North Dakota is expected to sign, Colorado officials do not believe the Prairie Dog is threatened enough to be placed on the endangered species list, and therefore will not sign any plan.

The future of the Prairie Dog, which inhabited much of North America far before modern human settlers, will be determined in the coming 21st century.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- U.S. Department of Energy Bill Richardson and Department of the Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt has announced awards totaling $460,000 to selected national park fleet managers to advance the development of alternative fuels.  The Energy Department funds, awarded to 32 national parks, will be used to support the enhanced use of alternative fuel vehicles in the National Park System, including the construction of new re-fueling stations; the purchase of additional alternative fuel vehicles; and the evaluation of emerging engine and fuel system technologies so that they can be better understood and commercialized within the system.

"This announcement demonstrates that by working in partnership, the federal government can protect our natural resources while saving money and preserving the parks for future generations," said Secretary of Energy Bill Richardson.  "This effort will provide environmental benefits to our national parks while educating the public about the use and availability of alternative fuels."

"Integrating alternative fuel vehicles into the National Park Service's fleet is an important component in this partnership to preserve our nation's natural resources," said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt.  "With the use of alternative fuels and the practice of energy conservation, we are taking concrete steps to protect the environment and promote sustainable practices."

Major national parks which have received the funding award include Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Grand Canyon, Yosemite, Rocky Mountain, Everglades and Mammoth Cave.

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BELGRADE, Mont. -- Yellowstone Net's Free Internet Access service has already garnered an estimated 2000 downloads within the first two weeks.  Yellowstone Net offers Free Internet Access via a local telephone call to about 90% of the United States population and to much of Canada.   The service is particularly popular in the larger Yellowstone region, although the service has already acquired users in all fifty states.  Yellowstone Net is expected to become the largest Montana-owned Internet Service Provider within the coming year.

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