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YELLOWSTONE |
IN THE NEWS TODAY: Protecting Yellowstone -- by Bruce Gourley Yellowstone Loses a Friend -- by Clint Wilkes Bison Update -- by Buffalo Nations Trial Slated in Bison Shooting -- News Brief NEW! Daily Environmental News -- from ISyndicate |
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ROAD REPORT PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-
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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) -- Someone recently posed the question to me: what are the top challenges which Yellowstone will face in the coming century? Although there are certainly many challenges facing the world's oldest national park as this new century is beginning, there will just as certainly be some challenges which will rise above most others. One of these more important challenges, I believe, will be the continued focus upon the "Winter Use" controversy and the future implications of said controversy. It is a given that snow machine use will eventually be curtailed during the winter months, as the machines emit tremendously high amounts of pollution firstly, and disturb wildlife secondly. Snowmobiling is indeed a fun recreational option, but at the same time it poses a notable risk to the Park's ecosystem. Look for cleaner-burning and quieter-running machines in the coming decade, as well as restrictions on the number of machines allowed in the Park, at the very least. However, the legacy of the Winter Use controversy will extend beyond snowmobiles. Although the focus is on winter at this point, the Yellowstone ecosystem also faces challenges from growing summer visitation numbers. Eventually, more encompassing Yellowstone visitation concerns will led to serious studies on how various modes of transportation during the summer months are affecting the health of the Park. Although the sheer size of Yellowstone ensures that personal automobiles will not be banned from the Park in the future, look for increased emphasis on transit systems within the Park during the 21st century. Indeed, when the time comes for making some decisions regarding summer visitation, the current uproar over winter usage may seem somewhat muted. (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
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YELLOWSTONE
LOSES A FRIEND BELGRADE, Mont. (YNET) -- Both Yellowstone National Park and Yellowstone Net lost a friend on January 25. Dave Boman went to be with our Heavenly Father and he will be greatly missed by those of us who knew and loved him. Dave spent a number of years of his life working in Yellowstone in various capacities, including as a tour bus driver and winter keeper at Canyon. He loved the Park and knew it like the back of his hand. This is a very personal loss for Bruce and I. Dave's best friend and wife of over thirty years, Gen, has been both a friend and confidant to us since we opened our business here in Belgrade. Dave and Gen were married for thirty-six years. Dave's funeral service was held this past Saturday, and was a fitting tribute as well as a moving testimony to his faith in God. Dave will be missed by his wife Gen, his sons Mike and Milton, and both their wives. However, it is the grandchildren who will miss their "Grandpa" the most. |
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| BISON UPDATE by Buffalo Nations WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. -- On Tuesday, January 25, the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) attempted to haze a bull buffalo from the south side of the Madison River. Three DOL agents on snowmobiles, accompanied by an officer from the Gallatin County Sheriff's department, participated in the operation. During this operation in Gallatin National Forest, Buffalo Field Campaign volunteer Andrea Rightsell was assaulted by a DOL agent as she approached to ask a question. Rightsell was standing in front of the agent when he ran into her with his snowmobile, knocking her to the ground. She intends to press charges. The object of the DOL's hazing operation was a lone bull who has been out of the park less than a week, on National Forest land designated as wildlife habitat. It is unclear whether the DOL intended to capture the buffalo or haze him back to the park. Hazing buffalo causes them unnecessary stress and taxes the crucial energy reserves they need to survive the winter. The bull was forced to run through snow deep enough that the DOL's snowmobiles became stuck repeatedly. Montana has recently come under fire from federal agencies for its mismanagement of the Yellowstone herd. Although there has never been a documented case of brucellosis transmission from wild buffalo to livestock, the state maintains a zero-tolerance policy for buffalo migrating from the park. The state insists such measures are necessary to preserve the brucellosis-free status of Montana's cattle. The state's position is neither supported by science nor endorsed by the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the federal body responsible for maintaining the state's brucellosis-free status. "We don't feel there's a need to kill every bison that comes out of the park," said APHIS spokesperson Patrick Collins. Because bulls cannot transmit the disease, APHIS considers them "low risk" and says their presence in the state will not jeopardize Montana's brucellosis-free status. Of the ninety buffalo shipped to slaughter last winter, forty-two were bulls. These animals were killed in the name of protecting cattle, who do not even return to the area until June 15. "The DOL is totally unqualified to be managing the buffalo, as today's events clearly show. We can't afford to entrust our last free herd of buffalo to an agency that doesn't seem to know or care how to protect them," said Emily Kodama, a volunteer with the Buffalo Field Campaign. Video footage and still photos available upon request. |
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| TRIAL SLATED
IN BISON SHOOTING News Brief BOZEMAN, Mont. -- A judge ruled Friday that Dale Koelzer of West Yellowstone, Montana, who has admitted to killing a Yellowstone bison that wandered onto his land this past September, must stand trial. Koelzer's lawyer had unsuccessful sought to have the charges against his client dismissed, but was unable to do so. The jury trial is scheduled for March 22. |
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