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YELLOWSTONE WEATHER Highs 60s, Lows 30s Partly Cloudy More Weather Road Conditions ROAD REPORT Most roads are now open! For more road info, click here. COMMUNITY CENTER THE DAILY CARTOON ONLINE GREETING CARDS PUBLISHER Yellowstone Net Company EDITOR-IN- CHIEF Bruce Gourley MORE LINKS Vacation Discussion Newspaper Archives Send us your comments		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) -- Memorial Day is this coming weekend, a sure sign that summer is arriving in Yellowstone. Beginning over the weekend, the number of visitors to Yellowstone will steadily increase to a peak point in July and August, with Labor Day weekend marking the end of the main tourist season. Visitors will marvel at the geysers and wildlife, and many will hope to see an eruption from Steamboat Geyser, which erupted for the first time in seven years on May 2. One Wyoming man in particular hopes to make a memorable impact upon Yellowstone visitors this Memorial Day weekend. The Billings Gazette reported earlier this month that Bert Smith of Green River is planning a protest over what he sees as a decline in access to public lands. Smith is particularly upset over the possibility of the elimination of snowmobiles in Yellowstone. His plan is to create a traffic jam in Yellowstone and other national parks around the country over this weekend. Smith's plan is to recruit protestors to enter Yellowstone and other national parks on May 26 and to drive "excruciatingly slow" through the Park, forcing traffic jams on the roads. Now, this plan might disrupt some other national parks, but Yellowstone is another matter altogether. Many visitors already drive slow in order to better see the wildlife and scenery. Not to mention the fact that wildlife often hold up traffic. In fact, if indeed the protestors follow through on their threat, they might actually get to enjoy the beauty and majesty of Yellowstone that many snowmobilers in the Park never really see because they travel so fast through the Park. Indeed, some of the protestors may get to truly experience the Park for the first time, thanks to their "protest." To truly enjoy Yellowstone is to spend time enjoying her beauty and wonders. Hopefully many new visitors to the Park will do just this during the coming Memorial Day weekend. (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.) BACK TO TOP
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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 Matthew McLean		GRIZZLY SHOOTINGS INVESTIGATED News Brief CODY, Wyo. -- Federal and state officials are investigating the shooting of three male grizzly bears near Wyoming's Bighorn Basin, east of Yellowstone National Park. The shootings occurred over a five-day period earlier this month. One bear was shot by a private property owner within 100 feet of his ranch house. The other two grizzlies were killed by two different hunters who have stated they mistook the animals for black bears. The incidents were reported to the Wyoming Game and Fish department by those involved, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was then notified. Grizzlies are protected under the Endangered Species Act, and thus under federal jurisdiction. All three bears killed were males, and one was wearing a radio collar. The grizzly shot near the ranch house was killed in self-defense, and had been relocated twice previously due to its breaking into beehives on the South Fork near Cody last year. BACK TO TOP
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		GLACIER GRIZZLIES STUDIED News Brief WEST GLACIER, Mont. -- For the first time, federal officials have posted a numerical grizzly bear population for the Glacier National Park area. DNA studies conducted from nearly 3000 hair samples place the grizzly population at 332 within Glacier, and a total of 437 in the larger Glacier area, which covers some 2 million acres. Although this is an estimate, researchers are 95 percent sure there are between 277 and 460 grizzlies in Glacier and between 349 and 590 in the entire study area. The grizzly study is the first in the United States to be based upon genetic information. BACK TO TOP
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		YELLOWSTONE ECOSYSTEM CONFERENCE News Brief WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. (YNET) -- The Greater Yellowstone Coalition's 17th annual conference will explore the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem's health and vital signs through expert panel discussions, field trips and documentary films. The keynote speaker is Donald J. Barry, assistant secretary for the Interior Department. The meeting is June 2-3 in West Yellowstone, and sessions will take place in the historic Union Pacific Dining Lodge. For information or to register, call (406) 586-1593 or visit www.greateryellowstone.org. BACK TO TOP