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| MONDAY June 26, 2000 Vol 4, # 38 |
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| MONDAY June 26, 2000 Vol 4, # 38 |
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| Site Search | Support Yellowstone! Discussion Free Internet, Email, More Email Newsletter | |
YELLOWSTONE 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) -- This year marks an important milestone in the larger Yellowstone region: the 50th anniversary of Grand Teton National Park. Located just an hour's drive south of Yellowstone, Grand Teton, although lesser known than its northern neighbor, harbors spectacular mountain scenery and abundant wildlife. The National Park Service offers the following information concerning the 50th anniversary of Grand Teton, including upcoming events. Grand Teton National Park will be celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the park's establishment throughout the rest of 2000. Park Superintendent, Jack Neckels invites the public to join Grand Teton National Park as we mark this 50th Anniversary year. The original Grand Teton National Park was established by an act of Congress in 1929. In 1943, Franklin D. Roosevelt created Jackson Hole National Monument by presidential proclamation. Congress combined these two separate park units on September 14, 1950, effectively expanding original park boundaries to include monument lands and establish present-day Grand Teton National Park. Upcoming Events Include: Tuesday, July 11 - Jackson Lake Lodge Explorers Room, 7:00 PM Evening with historian Robert Righter – Slide presentation by the author of "Crucible for Conservation – The Struggle for Grand Teton National Park". Readings of works by other conservationists from the Muries to John Muir. Book signing and refreshments follow. Wednesday, July 12 - History Field Trip, Teton Science School All day tour with historian and author, Robert Righter offered by Teton Science School's Adult Seminar Series. Register with Teton Science School at 307/733-4765. July 20 - 23 - Murie Legacy Symposium - Grand Teton National Park The Muries: Voices for Wilderness and Wildlife, four-day conservation conference at the Murie Ranch. Contact the Murie Center for registration and information at 307/739-2246. Friday, July 21 - Jackson Lake Lodge, 6:00 PM - 9:30 PM Celebration of the Muries - BBQ, The Arctic Dance Film. Tickets available through the Murie Center, 307/739-2246. Friday, August 11 - Jackson Lake Lodge, 12:00 Noon 50th Anniversary Celebration – Spend the morning at Jackson Lake Lodge celebrating Grand Teton National Park’s Golden Anniversary through music, dance, reminiscences, and speeches. Wednesday, August 16 - (location and time to be announced) Music of Nature Concert Series – Currently being arranged in cooperation with Grand Teton Music Festival. Friday, August 25 - Grand Teton National Park 2:00 PM Founders Day Celebration – Enjoy free admission to the park, Golden Anniversary exhibits, cake and punch. Local authors available for book signings at the Moose Visitor Center between 2:00 - 4:00 PM. Thursday, September 14 - Grand Teton National Park Park Commemoration Day – Activities being planned to mark the actual establishment day. September 11 - 16 - Jackson Lake Lodge Arts for the Parks 2000 Competition – Fine art exhibition with 100 outstanding works of art on display; among these will be the Grand Teton National Park 50th Anniversary winner. June 5 – September 5 - Evening slide presentations with focus on park history. History strolls through Menors Ferry Historical District. Check park newspaper, Teewinot, for locations and times . Finally, Commemorative posters and pins are for sale in visitor center bookstores, and a special 50th Anniversary Edition Newspaper is available parkwide. (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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PROPOSED
OLD FAITHFUL VISITOR EDUCATION CENTER YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Superintendent Michael V. Finley announced today that the park is soliciting public comments on the issues and alternatives to be considered in the planning process for the construction of a proposed new Visitor Education Center at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park. The new visitor education center would replace the current visitor center that can no longer accommodate or meet the educational needs of visitors to the Old Faithful area. Each year, Yellowstone National Park is the premier destination for more than 3 million people—with more than 85 percent of those visitors traveling to the Old Faithful area to explore the greatest concentration of geysers found anywhere in the world and to see the world-renowned landmark, Old Faithful Geyser. During the peak season (July and August), the existing, inadequate Old Faithful Visitor Center cannot accommodate the nearly 25,000 daily visitors. The poorly designed facility is too small (8,000 square feet) for any exhibits, and visitors leave the Old Faithful area without a basic understanding of or appreciation for the complexity and interconnected nature of the geysers they see or the volcanic activity that defines Yellowstone National Park. The proposed visitor education center would be located in the same area as the current visitor center. The new visitor education center would include adequate orientation and educational exhibit spaces, an auditorium, classroom, research library, educational bookstore, and backcountry permitting office. The current visitor center and the two adjacent satellite theaters would be removed, and functions that currently occur in these three buildings would be consolidated into one 40,000 square foot structure. The new building would be designed to be compatible with the signature rustic architectural style of the Old Faithful Historic District. The inadequacies of the current visitor center have long been recognized. The Old Faithful Visitor Education Center project was first seriously considered in 1998, but due to lack of funding, no progress was made. The Yellowstone Park Foundation, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to protect, preserve, and enhance Yellowstone National Park, undertook the Old Faithful project and pledged to raise $15 million of the $18 million necessary to construct the new visitor education center. Preliminary planning to analyze the functions necessary for the visitor education center and the appropriate space needs occurred in summer 1999. Because of the successful fundraising efforts of the Yellowstone Park Foundation, the park is able to move forward with the project planning and public involvement phase. To assist the National Park Service with the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center project, you are invited to comment on the issues and identify alternatives or other concerns that need to be considered in this process. Please send your comments by July 24, 2000, to: Planning Office, Old Faithful Visitor Education Center Project, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190. |
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| STEAMBOAT GEYSER UPDATE News Brief
Smith is Professor of Geophysics at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City. Windows Into the Earth is co-authored by Smith and Lee Siegel and is now available from Oxford Press. The book is dedicated to the memory of Rick Hutchinson, former Yellowstone Park geologist who was killed in an avalanche. For more information, click here. |
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| SUMMER ACTIVITIES News Brief Summer has arrived in the Yellowstone region, and along with the long, warm days comes a variety of fun-filled activities that the whole family can enjoy. For starters, raft trips down the Yellowstone river are available just north of the Park in Gardiner, Montana. Rafting outings are a favorite of many families visiting Yellowstone. In addition, horseback riding, guided fly-fishing trips, backcountry trips, personal guided tours, bus tours, and a western dinner cookout are popular family activities in and near Yellowstone. For more information and to book your summer activities, click here or call toll-free 1-888-255-7710. |
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Robert
Smith, author of Windows Into The Earth, The Geologic Story of Yellowstone and Grand
Teton National Parks, has announced the release to the public of his aerial
photograph of Steamboat Geyser erupting on May 2. Steamboat Geyser is located in the
Norris Geyser Basin of Yellowstone and is believed to be the world's tallest active
geyser, reaching as high as 400 feet and erupts unpredictably with intervals ranging from
decades to a few days.