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| FRIDAY August 4, 2000 Vol 4, # 47 |
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| FRIDAY August 4, 2000 Vol 4, # 47 |
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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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VISITOR RECEIVES MINOR
INJURIES FROM BEAR by National Park Service YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Yellowstone National Park officials announced that a park visitor received minor injuries during an encounter with a grizzly bear on the Avalanche Peak Trail in the eastern portion of the park on Sunday, July 30, at approximately 9:45 a.m. The encounter occurred when Martin Ostmann, 18 years old, of Webster Groves, Missouri, and his companion, Matthew Ramey, also of Webster Groves, Missouri, had hiked approximately two-thirds of the way up the Avalanche Peak Trail. They had stopped briefly on the trail to remove some of their clothing layers when they heard the two bears (probably an adult female grizzly bear with a subadult) approaching them. Both men immediately dropped to the ground and curled up, face down, with their hands protecting their necks. The men were approached by the adult grizzly bear, who bit and sniffed Ostmann and then approached Ramey and sniffed at him. Ostmann received a minor puncture wound on his wrist and other minor abrasions to his hand; Ramey was not injured. The two hikers were able to hike down to the trailhead. However, about 10 minutes after the first encounter, they came upon the same two bears. The hikers again dropped to the ground and protected their necks while the adult bear sniffed at them. The bear eventually left them alone, and the two were able to make their way down to the trailhead where they reported the two incidents to park staff. Ostmann and Ramey received no additional injuries during the second encounter. Ostmann received initial emergency medial treatment by park staff and was then driven to the Lake Hospital by Ramey for additional care. He was treated and released. The Avalanche Peak Trail has been closed until further notice. Park staff will continue to monitor the area for bear activity. Park visitors are reminded to take appropriate precautions when hiking in bear country. When hiking, don't travel alone, stay on designated trails, make noise, and be alert. Try not to surprise bears or any other wildlife while hiking, and never approach wildlife with young. |
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Ralph Maughan
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LIGHTNING
STRIKE INJURES CAMPERS YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Yellowstone National Park officials received a 9-1-1 call at approximately 10:45 p.m. on Tuesday, August 1, reporting that lightning had hit a large lodgepole pine tree between two campsites at Bridge Bay Campground near Yellowstone Lake. A park ranger was in the area and on scene within several minutes of receiving the call. A total of 13 possible patients were originally reported. The campsite located closest to the lightning strike was occupied by 8 individuals in tents. Three of these individuals, Larry L. Hunt (36) and two minors, of Sandy, Utah, were transported to the Lake Hospital where they were treated for minor injuries, checked for possible further complications, and released. A nearby campsite was occupied by five individuals who were sitting by their campfire at the time of the lightning strike. Two of these individuals were treated at the scene and refused additional medical attention. One of these individuals stated that he was knocked off his feet by the lightning strike. All of the involved individuals stated that they felt the electricity generated by the strike run through their bodies. A vehicle parked at one of the campsites had its entire rear window and side rear window blown out by the lightning strike. A 40-foot section of the tree landed inches away from a tent that was occupied by three individuals. Additional debris from the strike was scattered in a 50-foot radius surrounding the strike location. Three area ambulances and patrol rangers with a total of 9 emergency personnel responded to the scene. At the time of the incident report, a very intense storm cell was moving through the area, producing rain and hail as well as additional lightning strikes in and around the area. |
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| CANYON VISITOR CENTER
SCOPING BEGINS by National Park Service YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Superintendent Michael V. Finley has announced that the park is soliciting public comments on the issues and alternatives to be considered in the planning process for a proposal to rehabilitate and upgrade the Canyon Visitor Center in Yellowstone National Park. The present visitor center, constructed in 1958, has a number of structural and design defects that need to be corrected. Additionally, the current visitor center is too small to adequately serve the number of visitors who use it. In order to provide adequate space and service to the public, a second story would be added-almost doubling the size of the rehabilitated building to 22,820 square feet. The visitor center's structural problems and other limitations have long been recognized, but funding constraints prevented any real progress toward a solution. The 1996 Congressionally-authorized Recreation Fee Demonstration Program provided the funding needed to begin planning efforts for the visitor center's rehabilitation. Preliminary planning to analyze the functions necessary for the visitor center, appropriate space needs, building design, and interpretive exhibit content began in 1998. The project has received the approval of the NPS Development Advisory Board (a panel of experts, both government and private, that evaluates the need for a project and its costs); and the Director of the National Park Service (NPS) has approved funding for the project from the Recreational Fee Demonstration monies, with additional funds from private sources. Because the Canyon Village development was originally constructed as part of the NPS Mission 66 Program (a program initiated in the mid-1950s to modernize facilities and remove park developments from sensitive natural resources), Yellowstone was required to prepare an assessment of the project for a regional NPS Mission 66 panel. This panel was authorized in October 1998 to review any major changes proposed to Mission 66 structures even though these facilities are not yet considered historic. That assessment, submitted in January 2000, determined that the Canyon Village development was eligible for listing in the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district because of its importance to the NPS Mission 66 history. The Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office concurred with this determination on July 6, 2000. The existing Canyon Visitor Center is a one-story "National Park Service Modern" style building with a two-story lobby. It is a typical example of a Mission 66 visitor center; however, it is not considered a significant Mission 66 structure by itself because it has little relationship to the natural features it was built to interpret, the park's geologic features and history, or to the other Canyon Village buildings designed by the internationally known architectural firm of Welton Becket and Associates. But, because the Canyon Visitor Center is a contributing building within the historic district and because the proposed rehabilitation and upgrade of the visitor center would alter its historic appearance, an environmental assessment of the project will be prepared. The existing visitor center is strategically located as the first structure that visitors encounter upon entering the Canyon development. Visitors can immediately identify this building as the place to obtain the information they need to plan their time in the area. The proposed rehabilitation of the visitor center would not change its location within the development. The National Park Service is working with an architectural firm to ensure that the proposed design of the visitor center would be compatible with the Mission 66 architectural character of the Canyon Village development. The new design for the visitor center would enhance the architectural character of the building and, thus, better complement the remaining structures in the historic district. To assist the National Park Service with the Canyon Visitor Center project, you are invited to comment on the issues and alternatives or identify additional concerns that you may have. Please write to the Planning Office, Canyon Visitor Center Project, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190, by August 31, 2000. |
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| FIREWOOD COLLECTING
PERMITS AVAILABLE by National Park Service WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a plan to spend $101 million to purchase land known as the ``Yellowstone of the Southwest,'' despite criticism that the price was too high. The 95,000-acre Baca Ranch is viewed by some as a natural jewel that should be protected and open to the public. The House voted 377-45 for the bill, which passed the Senate in April. President Clinton supports the purchase, and may visit the ranch later this year. Critics say the federal government is paying far too much for the ranch northwest of Santa Fe, which the late Texas oil tycoon James P. Dunigan bought for $2.1 million in 1962. The Baca Ranch is almost completely surrounded by federal land, including the Santa Fe National Forest and Bandelier National Monument. It includes the Valles Caldera, a 1-million-year-old collapsed volcano measuring 14 miles across. It's also home to one of the largest elk herds in the country, as well as fishing streams, hot springs, forested mountains and broad, grassy valleys. Under the plan, the federal government would buy the ranch and open it to the public. A nine-member board of trustees, at least five of them New Mexicans, would manage the Baca as a working ranch and try to make enough money to cover maintenance and operations costs. |
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