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| MONDAY August 14, 2000 Vol 4, # 49 |
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| MONDAY August 14, 2000 Vol 4, # 49 |
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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) -- Two years ago American Whitewater, a national rafting organization, asked Yellowstone National Park officials for permission to run whitewater rafting trips on the Yellowstone river inside Park boundaries. In particular, the group requested access to a challenging 23.5 mile stretch of the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone. Last week Yellowstone Superintendent Mike Finley responded to the request, denying American Whitewater access to Park waters. In his letter to the organization, Finley noted that granting the group's wishes could lead to detrimental impacts upon plants, wildlife and archaeological sites. Finley also cited sanitation and safety concerns, as well as concerns over conflicts with other Park visitors, including fishermen. American Whitewater, in their request, had downplayed environmental concerns, maintaining that boaters would leave only "footprints." Opponents of the idea had noted that the river and riverbanks could suffer harm from the thirty boaters per day that American Whitewater advocated. Although this episode will probably make little news outside of the Yellowstone region and some rafting circles, it aptly illustrates the delicate balance that Park managers strive to maintain in protecting Yellowstone from visitor activities which pose potential harm to the Park. Whitewater rafting is a popular and fun sport, but yet there are thousands of miles of river outside of Yellowstone which should satisfy those seeking such adventure. Yellowstone is a one-and-only place, like no other on planet earth. We must carefully handle the Park's natural resources, even as we invite the world to come and behold the wonders of Yellowstone. (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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WILDFIRE
UPDATE Editor's Note (Thursday, August 17) -- The South Entrance to Grant Village in Yellowstone is now closed because of nearby fires. A total of 22 fires are now burning in the Grand Teton National Park area, and Flagg Ranch has been evacuated. Thus far, the fires are burning near Yellowstone to the South, but no significant fires are burning within Park boundaries. In addition, another large fire is burning about 12 miles west of Yellowstone. Conditions in Yellowstone are smoky and hazy, but the Park remains open other than via the South entrance. (BG) YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Yellowstone National Park officials report that recent precipitation and cooler temperatures have enabled fire fighters to control or extinguish all fires within the park. Extended weather forecasts are for hot and dry conditions. Yellowstone National Park remains open. There have been ten lightning-caused fires since August 1, 2000. Eight of these fires have been declare out. The two remaining fires, the Jones Pass Fire (25 acres) and the Bridge Fire (4 acres) have been controlled. All new fire starts are being suppressed because of scarce suppression resources throughout the western United States. Suppression actions have been limited on several fires (because of lack of resources) where there is a low potential of the fire spreading. Two natural fires that were spotted July 18 on the Pitchstone Plateau currently total two acres and have not experienced growth or activity recently. We are continuing to monitor these fires. Overall park fire danger indices are currently Moderate to High. Currently, Yellowstone has the following restrictions: Backcountry wood or charcoal fires are prohibited. Smoking is restricted to frontcountry developed areas and campgrounds, vehicles, and buildings (where permitted normally). In the backcountry, smoking is restricted to the immediate vicinity of the cooking area in designated backcountry sites only. Visitors planning trips to Yellowstone should be assured that the park is open. They may, however, experience smoke from fires burning in Montana and Idaho. |
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| EARTHQUAKES UPDATE News Brief BELGRADE, Mont. (YNET) -- Yellowstone National Park routinely experiences numerous small earthquakes scattered throughout the region. Virtually all of the earthquakes are too minor for visitors to feel, and they pose no danger to visitors. The earthquakes are the result of the Park sitting on a caldera, or collapsed volcanic crater. Within the past few weeks, the Norris Geyser Basin area has experienced an intense series of small quakes, called a "swarm." According to Geophysicist Robert Smith, "The recent earthquake swarm 10 km northwest of Norris Geyser Basin has generated interest because of its coincidence with significant changes in the hydrothermal activity at Norris. The swarm is not unusual for this region of the Yellowstone Volcanic Field, but the possibility that it may be related to the changes at NGB led us to investigate it." For more information about the Norris earthquake swarm, visit Smith's website by clicking here. |
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| NATIONAL PARKS AS
CLASSROOMS by National Park Service Washington, D.C. (NPS) -- A cross-section of National Park Service employees and partners from around the country will gather in St. Louis this fall to review the past and look toward the future. Education is one of four broad topics they will explore at the Discovery 2000 conference, September 11-15. The National Park Service manages public lands, set aside by Congress, which embrace the cultural and natural heritage of the American people. These public lands serve as classrooms where visitors may view historic artifacts and structures, and interact with the natural world. Whether it's with tour groups, vacationing families, or fifth grade students, every ranger presentation holds an educational component. Students of all ages learn who signed the Declaration of Independence at Independence Hall; how caves form inside Mammoth Cave; or the importance of mangroves and alligators in the Everglades ecosystem. And, now they can also enjoy a virtual visit to an Alaskan park, or a Civil War battlefield. Author and poet Maya Angelou, whose works inspire and challenge, is the keynote speaker for the Education track. In the sessions that follow, park managers and partners will have the opportunity to engage in a dialogue on a number of educational issues and programs. What connects the human spirit to the power of place? How do our personal and organizational values and perceptions influence our presentation of the park story? Will virtual park visits replace actual visits and with what results? Can we teach through controversial issues_is there a place for differing positions? What can we learn from the education initiatives of our partners and other conservation and preservation entities? How have past education programs influenced the public's willingness to support conservation and preservation? How can we adapt the new technologies to educate the students of the future without losing authenticity? What options do we have to sustain education programs when financial and human resources are limited? These and other questions will be part of the dialogue sessions. Some parks are already leading the way. Exciting programs are planned or underway throughout the National Park System: · Gettysburg National Military Park, PA: By live satellite broadcast, students across the country participate in an interactive field trip. Prior to the broadcast, students "meet" a real-life soldier on the internet, follow him through the battle, and write their own Civil War journal, some of which are posted on the park website. · Channel Islands National Park, CA: Rangers transport the park to classrooms in a grant-funded van, which sports an attention-getting kelp forest on its side. The van carries an aquarium with live critters from tidal pools for the students to see and touch. Visitors to the park information center converse with a scuba-ranger-naturalist via an underwater video hook-up. · Golden Gate National Recreation Area, CA: Middle school students spend a day-in-the-life of a Buffalo Soldier at the Presidio, discovering African Americans fought alongside Teddy Roosevelt's Rough Riders in the Spanish American War. · Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, OH: The non-profit Cuyahoga Valley Environmental Education Center immerses 4-6th graders in environmental ethics through a 5-day residential program within the park. Children learn to be good environmental stewards for their neighborhoods and the planet. Cuyahoga is teaching teachers, too; 15-16 university interns work at the Center each year participating in a 9-month residential program. They teach and learn at the same time. · Jefferson National Expansion Memorial, MO: Not one, but ten different traveling trunks are sent across the nation, ready for classroom use. Each focuses on people of the American West, such as Plains Indians, Mountain Men, and Lewis and Clark, and carries curriculum, videos, CDs, and replicas of artifacts and clothing. The Cowboy trunk features chaps and spurs; the Southwestern trunk, a vaquero outfit; the Overlander, a pioneer girl's skirt, top and apron. Traveling trunks are a proven method of taking parks into remote classrooms and previewing field trips. The other Discovery 2000 topics are natural resource management, cultural resource management and leadership. Discovery 2000, the logistics, and the workshops are detailed at www.nps.gov/discovery2000. Most workshop events and all keynote speakers will be at the Conference hotel, Regal Riverfront, 200 S. 4th Street, St. Louis, Monday through Friday, September 11 - 15, 2000. |
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