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| FRIDAY January 19, 2001 Vol 5, # 6 |
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| FRIDAY January 19, 2001 Vol 5, # 6 |
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YELLOWSTONE ROAD
REPORT PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN- |
CLINTON CREATES TWO NEW
MONUMENTS IN MONTANA News Brief WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On Wednesday, President Clinton, in one of his last acts as sitting president, created seven new national monuments affecting over one million acres. Two of the monuments are in Montana. Clinton stood where Thomas Jefferson stood in sending Lewis and Clark on their famous Western trek as he made the announcement concerning the new monuments. One of the two new Montana monuments, Pompeys Pillar near Billings, Montana, is the site of the only physical evidence from the Lewis and Clark expedition of nearly 200 years ago. Pompey's Pillar is a 150-foot sandstone outcropping along the banks of the Yellowstone River onto which William Clark carved his name in 1806 as Clark and Meriwether Lewis were on the return trip of their Western travels. Most of the landscape through which Lewis and Clark traveled on that historic trip is now changed beyond recognition as the American West has become settled and "tamed" since the early 1800s. The second new Montana national monument, the Upper Missouri River Breaks, contains what is considered the best preserved landscape from the days of the Lewis and Clark journey. The area in north-central Montana is wild, rugged and largely inaccessible by wheeled vehicles. Montana tourism officials are expecting a significant increase in the number of out-of-state visitors during the years 2003-2006, the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark expedition. Much of Lewis and Clark's journey took place in present day Montana.
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Russ Finley |
BUFFALO
NATIONS UPDATE WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. -- Buffalo Nations, the bison advocacy group on the forefront of efforts to save Yellowstone's bison from being killed at the hands of the Montana Department of Livestock, reports that it has been a quiet week for Yellowstone's bison. Although the temperatures in the Yellowstone region have plunged more into the normal range and more snow is falling, the handful of bison outside Park boundaries are currently being allowed to graze peacefully. The group reports 25 volunteers on the field as of this week. |
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| WOLF UPDATE News Brief WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Defenders of Wildlife has announced that it has paid $62,190 in 2000 to ranchers for livestock losses caused by wolves and grizzly bears in the Northern Rockies and the Southwest. Compensation payments were highest for wolves in central Idaho, where Defenders paid 16 ranchers $20,322.50 for 19 cattle, 56 sheep, and one guard dog. Despite drought, forest fires and expansion of grizzly bear range, compensation payments for grizzlies declined from 1998 and 1999 levels. (Detailed tables and maps of payments are available by clicking here.) Since Defenders started its private compensation programs (the wolf compensation program began in 1987 and the Grizzly Compensation Trust in 1997), it has paid ranchers approximately $206,088.72. "While overall livestock losses to wolves and bears are not significant industry-wide, they can cause economic hardship for individual producers," said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife. "Our compensation program seeks to shift economic responsibility for wolves away from individual ranchers and toward the millions of people in this country who support the conservation of large predators." Compensation payments for wolf damage increased from approximately $37,000 in 1999 to over $51,000 in 2000. According Defenders of Wildlife Program Associate Minette Johnson, "The good news is that both wolf and grizzly bears are expanding their ranges and numbers outside of national parks and designated wilderness areas. As they do so, it's predictable that higher livestock losses will occur. Even so, the livestock losses in 2000 are still well below the level that the Environmental Impact Statement predicted for wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone. We seek to promote landowner tolerance for large predators by reducing to acceptable levels the economic loss these animals may sometimes cause." "While we are committed to carnivore restoration, it is not our intent for this restoration to occur at the expense of livestock producers. We hope that our responsiveness encourages what we seek in exchange; tolerance from livestock producers and the general public for wolves and grizzly bears that are not bothering livestock," said Craig Miller, Southern Rockies director for Defenders of Wildlife. |
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| AVALANCHE DANGER CONTINUES News Brief Significant avalanche danger remains because of unstable snow pack in the larger Yellowstone region. A competitive snowmobile hill climber was killed Wednesday south of Yellowstone in the Jackson Hole area by an avalanche. 37 year-old David Shepherd was riding with friends in the Beaverhead Mountains when the avalanche occurred, burying Shepherd under six feet of snow. Although Shepherd had an avalanche locator, his friends were unable to reach him in time to save him. All visitors to the Yellowstone region are strongly encouraged to check on local avalanche conditions before pursuing any outdoor activities. |
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