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| WEDNESDAY February 14, 2001 Vol 5, # 15 |
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| WEDNESDAY February 14, 2001 Vol 5, # 15 |
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| Site Search | Support Yellowstone! Discussion $7.95 Internet, Email, More Email Newsletter | |
YELLOWSTONE ROAD
REPORT PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-
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BISON UPDATE by Buffalo Nations WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. -- Fourteen wild bull bison eluded Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) agents last week along the Madison River west of Yellowstone National Park. Eight DOL agents on snowmobiles attempted to haze the animals on two occasions during the day, but the bison outsmarted them and escaped into heavy timber. DOL was assisted by six officers from Gallatin County, Montana Highway patrol, and the U.S. Forest Service. An aerial reconnaissance plane flew over the area at 1:00 p.m. to help locate the bison. This was the second unsuccessful attempt by DOL to haze bison along the Madison this year. Hazing operations are not only highly disruptive to bison, they are potentially fatal to all wildlife in the winter. Elk, deer, moose, trumpeter swans, bald eagles, northern goshawk, and a myriad of waterfowl use the same areas as bison for winter survival. Allisun Lovejoy of Buffalo Field Campaign said, "These bison pose absolutely no threat to anyone. Not only are they killing bison, they disturb other wildlife at the most critical time of the year. The time and money they waste harassing and killing these animals is absolutely ridiculous." The government contends that bison could potentially transmit brucellosis to cattle in Montana. There are no cattle in the area until June, 15th, and transmission has never occurred under natural conditions. The new Yellowstone Bison Management Plan calls for hazing, capturing, and testing any bison that leave the Park. The test used is a CARD test that has been shown to be highly inaccurate. Animals that test positive for brucellosis antibodies will be sent to slaughter. Those that cannot be captured or hazed back to the park will be shot in the field. "While thousands of brucellosis infected elk migrate into Montana every winter, DOL is out harassing a group of bull bison who pose absolutely no risk. A bunch of cowboys run wildlife on snow machines and the American taxpayer gets to foot the bill. They call this a management plan?", said BFC wildlife biologist Erin Cleere. Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers defend the buffalo on their traditional winter habitat and advocate for their protection. BFC is the only group working in the field every day to stop the slaughter of Yellowstone's wild buffalo. |
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Russ Finley
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THE 1998
FIRES: 13 YEARS LATER YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- People wondering what the future holds for the millions of Western acres that burned last summer may find some answers in the recently released Yellowstone in the Afterglow: Lessons from the Fires. Yellowstone National Park produced the 118-page book to document both what has changed and what was unaffected by the fires that swept across more than a third of the 2.2-million-acre park in 1988. "Many dire predictions were made that summer about the park’s future," noted Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Michael Finley. "People expected that visitation would drop in subsequent years, that wildlife would be reduced, that the forests would have to be replanted, that flooding would increase downstream of the park as a result of increased erosion on burned slopes." Instead, the research done by dozens of independent scientists during the last 12 years has shown that Yellowstone’s human, wildlife, and plant communities have sustained themselves, although the moose population on the northern range appears to have declined in part because of the loss of old growth forest. In addition to summarizing the results of many research projects, Yellowstone in the Afterglow explains the history of the park’s controversial fire management policy and how the public’s perceptions of the park and of wildland fire have shifted. "Such fires are incompatible with the human communities that now surround many wildland areas, but they are a fundamental part of the ecology of places like Yellowstone," Superintendent Finley observed. One of the unexpected results of the 1988 fires was the appearance of aspen seedlings in burned areas of the park where aspen had not previously existed. Although fire was known to encourage the sprouting of suckers from the roots of existing aspen, it is widely believed that establishment of aspen by seed has been extremely rare in the Rocky Mountains since the last ice age because of unsuitable climate. Whether any of Yellowstone’s new aspen seedlings will survive the current climate, competition with faster-growing lodgepole pine trees, and wildlife browsing to eventually become trees remains to be seen. The fires that burned in and around Yellowstone in 1988 generated both concern for the forests and criticism of the ‘natural’ fire policy that had been in affect since 1972. The Secretaries of Interior and Agriculture convened an interagency committee to review the fire policies on federal lands. They determined that the natural fire policy was a viable and valuable fire management tool, but called for more specific criteria for determining under what circumstances fires are permitted to burn. For Yellowstone National Park, this means the park not only takes into account the weather forecast, but the availability of firefighting resources at the regional and national level, and the potential impact on neighboring communities. Since Yellowstone's revised fire management plan was approved in 1992, the park has had 177 lightning-caused fires that have burned 27,000 acres. Copies of Yellowstone in the Afterglow are available to the public at no charge from the Yellowstone Public Affairs Office while the supply lasts. |
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| WILDLIFE UPDATE News Brief YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. --A study of moose in the larger Yellowstone ecosystem has revealed that moose adjust to the presence of large predators, namely, grizzly bears and wolves. Some moose, those for decades separated from large predators, did not express fear of grizzlies and wolves when first encountering the predators. As such, the moose were easy prey for the large predators. However, over succeeding years, the study showed that moose quickly learned to fear and avoid grizzlies and wolves. The results of the study appear in the current issue of Science magazine. |
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| FROM THE BANKS OF THE
FIREHOLE by Matthew McLean This is the latest in a series of articles written by Matthew McLean, Associate Editor of The Wyoming Companion and contributor to Yellowstone Net, who is living and working in Yellowstone this winter. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Finally, some snow!! The past week or so we have been getting at least a few inches each day. It is not a whole lot, but it is a lot better then we had. Hopefully it will continue so that winter travel and sightseeing is great for all and so that this summer doesn't end up being way too dry!! I had the chance to travel to the Lower Geyser Basin by snowmobile last week. While I didn't get to see too much in the way of geysers, it was some great sightseeing. It was the day of the first big snow of this current winter activity and it truly added to the experience. The ride was very bumpy and it was a challenge to hold on, but I was able to do a bit of looking around on the way there. Near the Midway Geyser Basin, there were a few fairly good sized herds of Bison. They were mainly passive, but a few of the ones closest to the road were a bit spooked by the snowmobile traffic. Near Fountain Paint Pots there were a couple of bison using the road as means to move from field to field. Talk about a close call! After a bit of sightseeing in the Fountain Paint Pots area, we decided that the storm was getting a bit severe and it might be best to get back to Old Faithful. The ride back was even bumpier because road conditions had become poorer. The ironic thing was that when we got back to Old Faithful the skies were blue because the storm hadn't even hit hard here yet! It was a great trip and nice to get away from Old Faithful again for a bit. Now, considering my adventures to the Lower Geyser Basin and the fact that we are reaching the height of winter travel season, I feel like addressing an issue that is on the minds of many winter travelers: snowmobiles. Now, this might be a good time to say that the next few statements reflect my views and not the views of those publishing this article. I hope, though, that what I have to say is more thought-provoking and informative than it is controversial. All I can say is what I see and how it makes me feel. I have seen families enjoying themselves snowmobiling. I have been annoyed by the sounds and smells of 2 stroke snowmobiles. I have enjoyed riding a snowmobile and the freedom it gave me to visit other parts of the park. I had someone intentionally switch sides of the road so that they could ride as close to me when I was walking as possible. I have seen people enjoying Yellowstone on snowmobiles in a responsible fashion. So, what does all of this tell me? Snowmobiling is like anything in life - it has both good aspects and bad aspects. There are always a few bad apples who ruin it for the bunch. But, I also think it is a thing some people don't truly understand. I refused to make an opinion on it until I truly witnessed it for myself. I wanted to make an educated statement when I had learned more first hand. Now, I think I can do that. Snowmobiles are loud and smelly - but that is the nature of the two-stroke. Perhaps four-stroke machines would be a positive solution to this. They don't go as fast, but who needs to go too fast when you are trying to make sure you see all the wonders of Yellowstone. Snowmobiles are a great way to see the park if used responsibly. Hopefully, if people lead by example, everyone will follow suit and use them rightfully. Many of the problems I see with traffic jams in bad spots and spooked animals are the same ones I see in the summer with cars. Acting properly in any moving vehicle while near animals and while using a major road in the park is a necessity and something that must be done in both the summer and the winter. So, while the impending ban might be a bit extreme, I think it is important to make a few changes and increase awareness to make sure that everyone can view the Yellowstone winter wonderland in the safest and most enjoyable manner. If these things were done, hopefully all sides would be a little more pleased with the compromise. Just to let you know, I do plan on trying to get a four-stroke for the last year before the ban because I want to enjoy all the park has to offer. I also plan to be responsible, respectful, and careful with it. I hope everyone else does the same. Well, off the soap box! I never realized that winter travel could be such a complicated thing. I really hope that maybe in the future it doesn't have to be. Maybe it is too late for that . . . |
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