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| MONDAY March 5, 2001 Vol 5, # 23 |
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| MONDAY March 5, 2001 Vol 5, # 23 |
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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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 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) -- Of all the large mammals in Yellowstone National Park, which one is the most imperiled? The wolf? Nope. How about the grizzly? Wrong again. Well then, it must be the bison. Wrong yet again. According to Yellowstone biologists, the most imperiled large mammal in Yellowstone is ... the pronghorn. Yes, that's right. The animal commonly referred to as "antelope." If you've spent much time in the Rocky Mountain West, you are aware that the pronghorn (antelope) is a common site throughout much of Wyoming and Montana in particular. They certainly do not seem to be an endangered species, one is likely to conclude. And overall, it is true that the pronghorn is not "endangered." Yet, within the confines of Yellowstone, the pronghorn is in serious decline. Those who have spent much time in Yellowstone are aware that pronghorns dwell primarily in the northern part of the Park where the elevation is lower and the climate milder. What you may not know is that Yellowstone's pronghorn population has declined from 600 in 1991 to around 200 last year. Furthermore, there appears to be no rebounding of the population in the foreseeable future. The reasons for the decline of Yellowstone's pronghorn are likely several. It is believed, for example, that complex migration routes and development north of Yellowstone (the Paradise Valley) have cut the herd off from its cousins to the north, leading to a potentially weak genetic lineage. Some harsh winters over the past decade, as well as disease, may also be contributing to the decline. Also, pronghorns that summer in the Gardiner area (rather than the Lamar Valley) have a lower fawn to doe ratio, for some reason. Finally, although coyotes and wolves prey on pronghorn, it is not believed that they are a critical factor in the decline of the animals. Biologists are still studying the decline of the pronghorn. Some fear that it is possible that the pronghorn may one day disappear from the Yellowstone landscape. This would indeed be a great tragedy if it were to happen. Even as we take pronghorns in Yellowstone for granted today, they may be gone all to soon. (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 Russ Finley
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SPRING ROAD
PLOWING STARTS TODAY YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Beginning this morning, groomed roads in Yellowstone National Park will begin to close to over-snow vehicles so that spring plowing may begin. Roads close at 8 a.m. on the day listed. The Mammoth to Norris Junction stretch of road closes today. One week from today, all groomed roads in Yellowstone will be closed to oversnow vehicle use. Today, Monday, March 5 - Mammoth to Norris Junction Wednesday, March 7 - Norris Junction to Madison Junction, Norris Junction to Canyon Monday, March 12 - All remaining groomed roads close to oversnow vehicle use By about May 1 - Cooke City via Colter Pass to Chief Joseph Scenic Highway intersection Monday, May 7 - Chief Joseph Scenic Highway intersection via the Beartooth Pass to the Montana Stateline In conjunction with these road closures, visitor facilities in the park will also close for the winter season according to the following schedule: Sunday, March 4 - Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel and Dining Room; Mammoth Fuel Station Sunday, March 11 - Old Faithful Snow Lodge; Old Faithful Geyser Grill & Gift Shop; Old Faithful, Fishing Bridge, and Canyon Fuel Stations; Canyon Warming Hut The Mammoth General Store and Mammoth Clinic remain open year round; and the road from the North Entrance to the Northeast Entrance of the park (Gardiner, Montana, to Cooke City, Montana) remains open year round to wheeled vehicles. Visitors are encouraged to call the park for current information prior to traveling to Yellowstone at (307) 344-7381. |
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| ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT
UPHELD News Brief WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court declined to reopen the debate over the Endangered Species Act's impact on private landowners. The case had to do with a group of farmers in North Carolina who sought the right to kill endangered red wolves that strayed from a federal refuge onto private land. Environmentalists have feared that the Bush administration will lead an attack on the Endangered Species Act, with the intent of weakening it in favor of business and private interests. This recent court decision in favor of the Endangered Species Act was significant in that it was unanimous decision by the justices, a rarity in recent years. Observers see this latest development as boding well for the future of the Endangered Species Act, which has served to help protect numerous animal species from extinction since it was passed in 1973. |
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| YELLOWSTONE NET OFFERS
$7.95 INTERNET ACCESS by Bruce Gourley BELGRADE, Mont. (YNET) -- In the wake of December's demise of the free Internet industry, Yellowstone Net (www.yellowstone.net) introduces a new, value-packed Internet Access Service: $7.95 unlimited monthly Internet access with no annoying advertisements. This new Internet service features speedy 56k speeds and is offered in most local phone markets nationwide and in Canada, including many towns in Montana, Wyoming and Idaho. The software is available for download via the Yellowstone Net website, or may be obtained on a CD-ROM for a shipping and handling fee. The $7.95 monthly fee is one of the lowest nationwide, yet the service is among the best. In addition to offering nationwide coverage, Yellowstone Net ISP offers 24-hour toll-free technical support via phone as well as anytime email technical support. "We anticipate on signing up a significant number of users who are dissatisfied with the few remaining free ISPs and all their restrictions, and yet who are not willing to pay $20 or even more in monthly Internet access fees," stated Clint Wilkes, Co-Owner of Yellowstone Net. |
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