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YELLOWSTONE WEATHER Highs 40s, Lows 10s Scattered Snow More Weather ROAD REPORT Some roads open to snowmobiles. More Info THE DAILY CARTOON ONLINE GREETING CARDS PUBLISHER Yellowstone Net Company EDITOR-IN- CHIEF Bruce Gourley MORE LINKS Discussion Newspaper Archives Send us your comments		SPRING BEAR EMERGENCE REMINDER by National Park Service YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Michael Finley asks spring visitors to be alert for signs of bear activity in the park. The Bear Management Office has started receiving reports of bear activity in several areas within Yellowstone, indicating that bears are beginning to emerge from their winter dens. Soon after bears emerge from their dens they search for winter-killed wildlife and winter-weakened elk and bison, the primary sources of much needed food during spring for both grizzlies and black bears. Visitors are asked to be especially cautious of wildlife carcasses that may attract bears, and to take the necessary precautions to avoid an encounter. Do not approach a bear under any circumstances. An encounter with a bear feeding on a carcass increases the risk of personal injury. Bears will aggressively defend a food source, especially when surprised. If precautionary measures fail and a bear charges, behavioral reactions can be used to defuse the situation in most cases. Bear pepper spray is a good last line of defense that has been effective in most of the reported cases where it has been used. Bear spray is effective only at short distances (10-30 feet), and is adversely affected by wind, cold temperatures, and the age of the product. Take time to become familiar with your bear spray, the safety trigger, and holster. Carefully read the instructions and be aware of its limitations. If you decide to carry pepper spray, it must be immediately available, not in your pack. Remember that carrying pepper spray is not a substitute for vigilance and good safety precautions. Some news stories have suggested that bear pepper spray is a bear attractant. These stories have arisen from the misuse of the product -- applying it to people, tents, packs, or other equipment. Bear pepper spray is not designed to be applied as a repellent, but is designed to spray at a charging or attacking bear. Bear spray has been a highly effective deterrent when used in this manner. The National Park Service is continuing the seasonal "Bear Management Area" closures in Yellowstone's backcountry. The program regulates human entry in specific areas to prevent human/bear conflicts and to provide areas where bears can range free from human disturbances. The purpose of the Yellowstone National Park bear management policy is to ensure a natural and free-ranging population of black and grizzly bears. One important aspect of the management program is the separation of bears from unnatural food sources. Human foods are one of the chief culprits in the creation of problem bears. The bears' conditioning to groceries, garbage or intentional feeding, and habituation to people may lead to their causing human injury and property damage and occasionally require their destruction. Visitors are reminded to keep food, garbage, barbecue grills, and other attractants stored inside or otherwise unavailable to bears. Superintendent Finley states that park staff, along with other local, state, and federal agencies in the Greater Yellowstone Area constantly strive to protect the bear population through public education, enforcement of regulations for proper food and garbage handling, the relocation of problem bears, and seasonal human use closures. Visitors are asked to report any sightings or signs of bears to the nearest visitor center or ranger station as soon as possible. Permits for backcountry camping and information on day hikes are available at visitor centers and ranger stations. BACK TO TOP
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Russ Finley Ralph Maughan Kim Steinbacher Steve Brashear Clint Wilkes Hon. Bob Gammage Lee Whittlesey David Monteith Denise Elmer Dr. Bob Bara Matthew McLean		2001 SPRING ROAD OPENING SCHEDULE News Brief YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- The winter season in Yellowstone National Park is now officially over. The Park Service has announced planned road opening dates for the various road segments within the Park. The spring road opening schedule is as follows: NOTE: The Gardiner to Mammoth to Cooke City road segment is open year around. April 20, 2001 Mammoth to Norris to Old Faithful; West Entrance to Old Faithful April 27, 2001 Norris to Canyon May 4, 2001 Canyon to Lake to East Entrance; Tower Junction to Tower Fall May 11, 2001 Lake to West Thumb; Old Faithful to South Entrance May 25, 2001 Beartooth Pass (Outside the Northeast Entrance to the park) June 15, 2001 Tower to Canyon via Dunraven Pass The scheduled opening dates in May are the earliest possible dates; some routes may actually open later. Please call 307-344-7381 or check locally to verify openings tentatively scheduled throughout the month of May. Some roads will also open, as conditions allow, for bicycle travel only, beginning in the end of March. BACK TO TOP
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		WOLF UPDATE by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service HELENA, Mont (USFWS) -- A pack of 3 black and 2 gray wolves were reportedly seen on the Blacktail State Game Range, northeast of Dillon, MT. This is probably the Gravelly pack that has no radio-collared members. Fontaine flew the area on the 6^th but did not locate any wolves. Wildlife Services was in the area doing coyote work and they were going to dart and radio-collar any wolves seen during their work. We will continue to keep an eye on this area, since thousands of sheep will soon be nearby. Wolf sighting reports indicate that there are 3 wolves in the remote Beartooth area, southwest of Red Lodge, MT. On the 9^th, the alpha male (120 lbs.) and a yearling male (113 lbs). were darted and radio-collared in the Sunlight Basin pack. Jimenez, Bangs, and Special Agent Eicher participated. Attempts to dart other wolves in WY were not successful due to weather, logistics, and wolf location. Volunteers working in the Dubious area counted 6 members in the Washakie pack, which means this pack apparently produced pups in 2000. Repeated attempts to get more collars in this pack has been unsuccessful so far because of logistics or the pack has been in heavy timber, but efforts are continuing. BACK TO TOP
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		YELLOWSTONE HISTORY NEWS News Brief Yellowstone National Park has acquired the records of Yellowstone's largest stagecoach operator, the Yellowstone Park Transportation Company, which provided transportation for tourists from 1892 to 1916. The records had long been missing, but the stagecoach's company ledger for the years 1892-1906 recently turned up on the Ebay Internet auction site, and the Park outbid other interested parties to purchase the ledger for Yellowstone's archives. The final price was $3,815. Yellowstone National Park, as of this year, has a budget for purchasing items of historical significance for the purpose of adding such items to the Yellowstone archives. BACK TO TOP