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| MONDAY April 30, 2001 Vol 5, # 43 |
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| MONDAY April 30, 2001 Vol 5, # 43 |
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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.
Hiking in Yellowstone, however, is strictly regulated. The backcountry is fragile, and improper use of it could alter the landscape and the ecosystem. In addition, there is constant danger from the Park's wildlife. The National Park Service mandates the following guidelines for users of Yellowstone's backcountry: Yellowstone has a designated backcountry campsite system, and a Backcountry Use Permit is required for all overnight stays. Each designated campsite has a maximum limit for the number of people and stock allowed per night. The maximum stay per campsite varies from 1 to 3 nights per trip. Campfires are permitted only in established fire pits. Wood fires are not allowed in some backcountry campsites. A food storage pole is provided at most designated campsites so that food and attractants may be secured from bears. Neither hunting nor firearms are allowed in Yellowstone's backcountry. Hiking and camping restrictions are occasionally in effect as a result of bear activity. Never camp in an area that has obvious evidence of bear activity such as digging, tracks, or scat. Odors attract bears, so avoid carrying or cooking odorous foods. Keep a clean camp; do not cook or store food in your tent. All food, garbage, or other odorous items used for preparing or cooking food must be secured from bears. Most backcountry campsites have food poles from which all food, cooking gear, and scented articles must be suspended when not being used. Treat all odorous products such as soap, deodorant, or other toiletries in the same manner as food. Do not leave packs containing food unattended, even for a few minutes. Allowing a bear to obtain human food even once often results in the bear becoming aggressive about obtaining such food in the future. Aggressive bears present a threat to human safety and eventually must be destroyed or removed from the park. Please obey the law and do not allow bears or other wildlife to obtain human food. Sleep a minimum of 100 yards (91 meters) from where you hang, cook, and eat your food. Keep your sleeping gear clean and free of food odor. Don't sleep in the same clothes worn while cooking and eating; hang clothing worn while cooking and eating in plastic bags. Considering bears' highly developed sense of smell, it may seem logical that they could be attracted to odors associated with menstruation. Studies on this subject are few and inconclusive. If a woman chooses to hike or camp in bear country during menstruation, a basic precaution should be to wear internal tampons, not external pads. Used tampons should be double-bagged in a zip-lock type bag and stored the same as garbage. If you are involved in a conflict with a bear, regardless of how minor, report it to a park ranger as soon as possible. Another's safety may depend on it. Exceptional combinations of food, shelter, and space draw grizzlies to some parts of Yellowstone more than others. In these Bear Management Areas, human access is restricted to reduce impacts on the bears and their habitat. Ask at ranger stations or visitor centers for more information. All refuse must be carried out of the backcountry. Human waste must be buried 6 to 8 inches (15 - 20 centimeters) below the ground and a minimum of 100 feet (30 meters) from a watercourse. Waste water should be disposed of at least 100 feet (30 meters) from a watercourse or campsite. Do not pollute lakes, ponds, rivers, or streams by washing yourself, clothing, or dishes in them. Should you drink the water? Intestinal infections from drinking untreated water are increasingly common. Waters may be polluted by animal and/or human wastes. When possible, carry a supply of water from a domestic source. If you drink water from lakes and streams, bring it to a boil to reduce the chance of infection. Don't take chances in backcountry thermal areas. Scalding water underlies thin, breakable crusts; pools are near or above boiling temperatures. Each year, visitors traveling off trail have been seriously burned, and people have died from the scalding water. No swimming or bathing is allowed in thermal pools. (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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BISON
UPDATE
The haze was one in a series of poorly considered, futile efforts to control the age-old migration of bison to their spring birthing grounds on National Forest land. DOL efforts have intensified in the past two weeks in response to a wave of bison migrating out of Yellowstone National Park. DoL has hazed nearly every day, repeatedly pushing hundreds of bison back across the park boundary. Yet, in an almost comical illustration of the irrelevance of political boundaries in wildlife patterns, the bison persistently slip back over the boundary into national forest land, and proceed on their spring migration to Horse Butte. As DOLs frustration grows, the abuse of the bison worsens. BFC volunteer Pete Thorson commented, "I've watched bison being hazed by sheriffs jeeps and Highway patrol cars chasing them with blaring sirens, DOL agents on ATVs shouting and honking, wantonly shooting cracker rounds (which are intended to be shot in the air yet are most often fired directly at the herd of animals), and Park Service agents charging blindly through the woods on horseback. Yet often, no more than thirty minutes after the hazing efforts leave the bison behind the park boundary and local wildlife in disarray, the bison are right back where they were before, grazing and making their way to the Butte." The DOL appear to have lost control of the situation even by the standards of their own management plan. There have consistently been over one hundred buffalo out of the park all this past week, despite the constant harassment. The presence of bison out of the park poses no proven risk to cattle that will not be moved to the Butte for two more months. Each hazing operation places pregnant females at a high risk for abortion, causes incredible stress for the newborns, and disrupts crucial migratory and sensitive reproductive patterns of all wildlife. Therefore BFC has reason to fear the likelihood of mortality caused by the DoL hazing. In addition, BFC fears that the inevitable failure of these hazing attempts will trigger shooting in the field as proscribed for bison that do not respond to hazing. The DO management plan calls for all bison to be back in the park by May 15th. |
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| NORRIS AREA NPS MUSEUMS by National Park Service
The Museum of the National Park Ranger is housed in the Norris Soldier Station, located at the entrance to Norris Campground. This building was one of the original soldier stations, built in 1908, as an outlying station for soldiers on patrol. The building has been completely rebuilt, using original materials where possible and staying true to the original floorplan. The original building was taken down on site and rebuilt. Exhibits depict the development of the park ranger profession from its roots in the military traditions through early rangers and to the present array of NPS staff specialized duties. A small auditorium shows a laser-disc production of the 25-minute movie, "An American Legacy," which tells the story of the development of the National Park Service. There is no Yellowstone Association sales outlet in this museum. The staffing is done primarily by retired National Park Service employees who volunteer for short periods of time. Many of these employees retired as superintendents, chief rangers, regional directors, and from various positions in the Washington office. |
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| SPRING ROAD OPENINGS
UPDATE News Brief YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Mont. -- Yellowstone National Park is now open on a limited basis to automobiles for the spring season. The North and West entrances are open now, with the East entrance scheduled to open this Friday, May 4. In addition, the Norris to Canyon road is now open. On Friday, May 11, the South entrance as well as the Lake to West Thumb road segment will be opening to automobile traffic. |
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- With the opening of Yellowstone
for the spring season, the thoughts of some visitors turn to the Park's magnificent
backcountry. With over a thousand miles of trails, Yellowstone is a hiker's
paradise. Thermal features, waterfalls, wildlife, flowers, sparking lakes and quiet
rivers await those few who venture beyond the hardtop and boardwalks into Yellowstone's
backcountry.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- The
Norris Geyser Basin Museum is located 1/4 mile east of Norris Junction just off the Grand
Loop Road. Built in 1929-30, it is National Historic Landmark. Its distinctive
stone-and-log architecture became a prototype for park buildings throughout the country
known as "parkitecture" (Fishing Bridge Museum and Madison Museum date from the
same time period and are of the same style). New exhibits on geothermal geology, Norris
Geyser Basin features, and life in thermal areas were installed in 1995. These exhibits
replaced old ones from the 1960s with similar subject matter. There is no auditorium in
this building, and it consists of two wings separated by an open-air breezeway. An
information desk in the breezeway is staffed by National Park Service interpreters. An
adjacent old restroom facility of matching architectural style houses a Yellowstone
Association bookstore.