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| WEDNESDAY May 9, 2001 Vol 5, # 46 |
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| WEDNESDAY May 9, 2001 Vol 5, # 46 |
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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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FISHING REGULATION CHANGES by National Park Service
Yellowstone cutthroat trout have declined throughout the west and are currently designated as a "Species of Special Concern-Class A" by the American Fisheries Society. A formal petition to list this subspecies as "threatened" throughout its range was submitted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in 1998 and is currently under review. Yellowstone National Park represents approximately 91% of the current range of Yellowstone cutthroat trout and contains 85% of the historical lake habitat for this subspecies, so the park is considered crucial to the survival of the species. Yellowstone cutthroat trout generally declined in the second half of the 20th century due to angler overharvest, competition with exotic fishes, and overzealous egg collection. Populations rebounded in the park after the advent of catch-and-release-only fishing rules in the 1970’s, but new and aggressive invaders are causing an increasing threat to these native fish and alarming park fisheries biologists. Nonnative lake trout, an effective fish predator, were discovered in Yellowstone Lake in 1994. Throughout the west cutthroat trout populations preyed upon by introduced lake trout have typically declined, exhibited lower growth, or have disappeared. Aggressive lake trout control efforts by the National Park Service and no harvest limits have resulted in removing 27,000 lake trout from Yellowstone Lake since 1994, including more than 12,000 in 2000. Still, the number of Yellowstone cutthroat trout monitored during the annual fall count in Yellowstone Lake was lower in recent years than at any other time in the 25-year history of the monitoring effort. Whirling disease, which has been implicated in recent years in the decline of trout populations in many western states, was discovered in Yellowstone Lake in 1998. So far, it is unclear which of these two nonnative invaders has been the greater factor in the decline of Yellowstone cutthroat trout, but there is no question they are causing it. Other native sport fish, including westslope cutthroat trout and Montana grayling, have been under catch-and-release-only fishing rules since 1973. This is the first time mountain whitefish have been placed under such rules in Yellowstone National Park. This new rule gives mountain whitefish equal status to the other native sport fish in the park. In addition to the new catch-and-release-only fishing rules, the opening date of the fishing season on Yellowstone Lake would return to its historical date of June 15 for the 2001 fishing season. From 1998 through 2000, Yellowstone Lake’s opening date was moved forward to June 1 in an attempt to give anglers a greater chance of catching nonnative lake trout, but monitoring showed that during the early June period, anglers caught several thousand cutthroat trout for every lake trout caught. Because of incidental hooking mortality of released fish, this negates the positive impact of the angler catch of lake trout. |
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Russ Finley
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BUFFALO
SILVER DOLLAR UPDATE DENVER, Col. -- Last week the new American Buffalo silver dollar was officially struck at the U.S. Mint. U.S. Senator Ben Nighthorse Campbell, R-Colo., struck the first coin on Friday. Campbell sponsored legislation authorizing the silver dollar and then spent the next six years enacting the measure. The coin is 90 percent silver and 10 percent copper. The profile of an American Indian appears on the front, and the buffalo is on the back. Some 500,000 coins will be minted and will sell for about $33 each when they go on sale June 7. Proceeds from the sale of the coin will help fund the National Museum of the American Indian, which is expected to open in 2004 on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. |
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| WILDLIFE VIEWING by National Park Service
Wild animals, especially females with young, are unpredictable. Keep a safe distance from all wildlife. Each year a number of park visitors are injured by wildlife when approaching too closely. Approaching on foot within 100 yards (91 m) of bears or within 25 yards (23 m) of other wildlife is prohibited. Please use roadside pullouts when viewing wildlife. Use binoculars or telephoto lenses for safe viewing and to avoid disturbing them. By being sensitive to its needs, you will see more of an animal's natural behavior and activity. If you cause an animal to move, you are too close! |
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| FROM THE BANKS OF THE
FIREHOLE by Matthew McLean Matthew is living and working in Yellowstone year around and is chronicling his experiences in the Park. In addition to contributing to Yellowstone Net , Matthew is Associate Editor of The Wyoming Companion. Yellowstone Net also welcomes stories from other Park employees. YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Well, I am back in Yellowstone for the summer season and already things have been interesting. The trip getting here was interesting with snowstorms in northern Indiana, floods in Minnesota, National Parks in South Dakota, and Devils Tower in Wyoming. When we went into the park on opening day, it was a bit snowy, but conditions were not too bad. Our plan for the day was to visit Old Faithful, watch some geysers, and visit some friends that we knew would be here for opening day as well. It was amazing to me that only a month and a half before there had been snow piled up everywhere. Even though the snow hadn't been really deep, it was all over. Now, except for up in the mountains and hills, there is practically no snow at all. Many people told me that is rare for Yellowstone to be this snow free this early in the summer season. It is the fear of many that the small amount of snow that we received this winter will lead to a really bad fire season this year. After all this talk of a mild winter, we ran into an ironic turn of event. In the early afternoon it began snowing so hard that we could barely see even 100 feet away. We quickly but cautiously began to head back to Gardiner where we were staying for training. Around Norris Geyser Basin, the road conditions became very poor. Soon my car was sliding sideways down the road! After a few miles, conditions improved and we made it back safely (but not until we got behind a herd of bison using the roads as a means of getting around the park). After our training, we headed down to prepare the Snow Lodge for opening. It has been exciting to think that very soon people will be once again roaming around the park in numbers that cold only mean that summer has returned to Yellowstone. I can't wait to see what this year brings. There is nothing like feeling both the anxiety of the unknown and the joy of anticipated exploration that this spring has brought me. As I start this summer off I hope to once again experience the most eventful and unforgettable summer of my life. What a great place to do just that . . . |
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YELLOWSTONE
NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Beginning with the 2001 fishing season, all native sport fish
species in Yellowstone have been placed under catch-and-release-only fishing rules. The
native species affected by this change are the cutthroat trout and its several subspecies,
Montana grayling, and mountain whitefish. Most of the park’s native fishes have been
included under catch-and-release-only fishing rules since the early 1970’s. The
changes announced today primarily affect populations in Yellowstone Lake, its tributaries,
and upper Lamar River.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Yellowstone's abundant and
diverse wildlife are as famous as its geysers. Habitat preferences and seasonal cycles of
movement determine, in a general sense, where a particular animal may be at a particular
time. Early morning and evening hours are when animals tend to be feeding and thus are
more easily seen. But remember that the numbers and variety of animals you see are largely
a matter of luck and coincidence. Check at visitor centers for detailed information.