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| MONDAY June 25, 2001 Vol 5, # 60 |
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| MONDAY June 25, 2001 Vol 5, # 60 |
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| Site Search | Support Yellowstone! Discussion $7.95 Internet, Email, More Email Newsletter | |
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) -- Last week we introduced the Yellowstone Park Foundation (www.ypf.org), a non-profit organization which utilizes donations from individuals and corporations to accomplish projects which are unable to be funded through Yellowstone National Park's budget. The New Old Faithful Visitor Education Center is one of the more visible current Foundation projects, but there are many other projects in addition, including the following: Artist Point Restoration: In 1872, the skillful mastery of Thomas Moran's paintings and sketches brought the beauty of Yellowstone to life for millions of Americans who had never ventured west. Perhaps even more notably, Moran's art was influential in persuading Congress to designate Yellowstone as the world's first national park. Moran was particularly inspired by the overlook of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. Known now as Artist Point, the Grand Canyon overlook is visited by and continues to inspire hundreds of thousands of people each year. Unfortunately, in recent years the area has fallen into severe disrepair. The Yellowstone Park Foundation has raised $133,449 to evaluate the situation and develop a plan that will restore this historically and culturally significant place. Once this plan is completed, the Foundation will raise the funds that are needed for the restoration of Artist Point. Bear Safety Program: Yellowstone is home to more than 280 grizzly bears and 500 black bears. As bear habitat shrinks in the surrounding ecosystem, Yellowstone becomes a more important safe zone to bears. Most of Yellowstone's three million annual visitors hope to see bears and other large mammals, and during 1999 there were 154 bear jams in Yellowstone. Bear jams occur when large numbers of visitors stop their vehicles to watch and photograph bears that are visible from the road. These jams, which can last up to eight hours, are stressful and threatening to bears and pose a safety problem for visitors who get too close to them. Bear biologists, whose job it is to concentrate on research and monitoring, are more and more often being reassigned to traffic control and visitor protection duties. Food storage violations in Yellowstone are another problem. Campers and picnickers who leave food on picnic tables or in tents where bears have easy access to it are usually unaware of the dangerous situation they may cause. This program will fund a strong public program on bear awareness to reduce bear-human conflicts and to protect and educate visitors in park picnic areas, campgrounds, and at bear jams. Two seasonal rangers will be hired to rove campgrounds, picnic sites, and parking areas to present educational programs and information on bear safety and proper food storage. In addition to educating the public, the rangers will respond to bear jams and act as the primary source of information about bears in Yellowstone. Fan Creek Trail Restoration: The Fan Creek Trail is one of the most popular back-country trails in Yellowstone National Park. Each year, thousands of people use it to hike, horseback ride, fly fish, and view wildlife. Located in the far northwest corner of the park, the Fan Creek Trail was never properly laid out. It was created over time by people who followed game trails along Fan Creek, through wet, boggy meadows and over steep hills at dangerous inclines. The existing trail is badly rutted and eroded. The Yellowstone Park Foundation is committed to funding a major trail reconstruction that will prevent future resource damage and preserve the area's delicate resources. Park trail crews will work with youth volunteer groups to relocate approximately one mile of wet, boggy trail to dryer ground. Steep sections of the trail, especially those that are eroding, will be regraded to meet trail maintenance standards. Abandoned sections of the trail will be restored and revegetated. Additional drainage and erosion control measures will be conducted to ensure that no further damage occurs. Funding for this project will enable the park to improve access to an important recreational area while protecting valuable natural resources and enriching the overall visitor experience. These are just a few of the projects which the Yellowstone Park Foundation is currently working on with the help of donations from people such as yourself (for a complete list, click here). Next week we will feature information on the Foundation's various "Giving Levels." (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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SEWAGE
SPILL AT BRIDGE BAY YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Two weeks ago Yellowstone National Park officials discovered a broken sewage line serving the Lake government housing area. Approximately 10,000 gallons of raw sewage had soaked into the ground, came to the surface and emptied into a ditch that flows into a spawning stream. The break was discovered on a routine check of the Lake Lodge lift station. The line was blocked, and after clearing the line, a cracked pipe was discovered. The pipe, placed in the late 1960s or early 1970s, can be susceptible to breakage when settling or shifting occurs, which apparently happened in this instance. A week after that incident, another sewage spill was discovered in nearby Bridge Bay campground. An unknown amount of raw sewage spilled onto the beach at Yellowstone Lake, although it is believed to have been very little. Park officials suspect vandalism is the cause of this sewage spill, as an outside valve was found to be open, whereas in a prior inspection of the pipes, the valve had been closed. |
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| WOLF UPDATE News Brief LIVINGSTON, Mont. -- U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials suspect Wolf No. 196 is the cause of the death of a calf on a Pine Creek-area ranch north of Yellowstone National Park. The wolf's radio collar revealed that it was near the point of kill, although officials admit they do not know for certain that he is the guilty party. The adult male was one of the Sheep Mountain Pack, a group with a history of livestock kills. No. 196 last year received experimental livestock-aversion training, in which shock therapy was used to try and train the wolf to stay away from calves and other livestock. The experimental training has showed some promising signs, although the long term effects of the treatment have yet to be determined. |
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| HIKERS MAULED IN ALASKA by National Park Service LAKE CLARK NATIONAL PARK, Ala. (NPS) -- LAKE CLARK NATIONAL PARK, Ala. (NPS) -- Gary Titus, and Ellen Snoeyenbos, both 47, were attacked by a brown bear with a cub while hiking in the Twin Lakes area at approximately 4:30 p.m. on the afternoon of Wednesday, June 13th. Titus owns a cabin in the area and the two had spent the day climbing nearby peaks. The hikers were descending back towards the lake just below the tree line in dense brush when a brown bear appeared out of nowhere and attacked Titus. The bear grabbed Titus' left leg and dragged him to the ground, then turned towards Snoeyenbos. It grabbed her by the left boot and began to drag her down the slope. Titus hit the bear on the nose and it dropped Snoeyenbos. The bear then bit Titus on his right hand and ran away from the scene. Titus sustained severe injuries to his left leg and puncture wounds on his right hand; Snoeyenbos suffered bruises on her left foot. The two were able to hike to his cabin on Upper Twin Lake and boat across the lake to the park patrol cabin at Hope Creek. Park volunteer K. Schubeck radioed Lower Twin Lake ranger Jana Walker for assistance. Walker contacted park headquarters at Port Alsworth to arrange for medical assistance and transport. Park and concession aircraft flew to the area and transported the pair to Port Alsworth. They were subsequently taken to a hospital in Anchorage, where Titus underwent surgery to his leg. Snoeyenbos was treated and released. No action is planned against the bear, which was protecting its cub. |
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