|
||||
| MONDAY July 30, 2001 Vol 5, # 67 |
|
|
||||
| MONDAY July 30, 2001 Vol 5, # 67 |
|
|
. | |
| Site Search | Support Yellowstone! Discussion $7.95 Internet, Email, More Email Newsletter | |
ROAD REPORT PUBLISHER EDITOR-IN-
|
 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 August three Amfac employees feel into a hot spring in Yellowstone and suffered severe burns. One, Sara Hulphers of Oregon, died shortly thereafter. The two others, with the prayers of people from around the world, survived against all odds, and are recovering now, nearly a year later. This month the ongoing story took an unfortunate twist when the attorney of one of the two survivors filed a lawsuit against Yellowstone National Park on behalf of his client. The lawsuit, which is full of inaccurate charges, states that the victims were walking along a "marked, groomed and regularly maintained trail," a fact easily refutable as there are no maintained trails in the vicinity of where the accident occurred. The suit further states that "officials should have closed the trail during hours of darkness" and that "the thermal pool should have been fenced off at night." The ludicrousness of such a charge is apparent. Not only is there no official trail to close, but the vast majority of Yellowstone's 10,000 hot springs are in the backcountry and are, of course, not fenced off, and cannot reasonably be fenced off. Lance Buchi rightly drew the sympathy of Yellowstone fans everywhere when the accident happened last year. Sadly, however, he has now chosen to blame others for his own mistakes. Yellowstone is a dangerous place, and visitors are responsible for taking appropriate caution, as Park signs and publications clearly point out. Indeed, taming Yellowstone would serve no other purpose than destroying the world's grandest national park, and would be one of the greatest tragedies of modern times. (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.) |
|
| . | . | . |
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Russ Finley
|
PARK
VISITOR BURNED YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Yellowstone National Park Acting Superintendent Frank Walker reports that Donald E. Hansen, 39 years old, of Shoreline, Washington, was burned when he tried to rescue his dog from an unnamed thermal pool located in the Lower Geyser Basin in the Old Faithful area. The incident occurred at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 26, 2001. Hansen and his family were touring the park and had stopped to view a thermal area along the Firehole River from a pullout on Fountain Flats Drive. Their family pet, a chocolate Labrador, jumped out of their motorhome and ran unrestrained toward the river and a thermal pool. The dog ignored Hansen's calls and jumped into the 192°F-200°F thermal pool. Hansen knelt beside the pool and was able to grab the dog, but the hot temperatures prevented him from pulling the dog out of the water. During his rescue efforts, Hansen received first and second degree burns to portions of both arms from the elbow down and first degree burns to his knees. Hansen's family drove him to the Old Faithful Inn to seek medical attention. Park EMS staff immediately responded, stabilized Hansen's injuries, and transported him to the Old Faithful Clinic for additional care. Hansen was subsequently transported to the West Yellowstone, Montana, airport where he was taken by fixed wing air ambulance to the Salt Lake City Burn Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is scheduled to be released from the hospital today. Park rangers returned to the pool and successfully recovered the dog, whose injuries were fatal. This is the first individual to receive a thermal burn during the 2001 summer season. All park visitors are reminded that for their own safety it is important to stay on boardwalks and designated trails while viewing all thermal features in the park. Scalding water underlies thin, breakable crusts; many geyser eruptions are unpredictable, and thermal features are near or above boiling temperatures. Boardwalks and trails help to protect park visitors and prevent damage to delicate formations. Visitors are reminded that pets are required to be on a leash and are prohibited on all trails, in the backcountry, and in thermal basins and not more than 100 feet from a road or parking area. |
|
| n | . | . |
| FIRE CLOSES EAST ENTRANCE News Brief YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Yellowstone National Park officials report that the Arthur Fire that closed the park's East Entrance Road to all inbound and outbound traffic earlier today is now estimated at around 800 acres. The entrance was closed at approximately 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 29, because of heavy smoke and the potential for fire reaching the roadway from the Arthur Fire. The Arthur Fire was reported between 1-1:30 p.m. on Sunday when heavy smoke was observed south of the East Entrance Road (in the Sylvan Pass area) near Top Notch Peak. This fire was most likely started by lightning on July 28. The fire is burning very actively in heavy fuels and is currently located approximately 3 miles from the East Entrance of the park. The fire is located on the south side of the East Entrance Road. This fire is being managed under the Unified Command system with the Shoshone National Forest. Park staff have been in full suppression mode since the fire was first reported. Air tankers were able to do two fire retardant drops, but winds prevented further drops. An incident management team should be in place within the next couple of days, along with additional related fire resources. A number of resources are being utilized on the fire, including fire engines from Park County, Wyoming, and the park and irrigation systems to protect structures. Park staff and their families at the East Entrance have begun evacuation procedures. Park officials remind visitors that all entrances, except for the East Entrance, remain open, as well as all visitor and park facilities, including all lodging, food services, general stores, gift shops, and campgrounds. The nighttime closure (9 p.m. to 9 a.m.) between Madison and Norris for road construction remains in place. Current temperatures have been in the 80s, with relative humidity around 12 percent. Winds have been at 20 mph, with gusts up to 40 mph. The forecast for tomorrow is calling for cooler temperatures in the 60s and 70s, with decreasing winds and higher humidity. South of Yellowstone in Jackson Hole, firefighters have managed to keep roughly a 50% containment of the Green Knoll fire. Planes, tankers and helicopters have all been employed, while ground forces have struggled below. A total of over a thousand firefighters have been battling the fire which started last Sunday. Mandatory evacuations were in effect yesterday for the Wooded Hills, Burcher Road, Deep Powder, Indian Paintbrush and Crescent H subdivisions. More than 100 people have been evacuated from their homes. However, nearby Jackson, Jackson Hole, and the Grand Teton and Yellowstone national parks remained unaffected by the Green Knoll fire. Officials have not determined the exact cause of the fire which has been burning for six days, but they suspect it may have been sparked by an abandoned campfire. |
||
| w | . | . |
| PARK VISITATION UPDATE News Brief CODY, Wyo. -- Businesses here are reporting flat or fewer sales even though there have been more visitors through the Yellowstone National Park east entrance this summer. The east entrance numbers are puzzling because there have been fewer visitors through the other park entrances, there are fewer park visitors overall and there have been fewer visitors to major Cody attractions. Possible explanations range from inaccurate park numbers to fewer tourist buses and tourists who are not stopping in Cody. |
||
| |
||
