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ROAD REPORT All entrances are now open. 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		PROTECTING YELLOWSTONE by 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) -- A week ago, smoke from the Arthur fire was readily visible over the eastern horizon of Yellowstone. Over the weekend firefighters finished containing the fire, and visitors to Yellowstone via the East entrance were allowed to enter on a limited basis while accompanied by a Park Service escort. Today, with the Arthur fire contained, the East entrance is fully open to visitors. What can you expect if you are traveling through the East entrance this week, or for the coming weeks? Don't expect to see much, as the burned area is barely visible from the road because of the steep terrain. However, for those who come next spring and look closely, a bountiful crop of wildflowers will cover the burned landscape, similar to the brightly-colored wildflowers that flourished the first few years after the fires of 1988. The Arthur fire, although in no way similar to the massive fires of 1988, does remind us of the place of fire in the Yellowstone ecosystem. Fire thins out old growth, opens lodgepole seedlings, and makes way for new trees and other plants to grow, including Aspen. Fire is actually a friend to Yellowstone, despite the inconvenience it causes for visitors and the occasional threats it poses to man-made structures in the Park. Thirteen years after the fires of 1988, lodgepole pines are growing profusely throughout the Park, some as much as six feet tall, and in places covering the landscape like a thick carpet. In time they will thin out and new forests of mature trees will emerge. And thus will be the story of the acreage affected by the Arthur fire: time will heal and replenish the land, a cycle as old as the earth itself. (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.) 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		A THOUGHT ABOUT THE TAX REBATE by Pat Snyder BOZEMAN, Mont. -- Many of us received a happy financial surprise this summer when President George Bush approved the Tax Rebate Bill. By now, you’ve either received a $300 (or so) check, or, like me, you’re waiting for it to arrive. Meanwhile, I was avidly reading Bruce’s weekly columns about Yellowstone National Park’s desperate need for infrastructure repairs, preservation strategies and educational facilities. He wisely wrote about several organizations, particularly the Yellowstone Association, and the good it does for the Park. As I saw it, all those tax rebates could have done a world of good for Yellowstone and our other National Park treasures; that funding would have left a legacy we, and our future generations, all could share. However, our current Administration chose a different way to disburse the money. So, after much thought about what to do with this little windfall, I decided to use a portion to join two organizations that are assisting and providing activism for the National Park System: the Yellowstone Association, of course; and the National Parks Conservation Association. I am sure Bruce can tell you more about NPCA. They not only provide current, informative materials about our parks, including a newsletter and Web Site, but they act as a lobbying group for National Park funding. I’d also like to encourage you to think about your $300 rebate. It’s really an opportunity to choose where your taxes go — since we were not expecting this money anyway, it would not hurt much to take a portion and share it with the Park we love! Then, do even more good! Write to the Administration and tell them what you did with your rebate. Send a letter, postcard or E-mail to President Bush and Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton, and let them know you spent your rebate on something important for you and for future generations, the preservation of our National Parks. And consider carbon copying your local Senators and Congressperson so they know how you spent your rebate as well. That’s what I plan to do, hope you join me! BACK TO TOP
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		GRIZZLIES FEASTING ON LAKE TROUT News Brief YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Yellowstone officials have been waging war on lake trout in Yellowstone Lake since the illegally-introduced species was discovered in 1995. Anglers are required to keep all lake trout caught. Park officials use nets to catch the fish, which are then beheaded and tossed back into the lake to keep nutrients in the watershed ... usually. In recent months, some lake trout have been shipped to Washington State University, where researchers there feed them to captive grizzlies in an effort to study the threat posed by the lake trout. Cutthroat trout are a main staple of Yellowstone's grizzlies, and lake trout pose a threat to cutthroat. By monitoring the levels of mercury found in hair samples from the research bears which eat the lake trout (the presence of mercury is attributed to the volcanic activity in the Yellowstone region, and is only in trace amounts), and then comparing the data to hair samples from Yellowstone's grizzlies, researchers hope to determine just how integral trout are to the bears' diets. BACK TO TOP
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		GLACIER VISITATION DECLINES News Brief GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, Mont. -- Attendance at Glacier National Park this year was off by 5% in both June and July, according to officials. Overall, visitation is down 4% through July, compared to last year. The decline is largest at the St. Mary entrance on the Park's east side, where visitation is down 10%. The downturn is attributed to the nationwide travel trends resulting from higher fuel prices this summer season. BACK TO TOP