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FRIDAY, MAY 8, 1998 |
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PARK
WEATHER MORE NEWS The Yellowstone Net Newspaper is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
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PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS
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by BRUCE GOURLEY
by BRUCE GOURLEY BERKELEY, Cal. (YNET) -- Kim Steinbacher makes good use of her Jeep, traveling all over the Western United States and Canada photographing national parks. She fell in love with national park photography while working as a volunteer in Yosemite and King's Canyon National Parks during her high school years. Kim lives in Berkeley, California, and this month her photography is on display at the University YWCA at 2600 Bancroft Way, Berkeley. The YWCA is open Monday through Saturday each week. Kim's display features some of her work from Yellowstone and Glacier National Parks, as well as Canada's Banff National Park. Beginning next week, Yellowstone Net will be featuring a weekly column by Kim entitled, "Out West with Kim Steinbacher." Click here to visit Kim's internet site.
Association of Internet
Businesses BILLINGS, Mont. (YNET) -- This week's topic: What is a Browser? Am I Using the Right One? (These tips assume you are running Win95 on a IBM-compatible PC.) Many businesses do not yet have an Internet presence. Oftentimes, a lack
of knowledge of even the basics of the internet is the primary reason for a reluctance on
the part of business owners to plunge into the rapidly growing world of 'The Net.' The
Internet, however, does not What is a BROWSER? A browser is one of 3 things you need to access the Internet: The most popular browsers are: Features of both Navigator and MSIE are very similar, and the newest versions can be downloaded for free from http://www.microsoft.com or http://www.netscape.com. You should be using at least version 3 of Navigator or MSIE to get the 'most' from the Internet (and to view this site properly!). Netscape did not invent the browser, but it invented the first GOOD browser for the average user. Microsoft followed by creating MSIE. Netscape currently has about 2/3 of the market, but some people prefer MSIE. I personally recommend Netscape products, but many other professionals swear by the Microsoft browsers.
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A Weekly Column by
I have spent a lot of hours viewing wildlife in the park, but my favorite animal is by
far the grizzly bear. I have been fortunate to observe this impressive creature on a
number of occasions, but not without the costs of extreme patience. One of my favorite
places I go in hopes of watching a grizzly is in the Central Plateau of Yellowstone. On
one very beautiful summer evening, I had the privilege to watch a sow with three yearling
cubs. She was a stunning reddish brown and large for a sow grizzly. Two of her cubs
appeared to be identical, both a two-toned brown. The other cub was blonde. I thanked my
lucky stars for this opportunity, but my fortune would continue Watching a family of grizzlies for two years was a valuable learning experience. Everything I read or watched about grizzlies was acted out in front of my eyes. Being able to watch the cubs grow in size and experience, as well as their mom's undying bond to protect and teach her children, was priceless. Whenever danger presented itself (usually in the form of a larger bear) the sow would quickly lead her cubs to safety. When it was time to eat, the sow would keep a vigilant eye for potential threats to her family. Playtime found all four bears taking part in some good old-fashioned grizzly roughhousing. On some occasions the cubs appeared to just watch their mom go about her business and then would mimic their mother's actions. One of my favorite observations began with a small herd of bison forming up and racing away, leaving quite a trail of dust. I knew something had to spook those bison and as I gazed through my scope, I saw the sow and her three cubs loping behind. The griz family appeared to be testing the herd or perhaps just playfully chasing. I last saw these bears with my wife about two years ago. The three cubs were almost as big as their mom who was still stunning as ever. It is a remarkable accomplishment for a grizzly sow to raise and keep three cubs alive. Her cubs should be able to make it on their own through the difficult years as sub-adult grizzlies. As for the sow, she is probably raising another generation of grizzlies. When I return to the Central Plateau this season, I hope to see her with a new family. Even if I do not, she has shown me the strong bond that is essential in the survival and nurturing of a grizzly family. As more people move into the Yellowstone Ecosystem, the job of the grizzly mother will continue to become more difficult. This is most evident during the hunting season where last year, three grizzly families (that I know of) fell victim to firearms during hunter-bear encounters. I realize that encounters with bears will continue to happen, but it saddens me when a grizzly sow pays the ultimate price defending her cubs. Most hunters are aware of this danger and most take the necessary actions to avoid injury to themselves and to the bear. This has even become easier with pepper spray, which has been proven in the field. Just ask a couple of rangers who halted charges by sow grizzlies last fall. When I am working in the backcountry, I make sure I carry pepper spray. In the rare event that I screw up and cause a bear to charge me, I want that pepper spray as an alternative to using my firearm. Most bear charges are bluff charges and some experts claim that 90 percent of all charges are bluffs. No matter what the numbers say, we must remember that we are the visitors in bear country.
Chicago by CLINT WILKES CHICAGO, Ill. (YNET) -- Being the keynote speaker for the Friends of McKinley Park library annual membership drive in Chicago last week was very much an honor for me. I have only accepted a few speaking engagements this year. A library needing help was an event I could not pass up.
I want to extend a special Thanks to Dr Bob and Annamarie Bara and the library staff for their gracious hospitality. As my friend Bob Gammage has stated on many occasions, "how could anyone ever be bored if they have a library close by." PS: I had lunch at Connies Pizza on Archer Avenue. Thanks to Andrea for great service and to everyone at the Library for recommending it.
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- The Yellowstone
Ecosystem is home to an impressive display of wildlife. Every year, millions of visitors
flock to Yellowstone in hopes of seeing some of Yellowstone's wild animals. About fourteen
years ago, I came to Yellowstone with my family in hopes of seeing as much wildlife as
possible. I still remember the contests I had with my brother and sister to see who could
spot the most animals. It was an amazing feeling seeing elk, moose, and bison for the
first time. I cannot begin to describe the emotion we felt when we saw our first bears, a
sow with two cubs of the year. Seeing individual animals was one thing, but seeing a
family of bears was intense. Even today, seeing wild mothers with their young ones still
affects me as it did fourteen years ago. There is one such Yellowstone family that will
forever remain a
My
seminar, "Marketing Your Business on the Internet" was well received by the
large crowd in attendance.
