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FRIDAY, MAY 29, 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 YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- On Wednesday, government officials agreed to spend some $5 million to replace the aging sewer system at Old Faithful Village. Last year Yellowstone officials reported that Old Faithful's aging sewer system was posing an immediate threat to streams in the area, and potentially to Old Faithful Geyser itself. Indeed, the danger had been known for some time, as the sewer system had periodically broken down as early as 1995, dumping sewage into nearby waterways. Despite requests from Yellowstone officials, however, the government had balked on allocating the necessary money to replace the 50-year-old system. Indeed, until recently, Congress had not given serious consideration to the danger posed by the old sewer system, and the money needed to replace the sewer system was not in budget talks. The government's change of heart is welcome news to Clint Wilkes, co-owner of Yellowstone Net. "Since last fall, we have been encouraging our readers to write their congresspersons about the need to replace the old sewer system at Old Faithful. We are happy that Congress has realized how crucial it is to keep sewage from leaking into the pristine waterways of Yellowstone, a situation which could affect Old Faithful Geyser." Plans for the new treatment facility are scheduled to begin this year, with construction beginning in the year 2000.
Kevin Sander's Yellowstone Wolf Report by Naturalist KEVIN SANDERS YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- The Druid Peak pack has been very active this month. In fact, in recent days we have had some of the best viewing we have had since Thanksgiving. Earlier this month we attempted to have a look at #9 and #18 and possibly a few other members of the Rose Creek pack, but to no avail. We then jumped back over to the opposite end of the valley and immediately located #21M the alpha male and two other members of the Druid Peak pack stalking a large cow bison with a newborn calf. The three Druid pack members came in close, but the large cow was able to fend off the three and keep her calf out of harms way. It appeared that the quickly formed group of human observers may have disrupted the activity. Soon after the traffic stopped on the road the wolves laid down in the sage brush as the cow took off at a run with her calf in tow. All the while the three wolves watched us watching them. About 30 minutes later the three members stood and began moving to a large group of about 20 bison which also just happened to be the same group that the cow and calf had moved into earlier. We jumped back into the van and drove around the corner where over the past three years we wolf watchers have made a trail up a steep rise to an excellent viewing location which is elevated above the valley. We were able to observe #21 move in close, sometimes so close it appeared he was brushing against some of the larger bison in the herd. The other two wolves, one black and one grey also moved in close, and on several occasions we observed the bison chase them off a short distance. It was getting dark at this point and we lost sight of the three Druid members and decided to leave the hillside. After climbing in the van we drove about two miles West when out of the dusk not more than 100 yards off of the road appeared five wolves including the three we had just been watching! In the time it took for us to hike down a hill and drive around a corner, #21M and his two companions had picked up two more wolves and moved about two miles down the road. All without our seeing them. Amazing. What I found most interesting about the entire period of stalking by the Druid Pack was how the bison protected themselves and the newborn calf. Most of us have observed many kills of elk by wolves and coyotes but to date no human has witnessed a bison kill. So far, every time I have observed wolves come in close to bison over the past three years, the bison have always chased off the wolves at a run. Would the herd circle and protect the calves by keeping them in the center like Musk ox, or will they run or fight? It was interesting to view the scene but I will need to observe a few more interactions or stalkings before coming to any conclusions.
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Note: Due to Tom Mazzarissi's busy schedule this summer, Tom's "The Yellowstone I Know" column will be appearing on an irregular basis in Friday's edition of the Yellowstone Net Newspaper. Tom does appreciate your feedback on his columns, and you can email him at tom@yellowstone.net Out West With Kim Steinbacher by KIM STEINBACHER BERKELEY, Cal. (YNET) -- Where's the rest of the trail? That is what a lot of people wonder when they reach the end of the Gateway to the Narrows trail in Zion National Park, Utah. I love to answer that question by simply walking right into the Virgin river. You see, the river is the trail when you hike the Narrows. And without question it is my favorite trail among all of the parks I've visited. The Gateway to the Narrows trail, also known as Riverside Walk, is a
half-mile paved trail that follows the Virgin river, passing by hanging gardens along the
way. The walk is quite nice but I'm always looking forward to the fun part. When you reach
the end of the pavement the river's banks are replaced by 2,000' high canyon walls. The
river becomes the trail. If you want to hike the entire 16 mile length of the Narrows you
must start upstream at the beginning of the Narrows (and you will need a The Narrows is truly amazing. In sections the canyon walls are so close that it is no more than 18' across. In most places there is no dry land between the two walls, only the river. You can find some small "beaches" that you can use for a picnic or to set up a tripod. And as the midday sun lights up the canyon walls they take on a golden color. I wished I could have shot pictures all day long on my last visit. Alas, I was there in late March, and the river I had been walking/standing in for 3 hours was 47 degrees F. That's *cold*. Suffice it to say I didn't have to share the Narrows with too many other people. Most people put their feet in the water and thought better of going in. The best time to do the Narrows is the summer, when the air and water temperatures are higher. And if I recall correctly from a childhood trip there, the river water was clearer in the summer, making it a lot easier to avoid deep spots - from what I've seen, full body dunks (particularly in 47 degree water) are not fun at all! On my last trip I was also finally smart enough to grab a hiking stick (there's a little area at the end of the paved trail for people to pick-up/leave their hiking sticks) before getting in the water, which can reach waist level in spots. From a previous trip my friends have a rather humorous picture of me loaded down with my camera backpack, carrying my large tripod in one hand, all the while trying not to slip on the moss covered rocks beneath my feet. Believe me, a hiking stick would have been an enormous help. A few final suggestions and comments. You will need to wear shoes when hiking in the river. So, don't wear those brand new $150 boots on this trail. Bring ziploc bags for anything you want to keep dry (e.g., your camera, lunch) even if those things will be in your backpack. And if you are a photographer using low speed film (e.g., ISO 50) you'll need to carry a tripod; it'll be tough to hand hold your camera in the low light situations you run into. And if you are willing to lug your tripod you can get some great blurred water shots. For a idea of what the Narrows is like you can check out one of my pictures at http//:www.yellowstone.net/steinbacher/zion. It truly is a magical trail I hope you have the chance to visit.
Association of Internet
Businesses AIB is a weekly technical and marketing column for those doing business on the internet. Any family-friendly business can join AIB for free. Members will receive additional newsletters with the latest business news on the net. BILLINGS, Mont. (YNET) -- I recently did consultations for the National Park Service and for the Las Vegas Review Journal. Last time I wrote about the NPS, today I'll cover the Review-Journal. These were calls from friends who needed information which they felt I could provide. Consultations are held in strictest confidence. Both gave me permission to use select parts of their stories. AIB-Las Vegas Review-Journal: I actually have not met my friend Jack Harpster in person. He is one of the "friends" we have all started making over the internet. I received a voice mail message recently from Jack asking me to call him at the Review-Journal. When I called him back he started the conversation by telling me he had been in attendance at my Editor & Publisher marketing seminar in Seattle. He went on to tell me how much he enjoyed my presentation. This comment immediately made him my "friend for life!" Jack will soon be doing a presentation to publishers of the over fifty newspapers their corporation owns in addition to their flagship Review-Journal in Las Vegas. He went on to question me diligently about how a traditional Newspaper is going to succeed in the age of the internet. The answer, I feel quite frankly is they will not. For a newspaper to stay in business they are going to have to re-invent themselves. How this is accomplished is dependent upon geographical location. In an interview lasting over an hour I strove to make two major points. ONE-Here in Billings, Montana the Billings Gazette is an excellent newspaper. In addition, both the local CBS affiliate and the NBC affiliate are constantly running ads on their stations promoting their web presence. Both cover local and national news plus offer extensive classifieds, all for FREE! TWO- A major source of newspaper revenue is the big automobile ads which run each weekend. A smart auto dealership owner is simply going to put up billboards all over their market area with their URL (web address) on it. They can update the site instantly by taking off cars that have sold or by adding that "beauty" they just put on the showroom floor. Jack and I talked at length about things they could do to stay in business. My guess is these were similar conversations the mom & pop drug stores and hardware stores were having when the Wal Mart opened up outside town. Is there nothing that can be done? There is a LOT that can be done but it cannot be done as it was in the past! Very successful local drug stores and hardware stores exist today. These are the business people who recognized a challenge. The smart people (like Jack) listen, read, and learn and most important THEY ASK QUESTIONS! Be sure to visit the Las Vegas Review-Journal site at
http://www.lasvegas.com
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