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MONDAY, JULY 6, 1998 |
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PARK
WEATHER MORE NEWS The Yellowstone Net Newspaper is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
ARCHIVES DISCUSSION FORUMS Go to the Yellowstone Net Home Page Send us
your Comments
PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF INTERN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (NPS) -- Park officials report that only one wolf den closure remains in effect in the park. All other closures are now open to the public. The one small closure that remains in effect is in the upper Lamar Valley area where the Druid Peak wolf pack has a den. These wolves use the Lamar Valley (which has no closures) near the dens and are very visible. Many visitors park in this area to view wolves and other wildlife. Giving protection to this small area--where there are no trails or human use--has no impact on visitor use but instead provides many visitors with the opportunity to see wolves. Park biologists are concerned that if the area were opened while the wolves are still there, some visitors would go in to see the wolves more closely. This harassment would likely cause the wolves to leave the area and spoil viewing opportunities for many other people. As soon as the wolves move away from the dens the area will be reopened. This is likely to occur within the next month. Wildlife management closures have had minimal impact on park visitors. Closures are generally in areas that are not normally traveled or used by park visitors, and no trails were closed or impacted by any of the wildlife management closures. In some areas, closures were specifically designed using trails as boundaries so visitors were still able to use the trails but not allowed to go off-trail into the closed area. Other closures were necessary because of high visitor impact. Closures were necessary in this area to prevent park visitors from entering the area, impacting the wolves, and forcing them to abandon the den during a time critical to the safety of the pups. As soon as the wolves moved from the dens, the closure was lifted. The final rule published in the Federal Register in November 1994 defines
management protocol and regulations for reintroducing wolves as a nonessential
experimental population in Yellowstone National Park. The rule allows for land-use
College Guide to a Summer Job in
Yellowstone  This column is based on my interactions with people who have worked
in Yellowstone (or who want to work in the Park). Some of these stories will be the
"behind the scenes" story of why I wrote a particular story in my book. If
you have a story to contribute to this column, email
me. For more information about my book, College Guide to a Summer Job in Yellowstone, click here.
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- The response to our hosting reunions for former Yellowstone employees has been overwhelming. We will soon have a listing available consisting of the names of those who have given us permission to list their Yellowstone job information and email address. We also will not give out any information about those who do not want their names or other information listed. We will neither confirm nor deny if they are attending nor will we respond to any email request for information about attendees. Yellowstone Net will be hosting a series of free seminars during all reunion weekends. We already have some incredible experts lined up and will be announcing a schedule this spring. Children accompanied by parents are welcome at all seminars. For more information about the former employee reunions, go to http://www.yellowstone.net/reunion
Editor-in-Chief Needed Yellowstone Net Newspaper is looking for
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A YNET Weekly Feature
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- Yellowstone officials continue to seek a resolution to the "winter use" issue, namely, the problem of growing winter usage of the Park negatively impacting Yellowstone's environment. Pollution from snowmobiles and stress on the wildlife are two of the main concerns. Officials are seeking input from Americans across the nation, as Yellowstone is the people's Park. The following is a recent press release from the National Park Service. If one of the meetings below is in your "neighborhood," we encourage you to attend and voice you opinion. In April, Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway began work on new Winter Use Plans and an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The first step in the process is scoping, which is where issues and alternatives are identified. As part of the scoping process, open house meetings have been scheduled at surrounding communities to allow the public to share their concerns about winter use, learn about the planning process and possible management solutions, and collect public comments. Additional meetings have been scheduled for the following dates and locations: Salt Lake City, Utah July 13 Salt Lake City Public Library 209 E. 500 South Denver, Colorado July 14 Days Inn Denver West 15059 W. Colfax Minneapolis, Minnesota July 15 Minneapolis Public Library 300 Nicollet Mall Washington, D.C. July 16 Rosslyn Westpark 1900 N. Ft. Meyer Drive All meetings will take place between 4 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. and will follow an informal open house format. People may come and go as they wish; there will be no formal presentations. National Park Service staff, as well as representatives from the cooperating agencies (the states of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming, as well as Teton and Park Counties, Wyoming; Fremont County, Idaho; Park and Gallatin Counties, Montana; and the U.S. Forest Service) will be on hand to answer questions and collect comments. The objective for the new Winter Use Plans is to provide future winter visitors in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr., Memorial Parkway with a full range of quality winter use experiences in both developed and primitive settings. These recreational experiences will be offered in appropriate locations or settings, where they should not adversely impact sensitive natural resources, wildlife, cultural areas, or the experiences of other park visitors. In order to ensure the safety of all park visitors and employees, potential conflicts between different types of use groups will be minimized. A draft EIS is scheduled to be released in August of 1999. Following a public review of the draft, a final plan will be formulated, and is expected to be released in October of 2000. Interested parties unable to attend any of the open houses are encouraged to submit their comments in writing by July 18 to: Yellowstone Planning Office, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190. For additional information regarding meeting locations or the scoping process, please call the National Park Service at (307) 344-2019, or visit www.nps.gov/yell/winteruseplan.htm. Are you concerned about the health and vitality of Yellowstone National Park? Join the campaign to Protect Yellowstone from those forces which would exploit and destroy the Park!
More Yellowstone News Online YELLOWSTONE'S ONGOING SEWAGE PROBLEMS ... read about the problems of Yellowstone's aging and overburdened sewer systems in the Sunday, July 5 edition of the Billings Gazette.
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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.
