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WEDNESDAY, SEP 2, 1998 |
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Volume 2, No 86 | |||
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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 INTERN CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPCA) -- The nation’s largest national park advocacy group has petitioned the National Park Service to ban personal watercraft (PWCs), commonly known as jet skis, because they pollute the air and water, disturb wildlife, and make the parks less enjoyable for other visitors. The National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) said that if the National Park Service refuses to promptly regulate PWCs, the association will pursue legal action. "The Park Service has been unforgivably slow to issue regulations for personal watercraft even though they are a major threat to park resources and the enjoyment of the parks by other visitors," NPCA President Tom Kiernan said. "We hope our petition will spur action to address this inappropriate use of the parks." Last September, the National Park Service began publicly stating it would propose strict rules on PWCs throughout the park system. Since then, however, the proposal has been delayed several times and the personal watercraft industry has seized the opportunity to press for access to more parks. The use of PWCs is controversial throughout the nation, and especially in national parks. Many people object to the excessive noise, aggressive operation, poor safety record and disturbance of fish and wildlife that are associated with jet skis. In addition, the vast majority of PWCs have highly polluting two-stroke engines that contaminate park air and water. In response, some parks, such as Everglades, Yellowstone, and Canyonlands, have already taken action to protect resources and other visitors from the effects of personal watercraft. These park-by-park actions, however, do not apply to the entire National Park System. "The Park Service is already many months behind schedule and the
longer they wait, the more difficult it will become to regulate PWCs effectively,"
Kiernan said. "If the Park Service would just get moving, it would quickly find out
that the vast majority of people agree that jet skis and other thrill craft don’t
belong in national parks that were created to protect natural, PWCs now account for more than one-third of all boat sales, with over 1 million already in use and 200,000 new units sold last year. The five top manufacturers of PWCs include motorcycle makers Kawasaki and Yamaha, along with snowmobile manufacturers Arctic Cat, Bombardier Inc., and Polaris Industries. The National Parks and Conservation Association is America's only private nonprofit citizen organization dedicated solely to protecting, preserving, and enhancing the U.S. National Park System. An association of "Citizens Protecting America's Parks," NPCA was founded in 1919 and today has 500,000 members.
Editor-in-Chief Needed Yellowstone Net Newspaper is looking for
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A Weekly Column
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- When you are in Gardiner, Montana and want a great cup of "Joe," I definitely recommend High Country Espresso. I heard coffee called "Joe" in an old movie (I think it was a Humphrey Bogart flick) and have been wanting to use it in one of my articles. Actually High Country is a great place to go if you want almost anything refreshing to drink. They have recently had a major expansion of their business and more than doubled its size. In addition to adding to their choices of refreshing drinks (my favorite are the smoothies). They have also added, ummmmm, ice cream! Almost all of the expansion is being used to add to their clothing line. Teresa, the owner (a former Park Ranger) and her husband Kevin have put a tremendous amount of love, sweat and smarts into making High Country a great place to buy a t-shirt, hang-out, have a soft drink, drink espresso or hot cup of "Joe." (That's the last time I'll ever call coffee, "Joe".)
I was in High Country recently and took this picture of Kevin with Amy. Amy and her sister Mandy are two young ladies from Gardiner High School who have worked for Kevin and Teresa for almost two years. High Country has offered part time jobs to many of Gardiner's high school students over the years. One last comment, I promise in one of my next articles on Gardiner I will get a picture of Teresa with her and Kevin's beautiful baby daughter.
Yesteryear in Yellowstone by BRUCE GOURLEY YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- Some visitors to Yellowstone today think that some of the accommodations in the Park are rustic. But, they should have come to the Park 70 years ago when ... "Housekeeping cabins were established adjacent to the automobile campgrounds in 1926 .... These cabins were designed as economical shelter for automobilists who did not care to sleep on the ground or cook over an open fire. They were furnished in a Spartan manner ... with or without bedding. The occupant furnished the fuel for the sheet-iron heater, a distinctive appliance resembling a nail keg turned on its side, with the upper surface flattened to hold coffee pot or frying pan. Outside tap water and central washhouse were available." (From Aubrey Haine's The Yellowstone Story, Volume 2)
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Every Wednesday Clint Wilkes will offer a story of interest to
everyone who loves Yellowstone and the surrounding area. Some stories will be humorous,
others will illustrate a point. You the reader are invited to 
