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MONDAY, OCT 5, 1998 |
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Volume 2, No 100 | |||
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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 CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS
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Earthquake Swarm Hits Yellowstone by BRUCE GOURLEY YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET). -- Last week a swarm of earthquakes hit the Park. Some 100 small quakes beneath Yellowstone Lake shook the eastern portion of the Park. On Wednesday, one quake measuring 3.2 on the richter scale and another measuring 3.1 in magnitude shook the region. Others were in the 1 to 2 magnitude range. The two larger quakes were felt by some people in the Lake area, but otherwise the quakes, as are most in Yellowstone, were not felt. Small earthquakes occur almost daily in Yellowstone, a result of Yellowstone being located on top of a caldera, an imploded volcanic crater. Scientists have noted ties between certain earthquake activity and geyser eruptions in the Park. Thus far, no change in geyser patterns has been reported from this recent swarm of earthquakes. In a related story, the Billings Gazette on Sunday reported that scientists have discovered that Yellowstone's volcanic caldera, following ten years of sinking, started rising in 1995 or 1996. Molten rock underlying Yellowstone leads to cycles of rising and sinking. From 1923 to 1976, the caldera rose some two feet. From 1976 to 1985 it sank, and since then has risen about two centimeters. According to scientists, these fluctuations do not mean that the caldera is about to blow, but rather they are a part of a natural cycle of pressure building up and being released underneath the ground.
Senate Authorizes Road in Izembek Wildlife Refuge WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Senate last week approved legislation that would authorize for the first time the building of a new road through a congressionally designated wilderness area -- Izembek National Wildlife Refuge. If enacted, this legislation (S. 1092) would establish a dangerous precedent that must not be allowed. In approving S. 1092, the Senate has taken another step in establishing this as the most anti-environmental Congress ever. Maintaining the integrity of the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge is of great importance to all Americans. Defenders of Wildlife takes comfort in the steadfast resolve of the Clinton Administration to veto this legislation. This continued resolve was demonstrated once again by the administration's statement issued recently. We are also encouraged by those senators who supported saving the Izembek Refuge and wilderness. Their support suggests that the Senate would likely sustain a presidential veto of this environmentally damaging and unnecessary legislation. With scores of anti-environmental bills and provisions still awaiting legislative action, and with the House expected to vote soon on a new, sweeping threat, the so-called Omnibus Parks Bill, this Congress could easily prove to be the most anti-environmental in U.S. history.
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A YNET Weekly Feature
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- When most of think of threatened or endangered species in the Yellowstone region, we think of large animals such as the grizzly or wolf. However, smaller animals in the Yellowstone region are also facing an uncertain future due to human incursion. One of the threatened smaller-sized species found in the Yellowstone region is the black-tailed prairie dog. The following is a press release from the National Wildlife Federation detailing the prairie dog's plight: The federal government has officially acknowledged that America's black-tailed prairie dogs are in serious peril due to a lack of sound management. That acknowledgment is a key element necessary to secure protection for the species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Ironically, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
recognition of the species' plight "Denial of the emergency listing is unfortunate because this species needs help and it needs it now," said NWF President Mark Van Putten. "But we're very encouraged by the official recognition that the prairie dog is in trouble and needs the kind of recovery help that the Endangered Species Act is designed to provide." USFWS noted the need for action in its letter to NWF, stating: "We fully recognize that the current lack of regulatory mechanisms for managing black-tailed prairie dogs could allow for continued prairie dog losses." Black-tailed prairie dogs have already been eliminated from more than 99% of their historic grasslands habitat, with remaining colonies too isolated to ensure the species' survival. Populations continue to be decimated by loss of habitat, poisoning and unregulated shooting. In many areas the killing is encouraged and even required by state or federal agency policies that treat prairie dogs as pests to be exterminated. If you are concerned about the health and vitality of Yellowstone, including the wildlife which makes the region famous, we encourage you to write your congresspersons and express your views about the need to protect and preserve the national treasure we call Yellowstone.
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) -- I met Russ Finley in West Yellowstone a couple of weeks ago and we drove over to Canyon to have lunch and visit with his nephew Kirk. Kirk works in the Hamilton Store which has the big restaurant, he has been a waiter the past three summers. According to Kirk and a lot of other Canyon employees, Canyon is the BEST location to work in the Park. Everyone I have met who worked in Yellowstone thinks they worked in the BEST location and, as odd as this may sound, they are ALL correct. You would really have to experience a summer in Yellowstone to understand this. I had met Kirk earlier in the summer before making this trip with Russ and had spent over an hour talking with him. If you want to know where the best and most fun hiking trails are near Canyon or anywhere else in the park then "Kirk's da Man!!!"
So that's the end of my column on Kirk, I had promised him I would not write anything about what a nice young man he is because it might embarrass him. His Uncle Russ and I agreed we would not mention that he probably is one of the finest people we know. Russ brought him to Yellowstone several times when he was just a youngster and even then Russ told me how Kirk was a great kid and fun to be around. We agreed that is something I should not mention in this article. The last thing that I will not mention is it really was great getting to know Kirk and I look forward to seeing him next summer in Yellowstone.
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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.
Kirk did not
go on a hike almost every day, Kirk went on a hike EVERY DAY that he was in Yellowstone
the past three summers. Kirk will be going back to spend his last year in college then he
will definitely be back to work his final summer in Yellowstone. He is also planning to
come out to Yellowstone this winter and spend a couple of weeks of his vacation working at
the StageCoach Inn in West. Kirk has not been here for a Winter in Yellowstone so this
should be a lot of fun for him.
