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WEDNESDAY, OCT 14, 1998 |
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Volume 2, No 103 | |||
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PARK
WEATHER MORE NEWS The Yellowstone Net Newspaper is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays
Go to the Yellowstone Net Home Page Send us
your Comments
PUBLISHER EDITOR IN CHIEF CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- The Yellowstone Wolf Recovery Fund
("YWRF") of The Yellowstone Park Foundation is the only organization devoted
solely to the financial viability of the wolf recovery program in the Yellowstone
ecosystem. Contributions to this fund are directed to the monitoring and research of wolf
packs in Yellowstone. Our administrative costs are covered by a grant from the Turner
Foundation, so your support can go entirely and directly to field Wolf supporters all over the U.S. have contacted us regarding the December 1997 ruling by federal judge William Downes that declared the Yellowstone and Idaho wolf reintroduction programs illegal. Unfortunately, the YWRF is not set up or adequately staffed to respond directly to all the inquiries about this ruling and its impact. This memo is a brief update on the appeals process. Read on! The ruling constitutes a serious but surmountable threat that we hope will
be overturned due primarily to strong national Four major groups have filed notices of appeal against the ruling: National Wildlife Federation, Defenders of Wildlife, the Earthjustice Legal Defense Foundation, and the Justice Department, representing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Each of these groups are submitting separate briefs which will be heard by the court one at a time. No decision on the appeals is likely to be made before the end of this year. (Click here to go to their internet site.)
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A Weekly Column
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- My column today is a very personal editorial about snowmobiling in Yellowstone. Let me begin by saying the very first time I ever went snowmobiling was in 1989 in Yellowstone. I have frequently described the experience as "the most fun I have ever had!" Do I think the numbers of snowmobiles should be limited in Yellowstone? YES! However I offer a very logical solution to this problem. First, any person who wants to use a snowmobile to travel inside Yellowstone to see the
sights should be welcome. Finding out who those people are can be very easy. Simply
STRICTLY enforce a new and even LOWER Second, the town of West Yellowstone is the Snowmobile Capitol of the World. It sits at the west entrance to Yellowstone plus it has miles and miles of trails located close to your hotel room door. The town of West needs to have a 10PM curfew on snowmobiles in the city (except for emergency situations of course). Families visiting Yellowstone do not want to hear a snowmobile's roar after they have put the kids to bed. Yellowstone in winter should be "THE" FAMILY vacation destination just as it is in summer. This problem can be solved by using a bit of common sense. Unfortunately the greedy and the idiots seem to be voicing louder opinions. The greedy are those who, in order to make a quick buck, want to rent snowmobiles to all the idiots. The idiots are the ones who think they personally own Yellowstone and should be allowed to zoom around at 80mph and get those "darned" animals out of the way!
Public Comment Period Extended on Interagency Bison Management Plan by NATIONAL PARK SERVICE YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (NPS) -- The National Park Service, State of Montana, U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service, and cooperating agency U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced today that the public comment period on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the Interagency Bison Management Plan for the State of Montana and Yellowstone National Park has been extended until November 2, 1998. The original 120-day comment period on the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) began on June 12, 1998, and was scheduled to end October 16, 1998. The 17-day extension of the comment period provides for comments on the EIS to be submitted until November 2, 1998. All comments received will be considered in the planning process. The federal agencies and State of Montana encourage all interested individuals and organizations to participate in the public planning process and submit comments on the draft EIS. The draft EIS presents seven different alternatives, covering a wide range of options, to address bison management. To request a copy of the Draft Bison EIS, write Bison Management Plan EIS Team, National Park Service, Sarah Bransom, DSC-RP, P.O. Box 25287, Denver, Colorado 80225-0287; phone (303) 969-2310; or visit the web site at http://www.nps.gov/planning/current.htm. You can mail your written comments on the draft EIS to the above address.
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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 
