Vol 2, # 106

   Wednesday, October 21, 1998

YELLOWSTONE
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Yellowstone Net Home Page

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) --   Yellowstone Net (www.yellowstone.net)  cinematographer and photographer Russ Finley (www.yellowstone.net/russfinley) has released the internet's first online, multimedia video tour of world-famous Yellowstone National Park.  Finley, photographer of numerous popular National Park videos such as The Complete Yellowstone and Geysers of Yellowstone, has woven together footage from his Yellowstone videos and many of his better-known photos into a fascinating online experience about the world's first national park.

Finley's multimedia Yellowstone tour is divided into four segments:   a driving tour of Yellowstone, a survey of Yellowstone's geysers, the wildlife of Yellowstone, and the geology of Yellowstone.  The multimedia presentation uses RealVideo technology.  The free multimedia tour can be found by going to www.yellowstone.net on the internet.

Yellowstone National Park, located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, is a popular destination for travelers worldwide.  The park's thermal features (such as geysers and hot springs) and free-roaming wildlife attract some three million visitors yearly.

Yellowstone Net (www.yellowstone.net) is the online source for information and reservations in the entire Yellowstone region.  Russ Finley, whose videos and photos are sold throughout the park, is an official Yellowstone Net cinematographer and photographer.  Finley's newest video, Winter in Yellowstone, produced by Finley-Holiday Films and hailed by many as the "best Yellowstone video yet," will be released next month.  Winter in Yellowstone "tells a story of the many moods of Yellowstone's frozen world."  An online preview can be found at www.yellowstone.net/russfinley/winter.htm.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS

Ralph Maughn
Kim Steinbacher
Kevin Sanders
Steve Brashear
Clint Wilkes
Tim Gourley
Hon. Bob Gammage
Ruth Colter-Frick
Lee Whittlesey
Tom Mazzarisi
Russ Finley
David Monteith
Denise Elmer

WEST GLACIER, Mont (NPS) -- Sunday, October 25th, as hunting season opens on lands adjacent to Glacier National Park, Superintendent David A. Mihalic wishes to remind hunters that NO hunting is permitted within Glacier's boundaries. Hunters are responsible to insure that they are not hunting within the park.

No boundary or regulations changes are in effect this season. Although most of the park boundary is well marked, Mihalic reminds hunters, "It is the hunter's responsibility to insure that s/he does NOT hunt or otherwise shoot or injure ANY wildlife within the boundaries of any national park.

According to Mihalic, "Violators will be charged with federal felony and/or misdemeanor charges, will be required to appear before the U.S. Magistrate, and are subject to the confiscation of all equipment, including firearms, vehicles, stock, tack, and other equipment."

Individuals can be a great help in protecting wildlife by reporting any known illegal or suspicious hunting activity to park headquarters at (406) 888-7800, or after hours, to the Flathead County Sheriff's Office at 758-5610. Reporting parties need not identify themselves, and all reports are kept confidential. Rewards have been paid for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of individuals for wildlife crimes within the park.

During hunting season park rangers operate check stations to assure compliance with hunting and firearms regulations. Rangers also combine wildlife research monitoring overflights with hunting surveillance, and other plain-clothes surveillance to prevent poaching within the park.

Bugles, varmint calls, audio attractants, or other artificial or natural means of attracting wildlife (including rattling antlers, verbal bugling imitations, or wolf howling imitations) are also prohibited within the park.

Mihalic stressed that park trails located near boundaries and are still in use by visitors, and caution should be exercised when hunting near Glacier's boundaries.

Hunters should be familiar with the following park boundaries:

* Along the North Fork of the Flathead River from the Canadian border south to the Middle Fork confluence, the boundary is the middle of the main channel of the river.

* Along the Middle Fork of the Flathead River from the North Fork confluence to Java, the park boundary is located at the normal high water mark on the park side of the river.

* From Java, on the Middle Fork of the Flathead River to the Blackfeet Nation boundary, the boundary abuts the Burlington Northern right-of-way.

Hunters may NOT enter the park in pursuit of wounded animals unless s/he is unarmed AND escorted by a park ranger. Wildlife legally shot outside Glacier -- which travels into the park -- may NOT be pursued, dispatched, dressed, or transported without the hunter being accompanied by a ranger. Call park headquarters to arrange an escort.

Individuals are also reminded that firearms are NOT permitted in the backcountry. Firearms brought through Glacier must be unloaded, broken down, cased, and stored out of sight and reach, with ammunition separated from firearms while in the park.

Legally-killed game animals may be transported through Glacier National Park on U.S. Highway 2. Legal takes may be transported on other park roads ONLY in/on a vehicle and ONLY after obtaining a permit by stopping at a ranger station or call park headquarters at 406-888-7800 from 8am to 4:30pm daily or the Flathead County Sheriff's Office after hours. A valid state hunting tag must be affixed to the animal as evidence that it was legally taken.

Animals CANNOT be transported anywhere on backcountry trails, or stored overnight anywhere in the park  including campgrounds, parking lots, or any other visitor facilities.

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BILLINGS, Mont. (YNET) -- I went to www.ford.com and there is no place on the site to send them an email.

I'm watching the Cowboys (America's Team) get whupped up on by those powerhouse Chicago Bears (1-6) and one of those commercials comes on about Ford trucks. You know the ones I'm talking about with that guy from Northern Exposure, the one who was the worst actor on the show. Yeah, that annoying guy. So, they have this new commercial where this really hip young couple have about a zillion dollars worth of camera equipment. They give each other "that" look, uhhh, well not "that" look, but the one that says, "Hey, lets jump in this big truck and go chase some wolves out in the woods."

Next thing you know, our picture perfect couple is driving through the woods chasing a wolf in their truck. Oh yeah, they stop twice with the truck as a backdrop and take pictures of this
poor wolf. I wanted to email Ford and ask who the heck their wildlife advisor was that thought it would be a good idea to do this.  Now, that I've had a few days to think about it I have come to realize that Ford means American Jobs, except for all the jobs they send out of America to have some poor slob with no benefits do. But still it's Ford Motor Company and if some pristine wilderness gets destroyed because some moron wants to take his truck out and chase wolves then maybe I should stay quiet. At least they didn't try to feed Planters Peanuts to the wolf!

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (DOI) -- Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt released the following statement  regarding Senate passage of the Parks Concessions Bill:

“I am very pleased that the Senate has joined the House in voting to improve the management of the national parks. Passage of this bill, S.1693, is a major victory for all Americans who love, treasure, and want to preserve, the cultural and natural resources our parks have to offer.

“This bill is the first major overhaul in more than three decades of the way we award concessions contracts for the national parks. It ensures that all important future contracts will be awarded through competitive bidding, which will provide better service to the visiting public and a better return to the taxpayers.

“This bill also makes concessions’ franchise fees available for the first time, directly to the National Park Service to improve the parks. Eighty percent of the fees go to the park where they were obtained, and twenty percent to priority projects in the park system.

“I commend Congress, and in particular retiring Senator Dale Bumpers, Senator Craig Thomas, Congressman Don Young, and Congressman George Miller for their outstanding work in forging a consensus to bring about the passage of this legislation. Senator Thomas, the author of this bill, is to be commended for being a constructive and able leader in fashioning this legislative package. His vision and support for a strong national park system were essential to the enactment of this landmark legislation. Senator Bumpers has been a strong and forceful advocate for parks concessions reform for over 16 years. The enactment of this legislation is a fitting final tribute to Senator Bumpers’ distinguished career in the United States Senate. Finally my deepest appreciation goes to House Resources Committee Chairman Don Young, and Ranking Minority Member George Miller, who tirelessly worked into late evenings of this session to resolve important differences in the bill. Without their commitment to getting this long-awaited legislation to improve management in the national park system done in the 105th Congress, it would not have happened.”

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