The Yellowstone
Net Newspaper Monday November 3, 1997 Vol. 1 No. 11 |
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MORE NEWS The Yellowstone Net Newspaper is published on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays ARCHIVES DISCUSSION FORUMS Go to Yellowstone Net Home Page Note: In-house stories are signified by the abbreviation YNET. Otherwise, the stories herein are from outside sources, to which proper credit is given.
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All entrances to Yellowstone, except the north entrance via Gardiner, Montana, were closed at 8 AM this morning. The entrances will open again in December for the winter season. Winter reservations in the Yellowstone region can be made by calling 406-585-4230. ----------------- The Interior Bill, including a provision to buyout the New World Mine located just outside the northeast boundary of Yellowstone, has passed the Senate. The bill awaits President's Clinton signature. Environmentalists are urging that Clinton veto the bill because the New World Mine buyout proposal leaves open the possibility of new mining ventures elsewhere in Montana.----------------- A wolf policy change is being considered by officials, according to the Billings Gazette. The Wolf Reintroduction Program presently stipulates that wolves who kill livestock on two different occassions must be destroyed. Officials have noticed that wolves which kill livestock once usually do so again. Thus, a "one-kill" policy is being considered. So far this year, five wolves have been destroyed. ----------------- A Lewis and Clark documentary will debut on PBS tomorrow and Wednesday. The two part series, entitled "Lewis & Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery," is airing in the midst of a rising tide of interest in the early explorers. Fueled by Stephen E. Ambrose's best-seller Undaunted Courage, the interest in the Lewis & Clark expedition is expected to continue to swell as the journey's bicentennial anniversary approaches. Major events are already being planned for 2003-2006 to celebrate the bicentennial of the three year historical journey. During their three year trip in 1803-1806, Lewis and Clark did not venture into what is now Yellowstone National Park, but there explorations did lead to a journey down the Yellowstone River through present-day Livingston, Montana. Shortly thereafter, one of the group's members, John Colter, returned to the region and is credited with being the first white man to enter the Yellowstone region. The four-hour documentary will air on Tuesday, November 4 and Wednesday, November 5 at 7 PM Mountain Time. |
Although most wolves in North America are a grizzled gray color, they can range in color from tan to pure white or solid black. The gray wolf utilizes its acute senses to survive and flourish in the wilderness. Scientists have estimated that the wolf's sense of smell is up to one hundred times more sensitive than that of a human. One researcher found that a cow moose with twin calves was scented by wolves over four miles away. The sense of hearing is the next most acute of the wolf senses. Wolves can hear much higher frequencies than humans. While the upper auditory limit is 20 kHz for humans, wolves may detect frequencies as high as 80 kHz. Sight is perhaps the least developed of the wolf senses; however, it has been shown that the wolf's sight is at least as acute as that of humans. Wolves are social animals that hunt, travel, and live in packs. The pack is primarily an extended family unit that is bonded very closely. The pack will consist of a dominant pair of breeding wolves known as the alpha pair, their current offspring, and a few yearlings or other young wolves. There is a definite hierarchy system within every pack with the dominant pair being referred to as alpha and the lowest member in the hierarchy known as the omega wolf. The social order of pack members will change throughout time as wolves sexually mature, reach old age, become ill or wounded, and become weakened. If one of the alpha pair dies or becomes weakened, the next most dominant wolf (called the beta wolf) will take its place. In a pack, only the alpha male and female are allowed to breed. Any attempt at breeding by other members of the pack is met with aggression by the alpha pair. Although the largest documented pack was one of 36 animals in Alaska, the average wolf pack consists of four to seven individuals. Most Yellowstone visitors are eager to hear the howl of a wild wolf. Wolves do utilize several vocalizations for the purpose of communication. Howls, yips, squeals, growls, chirps, and barks may be used by wolves to express themselves. The best known form of vocalization is the howl which is used for the following reasons: 1) to notify other pack members or other packs of their location, 2) to attract potential mates, 3) to rally the pack before a hunt, 4) to announce alarm at the presence of an intruder, and 5) to express distress (pups often howl when they are stressed). In general, howling is used as a means of long distance communication. For short range communication, wolves use scent marking. Scent marks are used by a wolf pack to advertise its presence in an area. Gray wolves were recently reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park with a goal of ten breeding pairs or about 100 wolves in the park. Historically, wolves did exist in Yellowstone. According to The Wolf Almanac by Robert Busch, the radio-carbon dating of a bone found in a Yellowstone cave indicates that wolves lived in the area as early as 960 years ago. Unfortunately, the Yellowstone wolves fell prey to the extensive predator elimination programs of the late 1800's and early 1900's. The last wolf to be shot in Yellowstone was killed in 1926. Despite much opposition, the gray wolf was finally reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park. Today, Yellowstone visitors can hope for the opportunity to see a wild wolf or at least hear one howling. Although wolf sightings are still uncommon in the park, visitors can enjoy the feeling that comes with knowing that the wolf is once again part of the Yellowstone wilderness that is so precious to us all.
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