Vol 2, # 116

   Friday, November 13, 1998

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EDITOR-IN-
CHIEF
Bruce Gourley

GLACIER NATIONAL PARK, Mont. (NPS) -- The Loop Trail to Granite Park has been closed since early Monday, November 9, 1998, after visitors encountered an adult grizzly bear feeding on a carcass about halfway to the Granite Park Chalet.

The visitors reported cresting a small rise as they hiked toward the Granite Park Chalet, heard a whoof-like sound, then saw the bear about 60 feet away, apparently feeding on a carcass. The visitors backed down the trail, turning around other visitors as they descended, and left a warning note on the trailhead sign. The visitors reported the incident to park rangers late Sunday afternoon.

Based on the report and in accordance with the Park's Bear Management Plan, rangers closed the trail to permit the grizzly to feed naturally and to prevent visitors from inadvertently walking upon a very dangerous situation.

Rangers are patrolling the area to determine the species of carrion involved and to ascertain if the trail should remain closed.

All visitors are reminded that black and grizzly bears are still very active at this time of year. Efforts by bears this autumn to build fat reserves necessary to sustain them through the winter are extremely important as well as more difficult because of the scarcity of natural food.

Park users, especially backcountry hikers and campers, are also urged to check at ranger stations or with park rangers for current information on bear activity, to follow all recommendations for hiking in bear country, and to report all bear sightings in a timely manner at ranger stations, visitor centers or with other park personnel.

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS

Ralph Maughan
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
Dr. Bob Bara
   

DENALI NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- The National Park Service is establishing temporary regulations to maintain the  closure of a portion of Denali National Park and Preserve to snowmachine use  this winter.

This continued closure of the two million acres that formed the pre-Alaska   National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980 (ANILCA) portion of Mount   McKinley National Park will be effective for one year while the National Park   Service gathers additional information on potential impacts of snowmachine use   and begins work on a backcountry management plan.  Public hearings on the   temporary regulations will be held in Fairbanks, the Healy-Cantwell area, the Talkeetna/Trapper Creek area, and Anchorage during the week of November 22,  1998.   The National Park Service intends to introduce additional regulations in   early 1999 to allow completion of planning in 2001. 

The temporary action applies to about one-third of Denali National Park and  Preserve.  The original Mount McKinley National Park, most of which was   designated as wilderness by ANILCA, has never been open to snowmachines.  The   remaining two-thirds of the park and preserve - some 4 million acres - remains   open to snowmachine use when there is adequate snow cover for traditional   activities.  Snowmachine riding on the south side of the range near the Yentna,  Kahiltna, and Ruth Glaciers is unchanged,  as is riding in the Dunkle Township  and areas southwest of the West Fork of the Chulitna River.  The Stampede Corridor and northern tier of the park in the ANILCA additions remain open.

"We're taking the proposed action to protect park resources and values such as  wildlife habitat, natural vegetation, wilderness recreation, and traditional  recreational uses in this area.  Recreational snowmachine use outside the core  of Denali National Park and Preserve is increasing rapidly, and this use is expanding into some pre-ANILCA park areas such as the south side of the Alaska Range near the Parks Highway at Broad Pass," said Superintendent Steve Martin.   "The existing closure established under the 1986 General Management Plan needs to be clarified to the public," he said.

While traditional snowmachine use in the park additions and the preserve was  provided for in the 1980 law, it was not allowed in the former Mount McKinley   National Park. "We believe the potential for entirely new levels and locations   of use is an unacceptable risk for an internationally significant resource.   No  public input, planning, resource studies, or National Environmental Policy Act  compliance supports this use of snow machines in the pre-ANILCA areas of the   park," Martin said.

ANILCA provides that snowmachine use for traditional activities will continue to be allowed in the park additions, subject to reasonable regulation.   Denali  National Park is beginning work on a backcountry management plan and general  management plan amendment to address this and many other issues.  The plan will  include a management strategy for snowmachine use and an environmental impact  statement in compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act. 

The proposed temporary regulation will allow time for the necessary planning,  information gathering, and public input.  Regulations can be amended after the  plan is completed in two to three years.

The National Park Service does not believe any traditional activities provided  for ANILCA will be affected by the proposed action.  Any current use in the closed area is very recent or of a type that does not reflect the traditional uses protected by the 1980 law.  Recreational use of snowmachines in the former Mount McKinley National Park was neither customary or traditional, and was, in fact, prohibited by regulation.

The proposed regulation applies only to the one-third of Denali National Park and Preserve which has a unique history relative to snowmachine use.  The National Park Service believes other adequate opportunities for economic development of snowmachine-related winter tourism exist.

Public hearings have been scheduled to provide information on the temporary closure and to solicit comments and ideas from the public to ensure that all information has been considered.

Date                                Time                     Location

November 22, 1998          5:30-7:30 p.m.           Westmark Hotel, 10th and
Noble
Streets, Fairbanks

November 23, 1998          6-8 p.m.                 McKinley Village Community
Center,
Mile 230 Parks
Highway           

November 24, 1998          6-8 p.m.                 Susitna Valley High School
Mile 99 Parks
Highway           

November 25, 1998          5:30-7:30 p.m.           Egan Center, Anchorage

Comments will also be accepted by mail, and further information is available, by writing to Steven P. Martin, Superintendent, Denali National Park and Preserve,  P.O. Box 9, Denali Park, Alaska 99755. Telephone (907) 683-2294.

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SEATTLE, Wash. (YNET) -- Defender's of Wildlife Restoring the Wolf Conference got underway last night with a special presentation featuring live wolves and a reception.  The conference continues through Saturday in the form of workshops and panel discussions.

Conference sessions this weekend are focusing on taxonomy, behavior,ecology and economics of wolf recovery.

Defenders of Wildlife is a active defender of Yellowstone's wolves.  You may visit their website by clicking here.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. (NPS) -- Congressional and federal representatives last week joined the Friends of the Potomac at Mount Vernon, the historic site where George Washington lived, to celebrate the designation of the Potomac as part of President Clinton's American Heritage Rivers Initiative.

A ceremony commemorating the designation of the Potomac River was originally scheduled for July 30, but was postponed until November 6, because of the tragic shooting of two Capitol Hill Police officers. On hand for today's celebration to mark the historic event was a host of supporters, local Congressional delegations, and government representatives from Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia, and federal agencies. The Initiative, first announced by President Clinton during his 1997 State of the Union Address, offers special recognition to outstanding stretches of American rivers by selecting them to be American Heritage Rivers. The Initiative helps local communities to restore and protect their rivers and river fronts. Designated rivers receive federal assistance in the form of refocused programs, grants, and technical assistance from existing federal resources.

Last summer, President Clinton and Vice-President Gore traveled to the New River in North Carolina, to announced the names of the 14 rivers designated as part of the American Heritage Rivers Initiative on July 30, 1998, while Secretary Babbitt took part in a ceremony in Springfield, Massachusetts, naming the Connecticut River.

"Rivers nourish our soils, carry our commerce, sustain our wildlife, and quench our thirst," Vice-President Gore said. "Working together as partners we can clean up America's rivers, create new jobs, and strengthen the communities along them for generations to come."

"It's Initiatives like this that moves our communities from mere preservation and protection, to watershed restoration," said Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt. "As a community comes together to restore the river that runs through it, that river, in turn, restores the community itself."

The Potomac River is one of 14 rivers designated out of 126 nominations from 46 states that competed for the Presidential designation. The American Heritage Rivers Initiative focuses on three main objectives: economic revitalization, natural resources and environmental protection, and historic and cultural preservation. The Initiative helps communities of designated waterways to revitalize their rivers, river banks along them, historic buildings, natural habitats, and help celebrate their history and heritage.

National Park Service Director Robert Stanton, representing the President at today's ceremony, applauded the determination and support of The Friends of the Potomac, the basin-wide coalition that nominated the river. "Our waterways connect our cities together and help to restore our rich heritage," said Stanton. "Efforts such as this help safeguard our national treasures for future generations to enjoy."

The Friends of the Potomac will serve as liaison with federal agencies and provide coordination as local communities and organizations implement projects designed to enhance and restore the river. For each river designated under the Initiative, a federal employee will be assigned as "river navigator," to help communities identify federal programs and resources to help carry out their projects.

The Interior Department's Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement (OSM) used the designation celebration ceremony to announce a $5.9 million FY 1999 grant for the Appalachian Clean Streams Initiative that supports the President's American Heritage Rivers Initiative. Under the grant, OSM will provide $150,000 to the Maryland Bureau of Mines to help control pollution from abandoned coal mines along the North Branch of the Potomac River.

The designated rivers are:

Potomac River --the river basin extends over 14,670 square miles in Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia. It includes 383 miles of the Potomac and major tributaries such as the Shenandoah, the South Branch, the North Branch, the Cacapon, Conococheague Creek, the Monocacy River, and the Anacostia River.

New River --The 250-mile long New River, which also flows through parts of Virginia and West Virginia, has witnessed residential and commercial developments along segments of its route, and supporters of the designation are looking for federal help to integrate and guide further development.

Connecticut River -- Interior Secretary Babbitt joined officials from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont on July 30 to officially designate and celebrate the selection of the Connecticut, New England's longest river, is 410 miles long with a diverse watershed encompassing 11,260 square miles.

Blackstone and Woonasquatucket Rivers -- flow through 26 communities with more than one million people before merging to flow into Providence Harbor in Rhode Island.

Willamette River -- watershed consists of approximately 11,500 square miles in northwestern Oregon. The mainstream of the Willamette runs 187 miles through cities such as Eugene, Corvallis, Salem

Cuyahoga River -- the river supports one of the most densely populated and industrialized urban areas in America. In 1969, the Cuyahoga River became a stark symbol of water pollution when oil slicks on the river caught fire. The burning river became a rallying point for passage of the Clean Water Act.

Detroit River -- the 32 mile-long river links St. Claire, Michigan to Lake Erie and is part of the Great Lakes/St. Lawrence Seaway.

Hanalei River -- located on the Island of Kauai, drains a 24 square mile watershed as it descends 16 miles to sea-level, terminating in a brackish estuary which is a nursery habitat for a myriad of commercially important marine species.

Hudson River -- the river moves through 19 counties from its source at Lake Tear of the Clouds to the Verrazano Narrows in New York Harbor, 315 miles to the south.

St. Johns Rivers -- the Florida river is 310 miles long and drains approximately 8,700 square miles. It evolves into a series of connected lakes, and flows north past Orlando to enter the Atlantic Ocean at Jacksonville.

The Lower Mississippi River --including the stretch through Memphis, Tennessee and Baton Rouge to New Orleans.

Upper Mississippi River -- from Bemidji, Minnesota to St. Louis.

Rio Grande River -- separating Texas from Mexico, the designation covers the stretch that includes the cities of El Paso, Laredo, Brownsville, as well as Big Ben National Park, Amistad National Recreation Area, Falcon Reservoir, and Laguna Atascosa.

Upper Susquehanna and Lackawanna Rivers B of northeastern Pennsylvania form two of the most scenic valleys in the country. During the 1800's, the region produced large amounts of coal that helped fuel the country's emergence as an industrial power.

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