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YELLOWSTONE |
IN THE NEWS TODAY: Yellowstone's Backcountry -- by Bruce Gourley Yellowstone Bison Update -- by Buffalo Nations Rockslide in Yosemite -- by ENN Waterton National Park Revises Management -- by NPS |
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EDITOR-IN-
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YELLOWSTONE'S
BACKCOUNTRY by Bruce Gourley YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (YNET) -- Yellowstone is comprised of some 2.2 million acres of land. The vast majority of visitors to Yellowstone never venture beyond the roads, boardwalks and major roadside attractions in the Park. For those who do, an unspoiled wilderness awaits to be discovered. Yellowstone has over 1000 miles of trails for the day hiker or backcountry camper. All overnight use of the backcountry requires a permit. Hikers can apply in advance for a small fee, or make campsite reservations once in the Park. Reservations are on a first-served, first come basis. Wildlife are always pose a potential danger, and hikers and overnight users should stop at a ranger station to check on current bear activity. Some trails are closed at certain times of the year, particularly in the spring and early summer, to reduce human-bear encounters. During the winter months, some of the Park's trails are open exclusively to cross-country skiing or snowshoeing. It is not too early to start thinking about visiting the Yellowstone backcountry next year. Permits for overnight backcountry camping can be obtained at the following ranger stations: Bechler Ranger Station |
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Ralph Maughan
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YELLOWSTONE BISON
UPDATE by Buffalo Nations YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- On November 8 1998, the Forest Service announced an Environmental Assessment on a proposed bison capture facility at Horse Butte, a critical wintering grounds for Yellowstone buffalo, and nesting site for bald eagles and sandhill cranes. The area also provides habitat for additional threatened and endangered species such as the grizzly bear and peregrine falcon. Horse Butte is on a peninsula on Hebgen Lake, NW of West Yellowstone, MT. The State of Montana Department of Livestock submitted a special use application to the Gallatin National Forest for the capture facility, including a request for operations in the short-term, until January 31, and for the long-term over the next 10 years. The chosen site violates Forest Service guidelines for protection of bald eagle nesting habitat. Under the long-term plan, the facility would operate during the courtship/nesting period, which conflicts with current Eagle Management Plans. The facility will capture and test buffalo who leave Yellowstone. All pregnant females, regardless of whether they test positive for brucellosis, will be shipped to slaughter. All other buffalo testing positive will be shipped to slaughter. The agencies claim that the operation of the capture facility will help with the "urgent need" to reduce bison mortality. However, in the winter of 1996-1997, the use of facilities like this one sent hundreds of buffalo to slaughter. Unfortunately, the only goal of this facility is to decide which buffalo to kill, and will not serve to reduce mortality. The project has been split into two parts. The first includes the short-term decision to build the facility, and is being pushed through with only a 12-day public comment period and will not be appealable under current laws. This part does not include an Environmental Assessment, and is an extension of the current Adjustment to the Interim Bison Management Plan. The goal of this part of the plan is to get the capture facility up and running, and authorize its use until January 31, 1999. The second phase of the plan is to authorize use of the facility after January 31. The reasoning behind the split approach, is that the facility will impact a bald eagle nesting area, and the area is closed to projects like the capture facility after February 1st to protect the site. The Gallatin NF will have to amend their Forest Plan to authorize the facility's use and exempt the Forest from meeting Bald Eagle management guidelines. Current guidelines do not allow permanent development within one-quarter mile of a nest site. The Forest Service claims that operation of the facility prior to February 1 is not expected to affect eagles or involve any extraordinary circumstances which may result in significant environmental effects, other than capture and "removal" of our last wild buffalo. This flies in the face of individuals who have reported sighting bald eagles in the area in the last week. In addition to this, last year the hazing operations used helicopters to move buffalo from the area, and the helicopters violated the closure by flying over the nesting site, and landing in the closed area. If the Forest Service tries to justify its amendment to exempt the capture facility from the eagle closure by claiming that that there is no recent history of nesting in the area (which it appears to be doing), maybe they should look to the disturbances they have already allowed as reason for that absence of nesting! The decision to build the capture facility will commit "irretrievable resources" to a long term plan, at a time when management agencies are in the midst of assessing public comment on the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for long-term bison management. Building the Horse Butte facility has not yet been approved by EIS. Just because the State of Montana chose to not ask for a permit in a timely fashion is no reason to declare an emergency and illegally ram this project through without adequate public participation. This project is "piece-mealing" at its worst, as it attempts to implement a project (without proper analysis) that has been proposed in the current Bison Management Plan EIS. This is known as "pre-decisional action" and is illegal under NEPA guidelines. Yellowstone's bison need your help. Send your comments by December 1 to: USDA Forest Service Headquarters |
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| ROCKSLIDE IN
YOSEMITE by Environmental News Network YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK (ENN) -- A rockslide in Yosemite earlier this week led to the evacuation of some 500 persons. Fortunately, no injuries were reported. Click here to read this story. |
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| WATERTON NATIONAL
PARK REVISES MANAGEMENT PLAN by National Park Service WATERTON NATIONAL PARK. (NPS) -- Tuesday, November 24, 1998, a special public information open house to introduce Waterton Lakes National Park's Management Plan review is being held at the Belton Chalets in West Glacier, Montana, from 4:30 - 8:00 p.m. The open house is designed to provide the information needed for meaningful hey public participation in the planning process including information about some of the issues or challenges, which will be addressed. A draft plan will be presented for public review in January 1999. As part of the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park, Glacier National Park is pleased to host this session and support an opportunity for the public to provide input to the review of the overall guiding plan for Waterton Lakes National Park. The Waterton Lakes National Park Management Plan provides long term direction for the park. It will describe a vision for the park's future as well as set strategic goals and key actions to achieve that vision. The current management plan was tabled in parliament in 1992. In the intervening years, the park has addressed many of the plan's priorities. As well, many significant changes have taken place at the local and national levels, including a revision of Parks Canada's Guiding Principles and Operating Policies (1994); the creation of the Waterton Community Plan (1994) and the Waterton Framework for Managing Development (1996); and development of a Draft General Management Plan for Glacier National Park. |
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