Vol 2, # 123

   Friday, December 4, 1998

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (YNET) -- Most visitors to Yellowstone visit one or more of the major geyser basins which lie along the roadways:  Upper Geyser Basin (home to Old Faithful), Lower, Midway, Biscuit, Black Sand or Norris. 

However, there are many more geyser basins throughout the Park of which the vast majority of visitors are unaware.  One such thermal area is Monument Geyser Basin, the trailhead of which is located just south of Artist Paint Pots.  It is about a one-and-a-half mile hike (despite the fact that a sign at the trailhead says .9 miles) to this thermal area which features steam vents and chimney-shaped formations.

At the beginning of the trailhead there often is a walking stick awaiting for those who decide to venture up the trail.  Although the trail is fairly short, a good portion of it is a fairly steep climb, and the walking stick will come in handy.

As the trail snakes upward, it offers great views of the valley below.  It's a nice hike through a mostly forested area, and Monument Geyser Basin itself is not so much spectacular as it is clothed in a quiet solitude.

And for many frequenters of Yellowstone's backcountry, that simple, quiet solitude is a treasured experience.

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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
   

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (NPS) -- Yellowstone National Park officials have found whirling disease in native cutthroat trout taken from Yellowstone Lake near the mouth of Clear Creek (located on the east side of the lake) this fall. In three separate independent test procedures, 11 out of 41 of the fish sampled tested positive to the disease. Although whirling disease has been widely identified in streams in neighboring areas and is a major concern of regional fisheries managers and anglers, previous routine samplings for the disease in streams and rivers throughout the park were all confirmed as negative.

Whirling disease is caused by a microscopic parasite that attacks the cartilage of some fish, such as cutthroat or rainbow trout; the disease does not appear to affect lake trout. Although the parasite may not kill the fish, the fish is unable to feed normally, which can result in starvation and death. Also, the whirling behavior of an infected fish makes it more vulnerable to predators, such as lake trout. Once the disease is present in a fish, it converts to a spore form which is released into the water when an infected fish dies and decomposes. Whirling disease spores can survive in this form up to 30 years or more until another appropriate alternate host, such as tubifex worms, is infected. This European disease was first discovered in Pennsylvania in 1956 and has now been confirmed in 21 states. Insufficient data exists about the disease, such as transmission methods, why some fish are more susceptible than others, alternate host life cycles, or how the disease can be controlled and cured.

It is unclear what effect whirling disease will have on the native cutthroat trout population in the lake, which are already affected by the non-native lake trout first confirmed in the lake in 1994. Park biologists plan to test other cutthroat trout around the lake. Samples will be by-catch cutthroat trout taken during gillnetting procedures being done to control and gather data on the lake trout population.

Park biologists do not know how the disease reached the lake. The microscopic spore can be easily transported through water sources from another area; mud on boats, waders, or other fishing gear; fish entrails; birds; other live fish from another area; aquatic plants or weeds; or other unknown methods. As a precautionary measure, Yellowstone National Park Superintendent Michael Finley encourages park anglers to help park staff prevent further spread of the disease by checking and washing off any mud that might be clinging to any fishing equipment before departing from one fishing area to another and by not transporting water, aquatic plants, or other fish from one river basin to another.

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- Although the Montana Department of Livestock has won their petition to operate bison capture facilities near West Yellowstone in an effort to contain brucellosis-carrying bison, many area residents are opposed to the facilities.

Some 60 area residents have signed a petition seeking the removal of the capture facilities, and several environmental groups and bison-advocacy groups continue to be vocal in their opposition to the Montana Department of Livestock's treatment of Yellowstone's bison.

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GRAND TETON NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- "They've seen the neighborhood, now they might make it home," so began the article in the Jackson Hole Guide, about the first appearance of wolves in Grand Teton National Park.

After several year's speculation when they would appear, there is a good chance the wolves now in Grand Teton National Park will stay in or near the Park in the broad mountain valley called Jackson Hole.

The wolves were first seen by a hunter from Teton Point Overlook north of Moose, Wyoming, Grand Teton National Park headquarters. The hunter told Park rangers and rangers soon spotted three wolves southeast of Jenny Lake near Timbered Island. It has been determined that the three wolves consist of male no. 29M, the famous "escape artist" wolf that was until recently the alpha male of the Nez Perce Pack. He is accompanied by radio-collared female yearling 129F of the former Thorofare Pack and most likely, her yearling sister. Both of the Thorofare wolves are now 18 months old and one or both could whelp pups in Jackson Hole next spring. Number 29 was born in British Columbia in 1994. He has fathered one litter of pups with his late sister 37F, and perhaps a second litter last spring with his younger sister 48F.

The Thorofare Pack was a naturally formed pack in the remote SE corner of Yellowstone, but it was destroyed last winter by the rival Soda Butte Pack and by an avalanche. The surviving pups somehow made it through the winter alone, and now two of them are in Jackson Hole.

The three wolves spotted are not the only wolves near Jackson Hole. The long-awaited dispersal of the Soda Butte Pack's beta female, 24F has happened. She has paired with Washakie yearling 133M, and Doug Smith radio located these two black wolves November 29 in the Buffalo Valley, a broad stream valley just to the northeast of Jackson Hole.

Ed Bangs, head of Northern Rockies Wolf Recovery was quoted in the Jackson Hole News that there was a good chance the wolves would remain in the area and have pups. He said, "These wolves know there's wolves north of them. They found a great place with a lot of food. I wouldn't be surprised if they find a south-facing slope and wander around there for the winter." Bangs speculated that one of the two females may establish dominance by late winter and have pups. I speculate that both could have pups because we have seen multiple litters in the Yellowstone packs in situations of great food abundance.

Jackson Hole has a huge winter prey base, consisting of from 10,000 to 15,000 wintering elk, hundreds of moose and deer and a growing bison herd. In the summertime the elk mostly migrate into the mountains around Jackson Hole, mountains with which the wolves are already somewhat familiar. So the pack(s), if they form, may leave Jackson Hole in the summer. They may follow the elk northward or they may explore new country to the south or even in adjacent eastern Idaho.

Grand Teton National Park is one of the few national parks that allows cattle grazing. Because much of the Park was created from private land and public land with pre-existing grazing leases, some livestock grazing was grandfathered. However, the bulk of the grazing is in the summertime. The southern end of the valley has undergone amazing development in recent years, making the town of Jackson really a small city.

There has been other interesting wolf news in the Yellowstone area.

The Rose Creek Pack makes an incursion into Leopold Territory -- Recently the Rose Creek Pack, 22-strong, moved south of the Mammoth-to-Tower-Jct. road into the territory of the 10 or 11-member Leopold Pack. According to the Yellowstone wolf team, the packs circled at a distance as close as 1/2 mile for an hour and 10 minutes while doing lots of howling. Rose Creek finally left the area and Leopold moved a bit to the south. A few days later Rose Creek made an incursion into Druid Peak Pack territory on Specimen Ridge, but at the time the Druids were up in Cache Creek.

Most recently the Rose Creek Pack was observed back in its typical territory, in Slough Creek.

Seven Druids spotted; One is missing -- The most recent observations of the frequently observed Druid Peak Pack revealed just seven wolves. The best indication is that the missing wolf is no. 107F. She may have dispersed. She showed some signs of dispersal behavior when her brother 104M dispersed earlier this fall to become alpha male of the Crystal Creek Pack.

Chief Joseph Pack no. 1-- The Chief Joseph Pack was tracked in the core of its territory. Last Friday they were in Specimen Creek in the NW corner of Yellowstone Park.

Chief Joseph Pack no. 2 (no. 16F and her pups) -- No. 16 was located as usual just north of the Park. Six pups were observed. I find it surprising that this lone female brought all of her pups through the summer without assistance. The pack is typically found north of Gardiner and eastward in Eagle Creek, Bear Creek, Crevice Creek. This is an area with a substantial mule deer population, probably explaining her success feeding her litter.

Crystal Creek Pack -- The 16-member Crystal Creek pack has moved out of the Pelican Valley and into the Hayden Valley in the center of the Park. Number 104M remains the new alpha male.

Sunlight Pair -- As usual, no. 41F and 52M were last located near Sunlight Basin, east of Yellowstone Park. However, they were not located on the latest tracking flight. This pair seems to make a circuit between Sunlight Basin on the south and the Clark's Fork of the Yellowstone/Crandall Creek area on the north.

Nez Perce Pack -- There has finally been a good visual observation of all current members the Nez Perce Pack. Seven wolves were seen on a kill in Nez Perce Creek. This may indicate that three pups survived the summer. Are they 67's, 48's, or a mixture? This pack's range is the geyser basin area from Madison Junction o0n the north to West Thumb on the south inside Yellowstone National Park.

Visit Ralph Maughan's Wolf Page.

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