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YELLOWSTONE |
IN THE NEWS TODAY: Buffalo Nations Seeks Volunteers -- by Buffalo Nations People and Places -- by Clint Wilkes Yesteryear in Yellowstone -- by Bruce Gourley Comprehensive Planning for Yosemite -- by NPS |
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BUFFALO NATIONS
SEEKS VOLUNTEERS by Buffalo Nations WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. -- Buffalo Nations urgently needs volunteers, as more than 100 buffalo have left the park. The snow is flying and piling up, and temperatures are dropping. If you have the desire to come and work in the field to save the buffalo for any amount of time: a weekend, a week, or more, please call or e-mail Buffalo Nations for an update and information on getting down to West Yellowstone as soon as you can. Buffalo Nations has been conducting daily patrols since mid-November, and the Montana Department of Livestock has been out trying to haze the buffalo back into Yellowstone for as long. The buffalo have been steadily moving across the safety of Yellowstone Park's boundary. Yesterday, Buffalo Nations volunteers were out on the highway making sure a herd of at least 40 buffalo safely crossed the road, as they moved to their wintering grounds. Volunteers warned traffic to slow down for the animals and kept cars from running into the buffalo as they crossed the road. If you are interested in coming to West Yellowstone to help out, please contact our volunteer coordinator, Sarah Chalmers for more information. We also are looking for donations of food, radio/camera equipment, cold weather gear, and lots of good thoughts! If you know anyone who can help please let us know. Buffalo Nations
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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS AND COLUMNISTS Ralph Maughan
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 PEOPLE AND PLACESby Clint Wilkes Every Wednesday Clint Wilkes will offer a story of interest to everyone who loves Yellowstone and the surrounding area. Some stories will be humorous, others will illustrate a point. You the reader are invited to respond by email. BILLINGS, Mont. (YNET) -- We get a lot of calls from folks wanting to reserve a room at the Old Faithful Inn during the winter. I would love to stay in the Inn myself during the winter, but unfortunately it is not open during the winter. Those of you who have visited this magnificent structure during the summer are aware of how big the lobby is. Just imagine trying to heat this area during a Yellowstone winter!!??! The new Snow Lodge is available for winter reservations with very limited availability. Our travel service can see if a room is available or we can book you a room in West Yellowstone or the Mammoth Hotel and we can arrange you a tour or snowmobile rental to visit the Old Faithful area.
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 YESTERYEAR
IN YELLOWSTONEby Bruce Gourley YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK (YNET) -- The stories were such that they stirred an adventuresome young priest into action. In 1865, Father Francis Xavier Kuppens, a young Jesuit priest serving near Great Falls, Montana, was guided into present-day Yellowstone Park by a group of Piegan Indians. Among other things, he visited the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and the geysers of the Firehole Basin. Later that year, Kuppens had opportunity to describe his incredible journey to Acting Territorial Governor Thomas Francis Meagher, who at that time is credited with suggesting that is such a place of wonders did exist, it should be preserved as a national park. |
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| COMPREHENSIVE
PLANNING FOR YOSEMITE VALLEY by National Park Service YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Cal. (NPS) -- Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt announced today that the National Park Service will be consolidating its current planning activities for the future of Yosemite National Park in California into one comprehensive draft plan. "We have listened to public responses to previous planning proposals and we got the message loud and clear," Secretary Babbitt said. "It makes sense that we roll things into one comprehensive package that can be reviewed in total. Taken together, it will meet our expectations to restore natural areas and to protect resources while at the same improving the quality of visitor experiences." The new comprehensive draft plan will integrate the draft Valley Implementation Plan, the draft Housing Plan, the Yosemite Lodge project and the Lower Yosemite Falls project. The plan will thoroughly analyze a range of options that will ultimately provide a vision for the future of the Yosemite Valley and Yosemite National Park. Yosemite National Park's 1980 General Management Plan (GMP) continues to be the template guiding all planning efforts in the park. The GMP's overall goals are to reclaim priceless natural beauty, reduce cars, congestion and crowding, allow natural processes to prevail and to promote visitor understanding and enjoyment. "When we have completed the planning process, it's my goal that Yosemite National Park becomes an even better place in the 21st century for the spectacular natural resources and for everyone who comes to enjoy them," Babbitt said. The draft comprehensive plan is scheduled to be completed in May, 1999. A final decision is expected to be made next fall. |
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This picture
was taken last May after the Old Faithful Inn had opened and the area had received several
inches of snow the night before, common occurrence in Yellowstone in early May. (Photo is
courtesy of our newest official photographer Dr Bob Bara.)