The Yellowstone
Net Newspaper Wednesday December 10, 1997 Vol. 1 No. 27 |
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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK. (YNET) -- Months ago, weather and climate experts were warning that the so-called El Nino effect would disrupt normal weather patterns throughout the United States and other parts of the world. Their predictions of a mild, dry winter in the northern Rocky Mountains have thus far proven true. Snowfall had been so minimal in the Yellowstone region that there were worries that winter activities in Yellowstone would be limited when the season opens next week. Monday, however, witnessed the coming of a major "snow event" which has left the region blanketed with a good covering of snow. Businesses in West Yellowstone and other gateway communities are greatly relieved that the much-needed snow has arrived. Last winter, a "freak" warming spell in January grounded snowmobiles for several days, financially hurting the snowmobile industry in the Yellowstone region.
Hot Springs Microbe Agreement on Hold YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- The Billings Gazette reports that National Park Service Director Robert Stanton has suspended for 90 days a commercial bioprospecting agreement between Yellowstone National Park and Diversa Corporation of California. The agreement had been hailed as a way for Yellowstone to realize financial gain from the commercialization of microbiological entities found within the Park. Critics, however, have contended that the language of the agreement was ambigious and that Yellowstone might very well stand to lose more than it gained from the agreement. Stanton's suspension of the agreement puts the process on hold until further review determines whether or not the contract with Diversa is appropriate and is beneficial to Yellowstone. |
A Weekly Column
Forest fires have long been a part of the Western landscape. The most famous forest fires in recent times were the Yellowstone fires of the summer of 1988 which burned almost a million acres and which were battled by some 30,000 firefighters. However, the most legendary fire in the Rocky Mountain region was the 1949 Mann Gulch Fire in western Montana. Norman Maclean captured the epic story of the Mann Gulch fire in Young Men and Fire, one of the best written and most interesting books I have ever read. Young Men and Fire is the story of fifteen of our nation's most elite young men. On August 15, 1949, these fifteen Smokejumpers leaped from an airplane above Mann Gulch, Montana. Less than two hours after parachuting safely to the ground, thirteen of these men would be forever young in the hearts and minds of an entire nation. This book was written some forty years after the tragedy of Mann Gulch. Mr. Maclean carefully researched the historical archives (which at that point were scattered in many places between Montana and Washington, D.C.) in order to write his book. Upon reading the book, it is very evident that the government sought to make it hard as possible for anyone to analyze the events of August 15, 1949. Mr. Maclean succeeds in piecing together an intricate puzzle of events, then allows the reader to form his or her own conclusion. This book is absolutely fascinating. It leaves the reader spellbound as the story unfolds. It is at the top of my list of must-read books. Next summer I will be visiting the Smokejumpers training facility in Missoula, Montana. I will be writing a future column on these heros we call firefighters, and whose ranks now number both men and women. |
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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