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Re: Yellowstone Newspaper news

Sled competition helps bring county role to light




By CAROLE CLOUDWALKER




Park Service officials, snowmobile manufacturers and even foreign countries are taking notice of an annual collegiate clean sled competition completed in March at Flagg Ranch.




This year an all-time high of 17 college teams took part in Clean Snowmobile Challenge 2002, sponsored by the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).




Flagg Ranch is a year-round resort south of Yellowstone and north of Grand Teton parks. Like Pahaska Tepee on the North Fork, Flagg Ranch faces the prospect of losing most of its winter business if snowmobiles are banned from the parks.




First conducted in 1998, the snowmobile challenge pre-dated the drawn-out Winter Use Environmental Impact Statement and Supplemental EIS process presently under way in Yellowstone, Grand Teton and the connecting parkway.




But its goals fall in line with those of entities such as the Park County Commission, which as a cooperating agency with Yellowstone winter use actions has urged the Park Service to consider data on clean and quiet snow machines and their use rather than banning snowmobiles from the parks.




Bill Paddleford of Jackson, a Teton County commissioner and co-organizer of the snowmobile contest, said the aim of the event is to see who can engineer the cleanest, most powerful and most fun-to-drive snowmobile.




Co-sponsor of the event is Lori Fussell of Wilson, an environmental engineer.




"All federal land managers have access to our data," Fussell said. "Yellowstone Park has paid for a report on the competition every year - they own our data."




Fussell says the competition is making a difference on several levels, not the least of which is "more than 500 young engineers will be entering the workforce" with a mindset that improvements are possible.




"There is no price tag for the values being instilled in them," Fussell said. In the future, these engineers "can't help but pay attention to a focus on emissions and sound."




The impact of the event on industry is more concrete.




"They get to hire these young students, who require much less training" because of their experience, Fussell said.




In addition, the competition "has created at least a regional market demand for clean and quiet machines," Fussell said.




Paddleford said the Park Service "watched with interest and participated," adding that "for our fuel economy run they (NPS) groomed 25 miles of trail."




In addition, NPS and Forest Service personnel, including "assistant superintendents" of the Forest Service, serve on the Clean Snowmobile Advisory Board.




While the snowmobile industry has been "slow to get on board," they did have a presence at the competition the last two years and have contributed a "small amount of money" toward staging the event, Paddleford said.




The NPS and the Environmental Protection Agency "have been involved in the competition from the start" and also have obtained a hands-on experience that likely will carry over to decisions they make, she added.




Paddleford said he and Fussell served on a clean air board together and "decided we might be able to do something good for everybody" by organizing the collegiate challenge.




For more information about the competition, which will be in Michigan next year, visit the Web site www.sae.org.

Wolf pack spotted near Red Lodge

Wolf pack spotted near Red Lodge




RED LODGE, Mont. (AP) - A pack of up to seven wolves has been sighted in southcentral Montana and could be a new pack for the region, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service confirmed.


"It's not unusual for big packs to split up," said Ed Bangs, wolf recovery coordinator for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.




None of the wolves has a radio collar, he said. There have been previous sightings of wolves in the area, which makes officials think the pack may have denned there last year.




Bangs said pregnant female wolves will be denning soon. If that is the case, he said, wolf recovery officials would dart one and put a radio collar on it to keep track of the pack.




The wolves are not the first to venture along the Beartooth Front.




A litter of eight pups was born near Red Lodge in 1995. The lead male of the pack was killed illegally nearby. Biologists collected the litter and its mother and moved them from Red Lodge to Yellowstone National Park, where the group - called the Rose Creek pack - rebuilt itself and has remained since.




The pups were the first young born to wolves freed in Yellowstone under the federal wolf recovery plan.




In 1996, a pack and its pups that denned near Nye on the Custer National Forest also were moved to prevent confrontations with livestock. That same year the Soda Butte pack denned on private land near the town of Roscoe.

Bureau of Reclamation to dismantle quake sensor network

Bureau of Reclamation to dismantle quake sensor network




JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has decided to dismantle a system of quake sensors along the Teton Range.


Bureau officials say the system, at $100,000 per year, is too expensive to maintain and is yielding no new scientific data.




"If it were to break down tomorrow, no one would repair it," said Stuart Stanger, the bureau's department area manager.




The agency plans to begin dismantling the network's sensors during the next fiscal year, probably during the spring of 2003.




Geologists want the network to stay in place, saying it provides important information about seismic activity along the Teton Fault.




Bob Smith, a University of Utah professor of geophysics and head of the Yellowstone Seismic Network, has been warning his friends and colleagues about the impending end of the system.




"This is a critical area that needs to be monitored," he said. "I'd like to see a partnership with BuRec, the state, the county and the National Park Service. It's time for these agencies to step up and develop these partnerships."




The seismic network was established in 1986 to determine if a project to reconstruct Jackson Lake Dam was adequate.




Diana Cross, a bureau spokeswoman in Boise, Idaho, said the network detects movement so minute that the information has no relevance to the study of the dam.




Jim Case, head hazards geologist for the Wyoming Geologic Survey, said information about small movement is valuable.




"Since the Teton Fault has been so quiet in 16 years, that to us raises a red flag," he said. "If any activity does initiate, it may be of significance. There could be an earthquake that could perhaps exceed design specs" of the dam.




Case wants the state to be notified when the bureau develops concrete plans for dismantling the network.




"Our thought is since BuRec has the network there, they still have the responsibility to maintain it since the dam is still there," he said.




"Until you can adequately model what will happen, you keep the network in. That is apparently something they are not willing to embrace."




Cross agreed that more data is better and maintaining the network will only help science, but said that is not cost effective for the bureau.




"If someone wants to take over it, that would be great," she said.


WY Governor asks for statewide drought declaration

Governor asks for statewide drought declaration




By ELISABETH A. WRIGHT


Associated Press Writer




CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Gov. Jim Geringer sent a letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Ann Veneman on Wednesday asking her to declare Wyoming a natural disaster area.




Geringer said he asked for the designation so farmers and ranchers may qualify for low-interest loans and possibly tax deferrals to cope with a third straight year of drought.




Geringer said it is the first time he has asked for a statewide designation.




Last year, Veneman declared 13 counties as primary disaster areas and 10 counties as secondary disaster areas because of drought and wildfires. In 2000, she declared 22 counties primary disaster areas because of similar conditions.




In his letter, Geringer wrote that ranchers are faced with fewer places to graze livestock on public land and some have been forced to sell their livestock prematurely. Future farming and ranching operations are in serious jeopardy, he wrote.




"Because of the severe drought conditions in 2000 and 2001, there is little if any leftover grass at the beginning of the current growing season," he wrote.




Forecasters predict extreme drought in the Big Horn Basin and severe drought almost everywhere else in Wyoming. Last week's wildfires in Superior and Opal indicate another potentially bad year for fires as well, State Forester Tom Ostermann said.




Moderate drought is predicted in southwestern Wyoming and the state's farthest northeastern corner, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.




Wyoming, Montana and Arizona are also expected to be some of the hardest hit states this year, Geringer said. Montana has also asked for a disaster declaration and Arizona is expected to as well, he said.




In eastern Wyoming, the state engineer declared a monthlong "call" on water in the North Platte River, ending May 1. A call means irrigators who hold the oldest water rights are the first to get their share of the limited supply of river water.




Last year, many farmers and ranchers got by on stored water from reservoirs. This year, stored water may not be an option. Reservoir levels are expected to average 30 to 70 percent below normal, state officials said.




Yellowstone National Park, however, is predicted to do better this year compared to last year, with snowpack at 83 percent of normal levels, Geringer said.




There is a one-in-five chance the drought will end in six months, state officials said.


Park road work slated, includes Canyon to Fishing Bridge in August


Park road work slated, includes Canyon to Fishing Bridge in August




Several road construction projects with potential traffic delays are scheduled in Yellowstone Park this season.




Visitors should be prepared for delays or closures of up to 30 minutes.




Through May 23 the Madison Junction to Norris Junction road will be open 24 hours a day, but with possible delays.




The road will be open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. starting May 28, with possible delays, and will be closed 9 p.m.-9 a.m.




It will be open without delays on holidays.




In September the road will be closed with just two windows of opportunity for travel each day.




Delays are possible on the Canyon to Mount Washburn road in August, and the road is tentatively scheduled to close for the season Sept. 9.




Delays are possible on the Canyon to Fishing Bridge road by late August.




For more information call park headquarters, (307) 344-7381.




Limited services and facilities are now available in Yellowstone Park for spring visitors.




The Old Faithful Photo Shop, and Lower Service Station opened April 19.




The Canyon Nature Store and Canyon Service Station will open May 3.




Mammoth General Store, the Mammoth Clinic and Mammoth campground are open year-round.




All other facilities and campgrounds are closed until their scheduled openings in May and June.

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Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim

For second week, bison leaving Yellowstone killed w/o brucellosis testing





For second week, bison leaving Yellowstone killed without brucellosis testing





WEST YELLOWSTONE, Mont. (AP) - Seventy-two bison that left Yellowstone National Park on Monday have been sent to slaughter without being tested for brucellosis, federal and state officials said.


"This is the second week that bison have been removed from the herd without being tested for the disease of brucellosis," Montana state veterinarian Dr. Arnold Gertonson said.




Thirty-two bison were sent to slaughter early last week without testing.




The Interagency Bison Management Plan allows the killing of bison that wander outside the park if the overall size of the Yellowstone herd is over 3,000. In late February, the National Park Service documented 3,300 bison. That does not include the spring calf count.




The management plan was developed to reduce the risk of transmission of brucellosis from bison to cattle. The disease causes cows to abort their calves.




An additional seven bison captured at the Horse Butte facility were released after testing negative for brucellosis.




Another 34 bison that left the park were hazed to a separate timbered area outside the park rather than being killed, the state Department of Livestock said.




One protester was arrested by U.S. Forest Service law enforcement officers.



--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim

MONTANA BISON EMERGENCY

MONTANA BISON EMERGENCY:




Bison in Montana are facing a crisis situation: the Montana Department of Livestock (MDOL) has decided to kill all bison captured outside of Yellowstone Park's protective boundaries, ostensibly to protect a handful of domestic cattle from possible infection with brucellosis.




Previously, the MDOL had tested all captured bison, slaughtered those who tested positive for brucellosis, and released the rest. Even this system was far from perfect because a positive test result only indicates that an animal has been exposed to the disease, not whether the animal is currently infected. MDOL's recent decision to slaughter all captured bison without even testing them is scientifically unjustified and is costing millions of taxpayer dollars. To make matters worse, hundreds more bison may soon be killed when MDOL and cooperating agencies shift from


capture and slaughter of bison to simply shooting those who remain


outside of the Park on May 1.




WHAT YOU CAN DO:




Your urgent (polite) calls and faxes are needed to stop this killing!




Please contact Montana Governor Judy Martz and Montana's state


Veterinarian, Dr. Arnold Gertonson, and ask that they immediately stop the capture, slaughter, or shooting of all bison or, at a minimum, that they reinstitute testing of all bison captured on April 30 and initiate hazing of those who remain outside of the Park as of May 1.




Governor Judy Martz-- phone: (406) 444-3111/ fax: (406) 444-4151




Dr. Arnold Gertonson, State Veterinarian-- phone: (406) 444-2043 / fax: (406) 444-1929

Public comment sought on park courthouse proposal

Public comment sought on park courthouse proposal




YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - Park officials have proposed replacing the park courthouse, citing security concerns and limited space for court proceedings at the building in Mammoth.


"It's a major problem, no matter how much crime we have," park spokeswoman Marsha Karle said. "The way it's set up, it's just not adequate."




Public comment is invited through June 3 on a proposed two-story building, which would include a courtroom and judge's chamber, interview rooms, a temporary holding facility and law enforcement offices.




The current building, officials said, provides no room for attorney-client meetings and has limited space for witnesses and family members. Its ground-level access also creates security concerns with the first-floor courtroom and chambers.




Karle said the park needs a courthouse because of the distance officials would have to travel for court appearances at other sites, such as Cody or Jackson. More than 300 court cases were heard at Mammoth last year.




Officials expect to have an environmental assessment ready for the public this winter, with construction planned for the winter of 2004-05.


Animal protection organizations call for a halt to the indiscriminate sl...

ANIMAL PROTECTION ORGANIZATIONS CALL FOR A HALT TO THE INDISCRIMINATE SLAUGHTER OF MIGRATING YELLOWSTONE BISON




BILLINGS, MT (May 7, 2002) -The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation's largest animal protection organization, and the Buffalo Field Campaign (BFC), an organization dedicated to ending the slaughter of Yellowstone bison, strongly oppose the recent decision by Montana's Department of Livestock (MDOL) to kill bison leaving Yellowstone National Park without regard to their disease status.


MDOL is concerned that wild bison, who migrate from Yellowstone every winter and spring to search for food and escape the deepest snow in the park, may transmit brucellosis to domestic cattle grazing on public land adjacent to the park. Despite a lack of scientific justification for this concern, MDOL is implementing a needlessly aggressive policy of slaughtering bison outside of the park without first testing them for the disease.


Prior to this recent decision, MDOL, in cooperation with the U.S. Forest Service and National Park Service, has concentrated on hazing wandering bison back into the park, or killing only those bison who tested positive for exposure to brucellosis. This procedure in itself was problematic. A positive test result only indicates that an animal has been exposed to the disease and has developed antibodies; the test does not demonstrate current infection. Thus, the majority of the more than 3,000 bison slaughtered or shot by state and federal officials since 1985 were not infected with brucellosis nor posed a danger to cattle.


Now MDOL is forgoing even this screening process prior to slaughter. Last week alone MDOL captured 104 Yellowstone bison just outside of the park's boundaries and sent them to slaughter.


"The rationale behind MDOL's decision to simply send wild bison to slaughter without even testing them for disease is difficult to understand," said David Pauli, director of the Northern Rockies Regional Office of The HSUS. "No case of brucellosis transmission between free-roaming bison and domestic cattle has ever been documented. But at least the testing has the potential to save many of the bison."


Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign added, "Bison are already subjected to stressful, physically demanding hazing operations that bring them miles outside of Yellowstone to capture and testing facilities. Now they are being killed merely for crossing an arbitrary line with no evidence that they pose any health risk to cattle. In addition, MDOL officials are not trained in wildlife biology or humane wildlife handling methods. As a result, the bison are subjected to abuse in the capture, holding, and slaughtering process. This atrocity needs to stop."


The duration of MDOL's policy shift is unclear. The current estimated Yellowstone bison population is 3,300, exceeding the 3,000-bison threshold above which more aggressive bison management is allowed. Until the population again falls below 3,000, MDOL is authorized to kill bison found outside of the park without testing them first. Since December, MDOL has sent 170 bison to slaughter.


-30-




Editor's Note: Buffalo Field Campaign b-roll footage of MDOL's roundup of Yellowstone bison for slaughter is available from the HSUS Media Relations Department. Call Kate Luse at 301-258-3071.






Contact: Dave Pauli (HSUS): 406-255-7161 or


Mike Mease (BFC): 406-646-0070

Snake River expected to stay steady

Snake River expected to stay steady




JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) -- The Snake River in Jackson Hole should hold steady for whitewater season, according to a river manager.




"Chances are we're going to be releasing enough (water) from storage to keep the river average," said Mike Beus, the Bureau of Reclamation's water operations manager for the Snake River in Jackson Hole.




But Beus said the agency does not expect Jackson Lake's reservoir to be more than half full.




That means boaters on the lake will have a tough time.




The reservoir was only 31 percent full a week ago.


Snowstorm closes Yellowstone entrances

Snowstorm closes Yellowstone entrances




YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - The south and east entrances of Yellowstone National Park were closed Wednesday because of heavy, wet snow.




Snow also forced the closure of Craig Pass between West Thumb and Old Faithful in the park and Bear Tooth Pass on U.S. 212 at the Montana-Wyoming border east of the park.




Snow has also caused slippery road conditions in the Jackson Hole area, including Grand Teton National Park.




The National Weather Service posted winter storm warnings for Yellowstone and mountain areas of northern Wyoming with up to 14 inches of snow possible.




High wind warnings were posted for parts of central and eastern Wyoming.


Suspicious letter to Teton deemed not hazardous

Suspicious letter to Teton deemed not hazardous




MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) - A suspicious letter sent to Grand Teton National Park did not contain a hazardous substance, the state health department has determined.




On Thursday, park employees opened a letter that contained an unknown substance. Teton County's hazardous materials specialists and an FBI agent responded. Five employees working in the office were evacuated.




Although initial investigations deemed the substance non-hazardous, they sent the letter to the Wyoming Department of Health laboratory in Cheyenne.




The office was reopened Monday.

State criticizes snowmobile ban proposal

State criticizes snowmobile ban proposal




CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - State officials have submitted 50 pages of comments lambasting a National Park Service plan to phase out snowmobiles from Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.


The comments said the studies behind the proposal are "flawed, biased and objectionable" and do not consider the potential noise and pollution of snowcoaches.




Park Service officials have offered to continue allowing snowcoaches after snowmobiles are phased out.




The comments were written by John Keck, director of the Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources; John Baughman, former director of the Wyoming Game and Fish Department; and Dan Olson, head of the Department of Environmental Quality's Air Quality Division.




The comments were submitted for a draft supplemental environmental study the Park Service has been doing since it settled a lawsuit filed by snowmobile manufacturers, who contested the ban.




Under the settlement, the Park Service agreed to reconsider its decision to phase out snowmobiles over three winters.




Keck, Baughman and Olson said state studies call into question Park Service claims that snowcoaches would carry more people, pollute less and be less noisy.




Keck accused the National Park Service and Environmental Protection Agency of "selective review and analysis of data" and said the proposed actions in the draft environmental impact statement are similarly based on "flawed data and assumptions."




Keck cited a study the state commissioned by Southwest Research Institute. The study, he said, refuted most findings of the draft supplemental environmental study.




Keck demanded more information on the noise and pollution made by snowcoaches and said he wanted information to support a Park Service claim that snowmachines disturb wildlife.




As for concerns about the ability of visitors to hear the parks' natural sounds and not noise from snowmobiles, Keck wrote: "While we agree with the statement in general, we do not agree that this expectation should be for every second upon every inch of NPS soil."




A final decision on the issue is expected at the end of the year.

Yellowstone officials: 'Don't drop backpacks' when meeting bears

Yellowstone officials: 'Don't drop backpacks' when meeting bears




YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - Officials are urging visitors to hold on to their backpacks if they encounter bears.




Two fishermen happened upon a black bear Thursday while walking along the Yellowstone River near the confluence of Tower Creek.




The men turned and started walking away from the bear, but it followed them upstream. The anglers became concerned and dropped their backpacks, then continued.




The bear went straight to the packs, opened them and obtained their food, officials said.




Park officials say a bear that eats human food or garbage, even once, can become conditioned to the food source and seek it out, thus becoming aggressive and dangerous.




That could lead to more bear encounters, injuries to humans and possible removal of bears.




"By dropping your pack, you are contributing to conditioning bears to human foods," officials said in a release Monday. "In the rare case where a bear attacks, a pack will help shield your back from injury."


Yellowstone's rail history studied

Yellowstone's rail history studied


CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - A project is underway to compile an online history of rail access to Yellowstone National Park.


The Wyoming State Historical Society is funding the project, titled "Making Tracks Through the Yellowstone Country: The History of Railroads and Yellowstone National Park."




The goal is to showcase the history of five railroad lines that served the park from 1882 until the 1960s: the Northern Pacific; Union Pacific; Chicago, Burlington & Quincy; Chicago and North Western; and Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific.




A particular emphasis will be photographs taken by F.J. and J.E. Haynes, Yellowstone photographers.




Many original railroad publications are very scarce, quite valuable and very fragile, the society said. However, through digital scanning, many of those materials will be available via the Internet.




----




On the Net:




History of Yellowstone:




http://www.nps.gov/yell/history/index.htm


Enzi, Cubin praise direction of snowmobile debate

Enzi, Cubin praise direction of snowmobile debate




CODY, Wyo. (AP) - Sen. Mike Enzi and Rep. Barbara Cubin praised National Park Service officials' willingness to consider allowing some snowmobiling to continue in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.




Meeting with state and county representatives from Wyoming, Montana and Idaho on Tuesday, Park Service officials said they are willing to allow snowmobiles that are equipped with the best available technology to limit air pollution and noise.




"Based on the information I have now, it looks like the park officials are headed in the right direction," said Enzi, R-Wyo.




"Allowing a limited number of snowmobiles in our national parks is preferable to barring the gates and cutting off access. I have always maintained that there can be room for a reasonable solution that protects not only the parks but the ability of those who enjoy the parks on snowmobiles."




Cubin, R-Wyo., said the debate appears headed toward "a solution acceptable to the people of Wyoming.




"From the surrounding counties to the gateway communities that depend heavily on the continued winter recreational opportunities afforded at the park, the alternatives discussed at today's meeting will ensure the continued viability of snowmobiles in Yellowstone and Grand Teton," she said.




During the final days of the Clinton administration, the Park Service proposed phasing out snowmobiles from the two parks by the winter of 2003-04. The snowmobile industry sued and the Bush administration agreed to order a new study of snowmobiling in the parks.




The Park Service's latest proposal would allow cleaner-burning and quieter snowmachines, including snowcoaches. The proposal also favors guided snowmobile tours.


Road work planned for Grand Teton

Road work planned for Grand Teton




MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) - Motorists traveling on U.S. 26-89-191 and U.S. 26-287 through Grand Teton National Park are being told to expect 20-30 minute delays starting Monday.




Workers plan to scrape off the pavement to prepare the highway for repaving, leaving behind a gravel surface. For four weeks, until the paving work begins, the speed limit will be 35 mph, according to park officials.




The resurfacing work is scheduled for U.S. 26-89-191 from Cunningham Cabin, six miles south of Moran Junction, to the east boundary, two miles east of Moran.




Similar work is planned for Moran Junction west to Jackson Lake Lodge.




Meanwhile, shoulder widening and grade improvements are underway along U.S. 26-287 from Moran to the east boundary.




The road work will take place from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday from July through Labor Day.

Thomas: Teton land swap no longer tied to Martin's Cove sale

Thomas: Teton land swap no longer tied to Martin's Cove sale




CASPER, Wyo. (AP) - Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., said a threat to hold up a Teton land-swap measure he backs has been dropped by Rep. James Hansen, R-Utah.




Hansen has pushed legislation, controversial in Wyoming, that would transfer ownership of a historic site known as Martin's Cove southwest of Casper to the Mormon church.




And, Thomas said, Hansen threatened to, in the House, block his try at speeding the federal acquisition of two private land sections inside Grand Teton National Park without Thomas' support for the Hansen measure.




That threat was rescinded just after the U.S. House on a voice vote approved Hansen's bill, Thomas said last week.




The Wyoming senator said he does not know why the threat to tie the measures together was dropped. But he said he made clear to Hansen in a telephone conversation that he still would not support the Martin's Cove transfer.




"And he said, 'I understand,"' Thomas told the Casper Star-Tribune.




The Thomas-backed measure has passed the Senate. Known as the Grand Teton National Park Land Exchange Act, it would direct the government to buy from within the park two sections that could be traded for land, resources such as coal leases or cash of equal value.




Hansen's measure is now in the Senate. It directs the government to sell a 900-acre tract to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose officials say Martin's Cove is important to their pioneer heritage.

Xanterra, Yellowstone concessionaire, to review hiring procedures

Xanterra, Yellowstone concessionaire, to review hiring procedures




LIVINGSTON (AP) - Xanterra Parks and Resorts will review its hiring procedures before next summer, the company's general manager for Yellowstone National Park says.




In the meantime, the company is doing what it can to accommodate scores of young foreigners, mostly European college students, who thought they had summer jobs in the park but arrived to find the jobs already filled.




They arrived late, sometimes weeks late, and the company had to fill the jobs, said General Manager Jim McCaleb.




Xanterra operates hotels, restaurants, stores and campgrounds in Yellowstone and other national parks. It regularly recruits summer workers overseas.




"What we're hearing from many of the kids is that the process for getting visas is delayed," McCaleb said. He said the delays were caused by reactions to the terrorism attacks on the East Coast last September.




The problems surfaced when dozens of the young people began showing up in Livingston, 50 miles north of the park, looking for work, free Internet services to contact their homes, or other help.




Xanterra was simply turning them away and telling them they might have jobs, maybe just part-time work, in a few weeks, they said.




Now Xanterra is doing what it can to accommodate them until they get work. They are being housed and fed free of charge in the park until they get jobs, McCaleb said. After that they must pay $70 a week.




"The employee housing is full at this point," McCaleb said Friday. "We are setting up something very close to a youth hostel situation for most of these kids."




He estimated 100 of the young job hopefuls were staying in the park.




The Bozeman Red Cross has loaned Xanterra 100 cots for them. He said it is unusual for private companies to request such help.




"It wasn't until I signed the agreement that I realized who they were," spokesman Norm Eggert said. At that point, he said, he thought it was too late to back out.




Some of the young job-seekers have found other work in the area. Bud Cahill of the 63 Ranch has hired several and provided them lodging, but said someone should take responsibility for their situation.




"This is a crime," Cahill said. "If these were American students there would be lawsuits like you wouldn't believe."




"This is an embarrassment to all of us as Americans."


Xanterra at Grand Canyon

Here's an opinion article about what is happening at Grand Canyon National Park under Xanterra:


http://www.ibiblio.org/warrior/take5/regime.htm




They will probably be the next Enron or Worldcom.

Re: Xanterra at Grand Canyon


Thanks for the link. That's very interesting. I think some people here should note that Xanterra is in fact the very same company as Amfac. They are not different companies. They simply changed their name this year, which is odd. Perhaps, their image has sunk so low that they thought a change of name may confuse people enough to give them a new look.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

Here's an opinion article about what is happening at Grand Canyon National Park under Xanterra:


http://www.ibiblio.org/warrior/take5/regime.htm




They will probably be the next Enron or Worldcom.

Firefighters lose ground in Wind River Range, Yellowstone

Firefighters lose ground in Wind River Range, Yellowstone





FORT WASHAKIE, Wyo. (AP) - Fanned by strong winds and high temperatures, a wildfire on the Wind River Indian Reservation grew to 14,500 acres.




Winds in the 30-40 mph range also forced all five helicopters dumping water on the South Fork II fire to retreat to base Monday. Air operations were suspended for up to an hour, fire spokeswoman Marilyn Krause said.




Tuesday's forecast called for more wind, but offered some relief in the form of cooler temperatures, reaching into the 70s in the mountains.




"We're regrouping this morning," she said Tuesday. "We're cautiously optimistic that we'll get some good work today."




The fire was 45 percent contained Tuesday morning.




Firefighters' biggest helicopter, one capable of dropping both water and fire retardant, broke down Monday but was back in service Tuesday morning, Krause said.




Besides the five helicopters, 330 firefighters were at the scene.




Elsewhere in Wyoming, strong, erratic winds forced firefighters to pull back from a 260-acre wildfire six miles east of Mount Washburn in Yellowstone National Park.




"They were all off by 12:30-1 p.m. It was just too unsafe to keep them in there with the erratic winds," park spokeswoman Cheryl Matthews said.




The crew had been focusing on securing fire lines around the tail end of the Broad fire and its south-southwest flank, as well as continue work along the northern edge of the fire.




The fire was in old-growth timber and heavy accumulations of dead and downed trees.




In all, eight fires have broken out in Yellowstone this summer. One was sparked by a power line and the rest were caused by lightning. All the others have been contained.




Currently, campfires are allowed in established fire pits and grates and liquid or gas fuel stoves and self-contained charcoal grills may be used. All park trails and facilities are open.




Meantime, firefighters continued mopping up a pair of wildfires in the Laramie Mountains west of Wheatland in southeast Wyoming.




----




On the Net:




National Interagency Fire Center:




http://www.nifc.gov/fireinfo/nfn.html




Rocky Mountain area large fires:




http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/fire/rmacc.html


Students build more efficient engine they hope will revolutionize the snowm

Students build more efficient engine they hope will revolutionize the snowmobile industry




By NICK WADHAMS


Associated Press Writer




DENVER (AP) - Colorado State University students have built a dramatically cleaner and more efficient version of the internal-combustion engine commonly found in everything from scooters to motorboats to snowmobiles.




If taken seriously, they say, it could help overhaul the snowmobile industry and influence the debate on whether to allow the vehicles in national parks.




"If the debate is about emissions, noise and power, this is a revolution," said environmental engineer Lori Fussell, founder of the Clean Snowmobile Challenge, in which university teams compete to develop a quieter, cleaner snowmobile engine. "It could very much be the answer."




Though proponents say the engine is promising, snowmobiling groups are taking a wait-and-see approach.




There are questions about durability, reliability and cost. The modified two-stroke engine would add about $500 to snowmobiles already costing from $6,000 to $8,000.




"Snowmobiling is a very discretionary product, and if it's priced too high people simply won't buy it, so there has to be a belief that the market will purchase the machine," said Ed Klim, president of the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association.




Two-stroke engines are found in most snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and motorboats. They are used in many power tools and are far lighter than automobile engines, which use a more complicated four-stroke system.




The advantage is in their simplicity, but they emit heavy pollution and have low fuel economy, mostly because they push a great deal of fuel out of the exhaust pipe when the pistons fire, said Bryan Willson, associate professor of mechanical engineering at Colorado State University.




The CSU engine was developed for the Clean Snowmobile Challenge, and was the top two-stroke engine to finish. It won third place.




"There's absolutely no reason these engines need to be dirty as they are," said Tim Bauer, one of 10 students and three professors who worked on the project.




The entry was a modified Arctic Cat ZRT 600 that cut emissions from the standard two-stroke engine by 99 percent and was about 35 percent more fuel efficient. Willson said the engine had a minor malfunction during the contest and its noise level was 74.5 decibels, a half decibel above the challenge's maximum of 74.




"Everyone assumed that the only way you could make a clean engine was to switch to a four-stroke," Willson said. "In life, power-to-weight is king and it is going to be hard to do that with a four-stroke engine."




At its heart, the CSU engine is a fuel-injection system designed by Australia's Orbital Engine Corp. and similar to those found in some motorboat engines. There is also a catalyst to reduce wasted fuel and dirty emissions, and a modified muffler.




The engine reduces hydrocarbon emissions by 99.7 percent and carbon monoxide emissions by 99.9 percent, Willson said.




It could play an important role in the hotly debated issue of whether to allow snowmobiling in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. Pollution has gotten so bad that Yellowstone issued respirators to gate workers who complained about headaches, nausea and dizziness on days when hundreds of snowmobilers lined up at a busy park entrance.




The Environmental Protection Agency recently softened its opposition to snowmobiles in the parks, saying clean air standards could be met with newer machines using stricter pollution controls. But it noted that the technology is not yet available.




Snowmobile maker Bombardier will release a semidirect-injection engine in 2003, the first of its kind, but so far there are no immediate plans among the other big three snowmobile makers to introduce similar engines.




"We knew there would come a time when we needed to address this concern," Steve Cowing, a Bombardier spokesman, said of the pollution issue.




Neither Bombardier's plans nor the CSU engine has impressed environmentalists. Some don't care what kind of engine is in the snowmobile; they simply object to the snowmobile itself.




"What you end up having is not just thousands but literally tens of thousands of machines charging through wildlife corridors where the animals are hard-pressed just to survive the harsh winter," said Jon Catton, spokesman for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.




---




On the Net:




Clean Snowmobile Challenge: http://www.sae.org/students/snow.htm

Montana lawmakers want feds to pay for wolf management

Montana lawmakers want feds to pay for wolf management




By CURT WOODWARD


Associated Press Writer




HELENA, Mont. (AP) - Four Republican lawmakers want substantial financial guarantees from the federal government before the state assumes management of transplanted Canadian wolves.




In a letter to Gov. Judy Martz, the lawmakers said the money would be used, among other things, to offset what they fear will be imminent losses of wildlife, specifically elk, to the growing wolf population.




But a federal wildlife manager and environmentalists called the demand troubling, saying it was out of touch with the science on the issue.




"It is a politicizing, and it's a return to the dark ages, really, in basic principles of wildlife management and wildlife science," said Tom France, the Northern Rockies director for the National Wildlife Federation.




In their letter, Reps. Dan Fuchs and Joe Balyeat, and Sens. Mike Sprague and Jack Wells outlined their concerns with the wolves and the process of removing them from the federal endangered species list.




As the wolf populations expand in the central Idaho wilderness and the Yellowstone National Park area, federal and state officials in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming have begun the process of removing them from federal protection and turning management over to the states. Before that can happen, each state must have an approved management plan. Idaho adopted its plan last winter.




The Montana lawmakers want the federal government to pay for 80 percent of the state management cost and a per-animal reimbursement for game animals wolves kill.




Fuchs says one late-season elk hunt may have been scaled back because of wolf depredation.




Ed Bangs, the wolf recovery leader for the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, conceded that wolves have an impact. But Bangs said the image of packs of hungry wolves exploding across the state is unfounded.




"In northwestern Montana, we really haven't had any wolf population increase in six years," Bangs said. "The idea that wolves are spilling all over the planet - that's not true."




France said there are areas where the wolf population should be controlled, "but I don't think we're at that place yet. To suggest that wolves are having a significant impact on elk is ignoring the data."

G&W: Grizzly plan will stand

G&W: Grizzly plan will stand




EVANSTON, Wyo. (AP) - Wyoming Game and Fish Commission officials say they have no intention of rescinding their plan for grizzly bear management.




Representatives from several mountain counties appealed to the commission Thursday, claiming their counties had too little say in the development of a plan that will affect their land and residents.




Game and Fish officials countered that the plan had been in the works for more than two years, and the counties should have spoken up sooner.




"I don't know what more the Game and Fish (Commission) can do," G&F Commissioner Gary Lundvahl said. "They are probably the most open, and have more meetings than anyone I've ever known."




There will be more opportunities for the public to comment as the wildlife agency starts "fine tuning" its grizzly plan, G&F's Dave Moody said.




The federal government is in the process of delisting grizzlies, which have been on the endangered list since 1975. Wyoming, Idaho and Montana are creating their own bear-management plans.




Wyoming's plan would not allow bears in the Big Horn Range, Snowy Range and Sierra Madre Mountains. It would provide bear habitat in all suitable and socially acceptable areas within the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.




The plan will take effect when grizzlies are removed from the endangered list, which is expected to happen sometime between 2003 and 2005.


Officials estimate 40 percent loss of bighorn herd

Officials estimate 40 percent loss of bighorn herd




JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - The population of bighorn sheep in herd near Jackson dropped about 40 percent over the winter, according to recent surveys.




State researchers aren't sure what caused the high death rate, but veterinarians speculate that stress from drought and poor forage led to a pneumonia outbreak.




"It's a lot higher than we wanted," Game and Fish biologist Doug Brimeyer said of the death rate. He added that a pneumonia outbreak can claim up to 60 percent of a herd.




Last fall, there were about 500 animals in the Jackson herd, which ranges from south of Hoback Junction through the Gros Ventre drainage and to the upper Green River area.




In response to the population decline, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department is asking hunters to voluntarily give up their permits this year.




Game officials had already reduced the number of permits issued in the Jackson area to 16, down from 28 last year.




Preference points will be reinstated for hunters who turn in their permits, which increases their odds of drawing a license in the future, Brimeyer said.




Because of last winter's die-off in the Jackson herd, Game and Fish may issue fewer hunting permits for at least the next five years while the population recovers, Brimeyer said. If sheep continue to be stressed by poor habitat and forage, the limits may last longer.




Despite the high death rate in the Jackson herd, surveys of other herds show that the overall sheep population survived the winter.




Meanwhile, the number of lambs born this year varied by location, with some areas showing low numbers and others fairly high, Brimeyer said.




Hunters who want to turn in their permits for the year can contact the Wyoming Game and Fish License Review Board at 800-842-1934.


Injured climber rescued from Grand Teton

Injured climber rescued from Grand Teton




MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) - A woman injured while climbing the Grand Teton was rescued Tuesday.




Angela Edlinger, 18, of New York state, suffered a shin injury while stepping between two rocks while she and her companion, Pete Marsiglio, 30, were descending from a day climb, Grand Teton National Park officials said.




Park rangers who happened to be descending the nearby Middle Teton were notified and reached her about 9 p.m. Monday, two hours after she was injured.




Ranger determined her injury was not serious enough to warrant immediate evacuation, so they camped overnight with her, then helped her walk to Garnet Canyon Tuesday.




Two rangers with pack horses met them and Edlinger was carried out on horseback in the afternoon.


Ohio man falls to death in park

Ohio man falls to death in park




MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) - A man was found dead Sunday apparently of a fall from Symmetry Spire in Grand Teton National Park.


Ben Carlson-Berne, 19, of Wyoming, Ohio, was found at the bottom of a steep gorge by park rangers on a routine mountain patrol.




Carlson-Berne was apparently solo climbing Friday away from the normal route for Symmetry Spire, which is about 20 miles north of Jackson, when he reached technically difficult steep rock. He was wearing a helmet.




Rangers are estimating he slipped and fell 150 feet.




His body was flown out of the park Sunday in a helicopter.




According to the National Park Service, Carlson-Berne had signed up on Friday to camp for several nights in Garnet Canyon beginning Saturday.




His backcountry camping permit indicated he intended to climb the Southwest Couloir on the Middle Teton and climb the Owen-Spalding route on the Grand Teton. A couloir is a steep gorge.




Carlson-Berne had stowed his camping gear in a locker at the Jenny Lake store before going climbing on Friday, indicating that he was planning only a day climb.




It was the second fatality in the mountains this year and the sixth major search and rescue operation.

Bridger-Teton fires ignited Tuesday all contained

Bridger-Teton fires ignited Tuesday all contained




JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - All of the fires started by lightning on Tuesday in the Bridger-Teton National Forest were reported contained on Wednesday by forest officials.




Still burning is the Divide Fire which started August 6th. It has burned a total of 2200 acres.




The fire, burning nine miles east of Pinedale, is being managed as a "wildland fire use fire," according to fire officials.




Wildland fire use fires start naturally and are allowed to burn while they are monitored.




Officials say that these fires help promote healthy forest regeneration, wildlife enhancement and hazardous fuel reduction.




For more information on the Divide Fire, call the Bridger-Teton National Forest at 307-739-5500.


Poor cone crop bad news for bears and people

Poor cone crop bad news for bears and people




CODY, Wyo. (AP) - The continuing drought, a poor crop of whitebark pine cones and hungry bears could mean trouble for both bears and people according to Shoshone National Forest wildlife biologists.




Wildlife Biologist Mark Hinschberger said because of the low crop of whitebark pine cones there could be an increase in bear-human conflicts this fall.




Nuts found in whitebark pine cones are one of the major food sources for bears.




In a good year a single whitebark pine will produce scores of cones, but this year a pine cone survey done by the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team found that trees have produced an average of only 2.4 cones per tree.




Forest biologists say they aren't sure what caused the poor cone crop.




"This is bad news," said Grizzly Bear Biologist Kim Barber. "Research has shown that when whitebark pine cone numbers are low, human-bear encounters increase."




"Bears are hungry and looking for food wherever they can find it," Barber said.




Forest officials are urging hunters and other forest users to be extra careful in the woods because of possible increased bear activity.




"We are asking all forest users to voluntarily comply with the food storage order, even in areas where the order has not been officially implemented," Barber said.




Barber said the one bright spot is that this is a good year for army cutworm moths, another important food for bears.

Re: Yellowstone Newspaper news

Bears, sex and Woody Allen



By Dan Whipple



UPI Science News




One of the greatest conservation victories of the past century is the recovery from near-extinction of the grizzly bear in the lower 48 states -- especially the famous bears in Yellowstone National Park.




So why isn't everyone cheering?




In 1982, I went to a meeting in Yellowstone of bear afficionados in which a bear biologist reported he believed there were only 47 reproducing female grizzlies in Yellowstone National Park. He showed a graph with a single, sharply declining line indicating population trends. It projected extinction for grizzlies in the park by the early 1990s.




Now, only 20 years later, by official estimates there are 500 to 800 specimens of Ursus arctos in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, and some biologists think the number may be as high as 1,000.




According to U.S. Geological Survey biologist Dave Mattson, the success of grizzly bear recovery can be laid squarely at the door of the federal Endangered Species Act. Writing with co-author Troy Merrill in the August issue of the journal Conservation Biology, Mattson said, "Our results show that changes in human attitudes and behavior have been critical to the survival of grizzly bears form 1970 to the present ... This is direct evidence for the dramatic beneficial effect of conservation policies enacted through legislation such as the U.S. Endangered Species Act."




Despite this success, and what University of Alberta biologist Mark Boyce has called the saturation of available habitat by grizzlies, Mattson and Merrill urge that the grizzly bear be kept on the endangered species list.




Because of some threats to its food supply -- especially whitebark pine -- they write, "The apparent robustness of Yellowstone's grizzly bear range is deceptive ... Virtually all the whitebark pine in the system is projected to be lost either to an exotic pathogen or to global climate warming ... Such vulnerability emphasizes the need for concern over loss of this food and argues for the inadvisability of removing any legal protections for this population."




That is one viewpoint.




Dave Moody, trophy game coordinator for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, told United Press International it probably is time to remove the Yellowstone grizzly from the endangered list.




"It has met or exceeded all of the recovery criteria specified in the 1993 recovery plan," Moody said.




This situation reminds me of a scene in Woody Allen's film, "Annie Hall." Allen's character Alvy Singer is answering his therapist, who has asked how often he and the eponymous Annie have sex.




"Hardly ever," he complains. "Three times a week."




Meanwhile, on the other half of the screen, Annie is answering the same question posed by her shrink.




"All the time," she kvetches. "Three times a week."




Regarding grizzlies, one side says there are hardly any in the Yellowstone ecosystem: 500 to 800. The other side claims there are plenty of them: 500 to 800.




Why the conflict? Part of it is political. Removing the bear from the endangered species list would take most of the control of its management out of the hands of scientists and place it with the states surrounding Yellowstone -- Idaho, Montana and especially Wyoming.




Louisa Willcox has been an activist with several conservation groups involved almost exclusively with grizzly bear recovery for the last 20 years. "It is a success in the sense that bears are there, when there was some real question 20 years ago about whether that would be so," she told UPI.




"People like Dave Moody are a large part of the reason why bears are here," Willcox said. "(But) we have different views on the future. It comes down to your faith in the political system. And looking at the history of wildlife conservation in states like Wyoming -- not at the Moody level, but at the political level, at the governor's level -- what is there that suggests we be optimistic about Wyoming's ability to keep the bear healthy?"




Sure enough, this past spring, the commissioners of Fremont County, Wyoming, which is important bear habitat just south of Yellowstone, passed a resolution prohibiting grizzly bears -- and, in passing, wolves -- from living in their county. How it was to be enforced, however, they did not say. Bears do not often read county commission resolutions.




"I think that the bear has been on everybody's radar screen for so long and there are a lot of people who have made careers out of it," Moody commented. "And there's the fact that the bear stands as a symbol for wild country, maintaining back-country values."




Moody said the grizzly has become a poster child for people who have "different regimes and goals and what they want to see long term like dealing other land use issues. The bear should be addressed as a species."




As Mattson's work indicates, the bear also is a poster child for the Endangered Species Act, both its effectiveness in protecting endangered species and in its legal power. The ESA is the 1,600-pound gorilla.




The wildlife managers who have protected the grizzly bear have made many courageous decisions the ESA gave them the clout to enforce. To give but one example, they forced the closing off of dumps to the bears.




Dumps had become prime grizzly habitat, with bears foraging among last night's roast beef and mashed potatoes for today's meal. There were lots of reasons to close the dumps. For instance, dump scavenging encouraged bear-human encounters, which inevitably ended in the bear being shot.




Part of the reasoning might almost be called "moral." Many scientists and activists wanted to save grizzlies only as wild animals, not as semi-domesticated dump scavengers.




Closing the dumps was not popular, however, because it made it harder for tourists to see bears. Also, during the first couple of years after the dumps were closed, bear numbers dropped. Lots of people, some scientists included, argued the continued existence of the grizzly was more important than retaining its "wildness." They wanted the dumps reopened or supplemental feeding instituted for the animals.




Managers resisted this pressure.




Being a conservation poster child cuts both ways, of course. Grizzlies require lots of room to roam. A paper published in 1998 found grizzlies require 50,000 square kilometers to have a 90 percent chance of survival. When the animal is protected by the extremely strict ESA, this can result in tough limitations on economic activity in bear habitat.




This issue is more than theoretical. The Bridger-Teton mountain range around Yellowstone is a major oil and natural gas zone. Conservationists have used the grizzly bear to slow or prevent oil and gas drilling the area, pleading ESA habitat protections.




Attorney Steven Quarles, with the Washington, D.C., law firm of Crowell and Moring, said, "Until recently, environmental laws and regulations have required the regulated and regulators to pay close attention to only the non-living resources, such as air, water and waste."




Until the ESA was enacted, Quarles continued, "and except for migratory species protected by international treaties, federal environmental laws and regulations did not feature and seldom referred to living resources."




The regulated community is "seriously crabby" about the living resource laws, he said.




Living resource laws such as ESA unquestionably have led to a rejuvenation of grizzly bear populations. The application to this healthy, growing -- and dangerous -- animal population will test our commitment to biodiversity.




Copyright © 2002 United Press International


Beetles could destroy most North Fork trees

Beetles could destroy most North Fork trees




CODY, Wyo. (AP) - About 70 percent of the trees along the North Fork of the Shoshone River in the Shoshone National Forest will die from a beetle infestation, district ranger Brent Larson said.




The gray- and red-needled, dying trees are "symptomatic of problems throughout the West," Larson said.




"They're not unique to Cody and the North Fork corridor," he said. "It's Mother Nature's way of cleaning up a forest."




While trees harbor an endemic population of beetles, the insects found an easy entree into the forest stressed by the 1988 fires.




"They hit the mother lode," Larson said.




In the last four or five years the beetle devastation has accelerated because of the drought, he said.




The infestation begins with a female beetle who finds a tree and emits a pheromone. The males follow and when the density peaks, "The party's over," Larson said.




The female lays eggs around the trunk, which girdles and kills the tree. Larson knows of no effective treatment besides a fire or weather.




"A really cold, long, nasty winter would kill the beetles," he said.




Other options are limited because of the forest's terrain, structures and its function as crucial range for elk and bighorn sheep.




Forest officials are concerned about the infestation because of the decline in forest habitat and deciduous trees, fuel build up and threat of wildfire. A fire along the river's corridor would threaten to close U.S. 14-16-20, which passes through Cody and into Yellowstone National Park.




"The corridor is the life blood for the community and the Big Horn Basin," Larson said.




Additional concerns are public safety, water quality and visual resources.




Driven by those concerns, forest managers decided to launch a vegetative management plan, which would produce a diverse, uneven-age forest.




Some possible treatments include eliminating conifer encroachment, constructing sheltered fuel breaks through thinning, conducting prescribed burns, creating defensible spaces around structures and opening up areas for deciduous trees.




The options would apply to the corridor outside wilderness, mainly along the Shoshone River. In the wilderness, Larson said, the fire policy dictates assessing the risk of letting a fire burn.




"With the corridor's condition, we're in full suppression mode every time we get a fire," he added.


Yellowstone seeks anglers' help

Yellowstone seeks anglers' help




YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - Park officials are appealing to anglers to help control lake trout in Yellowstone Lake.




They are providing maps of lake trout spawning areas for shore and boat anglers in hope that more of the nonnative fish will be caught.




"Lake trout are beginning to move to their spawning beds and are vulnerable to anglers during September and October," park Superintendent Suzanne Lewis said.




"There is no creel limit for lake trout on Yellowstone Lake and the more removed, the better."




She recommended fishing in the lake's West Thumb area, where there is a large concentration of lake trout between 16 inches and 8 pounds.




According to the National Park Service, lake trout were discovered in the lake in 1994. Lake trout threaten the park's population of cutthroat trout, which are smaller.




One large lake trout can eat as many as 50 cutthroat trout in a year.




Yellowstone Lake is the largest remaining undisturbed natural habitat of Yellowstone cutthroat, which live and spawn in shallow streams and lake waters and provide food for at least 42 species of birds and mammals.




Park officials have also been using gill nets to try to control the lake trout population.


Steamboat Geyser has 2nd major eruption of the year


by Jim Macdonald




For the second time this year, the world's largest geyser, Steamboat Geyser, in the Norris Geyser Basin, has erupted. Thanks to the geyser listserv, I have the following information.




Steamboat Geyser erupted on September 13 at 10:20 PM MDT, the water phase lasted just over an hour, and the steam phase was ongoing (as of 9/14 at 11 AM MDT). According to Sandy Nykerk, the person who posted this to the listserv, rangers were there. She also reported the rumor that someone had lights so that the geyser could be seen.




Steamboat last had a major eruption on April 26. At the time, rangers were not sure whether anyone had witnessed the eruption. In the days following, it turned out that some tourists from Cincinnati had seen it but had not realized that they were witnessing a unique event. Previously, Steamboat erupted on May 2, 2000, and before that, October 2, 1991.




The enormous geyser can eject water between 300 and 400 feet. More frequently, the geyser has minor eruptions, which spray water between 6 and 8 feet.




For more pictures of the May 2000 eruption, go to http://www.nps.gov/yell/press/images/steamboatpics/, or to http://yellowstoneassociation.org/whatsnew/steamboat.htm.




I want to thank Bob Berger for making this information available to me.

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim

Re: Grand Teton lodging contracts to open for bidding

Grand Teton lodging contracts to open for bidding




MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) -- Grand Teton National Park soon plans to open for bidding the contracts to run many of the park's businesses.




A tour will be offered Oct. 2 to show prospective bidders the operations run by two of the park's biggest concessionaires: Grand Teton Lodge Company and Signal Mountain Lodge.




"This will be the first time that both of these two large concessionaires have to competitively bid for a new contract under the 1998 act," park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs said.




In 1998, Congress overhauled the guidelines governing concessions contracts, with the goal of increasing competition.




Concessionaires were previously given preferential treatment in that they were allowed to continue their contracts by matching the highest bid submitted for them. That is no longer allowed under the new guidelines.




Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., was a leader of the reforms.




The Grand Teton Lodge Company is the park's biggest concessionaire with average gross receipts of about $25 million annually over the past three years, according to park officials.




The company manages Jackson Lake Lodge, Jenny Lake Lodge, Colter Bay Village, an RV park, tent cabins, five restaurants, a bar, eight retail outlets, a marina, two corrals, three service stations, bus tours, boat tours, guided float and fishing trips, employee housing and other services.




Signal Mountain Lodge, meanwhile, manages lodging, three restaurants, two retail outlets, a bar, two marinas, guided float trips and employee housing. The company's average gross receipts have been about $4 million annually over the past three years.




Bids on the concession contracts will begin to be accepted sometime this winter.


Yellowstone wants to improve west entrance

Yellowstone wants to improve west entrance




YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. (AP) - Yellowstone officials plan to build a larger West Entrance station to improve visitor safety and service.




Superintendent Suzanne Lewis announced Friday that the National Park Service has begun exploring alternatives for a new station at West Yellowstone, Mont., and asked the public for ideas.




The Park Service proposes to construct a station farther into the park but no more than a mile from the boundary. The project may also include a visitor contact station.




Among the problems with the existing building is that today's taller and wider vehicles routinely hit the station or its detached roof, officials said.




Also, because the station is next to West Yellowstone, a line of vehicles entering the park often backs up into town, creating congestion. Installation of an express kiosk has not solved the problem because the lane leading to it is too short, officials said.




In addition, the station lacks adequate office space and restroom facilities and has no room for visitor information services.




Construction of the new entrance station is to begin in the fall of 2004 or spring of 2005.




Before altering or razing the existing one, the Park Service will determine if it is eligible for listing on the National Historic Register.




The public's concerns will be addressed in an environmental assessment being prepared for the project, Lewis said.




Comments may be sent to Planning Office, West Entrance Project, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, 82190. The deadline is Nov. 15, 2002.




----




On the Net: http://www.nps.gov/yell


Coalition created for clean air

Coalition created for clean air




DRIGGS, Idaho (AP) - Mayor Louis Christensen lived in southern California, so he's seen what air pollution can do.


He did not want the same thing to happen in the Upper Snake River Valley so he joined leaders from through the three-state Greater Yellowstone Region to make The Greater Yellowstone/Teton Clean Cities Coalition part of the national Clean Cities Coalition. It is the first member to include two national parks.




"I watched as the San Bernardino Mountains became covered in smog," Christensen said. "I don't want to see that happen in Teton Valley."




Their attack on air pollution includes finding new ways to power cars and trucks.




Alternative fuel vehicles are already being used by the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory for commuters to the site from Idaho Falls and other locations. Yellowstone National Park also has a prototype 27-seat bus that was developed by engineers at the Idaho National Engineering and Environmental Laboratory. It can run on biodiesel or natural gas.




In addition to relieving congestion on the park's 350 miles of roads, the new vehicle could also lessen pollution caused by almost three million visitors annually.




Idaho Falls Mayor Linda Milam laid the groundwork for the regional membership in the national coalition back in 1997 when she first heard about the national group, that is made up primarily of urban areas already fighting air pollution.




City leaders went to their counterparts throughout the region in communities like Driggs, Jackson and Cody, Wyo. and Bozeman, Mont. to create a three-state group the size of Connecticut with 260,000 residents and 80 percent of the land in federal hands.




"You seldom get a coalition that is exclusively in a rural area because there is a lot of funding attached to the clean cities program," said Jon Lear, deputy coordinator of the regional effort to join the Clean Cities Coalition.




"Rather than taking an urban area where there is already an air quality problem, the effort here is to try to preserve something significant to the Greater Yellowstone area," he said.

Yellowstone tourism season strong

Yellowstone tourism season strong




CODY, Wyo. (AP) - Tourism was strong for Yellowstone National Park and Park County this summer, according to tourism officials.


That's in contrast with places like Grand Canyon and Death Valley, where tourism has been down this year.




"We're almost an island in some respects," said Rick Hoeninghausen, director of sales and marketing for Yellowstone National Park lodges.




Two Cody attractions reported especially high visitation through August. Attendance was up nearly 20 percent at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center, which opened its new Draper Museum of Natural History on June 4, and attendance increased nearly 11 percent for the Cody Nite Rodeo.




Both the historical center and the Park County Travel Council boosted their marketing efforts this year, the Cody Enterprise reports.

Teton land swap approved by Congress

Teton land swap approved by Congress


By The Associated Press




The U.S. House on Tuesday approved a land exchange between the state of Wyoming and Grand Teton National Park.




The bill, passed by a voice vote, heads to President Bush's desk.




Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., sponsored the measure, which was passed by the Senate last October.




The proposal would allow the state to trade 1,406 acres of state school land and mineral interests within the park to the National Park Service. In exchange, the state would receive federal money and land elsewhere of equal value.




Money raised through the trade would go to Wyoming's school land trust, earnings of which help pay for K-12 education.




"Wyoming's children deserve the benefit of Wyoming's lands, and this bill helps deliver that benefit," Rep. Barbara Cubin, R-Wyo., said in a release.




When Wyoming was granted statehood, the federal government gave it scattered parcels of trust lands for the benefit of schools. The parcels in Thomas' bill were later surrounded when Grand Teton National Park was created and their use was limited.




The state has been leasing the lands for grazing and wildlife protection, raising about $2,000 annually. Absent an appraisal, state officials have guessed their value on the open market would be about $100 million.




Three parcels of land and a 40-acre tract of subsurface mineral interests would be exchanged.




The mineral interest is in the northern part of the park near Jackson Lake. The smallest parcel, 86 acres, is across the Snake River from the Jackson Hole Airport.




The two largest parcels, 640 acres each, are in the southern and eastern portions of the park near some of the park's roads.




The bill is S. 1105.




----

Update from the Field 10/03/02


Update from the Field 10/03/02




Buffalo Supporters,




As the snow falls to the ground outside, my tears follow. Yesterday marks the earliest buffalo being killed in Buffalo field Campaign's five year history. Three bull buffalo were less than one half mile outside Yellowstone National Park and now lay dead in a slaughterhouse. Last week all cattle in the area were loaded up and taken out of the area , to pastures where they spend most of the year. The Montana Department of Livestock (DOL), the agency that killed the three buffalo, did not even test for brucellosis before shipping them to slaughter. In their own press release they stated they have hazed these bulls at least seven times. All these hazing operations were conducted while the cattle were present. It makes no sense that buffalo are killed when the cows will not be back here until June 2003. The DOL's actions attest to the fact that the current slaughter has nothing to do with disease control. How long shall the people of Montana and the United States fund this senseless destruction of the only continuously wild bison population in the world?




Each winter I watch the MDOL fly their helicopters 20 feet off the ground terrifying all in their path. I watched 300 trumpeter swans take flight as a helicopter flew into their feeding grounds. Trumpeter swans are listed as sensitive under the Endangered Species Act. All wildlife are affected when helicopters, snowmobiles, ATVs, 4 by 4 trucks, and horses roar into their habitat. Winter is also the time when animals need to be conserving energy, not being constantly chased. The DOL have no training in wildlife biology or management yet they run the circus out here. The Park Service and the DOL are now saying that the buffalo herd has grown to 4,045, up from last year's estimated 3,300 to 3,500. With 202 buffalo killed last year, not counting the pregnant moms as two, this year looks to be a very difficult one for the buffalo.




Our Governor, Judy Martz, continues to slander environmentalists as "eco-terroists" while she applauds the extractive industries. "There's not a one of you in this room that isn't a true environmentalist," she told representatives from Exxon-Mobil, ARCO, Burlington Northern, and Smurfit-Stone Container on Tuesday. -- some of Montana's worst polluters.




Call Governor Martz and tell her you do not support the slaughter of America's last wild, genetically pure bison. Demand protection for the bison of Yellowstone National Park and Montana. Call, fax, and email Governor Martz today!




In Montana:1-800-332-2272


out of state (406) 444-3111


fax406) 444-4151


email: jdelger@state.mt.us




This year is looking to be the hardest one yet. We need your help more than ever. Funds are getting low, we continue to gather firewood, and patrols have started up again. Our ability to be here has always relied upon the people and the people have always made us real. We thank you for supporting us through the years and pray for the day when our work is no longer needed.




With the Buffalo,




Mike Mease






------------------------------------




Kitchen Update and Request






Dear buffalo people,




Another winter season of feeding the defenders of the last wild free-roaming bison is upon us. This means that soon loads of hungry volunteers will be arriving on our doorstep ready to sacrifice for the bison . This year some changes are taking place that require us to reach out and ask for help so that we can feed the people and stay strong. The wonderful folks of Seeds of Peace who have for many years provided kitchen equipment and served incredible meals to hundreds of volunteers here will no longer be providing this service. Seeds will remain part of the BFC family and many of the same cooks will be gracing us with their talents, but starting this winter the coordination of the kitchen will be the responsibility of the campaign. We want to thank Seeds for all their love and dedication to this campaign and to all the other causes they continue to serve and support.




Because Seeds will be needing their kitchen equipment, and we need to be functioning in just a few weeks, WE ARE IN DIRE NEED OF INDUSTRIAL/RESTAURANT QUALITY KITCHEN EQUIPMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!




We serve four plus meals a day, every day from November to June, to an average of 20 to 60 people. It's a lot of food, a lot of work , a lot of love, and is central to the well-being of everyone and all that we do here. Anyone who would like to help us out and donate and or purchase any of the items on the following list WE WOULD LOVE YOU FOR IT. Please let us know as soon as possible if you can make a donation.




THE KITCHEN IS THE HEART OF EVERY HOME AND COMMUNITY. Please help us keep our hearts strong.






10 and 20 qt. stainless steel pots and lids




regular kitchen size stainless pots and pans with lids




industrial size wok and sautee/fry pans




regular kitchen size heavy duty sautee pans




hotel pans with lids (all sizes)




industrial sized coffee grinder




kitchen-aid mixer




industrial strength food processor




industrial strength juicer




large meat grinder




Cambro containers for transporting hot food to the field




pressure cooker




large insulated hot pots for liquids




large chest type freezer




non-aluminum baking sheets and pizza pans




gas oven/range






Thanks and blessings for the buffalo,




Amani




Kitchen Coordinator


Buffalo Field Campaign






-------------------------------------------




"We are the watchers. We are the witnesses. We see what has gone before. We see what happens now, at this dangerous moment in human history. We see what's going to happen, what will surely happen unless we come together---we , the Peoples of all Nations---to restore peace, harmony and balance to the Earth, our Mother."




--Chief Arvol Looking Horse


-------------------------------------------




Buffalo Field Campaign


PO Box 957


West Yellowstone, MT 59758


(406) 646-0070


www.wildrockies.org/buffalo






Buffalo Field Campaign


(formerly Buffalo Nations)


PO Box 957


West Yellowstone, MT 59758


406-646-0070 phone


406-646-0071 fax


buffalo@wildrockies.org


www.wildrockies.org/buffalo


For The Buffalo


*******************************************************************


Join the stop-the-slaughter listserve! Just click on the link below:




Subscribe: mailto:stop-the-slaughter-on@vortex.wildrockies.org




Send news submissions or problems to: mailto:stop-the-slaughter@wildrockies.org




************************************************************************


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News Submissions or Problems: mailto:bfc-media@wildrockies.org

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim

Weather helps Grand Teton prescribed burns

Weather helps Grand Teton prescribed burns




MOOSE, Wyo. (AP) - Favorable weather helped fire crews carry out two prescribed burns in Grand Teton National Park.


The goal of the burns was to reduce fuel for wildfires and to improve wildlife habitat, according to park officials.




One burn Sept. 28 covered about 120 acres of sagebrush between Gros Ventre Road and the Gros Ventre River west of Kelly.




"Now there will be a buffer area west of town," park spokeswoman Jackie Skaggs said. "In the event we get a lightning strike out there it will help us defend the town of Kelly."




The fire was originally planned for last spring but was not carried out because the weather was so dry and hot.




A 1,700-acre burn was also completely recently on Wolff Ridge south of Moran. The goal of that fire was to burn aging aspen and sagebrush.




Aspen depend on fire and other disturbances to regenerate. Wyoming has lost half its aspen stands over the past 100 years due to fire suppression.

Gardiner native in Gonzaga University production of "See How They Run"


Gonzaga Univesity to present British farce 'See How They Run'




Gonzaga University will present Philip King's hilarious "See How They Run" starting Oct. 25. This jolly show is action-packed and filled with slapstick comedy. The production is directed by Janis Waley with scenic design by John Hofland and costume designs by Summer Berry.




The audience will be invited into the private home of the local village vicar of 1948. This is a story of mistaken identities, misplaced affections and an escaped Russian spy. The cast of characters includes an American actor and actress, a cockney maid, English vicars, an Army sergeant and - of course - the Russian spy. The actors are constantly moving in and out the set creating a lively show that will keep the audience guessing as to who is doing what.




Tickets went on sale Oct. 7 at 2 p.m. Opening night is Oct. 25. Show dates are Oct. 25-26, Nov.1-2 at 7:30 p.m. Matinees will be performed on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2 at 2 p.m. Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for students. Group rates for 20 or more are available. For more information please contact Summer Berry at (509) 323-3606 or via E-mail at berry@gonzaga.edu




or the Russell Theatre Box Office at 323-6553.




# # #




See How They Run Cast List




Miss Skillon: Jessica Derakhshandeh, Renton, Wash. ~ Holy Names Academy




Tower: Kris Feely, Lynnwood, Wash. ~ Archbishop Murphy High School


Humphrey: Nick Gerrone, Portland, Ore. ~ La Salle High School


Bishop: Kevin Goff, Englewood, Colo. ~ Cherry Creek High School


Clive: Chris Harris, Tigard, Ore. ~ La Salle High School


Penelope: Alexis Hudson, Yellowstone Park, Wyo. ~ Gardiner High School


Lionel: Jon Olson, McMinnville, Ore. ~ McMinnville High School


Intruder: Jack Sheehy, San Francisco ~ St. Ignatius College Preparatory


Ida: Angela Wall, Springfield, Ore. ~ Thurston High School








Director and Designer Biographies




Director Janis Waley. Waley earned a bachelor's degree in speech and theatre from Washington State University. She also earned a master's degree in theatre from Western Washington University, and a doctorate in theatre history from WSU. She has been active in the Spokane area at Spokane Civic Theatre and various community theatres. She has produced, directed, acted and designed eight seasons for the Rouge players along with her husband Marvin. In 2000, she directed "Joyful Noise" and in 2002 returned to GU to direct the award-winning "Once Upon a Mattress."




Scenic Designer John Hofland. Hofland, who heads the GU theatre arts program, earned a master's degree in theatre design from Trinity University. He joined Gonzaga in 1999 after teaching and designing at Dordt College for 16 years. Hofland's past credits include working in Ukraine with the Kharkov Puppet Theatre, at The Kentucky Shakespeare Festival and the Pacific Theatre in Vancouver, B.C. among others.




Costume Designer Summer Berry. Berry graduated from WSU with a bachelor's degree in clothing and textile design/theatre arts. Upon graduation she was master stitcher for the Seattle Repertory Theatre. From there, she moved to the East Coast - continuing to design and build costumes, custom clothing, bridal gowns and tailoring. A native of Washington state, she was excited to join Gonzaga in 2000. She also handles public relations for theatre and is an adjunct instructor.




'See How They Run' Factoids










This will be Nick Gerrone's and Chris Harris' 10th performance together. They have participated in theater since attending La Salle High School in Portland, Ore. together. The tradition continued in college as roommates who are active in the theatre department. Nick and Chris are juniors at Gonzaga.




This show marks the third time that Chris Harris and Nick Gerrone have worked with Janis Waley. Their first show together was "Joyful Noise." They were reunited last winter with "Once Upon a Mattress." The Tradition continues with "See How They Run."




Of the nine cast members, only four are upperclassmen. The remaining five are in the freshmen class - a talented one it is.




Only three members of "See How They Run" are theater majors, while three other members of the cast are theater minors.





--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim

Update from the Field 10/10/02

In this Issue:




* Update from the Field - DoL Retaliate


* Thanks to our young supporters!


* Press Release 10/10/02


* Please pass this on to 3 friends in honor of the 3 wild buffalo that were killed last week and ask them to subscribe - it's simple just have them send an email to mailto:Stop-the-Slaughter-on@vortex.wildrockies.org and they can receive these updates - only 1/week!




_________


10/10/2002




Greetings Friends of the Buffalo!




One day after the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) suffered a major loss in the court system, they took it out on the buffalo. Today 4 DOL agents using a horse, ATVs and 4 by 4 trucks and wasted untold amounts of tax payer dollars to haze one bull buffalo 6 miles back into Yellowstone Park. Their original plan was to capture the buffalo using a helicopter, but unknown complications stopped its arrival.




The bull decided its own fate by losing the DOL and ran into Yellowstone National Park for safety. In my opinion, the DOL were trying to capture the buffalo today but were once again out smarted by this wise old bull. I'm sure the DOL's press release will state that they were trying to haze the bull into the park, but when you're not proud of your work - you often don't tell the truth.




For the past two weeks DOL have been in the area and have their sights aimed on killing all buffalo that leave the park this year. Their excuse is that the park buffalo population is 4,045, and that is their justification for not bothering with tests and just killing everything. Last years population was guesstimated between 3,300 and 3,500, minus 202 killed (not counting pregnant females as two). So do ya' think that the bulls had calves as well this year to account for this large population increase? (ha ha) This over funded government agency has no background in wildlife biology or management yet wastes hundreds of thousands of taxpayers dollars to "manage" buffalo annually. Meanwhile Montana's Governor is making huge cuts in education, social programs and many other valuable services. I guess I'm not that surprised since our Governor doesn't have a college degree herself.




We usually don't ask for volunteers until mid November, but we are in need of anyone who would like to come out and join us. Drop us a line for details mailto:buffalo@wildrockies.org. We also are running low on funds so if you can please help with donation - it would sure help. I would also like to thank John Chalinder for donating a van.




This year is on pace to be the toughest one in our five year history, if you have ever wanted to be more involved now is the time.





With the Buffalo,




Mike Mease


BFC


POB 957


West Yellowstone, MT 59758




406-646-0070 phone


406-646-0071 fax




buffalo@wildrockies.org


__________


A special thanks goes out to all our young elementary school allies who have been flooding DoL offices with letters! It's great to know that the DoL has personally responded to your concerns. This is what we call democracy in action. Thanks for all your efforts - Together we can make a difference!




Thanks also to all the kids who have responded with art and poetry for our newsletter contest (see kids page). The art and poems are inspirational to us and help us smile during tough times!


_________




Frustrated State Employees Retaliate Against Lone Wild Buffalo




For Immediate Release October 10,2002 Press Contact : Mike Mease 406.646.0070




While budget cuts hit hard across Montana, Department of Livestock (DoL) employees, frustrated by recent court defeats, wasted tax dollars on hazing a lone buffalo. State employees spent the day on ATVs, a horse and four wheel drive trucks running a lone bull buffalo miles back to the state border. "The operation today was unnecessary and a waste of taxpayers dollars that could have been spent better elsewhere," Mike Mease of the Buffalo Field Campaign stated.




The DoL has been reprimanded several times recently for ignoring Montana constitutional rights. The first incident was when a State District Court judge had to remind them that their records are open to the public since they are a public agency (Right to Know Lawsuit.)




Then, on Tuesday October 8, Joshua Osher had his day in court and was found not guilty by a six person jury in the Gallatin County Justice Court. Department of Livestock agent, Shane Grube, arrested Joshua on May 9, 2002, during a buffalo hazing operation charging that Joshua interfered with the operation. Joshua's trial consisted of testimony from two DoL agents, Shane Grube and Spike Twohy, and two BFC volunteers, Joshua and Laura Babcock. A video of the arrest was also presented at the trial. The same tape had been illegally confiscated by Grube previously.




The trial included Grube and Twohy's denial of the presence of a helicopter over Horse Butte on May 9 that both Joshua and Laura testified was there that day. After examining the evidence, the jury found unanimously that Joshua did not interfere with the operation.




"I couldn't believe that I was arrested. I was exercising my rights to document agency hazing operations and was arrested in an effort to suppress that right. I defended my rights in court and the jury saw the truth. These unlawful violations of our civil rights must stop," Osher said. "It is absurd that a rogue agency can act outside the law and arrest citizens without having any law enforcement training and the jury recognized that."




Another BFC volunteer recently had his case dismissed because of similar shady circumstances. Other trials are still pending for similarly ridiculous arrests.




"Wild buffalo are a symbol of America and yet, the Department of Livestock continues to treat them like domestic cattle. Folks with no wildlife management skills should not be managing these animals. Management activities are costly in more ways than one - they could have unknown impacts on this genetically unique herd," Mease added.




Even the Buffalo Management Plan formulated by public agencies state:




"Repeated hazing in early winter may produce weight loss and poor body condition, which decreases the animals ability to endure the remaining winter." (Volume I, page 762)




-20-




___________________________________________________________




Info regarding the buffalo and how you can help at


http://www.wildrockies.org/Buffalo




Contributions to BFC are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law and support our aggressive, front line, grassroots volunteer work. We put the wild buffalo first! BFC is the only group working 365 days a year in Yellowstone protecting the last free-roaming buffalo.


Update from the Field 10/18/02

Buffalo Field Campaign


News from the Field


October 18, 2002




In this issue:




*Mease's Musings: Montana Won't Leave the Last Wild Buffalo Alone




*New Wildlife Compilation Video Available




*Help Feed the Buffalo Warriors, Donate Kitchen Items!






----------------------------------


Mease's Musings




As the sun breaks over the horizon on another beautiful crisp morning, a new gift has arrived back in our ecosystem. The trumpeter swans grace us once again with their elegant presence. Trumpeters are listed as sensitive under the endangered species act and it is estimated that there are at most 2000 left in the world. Over 500 winter here near West Yellowstone. In previous years, we have watched and video documented a DOL helicopter spook and make over 300 of them relocate. A badger has also been sighted close to one of our patrols and the river otters are once again dancing on the thin ice of Duck Creek Pond. All the animals' coats are growing in thick and the bears are filling their bellies, readying themselves for a long winters slumber.




This week marks the third consecutive week in which the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL) has disturbed this perfect picture. On Wednesday three DOL agents chased one bull buffalo six miles back into Yellowstone National Park, disturbing all species in the area. The rest of the day was spent with DOL tearing up the area on ATVs. The Yellowstone ecosystem is a gift, it has all of the wildlife present that was here when Europeans first arrived on this content. When a helicopter, ATV, 4 by 4 truck, horse or snowmobile enters an ecosystem it disrupts all creatures in the vicinity, not just the buffalo. This Yellowstone ecosystem does not belong to the state of Montana. It is a gift to be shared by all of us and the responsibility of protecting it for future generations falls upon all of us. As I watch, yet again, the damage unfold, my heart grows heavy. We the people are the only hope for change, so please voice your outrage and let's all work together to leave this precious gift for the children of all species.




With the Buffalo, Mike Mease




PS


We are in desperate need of a VCR that records. If anyone has one that they are trying to get rid of please send it our way. Please give us a call or e-mail before you do so that we don't receive more than we can use, thanks. --MM




----------------------------------




Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers and BFC Release Native Wildlife Video Compilation




"Why We Exist" is a half hour tour in the field with Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers and their allies working on the frontlines to protect Yellowstone's wild buffalo herd. (28:45)




Plan B, The Buffalo's Alternative contains information on a scientific, biologically based plan to allow buffalo to roam freely throughout the Yellowstone ecosystem. (6:35)




Buffalo Bull is a documentary of the controversy surrounding the capturing and killing of America's last wild free roaming herd of buffalo. The video combines footage shot in the field over the past ten years with interviews with local residents, politicians, activists, spiritual leaders, and government officials. (50:15)




Little Buffalo is a moving music video created by Michael Mease and Folk Singer Bryan Flaig. (4:00)




Wild Bison PSA two, 30-second public service announcements for wild bison. (1:00)




ROAM is a video created by Buffalo Field Campaign volunteers for young kids who love buffalo. (12:05)




The Big Bad Wolf In the early 1990's the Yukon government initiated a slaughter of wild wolves at the behest of trophy hunters who view the wolves as competitors for big-game caribou. This video is an international plea from Friends of the Wolf to let the wolves live wild and free. (10:30)




A Future for the Grizzly? Each year in British Columbia as many as 700 grizzlies are killed. The government has yet to conduct a scientific population study of the grizzly who may number as few as 3,000. The Great Bear is losing habitat to logging, mining, oil and gas drilling, road building, human habitation, and their lives to trophy hunters and illegal poachers alike. First Nations, biologists, and activists speak to the question: Is there a future for the grizzly bear? (21:05)






Ordering Info - For a copy of our Native Wildlife compilation video, we ask that you send a sliding fee donation of $15-$35 based on your ability to pay.




Your donation allows Cold Mountain, Cold Rivers to continue offering environmental and human rights videos to the public, and to provide free videos for educators, students and elders. Your donation is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.




Send checks to: CMCR POB 7941 Missoula, MT 59807 Buffalo Field Campaign Programs POB 957 West Yellowstone, Montana 59758








----------------------------------




A Note from the Kitchen




Many thanks to all the folks who have responded so quickly to our requests for kitchen equipment!! We have received many of the items we are in need of but our wish list is still considerable. With hazing operations already in full swing we need to be able to have the kitchen ready immediately so that people can be well fed to put their energy into patrols. If you can donate any of the items on this list please let us know with a phone call or an e-mail as soon as possible!




Thanks for the love and kindness,




Amani...kitchen coordinator




10 and 20 quart stainless steel stockpots with lids




Stainless steel hotel pans with lids (deep and regular size)




20-24" professional sautee pans




Large stainless steel pressure cooker




Industrial strength food processor (robocoup)




Kitchen Aid mixer




Champion juicer Large peanut grinder to (make our own peanut butter)




Industrial size coffee grinder




4 lg. hot pots for transporting hot liquids




2-4 quality cleavers




Non-aluminum hot water maker(for tea)




Large stainless coffee percolator






----------------------------------




Buffalo Field Campaign


PO Box 957


West Yellowstone, MT 59758


406-646-0070 phone


406-646-0071 fax


buffalo@wildrockies.org

Update from the Field 10/24/02


Buffalo Field Campaign


Update From the Field


October 24, 2002





Greetings Buffalo Supporters,




As the 5:45 AM alarm pulls me out of my warm tipi bed this morning, two inches of fresh snow extinguish my hopes for a delayed winter. After a quick cup of black tea I am out the door and on patrol. Locating the lone bull buffalo in the frosty dawn, the morning's peace is quickly shattered by the arrival of three agents from the Montana Department of Livestock (DOL). The agents quickly wake the old bull with their noisy engines and he is not amused. He jumps up and snorts, hops his heavy body around, and swings his back end from side to side, catching air in the process.




As the agents' horse and 4x4 trucks close in the buffalo darts off toward the woods. The bull rakes his head through small trees eyeing the DOL agents all the while. At one point he takes off running and then suddenly turns in a new direction, on a dime, with the grace of a butterfly. But this butterfly weighs more than a ton.




As the DOL agents chase the bull down a private road two Buffalo Field Campaign video cameras document their every move. Landowners come out of their houses, tell the DOL agents that they are trespassing, then return to their homes to call the police. In and around West Yellowstone the buffalo have many friends, the DOL few. Still the authorities do the dirty work of the DOL. When BFC volunteers trespass we are immediately sent to the Bozeman jail. But the law won't come down on the trespassing agents, as the livestock industry still controls Montana. This type of selective law enforcement is the standard in these parts.




We are very thankful that the old bull is still alive. The DOL left him alone after hazing him to Yellowstone. But he will be back. This morning's snowfall was just a taste of what's to come. In the coming months Yellowstone will fall under a deepening blanket of snow and the buffalo, seeking survival, will leave the park for the surrounding lowlands, where they can access the grass from which their bodies are built. When they do they will find themselves in the cross-hairs of Montana's rifles, and many will likely be slaughtered. We will be here with the buffalo to protect them, to the best of our ability, and to share their stories with you. Together we will make a difference.




A special thanks to all of the people helping us get our kitchen set up and to those who have contacted us to donate VCRs. If you have ever thought about coming out to volunteer, please come this year. It's going to be a difficult one and we need all the help we can get. Thank you all for continuing to spread the word of the buffalo and for your never-ending support.






With the Buffalo,




Mike Mease






Buffalo Field Campaign


PO Box 957


West Yellowstone, MT 59758


406-646-0070 phone


406-646-0071 fax


buffalo@wildrockies.org


www.wildrockies.org/buffalo






----------------------------------




A Note from the Kitchen




Many thanks to all the folks who have responded so quickly to our requests for kitchen equipment!! We have received many of the items we are in need of but our wish list is still considerable. With hazing operations already in full swing we need to be able to have the kitchen ready immediately so that people can be well fed to put their energy into patrols. If you can donate any of the items on this list please let us know with a phone call or an e-mail as soon as possible!




Thanks for the love and kindness,




Amani...kitchen coordinator




10 and 20 quart stainless steel stockpots with lids




Stainless steel hotel pans with lids (deep and regular size)




20-24" professional sautee pans




Large stainless steel pressure cooker




Industrial strength food processor (robocoup)




Kitchen Aid mixer




Champion juicer Large peanut grinder to (make our own peanut butter)




Industrial size coffee grinder




4 lg. hot pots for transporting hot liquids




2-4 quality cleavers




Non-aluminum hot water maker(for tea)




Large stainless coffee percolator




*******************************************************************


Join the stop-the-slaughter listserve! Just click on the link below:


Subscribe: mailto:stop-the-slaughter-on@vortex.wildrockies.org


Send news submissions or problems to: mailto:stop-the-slaughter@wildrockies.org





--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim

Re: Update from the Field 10/24/02

Buffalo Field Campaign


Update From the Field


October 31, 2002




-----------------------




Mease's Musings




Have you ever just stared up into a snowstorm? Well today, I think I spent too much time doing it. I have always known that each snowflake has its own pattern and is different from all the others. Today I concentrated on how each one's flight is also unique. Some come down straight, some sway, some come sideways, some start down then go up and then back down, expressing their own freedom of flight. There is no controlling the freedom of a snowflake. Unfortunately, if you have four hooves and you leave an arbitrary manmade boundary your freedom is limited.




Some of us two leggeds do not have much freedom either, and local law enforcement officials here in West Yellowstone Montana make sure of it. In our efforts to document the slaughter of the only free ranging buffalo with continuously wild ancestry, our rights seem to be nonexistent. This week marked the third time in recent months that an illegally arrested BFC volunteer had his charges thrown out of court. Vince Godby, arrested in May for trying to document the buffalo slaughter, had to waste six months of his life dealing with this illegal arrest before his charges were dropped. Meanwhile the guilty sheriff still walks the streets and continues his unlawful ways.




On the front lines the DOL gave the taxpayers a break this week, they only had one agent down here in West Yellowstone most of the week. The weather kept him indoors and in front of his TV for most of the time, with a couple of recons to justify his presence. On Thursday another agent showed up, disturbing the taxpayer funded vacation of the other agent. Today, once again a lone bull buffalo was pushed by DOL back towards the Park from Horse Butte. BFC volunteers followed the operation until the agents trespassed onto one of our supporters' yards. When we told them they were trespassing on a "buffalo safe zone" and that the owner did not want them there, the DOL lied and said that they had permission. This marks the second straight week in which DOL agents have violated private property rights and trespassed where they are not welcome. The local police have been informed and still have done nothing. The word justice around here seems to mean "just us." The good news is that once again the wise old bull buffalo outsmarted the DOL and disappeared into the woods.




Until the buffalo are once again free we will stand strong with them.




With the Buffalo,




Mike Mease






-----------------------




The response to our requests for kitchen equipment continues to be wonderful. A special thanks to Francis Carroll who sent us a brand new stainless steel coffee percolator and three big pots.....what an incredible act of kindness! Francis please contact us with your address so we can send you a proper thank you.




We are in full swing with food production and things are getting easier as the supplies come in, but we could still use a few things. Write to buffalo@wildrockies.org if you'd like to help supply our kitchen. If you can help in any way please let us know. Whatever you can give will be put to heavy use for years to come.




Thanks again to all you wonderful folks out there who love the buffalo.




Amani...kitchen coordinator






-----------------------




Greetings! Friend of the Buffalo -


Just a reminder that BFC is a grassroots group. That means you and your efforts are vital to help us truly protect the last wild buffalo. With winter settling in, please take a moment and evaluate what you can commit to doing for the Buffalo!




Can you commit to:


* one letter and one 37 cent stamp a week to write an official responsible for this travesty?


* 2 weeks in West Yellowstone?


* asking a local business to host a Bucks for Buffalo spare change jar?


* hosting a showing of our video and distributing newsletters in your community?


* collecting computer cartridges and recycling them for the buffalo?


* passing these updates on to your friends and family and newsgroups that you are on?


* posting a link to our website?


* holding a fundraiser for the buffalo?




Each of these actions can help! We don't have any fancy offices or high paid staff - just dedicated volunteers working 365 days a year to win true protection for the last wild buffalo. Contact us with any questions or ideas. Together we can make a difference!




Thank you.




Respectfully,




Su Gregerson




buffalo@wildrockies.org


www.wildrockies.org/buffalo


For The Buffalo

Poaching plague spreads to Arco area


Poaching plague spreads to Arco area






ARCO- Just like the old saying, "Bad news travels fast", so it seems thepoaching plague is spreading across the state as the hunting seasons unfold. While the overwhelming majority of hunters are true ethical sportsmen, a small


highly visible number of unethical people with firearms continue to cause problems. This time, two bull elk were shot and left to rot around October 19, 2002 near Arco, Idaho.




Conservation Officers are asking the public to provide any information possible regarding the case of these two bull elk that were shot and left to rot. According to Conservation Officer Barring Cummings, "The animals were shot about 15 miles from Howe, on the east side of the highway, near Uncle Ike Canyon." The animals were about a week old when reported to IDFG, placing the poaching on or about Saturday, October 19th.




Anyone who was in the area and saw any suspicious activity should contact the CAP Hotline at 1-800-632-5999. Caller can remain anonymous and rewards are possible.





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Replying to:

I will be posting articles on the Yellowstone region on the discussion forum, especially AP stories reported in the Casper Star-Tribune. This paper has a lot of useful stories, especially from the Grand Teton region, but they roll their stories off every few days. I want them up much longer. This discussion forum only rolls off as it gets too large.




Jim

Update from the Field 11/7/02

Buffalo Field Campaign News From the Field November 7, 2002




In this issue:




*Update from the Field




*The Cook's corner




*Citizen's Buffalo Petition -- We need your help!




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*Update from the Field






Today marks the eleventh day a young man sits in jail in Missoula Montana for nonviolently resisting an illegal arrest. Randall "Locust" Mark is serving a 57 day sentence and will be released at the end of the year. Locust was under house arrest for three months prior to his trial and was ordered to stay at least 100 miles from the Yellowstone buffalo. He was restricted from National Forest lands hundreds of miles from where his arrest took place.




At the sentencing, the prosecutor asked the judge to give Locust six months to deter his friends from, "...engaging in like acts of civil disobedience." Locust is in the process of appealing Judge Erikson's sentence, but he'll be in jail until the court gets around to hearing his appeal. Randal is vegan and his dietary needs are not being met by the jail so he has gone without food for the past eleven days.




Locust has been a BFC volunteer for many years.




He needs your support. Please write him and let him know that his actions have made a difference. Write to:




Randall Mark


Missoula County Detention Center


2340 Mullan Road


Missoula, MT 59808






Meanwhile, down here on the home front, three DOL agents have been busy wasting tax dollars. When they're here they drive around for hours in 4X4 Dodge pickups burning gas and being dodged by wise bull buffalo. Speeding off road vehicles along the Yellowstone boundary, riding horses in the park, and wasting hours in front of the TV, the DOL agents have been vacationing all week with your tax dollars. At least they didn't find any buffalo to harass. Montana's budget crisis has brought deep cuts to education and social programs, but the DOL's bison slaughter budget grows every year. With innocent people crowding our jails and all eyes aimed at war, it can be difficult to focus attention on the buffalo. As long as the senseless slaughter and harassment continues we'll be here.




With the Buffalo,




Joshua Osher & Mike Mease






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*The Cook's Corner




Fortunately here in the kitchen we are blessed to see an incredible use of energy being put in a positive direction. The extended buffalo family has really been coming through, demonstrating what powerful potential generosity and community have in making things happen. We crossed a few more items on our needs list again this week and are very, very grateful to Deana Winstrop who has donated funds for us to purchase several important items we really need. Thanks again to everyone who has responded and to everyone who sends their love and prayers to the buffalo.




Amani








BFC Kitchen Needs:




20 quart stainless steel stockpots with lids




Stainless steel hotel pans with lids (deep and regular size)




20-24" professional saute pans




Large stainless steel pressure cooker




Kitchen Aid mixer




Large Champion juicer




Industrial sized coffee grinder




4 Large hot pots for transporting hot liquids




Various sizes of Cambros for containing and transporting hot meals




Non-aluminum hot water maker(for tea)






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*Citizen's Buffalo Petition -- We need your help




Call.




Write a letter.




Send an email.




Good news for the Common Sense Citizens Buffalo petition - On October 28 Gallatin National Forest Supervisor Becky Heath informed Senator Max Baucus (MT) that the Forest Service would finally get around to addressing the concerns of the more than 180,000 petition signatories who are concerned over the mismanagement of the last herd of continuously wild, free roaming buffalo. She has promised to response by November 15.




This is the wording of the petition: "We sign this petition demanding that the wild, free roaming buffalo of the Yellowstone ecosystem be truly protected for future generations. They must be recognized as a genetically unique herd and allowed to roam on habitat that is their traditional birthright."




More information on citizen efforts to get agencies to take a look at this issue is available at: http://www.wildrockies.org/buffpet/ Signatures are still being collected and we will continue sending them until we are heard. Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton and Secretary of Agriculture Ann Venneman and Forest Service Chief Dale Bosworth all continue to ignore citizen demands.




Please invest five minutes in a phone call or 37 cents and a letter and contact Becky and let her know that the Gallatin National Forest should provide adequate habitat for this important wildlife species and that the Gallatin Forest Plan should acknowledge buffalo. This is an important issue to the people of the world and we must let public officials know our concerns.




Becky Heath can be reached at: Supervisor's Office POB 130 Bozeman, MT 59771 Phone: 406-587-6702 Fax: 406-587-6758 bjheath@fs.fed.us




Buffalo Field Campaign


PO Box 957


West Yellowstone, MT 59758


406-646-0070 phone


406-646-0071 fax


buffalo@wildrockies.org


www.wildrockies.org/buffalo


Update from the Field 11/14/02

Buffalo Field Campaign

News From the Field

November 14, 2002




In this issue:



* Update from the Field



* New Features on BFC Website



* The Cook's corner



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* Update from the Field



As the snow settles in on us around Hebgen Lake, many of our extended buffalo family are finding their way back home. Coordinators and volunteers are filling the cabin as we prepare for winter. While we rejoice in the warmth we share catching up with friends and settling into our home, the buffalo face a cold and difficult winter seeking food in their traditional migrations. Our hopes and prayers are with them now.



While tomorrow is the start of the official field season, patrols have been in the field for weeks already. Three bull buffalo, which cannot transmit brucellosis, were killed on October 3, and hazing has been a weekly disturbance for the buffalo. Just two days ago two DOL agents, returning after a restful Veteran's Day weekend, launched immediately

into a hazing operation. Two bulls were hazed from Duck Creek through a private wood fence and into the Park. While many Americans honored those that gave their lives in past wars, the Buffalo Wars rage on, slaughtering another symbol of our country and leaving few wise old buffalo veterans in peace.



With the buffalo,



Ted Fellman & Jonas Ehudin

Media Coordinators

Buffalo Field Campaign



----------------------------------



*New Features on BFC Website



We are proud to announce that the Buffalo Field Campaign can now accept donations online through a secure site. Many of you have requested this service & now we've aligned ourselves with a reputable nonprofit service that will protect the privacy of our donors. We are a small grassroots group and we hope that this will make it easier for you to support our work!



Please take a moment and check this out -

http://www.wildrockies.org//buffalo/pcshop/bazaar.html



Supporter to Supporter
-

In other internet news - some of our committed grassroots supporters are offering special items to help support our work. One such upcoming event is an ebay auction to Save the Buffalo!



A caring supporter, O'Ceallaigh Originals, will auction off a very special Father Christmas on Ebay to benefit the Buffalo Field Campaign. Information on this one of a kind item and the auction are also at http://www.wildrockies.org//buffalo/pcshop/bazaar.html. (thanks Melanie!!)



Please send any feedback to me at bfc-programs@wildrockies.org and I hope that this new service is beneficial.



And last but not least - Thank you to everyone who has helped out with a donation as we gear up for a busy winter. We spend funds frugally and don't have any fancy offices or high paid staff - just dedicated folks working to protect the last wild free roaming buffalo and their habitat for future generations. We can't be here without YOU!



Thanks,

For the Buffalo,

Su

Buffalo Field Campaign Programs

POB 957

West Yellowstone, Montana 59758



Donations are tax deductible and go directly to front lines work. BFC is the only group in the field 365 days a year with the last, free roaming buffalo.



----------------------------------



* The Cook's Corner



Howdy folks. The volunteers have been rallying for the buffalo despite a virus making the rounds. We have a lot of folks here and that's good, but it makes for easy transfer of illnesses. To keep everyone healthy, we try to distribute herbal and homeopathic remedies, however we have very few supplies to work with currently. It's going to be a long cold winter and we need to stay physically strong to be out in the field everyday. If you can help us stock up on any healing remedies, please let me know. Thanks for the love.



With the Buffalo,



Amani





BFC Kitchen Needs:



20 quart stainless steel stockpots with lids



Stainless steel hotel pans with lids (deep and regular size)



20-24" professional saute pans



Large stainless steel pressure cooker



Kitchen Aid mixer



Large Champion juicer



Industrial sized coffee grinder



4 Large hot pots for transporting hot liquids



Various sizes of Cambros for containing and transporting hot meals



Non-aluminum hot water maker(for tea)

Snowmobiles back on Jackson Lake

Snowmobiles back on Jackson Lake



JACKSON, Wyo. (AP) - Public outcry has prompted the reopening of Jackson Lake to snowmobile use this winter, National Park Service officials say.



However, snowplanes still will not be allowed on the lake beginning Dec. 15.



The Park Service still plans to eventually prohibit snowmobile use on Jackson Lake but will now phase-out the snowmachines beginning in the 2003-2004 winter, park officials said Wednesday. Snowmobiles are used on the lake by people who ice fish.



The Wyoming Game and Fish Department lauded the move.



"We've been managing Jackson Lake as a trophy game fishery for a long, long time and we want to continue doing that," said Vern Stelter, a habitat protection biologist with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. "With the snowmobile ban, people wouldn't have been able to get really out onto the lake and now they can."



Stelter said the lake is a popular ice-fishing spot for area and regional anglers and that the majority of ice-fishing at Jackson Lake takes place because people can use snowmobiles to access the center and outer reaches of the lake.



The National Park Service received a lot of public outcry since it announced in October that the agency was implementing snowmobile and snowplane prohibitions, Yellowstone spokeswoman Marshe Karle said.

Thomas pleased with snowmobile rules

Thomas pleased with snowmobile rules



CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) - Sen. Craig Thomas, R-Wyo., has applauded the National Park Service for allowing snowmobiles to continue to be used in Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks.



"This decision affirms the principles I laid out several years ago - that reasonable limits on the number of machines allowed in the parks and cleaner, quieter machines are a crucial part of the new management plan that has been lacking for several years," he said in a release.



"The previous administration put unnecessary restrictions on public access to our parks, and this decision begins to right that wrong while maintaining protection of our unique natural resources.



"I applaud the National Park Service for recognizing how devastating a complete ban would be, and for taking action."



The plan proposes to cap the number of snowmobiles at a level above the current average daily use and to eventually require cleaner burning machines.



The Interior Department released an environmental impact statement Tuesday detailing the plan, which was generally well received by industry and local tourism officials.



The plan is intended to be a compromise between unlimited access wanted by snowmobile makers and users, and a ban that had been proposed by the Clinton administration and supported by environmentalists.



Some environmentalists have said the latest plan does not go far enough in protecting the parks.

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