It's Birthday Time Again

HAPPY BIRTHDAY YELLOWSTONE

And Many Happy Returns

.. As is our tradition, here is the text of the 1872 bill and the "Grant Signature"

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Forty-Second Congress. Session II Ch. 21-24. 1872. March 1, 1872. CHAP. XXIV. -- An Act to set apart a certain Tract of Land lying near the Head-waters of the Yellowstone River as a public Park.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the tract of land in the Territories of Montana and Wyoming, lying near the head-waters of the Yellowstone river, and described as follows, to wit, commencing at the junction of Gardiner's river with the Yellowstone river, and running east to the meridian passing ten miles to the eastward of the most eastern point of Yellowstone lake; thence south along said meridian to the parallel of latitude passing ten miles south of the most southern point of Yellowstone lake; thence west along said parallel to the meridian passing fifteen miles west of the most western point of Madison lake; thence north along said meridian to the latitude of the junction of the Yellowstone and Gardiner's rivers; thence east to the place of beginning, is hereby reserved and withdrawn from settlement, occupancy, or sale under the laws of the United States, and dedicated and set apart as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people; and all persons who shall locate or settle upon or occupy the same, or any part thereof, except as hereinafter provided, shall be considered trespassers and removed therefrom.

SECTION 2. That said public park shall be under the exclusive control of the Secretary of the Interior, whose duty it shall be, as soon as practicable, to make and publish such rules and regulations as he may deem necessary or proper for the care and management of the same. Such regulations shall provide for the preservation, from injury or spoliation, of all timber, mineral deposits, natural curiosities, or wonders within said park, and their retention in their natural conditions. The secretary may in his discretion, grant leases for building purposes for terms not exceeding ten years, of small parcels or ground; at such places in said park as shall require the erection of buildings for the accommodation of visitors; all of the proceeds of said leases, and all other revenues that may be derived from any source connected with said park, to be expended under his direction in the management of the same, and the construction of roads and bridle-paths therein. He shall provide against the wanton destruction of the fish and game found within said park, and against their capture or destruction for the purposes of merchandise or profit. He shall also cause all persons trespassing upon the same after the passage of this act to be removed therefrom, and generally shall be authorized to take all such measures as shall be necessary or proper to fully carry out the objects and purposes of this act.

APPROVED March 1st 1872
U. S. Grant (Signed)

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Yellowstone Plans Plowing

PLOW DAYS ANNOUNCED

West Yellowstone Clears Streets

..

The National Park Service announced the Spring plowing schedule yesterday. The entire press release is reproduced below:

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 28, 2008 08-011
Al Nash or Stacy Vallie (307) 344-2015

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YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK NEWS RELEASE
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Spring Plowing to Begin in Yellowstone National Park

With the impending arrival of spring comes the end of the winter season and over-the-snow travel in Yellowstone National Park.

Park roads will begin to close to snowmobiles and snowcoaches in preparation for spring plowing. Beginning at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 2, groomed roads from Mammoth to Norris will be closed, followed by the closure of Norris to Madison and Norris to Canyon at 9:00 p.m., on Tuesday, March 4. All remaining groomed roads will close to oversnow vehicles at 9:00 p.m. on Sunday, March 9.

The road from the North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, to Cooke City, Montana, at the park's Northeast Entrance, is open all year to automobiles, weather permitting.

Visitor facilities will also close for the winter season according to the following schedule:

Saturday, March 1
Last night for lodging at Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel

Sunday, March 2
Mammoth Hot Springs Dining Room closes after breakfast
Mammoth and Indian Creek warming huts and Mammoth fuel station close at 5:00 p.m.

Saturday, March 8
Last night for lodging at Old Faithful Snow Lodge

Sunday, March 9
Old Faithful Snow Lodge Dining Room closes after breakfast
Old Faithful Geyser Grill & Gift Shop close after dinner

The following facilities will close at 5:00 p.m.: warming huts at Madison, Canyon, Fishing Bridge, Old Faithful and West Thumb; fuel stations at Old Faithful, Fishing Bridge and Canyon; and the Old Faithful Visitor Center.

At Mammoth, the Yellowstone General Store, clinic, campground, and Albright Visitor Center are open all year.

Plowing operations will begin this Friday on the road from Tower Junction to Tower Fall to allow for administrative travel in order to conduct rehabilitation of the Tower Fall restrooms. The plowing of this segment will affect cross-country skiing access to the Lost Lake Trail and the Tower Fall/Chittenden Loop. Although no public vehicle access will be allowed, the road will be accessible on foot or bicycle. Please watch for falling rock along this segment of road.

The road beyond the Tower Fall Store will not be open to bicycles until conditions allow, after May 8.
Weather permitting, the roads will begin opening again to vehicles on Friday, April 18, from Mammoth to Old Faithful; Madison to the West Entrance and Norris to Canyon. The roads from Canyon to Lake and from Lake to the East Entrance are scheduled to open on Friday, May 2; Lake to the South Entrance and West Thumb to Old Faithful, Tower to Tower Fall on Friday, May 9; and Tower Fall to Canyon over Dunraven Pass on Friday, May 23.

Yellowstone's weather is very unpredictable. Always be prepared for a range of conditions. Updated Yellowstone National Park road information is available 24 hours a day by calling (307) 344-2117.

As Warm As June

AND SNOWING

..

Eclipse

8:18 Old Faithful

Amazingly Rational

A VERY GOOD READ

finally !

.. With the warmth of terminal winter comes a very fine article from George Wuerthner over at New West. No "Breast Beating," no "Post Pissing," no "Whining," and no "Bleeding Heart," in this: just a succinct, rational, factual analysis of a pressing problem.
.. Bison die variously at this time of year. One way they die is their removal from lands outside of Yellowstone National Park by the interagency task force. They are then slaughtered. They are rounded up and killed by agreement between: Montana, Yellowstone Park, and the USDA.
.. The agreement is ill-founded and needs review and augmentation. Wurthner provides a cogent analysis of the situation and the article deserves a complete reading.
.. Theatrical moaning, verbal whining, and poor reporting cannot bring about a change in the policy. Rational, factual, and informed discussion has a better chanch -- and Wurthner shows us the way.

Thanks George !