Yellowstone For The Bicyclists

JUST A BIT COLD

But A Wonderful Experience

.. The first bicycle tour of Yellowstone National Park took place in 1883, when three members of the Laramie, Wyoming, Bicycle Club came to visit.
.. In June of the following year W.O. Owen wrote a piece for "OUTING."

To three members of the Laramie Bicycle Club — C. S. Greenbaum, W. K. Sinclair and W. O. Owen — belongs the honor of having made the first wheel tour of the Yellowstone National Park, and, having been appointed historian on this memorable trip, it falls to my lot to set down the incidents of the journey for the readers of Outing. There are two routes open to residents of Wyoming; one lies by way of Bozeman, Mon., the other via Beaver Cañon, Idaho. (HTML - PDF)

.. Ever since that historic outing bicycles have been welcomed in Yellowstone National Park. However as stage roads gave way to auto roads, and auto roads became more congested the bicycle has become less common, and is now both a dangerous and congestive mode of transport in Yellowstone.
.. The shoulder seasons belong to the bicyclists. There are only bears, bison, bears, cougars, bears, eagles, bears, waterfowl, bears, and a few administrative travelers on the roads. If you pick the right day, and have prepared well, there is nothing like a Spring bike ride in Yellowstone.
.. Because of construction at the West Entrance, and bears in the Old faithful area there are new restrictions on bicycle travel this year.

READ THE FOLLOWING IN PREPARATION
FOR YOUR SPRING RIDE

-- National Park Service Press Release
-- Yellowstone Park 'Spring Bicycling' Page
-- Yellowstone Park 'Hiking In The Park' Page
-- Yellowstone Park Bears Resource Page
-- Yellowstone Park Pet Regulations, your pet dog cannot run free beside your bicycle - no matter who you are.
-- Yellowstone Park Rules and Regulations,
-- Yellowstone Park 'Viewing Wildlife' Page
.. Many people, including Park Rangers, Park Employees, Concessionaire Employees, and self styled "experts" get hurt every year because they treat wildlife viewing as a game or a pleasant sport. Don't be fooled: if you join a screaming crowd of bicycle riders ooohing and aaahing this Spring, you too may become a target.
.. The videos below are from the Yellowstone Park Video Page. There is more danger and stupidity there if you care to look.
Bison Trees Visitor
Bison at Old Faithful

In 1896 the 25th Infantry rode, walked, and carried their bicycles cross country to Yellowstone Park, 500 miles from their Fort Missoula base. They pose below on Minerva Terrace at the town of Mammoth Hot Springs in a photograph taken and hand colored by Yellowstone's official freelance photographer F. Jay Haynes (1853-1921). Note that the troops mounted from the left side of the bike, according to the custom for mounting a horse. (FROM: Northern Rockies Heritage Center.)

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 !

Bison Video

AMERICA'S WILD & FREE BISON

.. The Salt Lake Tribune has a piece on Bison, So does the Great Falls Tribune. My my.

Of Smart Moose & Black Sheep

MOOSE MAKE NEWS FROM CHINA TO COLORADO

Sex Crimes In Morning Report

Buffalo Fan Obstructs justice

.. It seems that moose mamas are moving closer to roads in Yellowstone as calving time approaches. This provides the moose with protection from grizzly bears because the bears generally stay farther away from the roads than the moose.
.. Researchers have shown that the moose get closer to the roads over the years, while the bears stay substantially the same distance from the roads.
.. Of course the sub-text that is not talked about is that humans are depriving grizzly bears of a living just by being in Yellowstone National Park. Soon they'll be calving on your front door.
.. The Chinese view the situation this way. The folks in Denver see it this way.

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.. The NPS MORNING REPORT for yesterday details the history of a sex crime case against a concession employ at Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park.
.. The case originated on June 18, 2007 and ended on September 27, 2007 when the federal district judge in Cheyenne, Wyoming ordered the suspect to be detained pending trial or plea agreement.
.. The alleged crimes involved computer pictures of young children in sexually explicit poses and activities. Read it in The Morning Report.

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.. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle reports the results of a trial of Dan Brister, 37, the Buffalo Field Campaign's project director.
.. Brister was convicted of a misdemeanor for obstructing a peace officer, fined $585, and sentenced to six months probation after the jury found him guilty.

Old Faithful Streaming Webcam

THIS IS A "REAL-TIME-VIEW"

Just In Time For Public Lands Day
Glacier Park Disappearing
Giant Bison Shot

.. The Old Faithful streaming webcam is up and running. It is controlled by staff at Old Faithful and pans around the Upper Geyser Basin. It is often directed at erupting geysers other than Old Faithful. It also features a zoom lens that allows a view of the thermal features from a closer perspective than the fixed webcam.
.. When not being "flown around the basin," the streaming webcam shows an image similar to the static webcam. The sponsors of the new webcam are Canon and the Yellowstone Park Foundation.
.. The link to the streaming webcam is a ""MMS"" link, (which is an external protocol request,) and redirects your browser to Windows Media Player for viewing the live stream. Depending on your browser and its settings the media player will just open -- OR -- a "Query Window" will pop up. If this happens, just launch the application.

HERE'S THE LINK
.. Try it, you'll like it. It's also listed in our sidebar under Yellowstone Links if you'd like to try it here instead of on your own browser.

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.. If you would like an Old Faithful Webcam widget for your own computer just go to Yahoo Widgets and get it. It's a bit better than the NPS version. Just wait until we can control the webcam from our own joystick.
.. If you're running an Apple just go to Spider-Mac For a similar free widget.
.. Should you want a webcam of your own just click on over to Star Dot Technologies and investigate the possibilities. The Old Faithful Webcam is featured on their site.

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.. Today is Public Lands Day and you may enter Yellowstone National Park for free -- if you can afford the fuel to get here.
.. Take your cell phone to Old Faithful -- Call Home --Wave at the webcams.

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"This summer, for the first time in Glacier National Park's 100-year history, Gem Glacier was entirely snow-free, a glistening sheet of bare ice sweating dark and blue under a relentless sun."

And the trend toward melting continues -- via the Missoulian.

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“Old Lonesome ain’t lonesome no more,”

.. An enormous bull bison was killed in the hunt to reduce the Jackson Bison Herd. The hunt is conducted by Wyoming to reduce the size of the herd to 500 individuals from its current size of about 1,200.
.. The dead bison may be the largest bison killed in the last 82 years. It was shot by E.D. Riekens Jr., of Cheyenne, near Spread Creek on September 18. Before the record can be official the head must dry for 60 days and then be re-measured.
.. The horn spread of "Old Lonesome" has been measured at 32 inches from tip to tip and 18 and 19 inches individually, giving the animal a hunting score of 140-2/8. The previous record, a bison killed in Yellowstone National Park in 1925, scored 136-4/8. -- via Seattle Times.

Odds & Ends

Burnt Trees

More Visitors

Armed Conflict

Bear Woes
Tom's In Town

.. The fire closure in the burned area of the Madison Arm Fire has been lifted.

Even though the lands within the closure area are now open under normal travel restrictions, the public is asked to use caution and watch for trees weakened by the fire that may fall during a wind storm. . . . Billings Gazette

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.. Visitor numbers continue to rise at Yellowstone.

Park officials reported an 11.8 percent jump in the number of recreational visitors to Yellowstone in August compared with last year. In all, 710,781 people came to the park last month. . . . Billings Gazette

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.. With the additional visitor crowding comes more strife. This is so common now that it does not even rate a press release or a note in the morning report, (although former employee arrests are noted.) Kind of like vagrancy on the National Mall.

During the initial stages of the standoff, the three men alternated between yelling obscenities and threats of violence and repeatedly entering and exiting their vehicles. One shouted that “someone is going to die tonight;” . . . Desert USA Blog

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.. With the increased Grizzly longevity and recent population growth, the trophic cascade has begun to push the black bears around. The resulting human bear conflicts have led to the euthanasia and/or relocation of several bears this year, (1,2.) This is happening all over the Northwestern United States - - look for it to continue.

Fortunately, there is a place for chubby bears outside of the Chicago offensive line or the Gay Pride parade. . . . Crosscut

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.. Growing awareness of the Y2Y concept is creeping into news sources and reports.

Nature knows no borders, and if humans want to preserve animal species that straddle two nations, they need to ensure that habitats are seamless. The wildlife-corridor concept addresses this challenge. . . . Crosscut

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.. There is a photo exhibit currently at the Burke Museum in Seattle that highlights the Y2Y concept. It's called "Freedom To Roam and will run until December 31, 2007. There is a spectacular photographic preview on the museum's web page.

The great Rocky Mountain landscapes are a treasure for the world. In them, I see what we in Europe have lost. I don't want that to happen here. — Florian Schulz, photographer

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.. Fishing with friends is newsman T. Brokaw.

Short Takes 01

GRIZZLIES & OTHERS

.. Griz visits Washington -

"Bears that are both conditioned to human foods and habituated to human presence often become dangerous to people. Removal was considered the best course of action in this case to prevent a possible human injury and further property damage."

.. Get a passport to visit Yellowstone? -

Jerry Gaumer, deputy director of communications for the National Park Service, said he’s not sure how Yellowstone, for example, or any other unit of the Park Service would handle the Real ID program.

.. Bison don't meet criteria for listing -

The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has concluded that a petition to list the Yellowstone National Park (YNP) bison herd as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) does not provide substantial scientific or commercial information to indicate listing may be warranted at this time.

.. Brief rains help firefighters -

Monday’s cooler temperatures and scattered rain gave firefighters the edge they need on several Montana fires, including the Jocko Lakes fire burning near Seeley Lake and the Black Cat fire burning northwest of Missoula.

Some Local, Some Other - News

OF CALENDARS AND YELLOWSTONE
Comment Period Over - Wolves Still News
make wolves and bears 'trust fund babies?'
where's the BFC when you really need them?

.. There is a new West Yellowstone Community Calendar & Forum. This new site is sponsored by the Madison Arm Resort & Bodhi Trading.
.. Community events are featured on a Google calendar and the forum is open to the public for messages, political comments, park events, and other categories.
.. There is also a new National Park Service Calendar. According to the NPS DIGEST Daily Headlines, the park events site has been launched. This is entitled "National Parks: The Place to Be for Family Fun - 2007-"
.. This site allows visitors to click on an NPS region and view the calendar of events for that region. It also allows all events to be viewed at once if the visitor chooses. The calendar site also includes links to: Entrance Pass Information, Campground Reservations, Recreation.gov, and NPS.gov.

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.. John Daly reminds us that there are a large number of concerned scientists that are vocal about the delisting of wolves:

"It used to be that I had faith that the scientists at the Fish and Wildlife Service did a good job, and that the agency reported their conclusions fairly. Now I wonder whether the Bush administration is overriding scientific judgments in order to please a conservative constituency in the West. JAD"

.. Mathew Brown of the AP reports about the consideration of a federally funded trust fund to help states with the newly delisted Grizzly & Wolf. See comments by Ralph Maughn and others.

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.. With all the hubub and hubub about the poor buffalo and their defenders, we wonder why they let the buffalo roam on the airport runways in West Yellowstone. Certainly removing these dangerous impediments to aviation should be a priority of people who truly care about the dumb beasts.
.. Would hazing the bison from this area in order to potentially save human life be in conflict with the bleeding hearts and foreheads of these publicity seekers?

Of Bears, Wolves, Elk, & Plastic Bison

BEARS ON THE RUN
Wolves Causing Stir
bison in fiberglass

.. Tomorrow, (Monday, April 30, 2007,) is the last day for Grizzly Bears on the endangered species list in the Yellowstone region. Already a lawsuit is being drafted. LINK.
.. Montana Officials say that they will stop monitoring grizzly bear activity in NW Montana unless federal agencies pay for the program. LINK.
.. Visit Yellowstone To Yukon to see where grizzlies can live in the proposed corridor of this conservation effort.
.. Wolves too, are now a different class of animals and, parallel to the grizzlies are much maligned and hated. The situation becomes one of human adaptation as well as animal adaptation. See the story in CDA Press.com for an interesting Idaho perspective.
.. Elk & Bison both carry brucellosis into Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. This is becoming a real point of contention between Yellowstone National Park and the states and other federal agencies. The rift in approach to controlling and eradicating the disease is detailed in a story by BRODIE FARQUHAR in the Casper Star Tribune.
.. West Yellowstone has a different perspective on bison, and is painting a herd of plastic buffalo to attract visitors. It seems that real bison are just not enough for the merchants of snowmobile central. This is just one more illustration of the mentality of this tiny tourist trap.

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.. Plan now - do it now! For just $2,600 - or more, (no air fare,) you too can enjoy Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Link. Link.

Spring News Briefs

IT'S WARMING UP IN YELLOWSTONE

nps photo

Grizzly Delisted: N.Y. Times, Ralph Maughan, Ralph Maughan, National Parks Traveler, USA Today, Environmental News Network, Chicago Tribune, Local News 8, Denver Post,

East Entrance Access: New West, Yellowstone National Park (PDF), Yellowstone National Park (PDF), Ralph Maughan, Helena Independent Record, Cody Enterprise,

Bison Debate: Local News 8, KIDK News, KTVB News, National Parks Traveler, The Westerner, Casper Star Tribune, The Westerner,

Snowmobiles: Casper Star Tribune Net, Local News 8,

Wolves: Standard Net, Seattle Post Intelligencer, But That's Just My Opinion, C/NEWS, Casper Star Tribune, Black Bear Blog,

Global Warming: CAUSED BY TOURISTS !!!!

Global Warming: A Silver Lining ?

NOW WE NEED THE WHOLE STORY

.. The news media and the blogsphere have masticated the first blush report on Global Warming from the IPCC. The warnings are dire, and that may be a sugar-coated view.
.. National Parks Traveler has a peek into what the future may hold for the parks. A Step Apart has a bit more detailed view that details Yellowstone's possible future. All the major on-line sources are atwitter with the news, and there's no need to list links here.
.. There may be good news in all of this: genetic diversity. In September, 2004, Stanford University reported on research that they had been conducting in Yellowstone's Lamar Cave near Cooke City, Montana. The research entailed excavating a 30-foot deep rodent midden and identifying the remains. The pocket gopher and the Montane vole were the focus of the research. It took over seven years just to excavate the midden.
.. The results suggest that global warming contributes to genetic diversity. And the inference for today is that genetic diversity will prove to be adaptive during the stress of climate change. We wonder if the current buffalo herd is showing this as well? The elk? The wolves? The pines? The firs? The rangers?

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.. Interesting Reading:
- Stanford Research - report of findings,
- Science Blog - report of findings,
- Do Genes Respond to Global Warming? -- PLoS Scientific report,
- Holocene Climatic Optimum - Wikipedia,
- World Temperature Record - Wikipedia,
- Paleoclimatology - Wikipedia.

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.. Besides real estate speculation for ocean front property, we wonder what else we've missed in the rush to doom? After all, similar events about 6,000 years ago may have given rise to the socio-cultural structures that produced the phenomenon in the first place.

Hear All About It

A GUILTY PLEASURE
a treaty kept

.. As Jeff Brady says: "At Yellowstone National Park, managers will soon decide whether to continue to allow snowmobiles. Meanwhile, a ride through the snowy expanses of the park remains a decadent thrill."
.. In keeping with an 1855 treaty the Nez Perce may take 50 to 70 bison in a hunt this year. The AP Story notes: "Only six bison were taken last year during a limited "youth hunt." The hunt now is being opened to all Nez Perce members. This year's hunt began last weekend and four bison have been taken so far. The Nez Perce Tribe Fish and Wildlife Commission has also issued five permits for elk. Nez Perce Chairman Rebecca Miles sent a letter to Montana officials earlier this month, saying moose, bighorn sheep, mountain goats and antelope might also be taken.But commission member Joseph Oatman says the harvest of those species is on hold until the tribe can talk with Montana wildlife officials about how many of those animals can be killed without impacting the species' populations. He said it is possible none will be taken this year."

Bison At Nez Perce Creek
NPS PHOTO

Yellowstone's Winter Wordland

WINTER BRINGS WORDS

There's Much News Hereabouts

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Snowmobiles Continue To Make News

L.A. Times favors snowmobile ban.
Montana Standard Echos L.A. Times.
Even Aussies want 'em gone.
Some like them.
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Bison Get Top Billing Elsewhere

Missoulian reports escape from capture facility.
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Idaho Elk Fiasco Continues

Hybrids (red deer x elk) to invade Yellowstone?
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Bear Delisting Noted In Chicago

Chicago Tribune - good straight story.
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New West Leads The Charge

Real reason parks in decline.
Cabela's coming to Montana.
Sometimes it's O.K. to break the law, (truth in parables.)
Other reasons parks in decline.
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Ancillary Notes

Deny Yellowstone access from the east entrance?
Yellowstone returns skull.
Ancient court room rules Yellowstone.
Explosions vs. eruptions - new USGS proposals.
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It's About Time Department

A peoples history of Yellowstone?
See, also: Yellowstone Newspaper.

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Bison & Snowmobiles In The News

RANGERS PASS BISON IN YELLOWSTONE

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.. With the advent of winter in Yellowstone Country there is one guarantee: news stories of Bison and Snowmobiles will appear as rapidly as acorns dropping from a tree. The droppings have started early this year.
.. The Montana Bison Hunt opens on Wednesday. Although the state has issued 140 tags, the hunt will not, (even if all 140 are filled,) significantly affect the herd. The bison have returned from last years thinning and control efforts to the point where there are more now than the year before.
.. Recent figures show that snowmobile visitation in Yellowstone is down. With a cap of 720 sleds/day - the park is seeing only about 250/day. There is no clear explanation for the drop as noted in an article in the Star Tribune. This was also mentioned in New West.
.. The debate about snowmobiles started early this year. Several blogs and op-ed pieces have already hit the electronic media. Look for CNN to jump on the band wagon soon.
--- Yellowstone Newspaper has a synopsis of the stories,
--- So does Yellowstone Newspaper Briefs,
--- Several opinion pieces have appeared in "A Step Apart," a West Yellowstone Blog:
Honesty in Snowmobile Debate, The Testosterone Bloggers, YELLOWSTONE - A Commercial Wonderland, I Whine Therefore I'm Right. The pictures painted by the author of this blog are not pretty in terms of the long-term visitor experience.
--- The recent changes in Washington, D.C. have been commented on by Jim Macdonald in his blog "Jim's Eclectic World." Check the post entitled "No Radical New Wind In Yellowstone."

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Yellowstone's Bears, Bison, Wolves, & Rich People

BEARS POPULATION EXPLODING
BISON HAVE RICH FRIENDS
Yellowstone can be bought - Yosemite can't
WOLVES EAT BEEF
Yellowstone is now 100% commercialized in winter!

.. Just because Yellowstone slammed shut it's doors to prepare for 100% commercial tours in the winter, doesn't mean there's no news.

.. Wolves kill elk on steps of Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel.
.. 108 luxury cabins planned for Yosemite stifled by judge.
.. Wolves solidifying gained ground - disperse slowly.
.. Tester vs. Burns - Stay tuned!
.. Grizzlies off threatened list?
.. The joys of shoulder seasons past and present.
.. Tourism gaining ground.
.. Kobuck the bear - trash can tester.
.. Wolf conservation vs. wolf control.
.. Patagonia Loves Bison Billboards.

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Yellowstone's Quagmire

nps photo

WHAT'S IMPORTANT ANYWAY ??

-The National Park Service, in general, and Yellowstone National Park, in particular, have failed in one of their most important missions: EDUCATION. Specifically education about the parks and their origins, and their reasons for existence.
- Popular, idiomatic speech, has clouded their thinking. Bribes from 'do-gooding' rich folks have twisted their priorities. Management by litigation has destroyed their perspective.
- The very vocabulary of the popular press, (Newspapers, TV, Weblogs, etc.) includes such words as tragedy, disaster, rampage, etc. when referring to the natural processes that are, (and have been,) responsible for the very parks that we call wonders.
- Fires, Floods, Glaciations, Erosion, Earthquakes, and the whole complement of natural processes that produce the parks are decried as terrible occurrences by the public - and sadly by the NPS & Yellowstone, as well.
- The tragedy is that the public believes that Roads, Fancy Hotels, Visitor Centers, Trinket Shops, RV Parks, Yacht Marinas, and the rest of the built environment is what the parks are about - and - these things are perceived as equally important as the natural features of the parks.
- It seems impossible, (in the popular mind,) to separate a stay at the Old Faithful Inn from a perfect visit to Yellowstone. The same can be said for other parks such as Yosemite. Yet, truth be told, these ephemeral structures will be long gone while the wonders of these places continue to change and evolve.
- Education of the public is mandatory if the NPS is going to get it's house in order. Money is tight and promises to get tighter. Visitation is down and promises to fall even more. Infrastructure is rotting and crumbling - so much the better; get rid of it.
.. The parks are not about weekend revels in a $70,000.oo motor home. They are not about the sumptuous meals at a given dining room. They are not about palatial surroundings in historic buildings. They are about the way that the natural world has conspired to produce beauty and majesty.
- The blinders worn by do-gooders allow them to believe that edifices are somehow comparable to the surroundings - get real. Fire must be suppressed, (or it might destroy a fancy old building,) rivers must be returned to their beds, (or they might destroy roads,) hot spring run-off must be diverted, (or it'll cover up a structure built in the 50's.) This attitude is called NIMP - Not In My Park. It's endemic in the popular mind, and growing in the NPS. Let nature take it's course elsewhere but - NIMP!
- Fires, Floods, Glaciations, Wind, Rain, Sun, Run-Off, Explosions, Poison Gas, etc. should be celebrated. There is no way to curtail these forces and in the same breath call the parks "wilderness," "natural," or "wild." The corollary attitude is that since we protect the elk and bison to the point of danger, we should also protect every tree.
- The public wants Disney World! The NPS, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN; and the rest of the popular press want to deliver it.
- If the political system that governs our country is valid, then soon the populist perception will become the policy of the NPS. So be it; but do not, then, decry in the same breath, the vanishing 'wilderness' experience. Unless, of course, the public becomes educated - and still wants Disney World.
- Read carefully the news presentations and commentaries for the subtle tyranny that words work on the concept of our parks. Development is viewed by the NPS as vital. They are busy transforming the interior of the parks into the same kind of tourist slums that are represented by the 'gateway' villages.
- They are terrified of refusing millions of dollars - lest they offend Conoco, or Westinghouse, or Casio. So buildings are built that stress the skinny budgets. This is called improvement - not impact, or it's 'acceptable impact." Maybe Conoco needs educating too.
- We want it both ways. Drive to the park, call the roads access not impacts. Call the hotels accommodations not impacts. Call the sewage treatment plants infrastructure not impacts. Call the parking lots necessary not impacts. The first rule of access is impact. No cute rationalization removes it. It can be large or small; terrible or benign, but it is impact.
- Now we have the interesting phrase of "Acceptable Impact." Of course the acceptability of any impact is culturally determined. If the culture continues to want their parks served up with a dose of cute hotels, fancy parking spots, developed campsites, etc. the range of "Acceptable Impacts" will grow.
- Climb in your Sabru, drive to a park, sleep in a fancy hotel, eat a gourmet meal, flush the meal, visit an air conditioned visitor center, watch a movie about the park, decry the fires of '88, and call yourself environmentally friendly. After all you just "DID YELLOWSTONE." And the NPS helped.