The Sky Is Falling - Finally

WIDESPREAD RAINS DAMPEN FIRES

Can It Really Be September ?
winter use plans revealed

.. An article in New West by Mathew Frank details the current fires in Montana. The article also details a list of fire resources and updates for the western United States.
.. Yellowstone National Park has some fires still burning and uncontained, (see InciWeb 1 & 2,) and the park administration plans to start some more to keep company with the newly discovered backcountry fire. Illegal morel hunting should be good around Norris next year.

=====================

.. A YNP press release lets us know that the Winter Use Planning Documents have been released. All current Winter Use Technical Documents are POSTED HERE.

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

The new documents are:

-- Natural Soundscape Monitoring draft report (PDF),

"Although on average snowmobiles were audible for more time than snowcoaches, snowcoaches in general had higher sound levels, especially at higher speeds."

-- Final Air Quality Modeling Report (PDF)

"the earlier modeling scenarios only included in-bound traffic within Yellowstone and did not include traffic exiting the park (i.e., return trips were not “counted” by the previous modeling as traveling on road segments a second time). Since this potentially excluded a substantial amount of traffic, this was corrected in the update and the latest travel factor spreadsheets include both in-bound and out-bound trips for all alternatives."

.
-- Winter Air Quality Study from this past season (PDF),

"The winter of 2006-2007 had CO values that were nearly the same as the last few years. The maximum hourly CO at the West Entrance was slightly higher but the longer averages of 8-hours and for the season were down."

.
.. A complete review of the air quality can also be found at the NPS site NATURE & SCIENCE.
-- Bison & Plowed Roads (PDF - 2005)

"Collaboration is necessary to define what is acceptable;
science is necessary to define what is possible;
organizing people to use knowledge to design and implement
management in the face of uncertainty is fundamental."

.. The battle of the electronic postcard is being won by opponents of snowmobiles! - reported by Scott McMillion in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

THE ROAR OF SILENCE

As Goes Yellowstone So Goes The NPS

.. Get right over to National Parks Traveler. Read the post. Read, also: 17 year silence spoke volumes, and Snow Job.
.. The health of the National Parks is at stake. Then, with an open and honest mind, review the noise at places like the Grand Canyon, and other "summer" parks that attract motorcycle riders.
.. The rationalization of cyclists are just the same as sledheads. Perhaps it's time to remove all recreational transportation from our parks. Public transportation should expand in "Winter's Yellowstone." Also in the summer. And too, at the Grand Canyon. And, for that matter, all national parks.
.. Remember, the health of the parks and their employees is at stake!

Rave Reviews From Complimentary Trips

THE JOY IS OVERWHELMING WHEN IT'S FREE
There's No Joy At Pahaska Tepee
there's less joy at the epa
Librarian Write Book About Discovery

.. It's an annual occurance. In this town it's called "Manipulate The Press."
.. Now that the press is getting it's free tours in Yellowstone the praise is flowing like heated maple syrup. As snowcoach operators load their antique vehicles with rich tourists and the fifth estate there is a flood of "positive" articles overwhelming the media.
.. Watch for even more to come. The Bozeman Chronicle is getting their free tour as you read this. There will be waxing poetic and joy will abound. Praise will gush and all will be right with the world.

Here are things to watch for as you read between the lines:
-- The windows fogged up so bad that the park couldn't be seen.
-- The heater was so bad that we had to wrap ourselves in blankets.
-- The bus was so noisy that I needed Excedrin.
-- The guides were sweet and nice (because they work for tips.)
-- They said it was too cold to get out of the bus.
-- We saw many other people at the same places we stopped.
-- The experience was wonderful, (after all it was free.)
-- We bounced around so much my bladder burst.
-- The guides are so smart; they took us to the exact places they wanted to go.

.. Some glowing reports have already started to emerge:
NBC News, Idaho: "You got to see wildlife, and you were inside, so you were warm. It was a little noisy, but other than that, cool!"
NBC News, Idaho: "Park activities like ice skating and cross country skiing were cancelled for some of the day because of a severe cold weather advisory."
Crosswalk: "Yes, just as I stood and waited in awe for Old Faithful in Yellowstone National Park, I will wait in anticipation for God to show Himself faithful in my life."

_________________

.. National Public Radio has tried to play the story straight, and done a pretty good job of it. But, then again, they went to the park for free in a bus. And they might have gotten their facts a bit mixed up because they were whispering all the time.
.. The EPA has suggested that the National Park Service is ignoring their own guidelines with their current thinking. The EPA only reviewed the current draft - the one that refused to consider the unsafe modes of transportation. Read about it in the Billings Gazette.

_________________

.. Kim Allen Scott, special collections librarian at Montana State University’s Renne Library, has written a book about Gustavus Doane who was a soldier, inventor, author and explorer & felt he should be famous for “discovering” Yellowstone National Park. Perhaps his time has come. Read the story HERE. Read the NPS version HERE.

IT'S HIT THE FAN

IF YOU CARE IT'S GOING TO COST YOU
Time, Effort, & Computer Paper
it's not as simple as just snowmobiles

_____________________

.. Well the continuing debate is heating up. Yellowstone National Park has just released the Draft Winter Use Environmental Impact Statement. And it would seem that, (on first blush,) the snowmobile is the way to go. However, it's not that simple. If you intend to address this debate there is a wealth of information to digest before you jump into the fray. And it's not just about snowmobiles.
.. It's about the visitor experience. It's about the bison. It's about "BAT" (Best Available Technology.) And, it's about the future of the resource preservation in Yellowstone.
.. Unless you let others speak for you, (usually a very bad idea,) you will need the following for minimal information.

DEBATE RESOURCES:
Draft EIS,
Ecology Of Bison Movements.
Winter Use Technical Documents,
Winter Air Quality Summary,
The Yellowstone Geoecosystem.

.. These will get you started. There are facts and figures and results that are seldom discussed and paint a far more complex picture than the simple minded debate about snowmobiles only. There are going to be public meetings that require your attendance. There will be comments to be made. and, there are letters to be written.
.. It is important to understand the complete process and the available facts before you begin to participate. One of the crucial elements of evaluating public comments is if they are specific and address the known facts. Just the simple concern about pollution is not enough. Just the simple complaint against snowmobiles is not enough.
.. This is why the public sentiment and many comments are not viewed as a vote. They are usually ill informed and express emotional sentiments instead of reasoned arguments. We should have learned, as children, that we don't usually get our own way by just crying. And despite their own feelings, the NPS staff must confront the data and not just the crying.
.. Here are some things to keep in mind as you join the battle to save the multiple resources that comprise the wonderland of Yellowstone.
---- "Winter monitoring data from two locations in the park show that under the current Winter Use Plan, air quality has improved; concentrations of both carbon monoxide and particulate matter have decreased considerably."(LINK)
---- "The reduction in snowmobile traffic is the primary reason for improvements in air quality, but the cleaner 4-stroke engines that are now required and weather have also played a role."(LINK)
---- "As snowmobiles have gotten cleaner, the emissions from the snowcoaches have come under closer scrutiny. Direct measurements of snowcoach emissions by the University of Denver have shown that on a per-passenger basis the average emissions from snowcoaches are about the same as the cleaner 4-stroke engine snowmobiles."(LINK)
---- "There have been no studies done on the effects of vehicle noise on the passengers of snow coaches. -- Not the vans, not the Bombardiers, not the buses."
---- "In one study, samples taken from the on-road snowpack near West Yellowstone, the most heavily traveled snowmobile route into the park, contained several varieties of PAHs and VOCs known to be major ingredients in two-stroke engine lubricants. Samples taken in Gallatin Canyon where there is car traffic but no snowmobiles did not contain these compounds."(LINK)
---- "Although the park proposes a total of 720 snowmobile/day be granted entrance, it should be noted that seldom does the number reach 300/day." (260/day is the average)
---- "At the present time, there are two relatively separate subpopulations [of bison], one on the Northern Range and the other on the Central Range. Some exchange occurs via the Mirror Plateau. In recent years, there have been major migrations from the Central Range to Gardiner basin via the road allowance between Madison Junction and Swan Lake Flats. This migratory pattern would not likely have developed in the absence of the groomed road through the Gibbon Canyon."(LINK)
.."Ultimately, the fundamental question is this: Is the park a place which is meant to “conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein,” as stated in the Organic Act of 1916, or is it “a public park or pleasuring ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people," as stated in the 1872 dedication of Yellowstone as the world's first national park?"(LINK)

.

Much Ado About Something

SNOWMOBILES - THE ONLY PROBLEM?

.................

.. Well it seems that it didn't take long for the snowmobile issue to hit the news and the blogs. Once the snow flies, the discussion, (argument?) continues. We notice that the Coalition of National Park Service Retirees has jumped into the lead on reviewing the latest reports to come from the National Park Service.
.. The National Parks Traveler has an excellent synopsis of the goings-on, as does the CNPSR Air Quality Press Release.
.. The air quality reports that are causing the stir are available at the Yellowstone Winter Use Documents page. It's worth requesting the large data files for the air quality modeling report.
.. The reports show a mixed bag of results that the combatants can point to with grins. However we discovered a blog that suggests that much of the wailing and screaming is just a cover-up for additional commercialization of Yellowstone.
.. We noted a few posts back that the distaff blog, A Step Apart was commenting on things Yellowstone. One thing that she notes is that all arguments stem from the, (not necessarily valid,) assumption that riding over the snow is necessary to a Yellowstone Winter experience.
.. Her blog has a series of posts that look not just at snowmobiles as a problem, but also at the rampant commercialization that Yellowstone is experiencing in the winter. Some of the posts have provocative titles, (e.g. The Testosterone Blogger, and The Sins Of Snowmobiles,) others are rather mundane. The series seems to be without end - stay tuned.

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

.. A couple of suspected outlaws have been caught and are awaiting trial for poaching an elk on Yellowstone's northern range.
.. The skimpy Yellowstone Park News Release gives little to go on for the moment. Nothing has been released since the pair's arraignment.
.. Every year poaching is a problem. It includes collecting antlers, and skeletal remains as well as killing animals.

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

.. We are pleased to report that the YELLOWSTONE NEWSPAPER is back in action. The revised format provides an excellent source for all things Yellowstone. The energy of this site is greatly appreciated. There is also a forum - it's in it's early stages; post your comments there. Thanks, Jim.

.

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

Thermophilic Algae

PARKS GET ROYALTIES ?

Voice Your Opinion
park camping down
yellowstone river
recycling.nps photo.

.. After over 15 years of poking around in Yellowstone's thermophiles, the government has decided to explore the ramifications of commercial exploitation of thermophilic bacteria. This has been expanded into a Draft Environmental Impact Statement for all of the National Parks. Not just the algae and bacteria of Yellowstone are addressed, (though they are the driving force,) but all of our park's resources are included in the EIS.
.. The National Park Service news release finally asks for public input. It's available HERE. It's reproduced below. The prefered alternative is:

"The preferred alternative would require researchers to enter into an agreement with the NPS before using their results for commercial purposes. Researchers would have to qualify under the strict standards for a park research permit before any discussion of a benefits-sharing agreement could begin. The agreement would require researchers to provide some benefit back to the park, such as staff training, new research equipment, royalties or money to be used to support resource conservation and management. Researchers would still be prohibited from selling specimens or samples collected in parks. Researchers would not be given any special privileges just because their research may result in a commercial application."

.. Yellowstone National Park is the lead agency in this review process, (as if they had so little to do already,) and the complete EIS information is available through the "Benefits Sharing DEIS Team, Yellowstone Center for Resources, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190." A Hard copy on CD is available.

NPS NEWS RELEASE

National Park Service News Release

For Immediate Release:
September 25, 2006
Contact(s): Al Nash, 307.344.2010

Gerry Gaumer, 202.208.6843

National Park Service Releases Draft Environmental Impact Statement On Benefits Sharing For Public Review

A Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) addressing whether the National Park Service (NPS) should benefit from commercial applications arising from research in the parks has been released for public review and comment.

The Servicewide Benefits Sharing Draft EIS addresses the occasional circumstance when researchers who analyze small genetic or biochemical samples discover commercially useful scientific information. The alternatives in the draft EIS do not change the way research permits are issued or the way research is conducted in the national parks. The alternatives only change the obligations some researchers would have to parks as a result of their use of the research.

The alternatives address whether the NPS should benefit in some way if the outcome of research conducted in the parks can be used for commercial purposes, known as benefits-sharing.

The preferred alternative would require researchers to enter into an agreement with the NPS before using their results for commercial purposes. Researchers would have to qualify under the strict standards for a park research permit before any discussion of a benefits-sharing agreement could begin. The agreement would require researchers to provide some benefit back to the park, such as staff training, new research equipment, royalties or money to be used to support resource conservation and management. Researchers would still be prohibited from selling specimens or samples collected in parks. Researchers would not be given any special privileges just because their research may result in a commercial application.

The Draft EIS and an electronic form to submit comments on the internet can be found at the National Park Service’s Planning, Environment and Public Comment (PEPC) website at http://parkplanning.nps.gov. You need to select “Washington Office” and then click on “Benefits Sharing”. The Draft EIS is also available on CD or in hard copy by writing the Benefits Sharing DEIS Team, Yellowstone Center for Resources, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.

Written comments may be submitted through the PEPC website, in person, or by mail. Comments will not be accepted over the phone, by fax, or e-mail. All public comments must be received or postmarked by midnight, December 15, 2006.

-www.nps.gov -

..
..nps photo..
_________________________

.."Let's face it: It's hard to protect the parks if no one is interested in them," said Park Service statistician Butch Street. This quote from a news story about why park attendance and camping is down. Read it HERE.

__________________

.. The Helena Independent Record reminds us of the Yellowstone River and its central role in Yellowstone. Read about it HERE.

__________

.. Recycling is a key topic in Yellowstone these days. "Five years ago, nearly 90 percent of the trash from Yellowstone's 3 million visitors each year found its way to the landfill. Now, about 65 percent of the trash is recycled." ''Twenty years ago, we were throwing everything in a garbage can and taking it to a landfill,'' said Steve Iobst, the park's chief of maintenance. ''That's not practicing what we preach.'' Read it HERE.