Native Fish Conservation

20 YEAR EFFORT

Comment Now

no whiners

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.. The NATIVE FISH CONSERVATION PLAN is designed as a major effort to respond to the diminished stocks of native fish in Yellowstone National Park.
.. The Environmental Assessment is now open for public comment.

.. Mark your calendars; only two public meetings are scheduled:

* Bozeman, Montana: January 5th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Comfort Inn, 1 370 North 7th Avenue
* Cody, Wyoming: January 6th from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Holiday Inn, 1701 Sheridan Avenue.

.. Written comments may be submitted through the project web site, in person, by mail, or at either of the scheduled public meetings. Comments will not be accepted by phone, fax, or e-mail. All public comments must be received or postmarked by midnight, January 31, 2011.
..  Here are the important Links:
==> Project Home Page,
==> Project Plan Process,
==> Meeting Notices,
==> Project Links,
==> Document List,
==> Comment Form.

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.. The scoping meeting in West Yellowstone last April was poorly attended. No feather merchants were present, one local guide was present, and a handful of concerned fishers attended.
.. Input by these few interested parties helped shape the current document that is now open for review.
.. The EA addresses Lake Trout in Yellowstone Lake, other invasive species throughout the rivers in the park, the effects of climate change on native species, and disease.
.. Conservation efforts addressed include: increased gill netting in Yellowstone Lake, establishing barriers and weirs, removing non native species, restoring native populations, and a host of other actions including poisoning fish populations.
.. The key concept is conservation. The actions taken to implement this can be extensive, varied, and vast.
.. It's important that input at this time be concise, reasoned and rational. It will help steer the project and will certainly affect the fishscape of the future.
.. Please understand that, at base, this addresses the question of "What Is The Purpose Of Yellowstone National Park." Several guides have remarked that it does no good to replace one trout with another. They are just concerned with catching any fish.

.. Many guides and fishers of the park will be voicing opinions that catching fish, (the more - the better,) is what the park should provide.
.. There are others that feel it's important to remove all invasive species such as Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout and Brook Trout to foster the recovery of native Cutthroat Trout & Grayling(?).
.. Many feather merchants feel that the role of Yellowstone National Park is to provide fishing opportunities for recreational fishing, (and an economic base for their enterprise.)
.. Some conservationists believe that the only way to enable preservation of native fish is to "restore" the park to "natural" conditions, including removal all planted stocks of fish, (which is a large segment of the current fishable populations.)
.. Definition of terms and concepts will be argued and explored at the public meetings and in the submitted comments. Many oxen could be gored by this project.

.. The subtext of comments will be interesting to observe, as will the rationale behind the proposed actions in those comments.
.. Some fishers of Yellowstone have opined that since Brown Trout have been in the rivers for over 100 years that they are "native."
.. Does that make Lake Trout native if they survive another 70 years?
.. In another 100 years what will the descendants of those fishers say about Rock Snot, New Zealand Mud Snails, and other yet unforeseen invasive species?

.. As the waters warm will we see Yellowstone become a trophy fishery for Carp and Chubs and Largemouth Bass?
.. What will happen if some fool decides to dump Northern Pike or Muskellunge or Lake Trout in Hebgen Reservoir, right at Yellowstone's door?
.. Your input is necessary for the decision making process. We're talking about the future and how history will view the legacy that we leave.
.. Make no mistake about it, this is a significant project. It will last for 20 years, (1/5 of the next 100 years.) It will significantly affect the definition of Yellowstone National Park and it's role in species conservation and recovery.
.. It will also determine who fishes where and for what in the park. It is an historic effort that demands you input and your concern for how Yellowstone is defined: a fun and profitable fishery for visitors seeking "non-native," invasive trout or a refuge for indigenous species - or both.

That's A Hot Name

OUT OF THE PAST

"Bear With Me"

.. Via National Parks Traveler, comes this YouTube gem. 'Them Were the days.'

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Ten Year Visit

BAEZ TO PERFORM IN BOZEMAN

Get Your Tickets Friday

Only 700 Seats

.. After a 10 year absence, Joan Baez will return to Bozeman, Montana. The March concert will be held in the 720-seat auditorium in the Emerson Center for Arts and Culture.
.. Tickets go on sale Friday at 10:00 AM. {LINK}

Under The Radar ?

HARMONIC TREMORS
HIDE METHANE NEWS

How Much Earth Shaking In Extraction ?

.. The hubub of the earthquake swarm in Yellowstone National Park has overshadowed the recent Bush decision that allows the possibility of over 18,000 natural gas wells in the Powder River Basin, (AP Story.)
.. This is a concern to the residents and others. Water, surface, geothermal, and other concerns are beginning to be focused on.
.. STAY TUNED.

Hungry

BEARS EAT TWO HUMANS

Kamchatka Fish Poaching Blamed

.. Via Moldy Chum: The Guardian.co.uk reports that two mine workers were killed and eaten by hungry bears.

MONEY QUOTE:

Up to 30 hungry and desperate bears have attacked and eaten two men in Russia's wild far eastern region of Kamchatka, and have trapped a group of geologists at their remote site.
The bears - apparently starving - killed the men last Thursday, Russian agencies reported. The bears had surrounded a local platinum mining company. Both victims worked at the mine as security guards.
About 400 geologists and miners are now refusing to return to work, afraid of further attacks. Attempts by local officials to fly to the scene by helicopter and shoot the bears have so far failed, because of bad weather, agencies reported.

.. With the rapidly disappearing Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout and the increasing bear population in central Yellowstone, we wonder if this is a situation soon to be faced in our nation's first park?

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.

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!

DOANE AGAIN

KIM READS
Commercialism Creeps
old faithful steams

<<-- Kim Allen Scott will read from his book on Doane, “Yellowstone Denied,” at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27 at the Pioneer Museum in Bozeman. As previously noted, Gustavus Cheyney Doane was a soldier, inventor, author and explorer who felt he should be famous for "discovering" Yellowstone National Park and wealthy from one of his inventions.
.. Montana State University has finally issued a news release about this fascinating saga of the man and his obscurity - aided, interestingly, by a selfish, (or preoccupied historian.) The book is an interesting compilation, the story is even better.
.. The book is getting the good play that it deserves, including another note in the Helena Independent Record. If you're in Bozeman this Saturday stop at the museum and give a listen.

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.. Montana State University has a couple of employees who will be evaluating the "Windows Into Wonderland" series about Yellowstone National Park. The award winning series of electronic field trips has attracted millions of visitors and details a wide range of Yellowstone's various features and attractions.

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.. We noticed an interesting essay about commercialization, American values, and our national parks in Jim's Eclectic World. One point in the essay is very apparent in Yellowstone National Park -- CREEPING COMMERCIALISM.
.. As we've noted before, (here & here & here,) there are major corporations spending a lot of money to get their name associated with Yellowstone. The "Windows Into Wonderland" series mentioned is just one of them.
.. Via The Yellowstone Newspaper we were directed to a not so playful spoof of the future of Yellowstone in A Step Apart.
.. A pair of notes serve to illustrate the way this is working. WebWire has a note about how Canon is persistently pushing itself into Yellowstone. And the CSRWire has a note about how Toyota is doing the same thing.
.. This should not be too surprising in that the very origin of Yellowstone was fostered by the commercial interests of the Northern Pacific Railroad. An excellent review of Berringer's book "Selling Of Yellowstone: Capitalism & The Construction Of Nature" can be found HERE.

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.. There are two articles addressing the declining attendance at our national parks. The site Inside Bay Area.com lets us know that Yosemite is busy competing with Play Station & X Box. And over at Hotel Online, a similar note suggests that the decline is not all bad.

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.. The Voice Of America reports that one of the alternative energy sources we should be utilizing is geothermal power. So to does ARS Technica. No mention was made of the Iceland fiasco that destroyed much of the beauty of their geyser fields for steam heat.

Blind Cougars

STD's TO BLAME?
Bison vs. Elk
new bureaucrats

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.. Last year we posted a note about Yellowstone Cougars with bubonic plague. Now we note that just a few hundred miles to the east of Yellowstone National Park blind cougars have been found. The cause of the malady may be the STD CHLAMYDIA.
.. Researchers in South Dakota are examining two blind cougars to verify the suspicion that sex causes blindness.
.. Dear Old Dad warned us of a similar human condition.

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.. Bison are competing with elk in a serious way on the National Elk Refuge south of Yellowstone National Park. Biologists are concerned that the range is being hammered beyond repair.
.. There are ". . . way too many bison," according to Doug Brimeyer, wildlife biologist for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department in Jackson.
.. An EIS is currently being prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife service to examine the situation and hunting as a means of control. An article in the Casper Star Tribune details the current situation.

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Yellowstone National Park has found the resources for two Deputy Superintendents.

<<-- Christine Lehnertz will be D.S. for resource management and business practices.

Colin Campbell will be D.S. for ranger operations and facilities management. -->>

The NPS Press Release details some of their qualifications and backgrounds.

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OIL DRILLING IN IDAHO ?

.. This Quote from MidCurrent says it all:
"After the U.S. Congress loosened controls on oil and gas drilling on public lands in 2005, the price of oil encouraged the Forest Service to open more national forests to exploration -- meaning more roads and test wells in areas previously considered unsuitable for drilling. "The U.S. Forest Service is drafting a plan to lease areas of the Caribou National Forest and Curlew National Grassland along Idaho's southeastern border for oil and gas exploration." Jesse Harlan Alderman of the Associated Press."
.. The Daily Herald article gives us the details. The energy crush is bringing exploration closer to Yellowstone National Park all the time.

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

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.. 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)

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WOLF AWARENESS WEEK

OCT. 15 - 21, Wolf Awareness Week

HUG A WOLF TODAY

Get all annual wolf reports for Yellowstone in PDF format HERE.

-- LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION --

International Wolf Center
Wolf Park
Yellowstone Wolf Tracker
Grizzly Discovery Center
Mission: Wolf
Wolf Education & Research Center
The International Wolf Center
Behavior, Evolution, Ecology of Wolves

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone Association Institute Yellowstone's partner in education since 1933 Yellowstone Park Foundation Dedicated to the protection and preservation of Yellowstone National Park Greater Yellowstone Coalition Doing much to keep the Yellowstone ecosystem stitched together Yellowstone Ecological Research Center Pioneering research in the Yellowstone ecosystem Wonders of Nature Images and stories from Yellowstone Park area including wolves, elk, scenery, and other wildlife Wolf Information & Organizations Defenders of Wildlife Leaders in wolf recovery and keepers of the livestock depredation compensation fund Ralph Maughan's Wolf Report up-to-date, detailed information on wolf recovery issues in the west, bison controversy, and other conservation issues. Yellowstone Wolf Project Report the National Park Service's report on wolves in the park U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service government reports on wolf recovery throughout the United States Southern Rockies Wolf Restoration Project a coalition of regional and national conservation organizations with one mission: ensuring the restoration of wolves to their ecological role in the Southern Rocky Mountains Das Wolf Magazin geht online ! Germany's voice for wolves in print and online The Wolf Recovery Foundation the first organization in Idaho completely dedicated to the restoration of wolves in the Rockies. Timber Wolf Alliance The Timber Wolf Alliance promotes and assists in achieving a sustainable population of wolves through public education in the western Great Lakes region with special emphasis in the Lake Superior basin. Wolf Clan of North America CLAN is the first and only organization in Quebec dedicated to protecting wolves. CLAN's objective is to expose the many aberrations and injustices surrounding the trapping of wolves and other animal species by trappers in Quebec’s wildlife reserves. TwoSocks supports the non-profit efforts of individuals, groups and associations which protect and preserve the habitat and future of wild wolves The Wolf Society of Great Britain Helping wolves in Europe through progressive means to build economies based on sustaining natural resources. Wolves and other Carnivores of Norway The Norwegian Carnivore and Raptor Society post information about the on-going plight of wolves in Norway. The Wolves Ontario! Project Created due to the dire situation facing wolves in Ontario, Canada. Wolf and Woods of Minnesota a collection of photos, books, videos and stories about one of my favorite subjects: the wolves and woods of northern Minnesota.

The Best Time For Yellowstone

VISIT NOW,
EVERYTHING'S CLOSED!

-- The official Yellowstone 'end of season' press release has a maudlin tone that suggests that the Yellowstone Experience has ended with the closing of trinket shops, gas stations, hotels, dining rooms, and the other non-wilderness accoutrement's of the park. Sad if you want your park on a platter. Less sad if you enjoy the place without traffic jams, idiot bicyclists, and waiting at an entrance station for the tour buses to get counted.

-- The road closure schedule is found HERE. A guide for winter planning is found HERE. It's good to plan ahead.

-- The continuing saga of elk escaping from game farms continues. A second escapee from a private hunting preserve in Idaho has caused some real soul searching. The intermarriage of 'hunting' elk and 'park' elk poses some concern about mixed up genes. It seems that domesticated parks and domesticated hunting is the National Trend. You can read about it in the Helena Independent Record.

-- A reevaluation of avalanche control has been completed and Yellowstone will change it's operating strategy for this procedure. As we noted previously, artillery is dangerous because of the residual unexploded shells. Controversy surrounds the new plan, and some see it as just one more example of GOVERNMENT PORK, in a time of dwindling budgets - according to the Missoulian. The AP story is rather straight forward, and the Helena Independent Record seems to favor it.

-- Back in May we reported on the Yellowstone Wolverine Study. It now seems that the little rascals may be getting a thorough review for listing as endangered. So little is known about these secretive animals that even counting them is difficult. The Lee News Service has an interesting article about the current state of affairs.

-- An encapsulated note in the Montana Standard details the status of large predators in our region. The perspective is interesting because it points out the amount of space needed for these animals. Most apropos of the topic is the fact that the population of the United States will reach 300,000,000 by sometime on Tuesday. This places us in third place - right behind China and India - "GO BREEDERS!"

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.