Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton

One of the most alarming developments in the Rockies this summer is that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has begun looking to the possibility of issuing permits for geothermal energy development. As the one of the most active geothermal hotspots on the planet, the area around Yellowstone would be a prime target. Such plans are nothing new, and were it not for the efforts of many judicious and preservation-minded individuals throughout the past 130 years, the mighty Yellowstone River would probably be dammed today and Old Faithful little more than a factory to convert steam into electricity. Indeed, one railroad executive in the park’s early days went as far as to propose that an electric railway be built in the park, to be powered by Upper and Lower falls on the Yellowstone River.

Is it possible that hydrothermal plants could be built safely and effectively on lands bordering the park? Perhaps, but how often do development plans like this go off without a hitch? Given the incredibly unpredictable nature of the plumbing underneath Yellowstone, tapping into the geothermal underpinnings could have literally catastrophic results, and once you get the ball rolling there’s no way to turn things around.

Anyone who’s visited Solitary Geyser on Geyser Hill above Old Faithful knows how even a small change can effect the park’s geothermal features. Henry Brothers, an early park entrepreneur, built the Brothers Bathhouse and Plunge by the Old Faithful Inn using thermal water from Solitary Geyser to fill a large swimming pool and a half-dozen smaller tubs. But once he tapped it, what was once a calm hot spring began erupting, and even though both the pipeline and pools are long gone, the geyser continues to erupt every few minutes. Now imagine an energy operation on a scale at least a hundred times larger, and virtually anything could happen. Old Faithful could go dormant, or it could blow through completely. Gem-like springs could run dry, while new hotspots could break through the ground elsewhere. There’s no good way of telling what might happen, which is reason enough to leave things alone at the world’s first national park.

Head here for a more in-depth look at this issue on the always fascinating National Parks Traveler.

Score a victory for the proponents of trophic cascade, one of many heavily debated ideas swirling around the still controversial re-introduction of wolves into Yellowstone. In short, the theory argues that as a key species in the overall ecosystem, the addition of wolves dramatically affects the entire bionetwork, creating a domino effect running from the largest megafauna to the smallest plants. Bear researchers, for example, are wrestling with the thought that with fresh elk carcasses now readily available throughout winter, grizzlies may curtail or even stop their hibernating entirely. But it’s the effect of wolves on elk behavior that holds the most possibility for change; as wary elk no longer graze as much in open riverbeds, this could allow willows to flourish instead of being grazed down. Increased willows would in turn attract birds, along with moose whose diet relies on the plant. Late last week, a study in the journal Biological Conservation claims that the return of wolves has allowed aspen trees to grow in places where they haven’t been seen in decades. With wolves on the prowl in the park’s northern reaches, wary elk no longer have the luxury of sitting out in the open, munching on young aspen shoots.

As quoted in a recent UPI story on the subject:

“This is really exciting, and it’s great news for Yellowstone,” said William Ripple, a professor in the Oregon State University College of Forestry. “We’ve seen some recovery of willows and cottonwood but this is the first time we can document significant aspen growth, a tree species in decline all over the West. We’ve waited a long time to see this but now we’re optimistic that things may be on the right track.”

While on a wolf watching tour last year, I was told by a local biologist that if the Yellowstone region were broken off into its own state, it would be declared the fastest growing region in the country. There’s no question that development and the rising cost of living is one of the most pressing issues in the region today, with new neighborhoods gobbling up land in Montana and Wyoming at an alarming rate. Obviously, this puts more of a squeeze on already stressed local wildlife – historic migrations routes get fenced off and foraging areas near the parks are transformed into golf courses and landscaped backyards. But many locals are also getting squeezed out, unable to afford the skyrocketing costs. Jackson is the poster child for the issue, where limited land – some 98 percent of Teton County is protected wilderness – and a fashionable zip code – the IRS lists the county as having the highest average individual income tax returns in the county – have combined to create a market that rivals Manhattan and San Francisco. A story in today’s Jackson Hole News & Guide highlights just how out of control things have gotten. The median home price in Jackson Hole now tops a whopping $1 million, a figure that has doubled in only four years. According to the story:

“The least expensive condo on the market as of July 1 was $512,500. At this time last year, it was $205,000… To qualify for a loan on the least expensive condo, a person or couple would need to earn $150,000 a year. To afford a property listed at the median price is even harder. To buy a $1 million property, a person or couple would need to earn about $250,000 to $300,000…”

Jobs paying that much are  certainly far and few between, leaving locals in the lurch as wealthy visitors scoop up everything from condos to mega mansions on converted ranchlands as their vacation homes. Save for house sitting for the mega-rich, the sole solution for many has been to move to nearby communities like Alpine and Driggs, but the same upswing has been occurring in these small towns as well. Unless something is done to increase the amount of affordable housing soon, it won’t be long until many long time locals are forced out of the area completely.

Cutthroat politics in Yellowstone

The Billings Gazette has just run an eye-opening story on the recent decline of both osprey and trumpeter swans in Yellowstone:

“Fish-eating ospreys are becoming rarer on Yellowstone Lake in Yellowstone National Park, mostly because of a drastic decline in native cutthroat trout.

Terry McEneaney, Yellowstone’s ornithologist, said only nine nesting pairs of ospreys were observed on the lake last year and that the population in that area appears to be declining “at a staggering rate.”

“I go out there and I see very few osprey anymore,” McEneaney said. “I used to see 20 or 30 in a day, and now I’m lucky to see a couple.”

Fire, particularly the blaze that wiped out most of the cover on Frank Island in the middle of Yellowstone Lake, has likely played a role. Still it’s the link to native cutthroat trout that raises the biggest concern, as osprey are far from the only species dependent on the native fish. Over 40 different mammals and birds, including bears, rely on the cutthroat as an important food source within Yellowstone. Unlike illegally introduced lake trout – a mortal danger to cutthroat in Yellowstone Lake — cutthroat spawn in the shallow waters of the Yellowstone River, where they can be readily hunted.

The decline in osprey could be a statistical blip, or could be a sign -– a larger canary in the coal mine, if you will – of things to come. And along with lake trout, another even less palatable villain has played a role in this impending disaster – none other than our vice president, Dick Cheney. If the above story is eye-opening, than the Washington Post’s recent series on Cheney can best be described as stomach churning.

In case after case, the veep has used his position to bully government officials – even going so far as to leave a message on voice mail of the 19th-ranking Interior Department official – into stalling legislation and to flippantly ignore the inconvenient principles of law and science to win a few votes:

“…Cheney made his environmental views clear in public. But with some notable exceptions, he generally has preferred to operate with stealth, aided by loyalists who owe him for their careers.

When the vice president got wind of a petition to list the cutthroat trout in Yellowstone National Park as a protected species, his office turned to one of his former congressional aides.

The aide, Paul Hoffman, landed his job as deputy assistant interior secretary for fish and wildlife after Cheney recommended him. In an interview, Hoffman said the vice president knew that listing the cutthroat trout would harm the recreational fishing industry in his home state of Wyoming and that he “followed the issue closely.” In 2001 and again in 2006, Hoffman’s agency declined to list the trout as threatened.”

The fight to protect cutthroat is certainly far from over, and with the current administrations time running out, perhaps better days are to come. To get involved, head to greateryellowstone.org – just one of several organizations trying to make a difference.

A story on wolverines in Yellowstone.

I just received my copy of the latest issue of Yellowstone Discovery, a quarterly publication put out by the Yellowstone Association. The cover story is an engrossing account on wolverines in Yellowstone, a rarely spotted creature describe by local biologist Kerry Murphy as “one of the world’s least understood carnivores.”

The entire story (by April Christofferson) can be found here, and it’s highly recommend reading.

Like most carnivores, misconceptions abound when it comes to the “skunk bear.” Long painted as ferocious and even demonic, until recently most human encounters with the elusive wolverine have been when they’ve been caught in painful leg-hold trap, with the wolverine cornered and literally fighting for its life. Even a domestic cat in such a situation would seem fierce. But recent studies of wolverines, which weigh from 20¬–30 pounds and live an average of 5–7 years in the wild, have shown them to be a surprisingly social animal, with males often circling back to pick up younger charges to teach them how to hunt and survive.  Incredibly mobile, a wolverine’s home range can reach 500 square miles, and the few wolverines that biologists have managed to successfully collar have shown that they are almost constantly on the move.  At the time of writing, three wolverines had been collared in the Yellowstone area – though they have proven adept at slipping their collars, and one previous male was killed by a trappers’ legally set trap (trapping remains legal in Montana).

A lawsuit to halt the de-listing of Yellowstone grizzlies has just been filed.

No one can argue that the primary goal for flora and fauna placed on the roster of endangered or threatened species is de-listing. Such an event – like the successful recovery of the peregrine falcon – should be a time of celebration, proof positive that an animal once on the brink of extinction has made a rousing comeback. However, when after years of pushing the Bush Administration removed the “threatened” status of Yellowstone area grizzly bears this March, many biologists and conservation groups were left in a far from celebratory mood. While the population of grizzlies has rebounded from a low of around 200 in the early 1970s to an estimated 500–600 today, it’s argued that the long list of dangers faced by grizzlies – from the loss of habitat due to the boom in mega vacation “cottages” to the decimation of whitebark pines, a key source of fall protein for grizzlies – has kept the bears in a perilous situation. The administration’s cozy relationship with mining and logging groups, not to mentioning hunting organizations (if de-listed, local states will be able to hold grizzly hunts), hardly helps clear things up.

On June 4, a team of environmental groups, including the Sierra Club and the Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, filed a lawsuit against the US Fish and Wildlife Service to halt the de-listing. We’ll be keeping tabs on the progress of the case here; should you want to get involved, both organizations could certainly use the support; check their websites for more information.

Local creatures still listed as threatened or endangered in the region include the Bald Eagle, Gray Wolf, and Whooping Crane.

A herd of Yellowstone bison that strayed out of the park are safe… for now.

The management of Yellowstone’s bison population – currently hovering around 4000 – continues to be one of the region’s most contentious issues. Those against culling bison who stray out of the park boundaries scored a major victory this week when Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer promised to ship a group of 300 bison back south deep into the park as opposed to corralling them and sending them off to slaughter as planned — against the wishes of the state’s powerful ranching industry, which fears the possible transfer of the disease brucellosis to local cattle. Timing seems to have played a major role in the decision, as bison typically migrate north during the frigid winter months in search of accessible grasses. But this herd strayed north numerous times during the spring, and now that the tourist season has begun, officials backed away from plans to kill 300 of the park’s mascots and the negative publicity that would follow. Whether or not the decision signifies an overall policy change remains to be seen.

For more updates, check in with the Buffalo Field Campaign, an organization dedicated to ending the slaughter of area bison. Or, for a different (and certainly more entertaining) point of view, check out the take of local writer Skyblu.