Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton

How hot has it been in and around Yellowstone this summer? Unfortunately, there isn’t a punch-line to end here, but instead two updates detailing  how high temperatures and the lack of rain in recent weeks are affecting both fishing and fires.

Fires

As of today, there have been ten fires in Yellowstone so far this year. Most areas of the park have received minimal rainfall dating back to early June, and fire restrictions have been in effect in the park since July 3 (four out of the ten fires have been human-caused). Up to this point, all of the fires save one have been tiny, with only the still active Raven fire spreading across 20 acres. Firefighter numbers for this  blaze have been limited, as it’s in the heart of grizzly country some nine miles east of Fishing Bridge, but the blaze is nonetheless over 75% contained. Conditions in Grand Teton to the south are similar, with heavy fire restrictions in effect as well.

All of this doesn’t mean massive fires are on the way, but conditions are prime for such an occurance. All visitor services, park entrances and park roads are open throughout both parks, but we’ll continue to update conditions here as temperatures continue to rise.

Fishing

Minimal snowfalls from this past winter combined with below average precipitation this spring and early summer have begun to take their toll on fish populations throughout the region. The combination of low flows, geothermal heating and high temperatures have raised water temperatures to sometimes deadly levels, and fish have been spotted floating along both Pelican Creek due east of Fishing Bridge and in the Firehole River.

How low are some of the rivers running? According to recent story in the Billings Gazette, last week the Lamar River near Tower Falls had about 27 percent of its normal flow for July 10 compared with records going back 67 years. And along the Firhole River, flows last week were lower than the previous record set in 1988.

To help the already stressed fish populations, park officials have asked that anglers not fish between noon and 6 p.m. on most streams below 7,000 feet. The advisory includes Gardner River below Osprey Falls, the Lamar River below Cache Creek, all of Slough Creek, Soda Butte Creek below Amphitheater Creek, the Yellowstone River below Seven Mile Hole, the Gibbon River below Gibbon Falls, and all of the Madison and Firehole.

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.

Fly fishing in Yellowstone — an incredible resource

I’m in a fishing state of mind, thanks to two things. The first and most obvious — it’s the season. Warm air but not too warm of water. Hatches a plenty. And summer hours to take advantage of. The second and more personal reason? I managed to trick the largest brown trout of my life into letting me catch it this past Sunday on the South Branch of Michigan’s stupendous Au Sable River. A great battle and an even greater feeling watching the big boy swim off after studying him closely. (I was using a streamer — a Mickey Finn to be exact — for those interested.)

So what does this have to do with Yellowstone? Well, if you’re in a fishing state of mind as well and planning to head to the Park, then there’s an increible site that could help you end the day on a similar high note. Fly Fishing in Yellowstone http://flyfishyellowstone.blogspot.com/ is one of the finest blogs I’ve stumbled across, absoltely loaded with up-to-the-day information on fishing the park. From water flow to the latest hatches, it’s all covered — plus they have stared adding these really incredible interactive maps. I may have to borrow that idea for this site in the future. A superb resource indeed.