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.

Yellowstone Association Membership Update

I just received a call from a contact at the Yellowstone Association, letting me know that their lowest annual membership level has been bumped up from the $30 currently listed in the Guide to $35. The Yellowstone Association is an invaluable resource for all Yellowstone visitors, and you can be sure that any money that the non-profit receives will be funneled right back into the park. Their projects range from funding the exhibits in the new Canyon Visitor Center to helping publish Yellowstone Science magazine, and they also run the incomparable Yellowstone Institute, whose lengthy schedule of courses and seminars can be found by clicking here.

I also found out that the Association will be stocking my guide in their bookstores. The Association bookstores scattered throughout the park (including most visitor centers) are always worth a visit, whether to chat with whomever is manning the desk or to add another book to your Yellowstone collection. I’ll be adding a collection of my favorite Yellowstone books to look out for later this week.

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 man jogging in Grand Teton was attacked by a grizzly yesterday, making this the second bear attack in the region this year. According to the Jackson Hole Daily , Dennis VanDenbos took a break from jogging on Wagon Road by Jackson Lake Lodge at 6am to watch an elk when a sow grizzly with three cubs, who were feeding on an elk carcass in the area, approached:

“Park officials said VanDenbos tried yelling to frighten the bears away, then lay down on his stomach in a submissive posture. One of the bears then attacked, inflicting lacerations and puncture wounds. Park officials aren’t sure if the bear that attacked was 399 or one of the cubs. A nearby Grand Teton Lodge Co. employee frightened the bear away.”

Thanks to his proper response – instead of trying to fight the 350-pound bear, he assumed a submissive position after his yelling didn’t scare the bear away – VanDenbos is in stable condition. However, he was warned of bear activity in the area, and – in my opinion– should have been carrying bear spray while jogging, especially alone. In any case, park officials are currently stating the bear will not be put down as it was only displaying “normal behavior” for a feeding bear. Lets hope this lucidity continues as the story gains more notice.

Regarding the first attack in the region this year… well, check here for an update. Photographer Jim Cole was mauled by a grizzly back on May 23rd while taking photos in Yellowstone’s Hayden Valley. Unlike the incident in Grand Teton, Cole was in the backcountry and actively searching for bears – he has published several books on grizzlies. Plus, this wasn’t the first time he’d been attacked. Cole was also mauled in 1993 by a grizzly bear in Glacier National Park. Once bitten, twice shy? Apparently not, and Cole has been taking perhaps deserved heat from various commentators such as this – though I’m holding back on judgment until hearing from Cole himself, whom I’d have to guess holds no ill-will towards the bears, nor would absolve himself from blame.

To update the recent history of attacks, according to the park service there have been eight minor bear-caused human injuries in Yellowstone since 2000.  The last bear-caused human fatality in Yellowstone occurred in 1986.

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.

Seasonal employment, foreign workers and the best time to visit Yellowstone and Grand Teton…

Here’s a interesting story in the Casper Star Tribune on why both Yellowstone and Grand Teton end up hiring out of country workers to fill the nearly 5000 open positions needed each summer. With colleges starting earlier and ending later, the traditional Memorial Day to Labor Day break is no longer an option for many US students, meaning they can’t sign on for a full summer of work. I’ve met workers from Poland, New Zealand, Australia, Columbia and more, and have had nothing but great experiences – save for the lingering melancholy that I never was fortunate/lucky/driven enough (or allowed, in some cases I imagine) to do a similar exchange in one of their countries.

Incidentally, with so many schools – from grade schools through to colleges – starting classes before Labor Day, the week before the classic “end of summer” weekend isn’t the park logjam it used to be, and can make for a great time to visit with all attractions still open and crowds lessened.

For listings of jobs in the area, see the Links page.

How did Yellowstone get its name? Head over to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, and you’re bound to hear a visitor explain that the park was named after the golden rocks lining the canyon walls. Indeed, a popular IMAX movie on Yellowstone states the same idea. That’s not the case, however, as the following aside – cut from the Guide’s color introduction at the last minute due to space constraints – explains.

It may make for the most popular explanation, but the name Yellowstone doesn’t derive from the yellowish tint on the rocks within the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. Indeed, the name doesn’t stem from anything inside the park’s boundaries, but from the area around the eponymous river hundreds of miles downstream in eastern Montana. Here, close to where the Yellowstone River meets the Missouri along the Montana/North Dakota border, French fur trappers in the late 1700s asked the local Minnetaree tribe for the river’s name. They answered Mi tse a-da zi, meaning “River of Yellow Rock” – a name coming, it’s thought, from the color of the low-lying banks along the Missouri nearby. Converting from the French translation of Roche Jaune, Welsh mapmaker and explorer David Thompson of the Hudson Bay Company was the first to document the river “Yellow Stone” on a map in 1797, a name that soon gave way to the shorter Yellowstone. Incidentally, the Crows that lived closer to the modern day boundaries of Yellowstone when whites arrived called the river E-chee-dick-karsh-ah-shay, meaning Elk River, a more apt name for the river in the park as it forms part of migratory path for elk from their summer range high on the Yellowstone plateau to lower grounds come winter.

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.