| Yellowstone Bison Slaughter
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Article 2/24/04 |
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whipsaws Yellowstone
EDITORIAL
Great Falls Tribune
February 24, 2004
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Yellowstone
National Park just can't catch a break.
Seems if it wasn't for bad news, there'd be no news at
all from the home of Old Faithful.
First we've got the dueling federal judges and dizzying
back-and-forth of lawsuits surrounding the use of snowmobiles
in the park.
They'd be almost laughable, if they weren't damaging the
economy of West Yellowstone in the process.
On top of that, we've now got brucellosis-carrying bison
ignoring park borders and heading to the slaughterhouse.
It's just the kind of news Easterners need to drive home
the notion that Westerners are borderline barbaric.
Meanwhile, as lawyers and the so-called management of
bison and snowmobiles suck up funding, park infrastructure
deteriorates for lack of money and attention.
This is no way to run the nation's premier national park.
Unfortunately, there's no indication anything will change
soon.
On the snowmobile issue, U.S. District Judge Emmit Sullivan
in Washington D.C. ordered the Park Service to begin phasing
out the motorized machines this year. Pro-snowmobile groups
are appealing the decision.
In the meantime, U.S. District Judge Clarence Brimmer
in Wyoming ordered the Park Service to allow more snowmobiles
in the park. Environmentalists are appealing that decision.
Now Sullivan is threatening to hold the Park Service in
contempt for following Brimmer's order. A hearing is scheduled
for March 9.
It's enough to make merchants in West Yellowstone motion
sick as they try to keep track of developments. Tourists,
unfortunately, are just as confused and many are opting
to stay home or go elsewhere.
If things couldn't get worse, 18 bison dumbly wandered
out of the park near West Yellowstone last week. They
were captured and tested. Ten found to carry brucellosis
headed to slaughter.
That's got animal rights groups and others banging the
drum for a different management plan.
As money is spent rounding up bison, counting snowmobiles
and buying respirators and ear protection for park employees,
funding for the park is running an estimated $22 million
short each year.
The effect? Last fall more than 13,000 people a day missed
ranger-led educational programs because of insufficient
staff. More than half the school groups wanting to participate
in Expedition Yellowstone for children were turned away.
There's no money to pay for programs to stop the spread
of nonnative plants in the park. A number of important
wildlife studies are on hold. Backcountry rangers were
reduced from 17 to 10.
Established in 1872, Yellowstone was the world's first
national park. We need to start treating this park like
the truly wondrous resource it is.
We urge the courts to resolve the snowmobile issue quickly.
And the Park Service must come up with a more workable
bison plan.
Resources wasted on these disputes would be much better
spent restoring services to Yellowstone's visitors and
protecting its treasures.
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