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Bison Slaughter In Yellowstone National Park Draws Protest Against Park Service

Feb 23rd - 22:34pm | jsmacdonald

Mack, At what point do we hold people culpable who do what they do even though they hate it? Isn't it a horribly cynical world where we will have to depend on lawyers to make things right? And, then, will it? What's really changed? I think all it does is change the playing field, but it's still the same game. Randy O.,

Feb 23rd - 20:21pm | MPB

Randy O. wrote "For the record, I find the current bison management policies antiquated and irrational, and am putting my time and resources toward finding some sort of rational solution..." Will you describe your efforts, or, at least, can you share what you think would have to happen in order to obtain some sort of rational solution?

Feb 23rd - 12:37pm | Randy O.

Jim-

Feb 23rd - 08:28am | jsmacdonald

Randy O., You'll probably need to do more than brushing my arguments aside with ad hominem attacks to speak to what I wrote. It's easy enough to brush me aside, however many years I have spent actually caring about and learning about Yellowstone (and even living and working there seasonally over five summers in the 1990s). It's much harder to brush aside the force of argument.

Feb 21st - 22:03pm | Randy O.

Jim,

Feb 21st - 16:37pm | jsmacdonald

Objections to the notion of a "philosophical debating club" aside (I think philosophy has nothing to do with debate), the National Park Service has in fact changed management policies over the years based on a prevailing management ideology.

Feb 21st - 14:57pm | JoeSF

Jim, "The question shouldn't be how many bison should there be but rather why we think we are right to control the number of bison within a certain number. And, more than control that number, why we think we are right to control the movements of these animals."

Feb 20th - 23:18pm | jsmacdonald

According to the Billings Gazette, there are now 230 bison that have been shipped to slaughter with another 60 now waiting in the Stephens Creek facility. Apparently, the hunt total (according to BFC's Web site) rose to 130 (possibly from the Nez Perce hunt). That means, the total dead is now 360 bison with another 60 awaiting slaughter.

Rangers Association Points Out Flaws In Secretary Kempthorne's Weapons Logic

Feb 23rd - 22:18pm | Bill Roberts

From what I have been reading on the gun issue in the national parks there seems to be a very large gap of ignorance in how our parks are used. Some guy from Utah thought I wanted a national CCW even though I had already stated there was no such thing (except for law enforcement and that is NOT always true or accepted) if he had read correctly.

Dinosaur National Monument Cutting Paleontology Staff

Feb 23rd - 21:08pm | Anonymous2

Whats your beef JTR? Do you have sort of inside information to offer? Have you been to the park? Do you know what is going on here? Do you work there? Have you worked there? Unless you have, I do not see how you can be accusing Tom of stating his mind (this is America after all). Paleo is a pretty small work, there are always personal connections, maybe you know that. So, whats your beef?

Feb 22nd - 22:39pm | Jen

This comment is not to cause any more flares. I hope Kurt will forgive my intrusion; I'm not sure how else to do this. Tom and Paleogirl1, look through my profile on here and find my blog/website link - then find my contact info and send me a note. Jen _____

Feb 22nd - 19:08pm | repanshek

It's certainly good to see such concern for Dinosaur National Monument. I have indeed been doing some follow-up to the previous articles on this matter. As they say, there are two sides to every story. Sometimes three or four. With that said, rather than bashing folks for their views, if you can, hold off on further comments until I can provide you with an update.

Feb 22nd - 18:44pm | paleogirl1

I have to say that I am with Tom, Jen, DinoMan and the rest of the concerned people who have posted excellent comments and credible information on this site. As a geology student, I to have a passion for paleontology and hope to pursue a graduate education in vertebrate paleontology.

Feb 22nd - 18:17pm | JTR

Just what I thought - a small group of friends with a personal agenda. And we’re supposed to believe that a summer intern has all the facts about what the scientists and management do and all the decisions they make and how they spend their time. It seems that a summer SCA intern is pretty much the lowest level employee in a park and certainly not privy to ALL THE FACTS.

Feb 22nd - 16:34pm | DinoMan

Hey hats off to Tom for a very informative and well written comment! As someone who works in the field of paleontology, this is a very personal situation and we as scientist should all feel this way about such an awesome resource like Dinosaur. It sounds to me like Tom is speaking from experience and has facts to back him up!

Feb 22nd - 15:51pm | Tom

First off I would like to correct a couple names that were misspelled in my earlier post – Mary Risser (Park Superintendent) and Ann Elder (Fossil Curator and Collections Manager) are now spelled correctly and my apologies for the miss-spelling. Secondly I would like to correct one error in a number that I had reported (as I am all about the facts and only the facts).

Feb 22nd - 07:50am | Anonymous

I don't see anything "refreshing" about personal invective. Tom obviously has an axe to grind.

Feb 21st - 22:09pm | Jen

First, this seems like such a political decision. I wonder if those in charge at DNM are only 'in it' for themselves... Hmmmm.....

Feb 21st - 21:11pm | JTR

This discussion on the paleontology program at Dinosaur National Monument has degraded into some kind of personal vendetta. This isn’t discussion - it’s pure vitriol. This kind of post reeks of a private agenda and should call into question his entire argument. The moderator of this site should weed this sort of stuff out.

Feb 21st - 18:59pm | Tom

Allow me to shine some light on a different aspect of the "Gutting of the paleo program" at DNM. I have recently served as an SCA (Student Conservation Association) Intern at Dinosaur for 3 months during the summer of 2007. I filled a Paleontology research assistant internship position under the direct supervision of Scott Madsen (one of the individuals who is being "Axed") a 20+ yr.

Feb 21st - 13:15pm | Linda West

First, re the exchange between Arizonaman and Kurt about "full-fledged national park" status, the nomenclature is indeed meaningless as far as policy, but it still has an effect. "National Park" has more cachet with the public and often translates to more visitation, which will sooner or later influence management.

Interior Secretary Opens Door for New Gun Regulations in National Parks

Feb 23rd - 19:31pm | Barky

I'm becoming more and more ambivalent on the gun issue. Gun lovers are going to carry no matter what. I suspect many already carry in the parks now, who would know? There is also crime in the parks. The Everglades, for example, were once notorious for drug runners (not sure if that still holds true today).

Feb 22nd - 22:59pm | Proud CHL Holder

Hooray for doing away with another 'dis-armed victim zone'! It's a step in the right direction in eliminating the mis-guided practice of not allowing properly licensed and trained individuals to carry their means of protecting themselves, their families and others from harm.

Feb 22nd - 13:47pm | Gerald

Bad people are gonna carry guns regardless of any foolish "rule" applied...let law-abiding citizens protect themselves, there won't always be a ranger around to save you. Same goes for crazies-infested college campuses.

Clinton, McCain, Obama Answer Questions on National Parks

Feb 23rd - 19:23pm | Barky

I suspect McCain's heart is in the right place. The NPS is integral to Arizona's economy and is very important to its voting public. He couldn't have been an AZ senator all these years without hearing that from his constituency.

Feb 21st - 12:13pm | Anonymous

Well Kurt, much said by all three candidates, but we'll see how well-loved the National Parks are with the next administration. Anything is better then the present Bush & Cheney administration. Such a pathetic waste of eight years!

Tar Sands Development Could Impact Canyonlands National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Glen Canyon NRA

Feb 23rd - 15:01pm | Joseph Raglione

Hello from Canada!

Dinosaur National Monument Superintendent Favors Law Enforcement, Maintenance, Interpretation Over Paleontology

Feb 23rd - 00:37am | Al O'sore-ass

Whether or not the work at DNM can be done by other partners by outsourcing is irrelevant. The point is, why get rid of a dedicated, knowledgeable and skilled curator/collections manager (Ann Elder) and geologist/fossil preparator (Scott Madsen) when their work of 20+ years is tried and true?

Feb 20th - 16:45pm | Merryland

This is nutso -- now we potentially have the influence of a young-earth-believing state government in charge of a national paleo resource? Just what we need... local "control" of what the public sees, doesn't see, and is told about the resources of Dinosaur National Monument. Why don't we just move all the stuff to the Creationist Museum in Kentucky and save a few steps?

Bush Administration Plan to Remove Wolf Protections Draws Criticism

Feb 22nd - 18:03pm | sal

Eric,

Feb 22nd - 10:20am | jsmacdonald

I didn't point out GYC's support of delisting to suggest that I support it as well. I was sitting at a table yesterday in Bozeman with some buffalo supporters, and the conversation turned to wolf delisting. I won't share most of what we talked about, but I will say that we were talking about Montana's plan - the supposed best of the bunch - and how bad it really is.

Feb 22nd - 09:50am | Eric

OK, lets see if I understand this whole mess. At one time Wolves were abundant in all of these areas. Then, they were almost killed off by hunters, ranchers etc... so the wolves were placed on the endangered list and were safe from some of the awful deaths Mack had described.

Feb 22nd - 09:08am | MPB

Under the government's proposal, Ms. Willcox tells me, in most of Wyoming outside the Grand Teton-Yellowstone area wolves will encounter a "shoot on sight, free-fire zone."

Feb 22nd - 01:20am | Anonymous

the head of the gyc is a member of the ranching community, which has not been favorable at all to the wolf recovery for the most part, in addition, they have been virtually silent in the bison migrations, which requrie they be rounded up and slaughtered if they leave the park,,,,up to appx 300 have been sent to slaughter already this year, so dont think that because a group that has Yellowston

Feb 21st - 18:59pm | jsmacdonald

One environmental group has actually come out in support of delisting. See the press release from the Greater Yellowstone Coalition.

Feb 21st - 18:50pm | Fred Miller

Who counts these wolves? Can their numbers be considered accurate? We should be demanding verification of the counts. To remove the wolf from the endangered list without accurate data would be tragic.

Does the National Park Service Need a Quota System for Peak Seasons?

Feb 22nd - 13:43pm | Anon

No quotas needed...the parks are doing fine with current visitation. No shuttles or buses either...(the rest of this sentence has been edited out.)

Feb 20th - 15:46pm | Bob Janiskee

There have been lots of suggestions for increasing carrying capacity, but most of them are unacceptable for obvious reasons. For example, some people advocate installing elevated monorail systems in our big nature-based national parks so that more visitors can be conveyed around and through the parks without unduly damaging the resources.

Feb 20th - 13:23pm | Erik

If you wish to use a "scientific method" to determine "...how much access and use can be permitted without seriously reducing recreational quality or causing unacceptable damage to physical and cultural resources in the parks." It seems that we would need to answer a few questions.

Wilson's Creek National Battlefield Growing by 42 Acres

Feb 22nd - 11:06am | Steve D.

It's good to see that the National Parks can actually expand and preserve some of our nation's history.

A Winter Visit to Grand Canyon National Park's Phantom Ranch

Feb 21st - 21:34pm | Ken Reardon

Owen--I should have introduced myself better. I'm that 76 year old retired math teacher, football & track coach. Korean War vet, who worked for the Forest Service & Park Service for about 25 years (summers).

Feb 20th - 16:25pm | pkrnger

Ken, Here are some additional pictures to wet your appetite for your upcoming trip and hike into the Grand Canyon. http://www.parksonline.org/parks/owenhoffman/grandcanyon2007/index2.html

Feb 20th - 14:20pm | Ken

Owen--My wife and I are 75. We plan to do the GC on April 5-7, 08. Going down S.Kaibab and returning via BA trail. We have duffel service both ways for us and our son(46) and his wife. Will be staying at the BA campground for two nites. Eating our meals at Phantom. Any advice for us "oldies"? Any suggestions? Thanks

Cycling at Haleakala National Park Given "High Risk" Rating

Feb 21st - 15:16pm | Anonymous

You can always do what my wife and I did several years ago. We went to Haleakala Bike Company. They took us to the top to see the sunrise, then took us to the entrance of the National Park. NPS does not allow bike shops to let a person ride from inside the Park without a guide. Right outside the entrance they unloaded bikes, had us test them, and sent us on our way.

Feb 21st - 11:30am | Anonymous

That is so sad!!!

Glen Canyon NRA Releases EA on Castle Rock Cut Deepening

Feb 20th - 18:09pm | Anonymous

This decsion-so called seems apparent of another politcal ploy to waste more money to meet the needs of the so called recerationists and their power vehicles to ruin the natural habitat which is the over all concern and goal of the natl park service not some uncontrolled snut noseed recerationist who want to have their own way and destroy the envioriment ion the process.

Grand Canyon National Park Officials Release Transportation Plan EA

Feb 20th - 17:08pm | Merryland

"Along with the proposed parking plan, the preferred alternative calls for improvements to Mather Point to open up some of the vistas that have been obscured by vegetation, to make trails more accessible, and provide more interpretive exhibits at the information plaza."

Shenandoah National Park Announces Opening Dates

Feb 20th - 16:12pm | Gary

Visitor Center openings are evidence of the erosion of purchasing power of NPS's operating funds-- in the 70's when I worked at SNP, the Harry Byrd VC was open year around. with steady visitation.

Wolf Advocates Plan to Sue Rocky Mountain Park Officials Over Elk Plan

Feb 20th - 16:08pm | Fred Miller

These are all good comments. I'm no expert so I read them to learn more about the situation. An excess of ANYTHING is not good. I wonder if we bring in wolves because there are too many elk, what will happen when we have too many wolves? We have to approach this intelligently, with the best interests of our wildlife heritage at the top of our priority list.

Feb 20th - 13:58pm | Anonymous

Wow! I've looked at alot of different sites about the Wolves and Elk in Colorado, Idaho,Wyoming and Montana. I can admit when I'm wrong. Elk populations are not being decimated by wolves, depending on who you talk to. There are many reasons such as fire, disease etc... I guess what I would like to know is... what happened to the wolves in Rocky Mountain Nat. Park before? Were they hunted out?

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