Category Archives: Wildlife

Where’s a Yellowstone bear?

Posted on by

Where’s a Yellowstone bear? – IOL Travel North America | IOL.co.za.

For wildlife enthusiasts hoping to catch a glimpse of wolves, grizzly bears and bison at Yellowstone National Park, the best place to be on the lookout may soon be a cellphone.

New smartphone apps enable people to pinpoint where they’ve recently seen critters in Yellowstone. People who drive to those locations can – at least in theory – improve their odds of seeing wildlife compared to the typical tourist’s dumb luck.

One app called Where’s a Bear promises “up to the second” animal sightings in Yellowstone. Recently a website called Yellowstone Wildlife began offering a similar app.

Websites long have kept track of animal sightings in Yellowstone. Already this spring the Yellowstone Wildlife site shows signs of life: Mule deer near park headquarters at Mammoth, bison in the area of a landmark petrified tree.

A message on the site warns of grizzlies feeding on a bison carcass near the Yellowstone River Trail. The statement relayed from the National Park Service could save a life. Grizzly attacks killed two tourists in Yellowstone last summer.

But not everybody thinks that making a lot of wildlife sighting information readily retrievable by phone is a hot idea. As it is, the crowds that stop to gawk at roadside wildlife in Yellowstone can grow to hundreds of people, pointed out Vicky Kraft, of Pine Mountain, California, who maintains a Facebook group for Yellowstone.

Grizzlies are especially challenging for park rangers who have to both direct traffic and keep people a safe distance away.

“It’s crazy. There’s no parking. People sideswipe each other because they’re looking at the bear,” Kraft said Monday.

Wildlife becoming too comfortable around people is another concern. A grizzly habituated to people is even more dangerous than your average bear.

“I think there’s a responsibility that a person should have if they really like Yellowstone to say, ‘Gee, is this going to be bad for the animals? Is it bad for the ranger? Is it bad for the park?’ And I think when you look at a situation with that app, the answer would have to be yes,” Kraft said.- Sapa-AP

About these ads

Entry is free this week at national parks

Posted on by

Entry is free this week at national parks; fire management officer also named | Visalia Times-Delta and Tulare Advance-Register | visaliatimesdelta.com.

National Park Week, which offers free entrance to 397 parks throughout the United States, will continue until Sunday.

For 10 days each year, park visitors throughout the nation can enjoy everything the parks have to offer for free.

Sequoia and Kings Canyon national parks spokeswoman Dana Dierkes said visitors should log on to the parks’ website or read the parks’ newspaper, which includes information about ranger-led programs.

ÔªøIn other news, David Allen has been named the parks’ fire management officer.

Allen, who has a degree in biology from the University of California, Berkeley, has worked as Sequoia National Park district fire management officer and aviation manager for last 12 years.

His previous experience includes working at Yellowstone National Park with a helitack crew, Yosemite National Park as the prescribed fire specialist and at Indiana Dunes National Park as the fire management officer.

“Dave brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and experience to this position,” Chief Ranger Kevin Hendricks said.

“His performance here in the parks, as well as in a number of other prior jobs and assignments, has shown his ability to lead and direct a complex program,” he added.

Allen said he has grown to understand the issues of fire management in the Sierra Nevada during his tenure here.

“Managing a highly fire-adapted and fire-prone area such as these parks is a challenge I look forward to,” he said.

Related articles

Grizzly trapping for scientific study to begin this month south of Meeteetse

Posted on by

Grizzly trapping for scientific study to begin this month south of Meeteetse | The Republic.

Scientists will begin trapping grizzly bears south of Meeteetse as part of an ongoing study of the bears across the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

The Billings Gazette reports Monday (http://bit.ly/IVmM1u ) that scientists will capture the bears with snares and culvert traps. The animals will be immobilize while DNA, blood, hair, tooth and tissue are collected to help determine aging. Adult bears will also be fitted with a radio-collar for tracking.

Brian Debolt of Wyoming Game and Fish says trapping will take place in the Grass Creek drainage from Monday to May 23.

Brian Debolt of Wyoming Game and Fish says trapping will take place in the Grass Creek drainage from Monday to May 23.

Debolt says the region sits on the fringe of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem between Meeteeste and Thermopolis, where bears are expanding in both number and distribution.

At least 700 grizzlies live in the ecosystem.