[pct-l] Park Rangers

[Bob Bankhead]

I agree - there are a lot of clueless, careless, or "I just don't care"
tourists out there in our national parks, forests, and wilderness areas.
Among other things, the rangers have to protect those fools from themselves
and the consequences of their actions. Do some rangers overdo it
occasionally? Sure; they're human and they get tired of giving the same
speech to the same fools day after day.


That said, I'd feel a lot more sympathetic towards the bears and towards
those who, for whatever reason, want to protect them from and over human
considerations, if the appropriate federal, state, and local authorities
actually MANAGED the wildlife populations within their jurisdictions rather
than just allowing them to breed to levels far beyond what the natural
environment can sustain. That's guaranteed trouble. Survival is a basic
instinct for all life forms.

I do not know the actual black bear density per mile within SEKI, Yosemite,
and the adjacent wilderness areas, but if, for example, nature can properly
sustain a population of 4 bears per square mile, I'll bet the actual density
is far above that. The strongest bears will get the natural resources and
the rest must either relocate, starve, or raid the campgrounds. That means
human interactions, which often turn out badly for both sides, especially
for the bear.

We could allow nature to restore the natural balance, but that means closing
the parks and adjacent wilderness areas for the duration. That clearly will
not fly no matter which political party is currently in power.

Another way is to establish an open hunting season within these areas, with
all the usual kill limits, controls, tags, fees, etc. This is also not a
popular option, but I submit it is better than being forced to trap and
destroy "troublesome" bears. Unfortunately, considerable damage (or death)
may have to occur before a bear earns that designation. Doing so would bring
the population density down to manageable levels. 

At that point, the clueless, careless, or "I just don't care" tourists
should mercilessly reap the appropriate legal penalties for their actions.
Their cries of outrage will find few sympathetic ears, and the bears and
humans can once again live together in relative peace and harmony.

End rant


Wandering Bob