[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index][Thread Index]
[pct-l] Yellowstone VS Yosemite and Rainier
- Subject: [pct-l] Yellowstone VS Yosemite and Rainier
- From: CMountainDave at aol.com (CMountainDave@xxxxxxx)
- Date: Sun Jun 15 22:19:18 2003
I went to Yellowstone once and was simply outraged that I could not just go
anyplace that I saw fit. I got into a heated argument with a ranger about it.
There were maybe 20 people in the ranger station just staring at us as we
shouted at each other. Another ranger came up to me, grabbed me by the arm and
pulled me into a private office and calmly let me say my piece. Then he looked me
in the eye and said "Yellowstone is for the animals." If we allow the hordes
of people who come here go wherever they please, it is the animals who will
suffer. There will be no sanctuary for them to be in a natural state. Sure, you
may be a dyed in the wool backpacker, but most people who come here aren't.
They would disturb the animals because of the sheer number of people whop would
infiltrate every corner of the park. It's bad enough that thousands of people
at a time watch Old Faithful go off, and that the roads are jammed with people.
Why can't we give the animals some breathing room.
Suddenly, I felt very ashamed and selfish.
At the time, all reservations were made in advance. I had a difficult time
getting a permit because all sites had been reserved way in advance. I went to a
site that was supposed to be filled for the night. I was alone, because
everyone else was a no show. I argued that people were coming from great distances
to backpack, and were told the backcountry sites were filled when obviously
they weren't. The ranger I had argued with said it wasn't their fault if people
didn't show up. The mild mannered ranger said I had a valid point. He later
became Park Superintendent and changed the reservation system so that 40% of the
sites were reserved for walk ins, a model that became the standard at many
national parks
If they could, they would ban snowmobiles on roads in Yellowstone. A survey
that I took part in showed that a majority of the people who visited
Yellowstone in the winter supported the ban. It was slated to go into effect, but
guess who reversed the ban. Our great illustrious wilderness lover of a President
and his secretary of the interior that's who. What a surprise! Thanks a lot,
Bush voters. The wilderness is most definitely more threatened now because of
him. You can bet the oil well that not a single acre will be added to the
wilderness system under that jackasses watch
Yes Yellowstone relies on hung food to deter bears. But there are 300
backcountry sites and it would not be possible to situate them so that bear contact
is at a minimum. Just look at their map if you don't believe me. The sites
are spread out over the entire park and yet there apparenty is no longer a bear
problem there. It has to have something to do with re-education