Yellowstone National Park and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Complete Brucellosis Workshop

Yellowstone National Park and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks (FWP) concluded a workshop earlier this week that examined the science behind brucellosis and the feasibility or need for suppression of this non-native disease in the Yellowstone bison population.

The workshop featured a panel of scientists with backgrounds in wildlife management and disease ecology who discussed current bison conservation and brucellosis management within the Interagency Bison Management Plan (IBMP). The goals of this plan are to conserve a free-ranging bison population of about 3,000 animals, while minimizing the risk of brucellosis transmission from bison to cattle.

The panel examined public attitudes toward the disease and specific scientific factors of Brucella abortus, the bacterium behind the non-native disease brucellosis, including immunology, disease ecology, bison behavior and demographics, conservation biology, and transmission risk to other wildlife and cattle.

At the close of the workshop, the panel provided several key conclusions:

• To date, management to maintain separation between cattle and bison appears to be effective at preventing transmission of brucellosis between these species because no documented transmission has occurred under the IBMP.

• The best available data do not support that vaccination of wild bison with currently available vaccines will be effective at suppressing brucellosis to a level that changes bison management strategies under the IBMP.

• Control of bison population size will likely include culling or removal as tools in the future, along with hunting. Past and current culling practices have not had an apparent effect on reducing the overall prevalence of brucellosis in the bison population.

• Intervention through contraception is not needed to achieve the current goals of the IBMP. Contraception could potentially be a valuable tool for brucellosis suppression, but the available data are insufficient to make a judgment at this time. Further research is needed in this area.

The agencies will consider the panel's findings in the ongoing development of short- and long-term strategies to conserve bison and minimize the risk of brucellosis transmission from bison to cattle. A final report from the panel is expected in about three months.


Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Skier Dies In Avalanche In Teton Range

NPS Digest is reporting that a local backcountry skier died in an avalanche in the Teton Range last week.

On Friday morning of last week, 40-year-old Jarad Spackman of Jackson, Wyoming was ascending Apocalypse Couloir with a companion in order to access a narrow and steep chute on the flank of Prospectors Mountain, which they intended to ski. At roughly 200 feet below the fork of the couloir they were hit by an avalanche that originated further up the slope. Spackman was caught in the slide and was carried approximately 1000 feet down the slope. His partner immediately began a search that ultimately led him to Spackman, who was lying face down in the snow and partially buried. He began CPR to revive his friend and about 15 minutes later used a cell phone to make an emergency call to alert rangers of the situation. They immediately organized a rescue mission with the assistance of the Teton County Search and Rescue contract helicopter and members of the county rescue team. A landing zone was established near Sawmill Ponds on the Moose-Wilson Road and four rangers were flown to the backcountry location where they landed near the base of Apocalypse Couloir. In advance of their arrival, Spackman’s partner was able to move his friend to that same location and await the helicopter and rescuers. Spackman’s body was flown out and turned over to the Teton County coroner’s office. His partner and the rescuers then skied out of the backcountry together.

This was the second avalanche fatality in Grand Teton National Park this year. An avalanche on Survey Peak in the northern Teton Range took the life of a skier on January 27th.


Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking

Which park units generate the most spending and jobs?

Earlier this week I mentioned that the National Park Service had published a report that measures the economic impact that national parks have on local communities. Today I wanted to dig a little deeper into the data to see which parks generate the most spending and the most jobs for their respective communities.

Which parks generate the most spending by visitors?

The chart below shows the top 10 park units in terms of overall spending generated by visitors in 2011. I was a little surprised by these results. Generally speaking, I figured that the park units with the most visitors would also have the highest amount of total spending by its visitors. Not so. For example: although the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area ranks 32nd in the total number of visitors for 2011, it ranked 9th in the total amount of spending generated by visitors. Moreover, only five parks that ranked in the top 10 for visitors in 2011, also ranked in the top 10 for visitor spending:

Which park units supported the most jobs?

This analysis was more in line with what I expected. Generally speaking, the park units with the most visitors tended to support the most jobs for the surrounding local communities:

Great Smoky Mountains NP	11,418
Grand Canyon NP	7,361
Grand Teton NP	6,352
Yellowstone NP	5,041
Yosemite NP	5,003
Blue Ridge PKWY	4,379
Acadia NP	2,970
Glen Canyon NRA	2,755
Rocky Mountain NP	2,742
Denali NP & Preserve	2,669

Which park units generated the most spending on a per visitor basis?

Finally, I wanted to see which park units generated the most spending on a per visitor basis. These results were quite interesting. Each of the park units making the top 10 in this category were in Alaska. At first glance you might think that this must seem like some statistical anomaly. However, given how remote each of these parks are from civilization, the cost of services is likely far greater than in the lower 48. I would also guess that transportation costs are likely the biggest drivers in spending. My guess is that many of these parks have local airports and local air services that benefit from park visitors.

Yukon-Charley Rivers NPRES	$1,144
Denali NP & PRES	$394
Aniakchak NM & PRES	$368
Bering Land Bridge NPRES	$345
Gates of the Arctic NP & PRES	$345
Cape Krusenstern NM	$345
Kobuk Valley NP	$344
Noatak NPRES	$344
Lake Clark NP & PRES	$344
Katmai NP & PRES	$257

Not on the list above, but ranked 11th, is Grand Teton National Park, which makes it the highest ranked park outside of Alaska in terms of spending on a per visitor basis ($169).

The George Washington Memorial Parkway in Washington DC has the distinction of having the lowest amount of spending on a per visitor basis - only $4.63.

The lowest ranked national park is Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve in Alaska. On average, visitors only spend $10.63. Well, you might be asking yourself why this park isn't ranked much higher - given that it's in Alaska. According to the park website; "Most visitors to Glacier Bay see the park from large cruise ships with thousands of passengers. These visitors do not go ashore in the park; instead National Park Service naturalists board the ship to share their knowledge about the park and its wildlife during a day-long cruise in the bay."

I would interpret this to mean that the NPS doesn't count these dollars as being spent in a local community.

To view the entire NPS report, please click here.



Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking

Tales from the Belly River: Dawn Mist Falls

This short film explores the journey water takes to form Dawn Mist Falls. Starting from Ahern Pass, water cascades down to the head of Helen Lake, out the foot of the lake, and into the Belly River. The river then flows into Elizabeth Lake, and back into the river again, finally pouring over a cliff. Dawn Mist Falls is in the Belly River Valley, a beautiful and wild location in the northeast corner of Glacier National Park:








Jeff
Hiking in Glacier National Park

Presenters Sought for Fifth Annual Winter Photo Festival in West Yellowstone

Photographers are invited to share their favorite winter images of the region with the public during the Fifth Annual Winter Photo Festival to be held next month in West Yellowstone.

The festival will be held at the West Yellowstone Visitor Information Center on Monday, March 12th at 7:00 p.m. The event is sponsored by the National Park Service and the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center.

Photographers are asked to bring digital photos taken in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem on a thumb drive or photo CD so they can display and narrate their photos. Presenters will be limited to twenty-five images or five minutes.

Interested photographers should contact Rich Jehle at 307-344-2840 or 307-344-2754, or by email, for more information. Participants must register by 5:00 p.m. Monday, March 11th.


Jeff
Glacier National Park Hiking