Thinning the Herd

The tourist season hasn’t even officially begun and already several examples of Yellowstone Park idiocy have made their way to YouTube and news outlets. My first indication of a long and dangerous summer was when I watched a YouTube video of Asian tourists standing within arm’s length from the buffalo so they could take selfies with the animals. If that wasn’t dangerous enough, there was a video posted of visitors to the park attempting to pet the bison.

The ultimate display of idiocy occurred when an adult male Canadian tourist thought that a buffalo calf appeared cold, loaded it into his SUV and carted it off to the park rangers. Shamsah Kassam of Quebec was cited for disturbing the wildlife… and the calf was put down after attempts to reintegrate it into the herd were unsuccessful.

Every year several individuals are killed or seriously injured by park wildlife. I know from my experience in Island Park that many visitors have no clue that the animals are wild. I have heard people inquire as to when the moose will be released each day. Others have called Fish and Game to complain the animals are out and eating the flowers in the yard, demanding that the officers retrieve them. Yellowstone Country apparently has the reputation of being the world’s largest petting zoo!

Some individuals laboring under this illusion are in for a very rough summer, perhaps their last. All of the animals of the Yellowstone bite, kick, gore, trample or eat you! Despite the programs on the National Geographic Channel showing the bears, elk, moose, bison and wolves as cute and sympathetic creatures, they consider humans either an annoyance, a danger or dinner… none of these classifications are good from a visitor’s prospective.

Those of you who wish to interact with the wildlife, I would recommend against it, but it is your choice. The next person to hoist a buffalo calf into his vehicle may find that he is face-to-face with momma! Being careless around the critters may result in the removal of your DNA from the gene pool. That’s Mother Nature’s way of saying that a few less idiots procreating may result in a safer environment for humans and wildlife. 

That was a Busy Weekend!

If you have ever organized a family reunion, you know that there is uncertainty about how many family members and guests are going to show up. You make preparations based on your best guess and cross your fingers. The Fourth of July in Island Park is similar for the residents. Businesses order inventories according to their best estimates, county and city services staff to meet expected demand and everyone hopes that their preparations are sufficient.

This Fourth of July weekend seemed to tax those preparations as the gathering in Island Park was well attended by visitors wanting to celebrate our country’s birthday in one of its most beautiful locations. Employees worked hard to attend to lines of customers that descended on the various establishments.

The emergency medical services were busy attending to both medical conditions and accidents. Fremont County Deputies worked tirelessly reminding visitors to avoid activities that would injure themselves or others.

I do not want to be accused of exaggerating the size of the crowds but I could have walked the Henry’s Fork from Big Springs to Mack’s Inn without getting wet using boats as stepping stones!

With the end of any holiday comes the recovery. It is a little like coming down from a sugar high. For the businesses and services of Island Park, there is no time to rest. The crowds diminish somewhat, there are many visitors yet to come this summer who have been looking forward to their vacation all year and it is the residents’ responsibility to make sure they are not disappointed.

Easter Weekend and Yellowstone Park

A car commercial that portrayed the Muppets driving to Old Faithful aired recently. Sheri pointed out that it had been better than half a year since we had driven into the Park.  Easter weekend seemed like the appropriate time to visit Yellowstone Park and observe the resurrection of the forest from its winter slumber.  Saturday was sunny and warm, just perfect. The roads were clear as we drove to Madison Junction. Passing a few elk road side, it was nice not to deal with the multitude of vehicles stopped to observe the animals during the summer season. Turning south towards the geyser basin, we saw several bison as they grazed on the newly sprouting grass and basking in the warmth of the sun.

We made the pilgrimage to Old Faithful and sat with the sparse crowd and enjoyed the eruption. That done, it was time for lunch! I had prepared some tuna and thrown it in cooler along with cans of Diet Coke for me and Diet Pepsi for Sheri (Who says that mixed marriages don’t work?). Sheri brought the chips but someone forgot to pack the bread. I am sure it was me, just ask my wife.  We hit up the Snow Lodge store and picked up a four dollar sleeve of Ritz Crackers.

Satisfying our hunger with impromptu finger food, we headed north to Gibbon Falls. Before reaching the falls, we passed a nice herd of bison grazing on a mountainside. One new calf was already visible and several cows were waiting for the relief that comes with calving. The water thundering down the falls was brown with the sediment of the spring runoff.

It was nice being in the park again but the daylight was coming to an end. It was time to get back to the cabin. We are blessed with having such a beautiful slice of nature so close.

By the way, the commercial shows a rock wall between Old Faithful and the car. There is no rock wall around the geyser. They shot the car and rock wall in studio, green screening in Old Faithful. The park is much more enjoyable if you really go there.

Protecting the Protectors

I was in Robin’s Roost this week. A clerk told me about a couple of fights that had occurred in a local bar the past few nights. Apparently a couple of visitors from the flat decided to raise a little hell, requiring responses from the Fremont County Sheriff’s Office and ISP.  

The incidents brought back memories of my time as a Pocatello Police officer. My first fight occurred when I was a rookie. I confronted a man who had been prying open coin mechanisms at a car wash. As I approached, he started to walk off.  I grabbed his arm and the fight was on! He grabbed for my holstered pistol and I found myself fighting for my life. After some wrestling, I threw him to the ground and cuffed him. Looking up after the arrest, I saw a man standing at a pay phone not 30 feet from me! I remember thinking that as my life flashed before my eyes; he had been standing there, watching the show. I tossed him a quarter and asked him to call the department for backup.

I decided then that I would cultivate relationships with the citizens to help me survive in the field. I responded to numerous of bar fights. While it was a rush to mix it up, patrons and bouncers kept others from jumping in while I subdued a suspect. I appreciated those who helped me make it home at the end of my shift.

Island Park can be a dark and isolated place for a patrolling officer. 

A routine traffic stop or disturbance can suddenly deteriorate into a struggle for survival. Backup can be miles away. It is not uncommon to see someone pulled over on a dark stretch of Highway 20. Do you slow to see if the officer is safe?

While it is the officer’s job to enforce the law, it is the community’s job to help ensure their safety. Be attentive to dangerous situations and offer assistance when necessary. Island Park is blessed with a great group of law enforcement professionals. We should do what we can to make sure that they make it home at the end of each shift.

No Sympathy?

A couple of weeks ago, the EBT system went down for a few hours in Louisiana. When the food assistance cards were run at a few Wal-Mart locations, the computer system showed no limit on purchases. The word spread like wildfire among local shoppers and they legally looted much of the stores within the space of two hours. There was no concern for those who would have to pay for the shopping spree. It was free stuff!

During same week, I was in a local convenience store. The clerk mentioned that he felt bad for tourists who could not enter Yellowstone Park due to the government slim-down. I expressed sympathy for their disappointment and concern for local businesses but declared support for the legislators who were attempting to stop the new health care law. The clerk (who is approximately my age) expressed enthusiasm for the new law because he expected $100 per month health insurance. I advised him that while he might be saving $400 a month in premium, some of my income was from health insurance sales. This law forced commissions be cut and eventually agents may be phased out completely. So while he was happy for his good fortune, my family would be suffering a large financial loss. Regence Blue Shield has closed most of their local offices as a result of this law and friends that I have known for 20 years are now unemployed. The clerk was not sympathetic. He wanted $100-a-month health insurance!  I let it drop. 

A week and a half later, I entered the store and greeted the same clerk with my usual “Good Morning Sunshine!”  His response took be aback. He glared and responded “You can call me by my name or you can call me sir! If you call me anything else, I’ll come across the counter and punch you!” My only response was “Really, you want to go there?” I paid for my gas and left.

What has happened to our country? People feel entitled to free or almost free goods and services. If anyone suffers a loss as a result of government policies and complains, they are called heartless, stingy or even threatened. You’d think that if someone is getting hosed to give you something for free, a “thank you” might be in order!

The Storm

Greg and I had just finished hauling a load of road base for his driveway when we heard that a tornado had been spotted near Dubois and the storm that spawned it was headed our way.

Storm clouds were moving in from the southwest and progressively becoming more ominous. The front moved across the caldera towards Yellowstone and its dark lead edge of clouds was churning upward from the ground. We were viewing this example of nature’s power from my front yard, when we heard a single noise, wap!

We recognized that sound. Hail was on its way. A few hail stones hit the ground, a few more and then the floodgates opened as we ran for cover. This was my first encounter with horizontal hail. Nickel-sized ice balls were incoming from the west and shattering with a loud crack on everything they hit. My attention turned to the windows on the west side of the cabin. I was afraid that they would sustain a direct hit and shatter. After ten minutes of intense fury, the hail stopped as quickly as it began. With no visible damage, I was able to savor the power and beauty of the storm. I had dodged a bullet; actually thousands of frozen ones! 

The next day I dropped into the bank and discovered that the Elk Creek area had not been so lucky. The break room freezer had been converted into an evidence locker. Alicia and Kari produced a handful of golf ball-sized hail and recounted how, despite their attempt to move their cars to shelter, the vehicles were left with a dimpled texture reminiscent of golf balls. They took the damage in stride, as seasoned residents of Island Park.

Weather is like food and variety is good. The warm and dry summer of Island Park is like a great burger. No matter how much you love it, a steady diet of the same thing gets old. The other nine months of the year provides a variety that is hard to beat!

Yellowstone Park is Closed! Really?

Yellowstone Park Is Closed! Really?

The other day Sheri and I loaded up one of our grandkids and made the pilgrimage to the West entrance of Yellowstone Park. We wanted to share a silent prayer for those who are dependent on the park for their livelihood and what they are about to endure.  The decisions to forgo snow plows this spring and push back the opening of the park by at least three weeks leaves one scratching their head is disbelief.

The assertion is that the sequester has made this decision necessary. Really? With the increased spending of federal government over the past four years, our elected representatives couldn't find enough waste to offset the minor amount that was cut in this act? How can one accept the assertion that this train had been approaching for some time and adequate planning wasn't done? I’d be willing to bet that if our Washington friends had cabins up here, they’d start cutting firewood in December.  

Here are a few things we could have done without lately, any one of which would have allowed the park to open on time.

·       

    $325,000 for a robo-squirrel that tests the interaction between squirrels and rattlesnakes

·        

    $45,900 to help people attend an annual Michigan snowmobile competition for the next two years

·        

    $516,000 for scientists to develop an ecoATM that gives out cash in exchange for old cell phones

·        

    $349,862 for a study that looks at the effects of meditation and self-reflection for math, science and engineering majors

·       

    $123,758 for a new position at the Department of Education promoting “Education Excellence for the African-Americans” (which was filled post-sequester)

·        

    $450,000,000 to Egypt in aid, promised this month

You get the general idea, no cost-benefit analysis. It is always essential services that are cut. The worst fear of a politician is that if spending is reduced and no one notices, taxpayers will accept the reductions. Spending is power in Washington. Children’s visits to the White House are cancelled and National Parks are closed to family vacations because reductions in spending cannot be tolerated.

The government will lose money from this decision. Entry fees and concessions in the park will decrease. Income tax payments from the residents who make their living from the tourist trade will be reduced as incomes decline. Merchants and their employees will have to make do with less because their incomes will have been diminished by this decision.  What must they cut in their own personal sequester?  Will it be utilities, house payment or will they cut something they can do without?

The government should prioritize their mission and spending priorities. Maintenance of the National Parks should move a little farther up that list! Really!!