Yellowstone Country Safety * Snow Rocks and Logs *

Be cautious when leaving the roads on a snowmobile. That drift may be a rock or a log.

1-14 2015 Cover of the Island Park Journal

The jack fence near Osborne Bridge taken 1-11-15

Yellowstone Country Safety *Icy Steps*

Warm temperatures are melting the top layer of snow. An underlying layer of ice makes walking extremely dangerous. Use sand or ice melt and lend your arm to your partner to keep them from slipping.

Yellowstone Country Safety *Ladder Safety*

Be careful when climbing a ladder in snow. It can slide out from underneath you. I realize that I don’t bounce so well anymore!

Yellowstone Country Safety * Spring Mountain Weather *

Ahhh, spring time in the mountains of Idaho. If you don’t like the weather, wait ten minutes and something else will come along!

Island Park’s Giant Salt Lick

With spring’s arrival, I began contemplating summer. That led me to reflect on the number of big game animals that were struck by vehicles in Island Park last year. My instinct was to blame the rise on increasing traffic or the 65 mph speed limit. I asked a knowledgeable resident last week if he had any thoughts about the escalating wildlife collisions, he proffered that the use of salt solution to de-ice the highway attracts wildlife to the right of way.

I hadn’t considered the possibility that the brine was creating a danger to big game animals, but it made sense. Spraying the solution repeatedly on highway 20 over the winter turns the road through the caldera into a 30 mile long salt lick. If the moose, elk, deer and antelope are drawn to the highway, they are one wrong turn from a deadly encounter with a motor vehicle.

I Googled the topic of “road salt attracting wildlife” and found a list of state government sites (especially in New England) which indicate that they have been aware of this problem for some time. The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services posts this information on their web site:

“Road salt in the environment affects the health of wildlife, including birds and mammals. Birds, the most sensitive wildlife species to salt, often mistake road salt crystals for seeds or grit. Consumption of very small amounts of salt can result in toxicosis and death within the bird population. Wildlife such as deer and moose are also attracted to the roadway to ingest salt crystals, which leads to higher incidents of vehicular accidents and wildlife kills. Particularly high concentrations of sodium and chloride can be found in snow melt, which many animals drink to relieve thirst and potentially can cause salt toxicity including dehydration, confusion and weakness, among other symptoms. Road salt can cause a decline among populations of salt sensitive species reducing natural diversity. Damage to vegetation can have significant impact on wildlife habitat by destroying food resources, shelter and breeding and nesting sites, and by creating a favorable environment for non-native invasive species.”

http://des.nh.gov/organization/divisions/water/wmb/was/salt-reduction-initiative/impacts.htm

It seems counterproductive to invite people to vacation in Island Park, attract large wildlife to the highway and hope that the visitors can survive the gauntlet.

Those in charge of snow removal on Highway 20 might want to reconsider their options. In the meantime, it would seem prudent to increase the number of “Beware of Wildlife” signs on the highway. There are numerous “Snowmobile Crossing” signs already in place. It would not require much time or money to add the additional folding signs to the posts.

Yellowstone Country Safety * Bad Footing *

Watch your footing in the mornings. Temperatures at night are below freezing and the melting snow freezes. Taking a header on your stairs may be entertaining but painful!

Road Closure in Island Park Due to Snow!

A week after I wrote the article complaining about a lack of snow, we got a storm that closed Highway 20 both north and southbound out of Island Park.  This is the road to West Yellowstone and it was closed for more that 24 hours! Cool, huh?

Got Snow!

While Atlanta shut down over two inches of snow, I was a little nervous about the low snow level in Island Park. Three feet of accumulated snow may be daunting in many areas of the country but it is not adequate to accommodate the needs of the forest through the summer. It also leaves those who enjoy winter recreation with less than optimum conditions. February brought with it a new, thick blanket of white moisture. The additional snow was a welcome sight and hopefully foreshadows what late winter has in store for Yellowstone country.

Listening to the talking heads (not the band) expound upon the weather patterns seems like white noise. They try to explain why the weather is unpredictable and disruptive. One day the earth is suffering from global warming, the weather cools and we are in the midst of climate change. I have no doubt that the climate changes but it always has. The earth has gone through several ice ages and each time, warmed on its own. None of these cycles were man induced.

The same advocates that want to limit the use of wood burning stoves consider a forest fire nature’s way of renewing the earth. It is not burning of wood that creates climate change but who burns the wood. The argument has evolved to classifying carbon dioxide as a pollutant. The advocates would classify animal life as polluters because of what they exhale. If the earth’s climate was deemed in danger, it would necessitate a limit the number of people/animals creating the imbalance. Fortunately, the earth’s environment is resilient. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen as a byproduct. A rich carbon dioxide environment spurs the plant growth, maintaining the earth’s balance.

We all should be good stewards of the environment. Teaching good stewardship doesn’t require massive government programs or oversight. The Boy Scouts have been doing it for years. The cry of climate change inevitably leads to a demand for more tax money and limits on activities regardless of the harm that is done. The fix often causes more damage than the perceived problem. Just ask the residents of West Yellowstone or Island Park after snow machines were limited from Yellowstone Park. Then there are the windmills that have been installed throughout the country. I give them less than twenty years before many will be shut down. Conservationists will discover that too many birds are being killed by the rotating blades and demand action.

I am just grateful for the snow that we have been receiving and hope that this winter provides enough moisture for the country to have a safe summer and successful harvest. I find it best to tune out the white noise and enjoy the white solitude of the mountains.

Avoid Tragedy in Island Park

Last Saturday a snowmobiler crossed Highway 20 in front of a vehicle and died in the collision just north of Island Park Village. Norman Zullin of Long Island, New York was following a fellow rider in a dash across the highway and did not see the northbound vehicle. It was an immediate and tragic end to a vacation in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

The same afternoon as the collision, I was pulling into Elk Creek when three snowmobilers jetted across the parking lot entrance. The snow berms concealed them from view. They did not slow as they crossed in front of my suburban. Had I not caught a glimpse of a helmet and slowed, the results could have been as tragic as the collision on Highway 20. I recently saw a snowmobiler park behind a truck at Robin’s Roost. The driver began to back up when a pedestrian alerted him to the sled’s presence, averting a crisis.

The snow accumulation diminishes the low-slung snow machines’ visibility to motorists. It also inhibits the snowmobiler’s ability to get a clear vision of road traffic. It is essential that the snowmobiler’s approach to a roadway be cautious. It is understandable that after a carefree and wild snowmobile ride in the back country, the rider forgets that traffic exists when coming down off the mountains. Drive defensively. Snowmobilers that are accustomed to looking for boulders, stumps and other hazards in the back country may be less attentive in the populated areas of Island Park.

It is incumbent upon snowmobile operators to avoid collisions with cars and trucks. The sled will be on the short end of any encounter. Please be cautious while enjoying Island Park. The residents want you to have a memorable visit and return home safely to tell others of your adventure. 

Yellowstone Country Safety * Tow Straps *

Keep a tow strap in your rig. It may help you avoid a tow bill if you get stuck in the snow.

Nativity in Island Park

There went out a proclamation throughout the land that all must go forth to the place of their birth and enroll in health care. Joseph and Mary, who was great with child, traveled to Island Park to meet with their insurance agent. Arriving on a cold and snowy night, they sought shelter at the local inns. The rooms were filled by vacationing snowmobilers.

They found a small cabin available in Mack’s Inn but the water pipes had frozen. They accepted the shelter and the kind proprietor brought them two five gallon water containers and assured them that the water would be running by morning.

During the night, a son was born to the loving couple without incident.

As Fish and Game watched over the elk herds, a star appeared in the heavens giving notice of the special birth.

Three professors from the University of Utah Medical Center were staying on Bill’s Island when they heard of the birth. Jumping on their snowmobiles, they hurried to the small cabin bearing gifts of Huggies, formula and Walmart gift certificates. They were attending to mother and child, as the Relief Society ladies arrived bearing food. The Little Church in the Pines choir quickly organized to serenade the young family.   

Residents responded to the birth with offers of assistance and provisions. The community proclaimed “Glory to God in the Highest and peace on earth, good will to men.”