The Black Canyon of Yellowstone National Park seems to swallow the Yellowstone River in one gigantic gulp. From the canyon’s mouth, rapids turn the river into a powerful torrent that careens into Gardiner, Mont., the north entrance to the park. Mention the Black Canyon to many experienced boaters, and their eyes will glimmer and private […]
Rachel Odell
Posted inFebruary 15, 1999: Uncommon Bounty
Wolves colonize Jackson Hole
A lone wolf howl was heard in Jackson Hole, Wyo., for the first time in over 50 years this November. Since then, 11 wolves have been sighted in the area, some of them only five miles from the town of Jackson. Migrating south from Yellowstone, the animals make up three groups that seem to be […]
Posted inFebruary 15, 1999: Uncommon Bounty
Activists block bison capture pen
Suspended 35 feet in the air from tripods made of tree trunks, two members of the group Buffalo Nations keep vigil. They are here to prevent the Montana Department of Livestock from building a bison pen outside West Yellowstone, Mont., near Horse Butte, about 15 miles from Yellowstone National Park. The department wants to capture […]
Posted inJanuary 18, 1999: Desert sprawl
The great bison chase continues
Fifteen bison thundered along a barbed-wire fence in West Yellowstone while officials from the Montana Department of Livestock chased them from snowmobiles in December. After running the herd for a half an hour through a privately owned field, officials cornered eight. Then they shot blanks from rifles into the air, set off firecrackers and yelled […]
Posted inOctober 26, 1998: The Oregon way
Next: Grand Teton International?
Passengers who fly into the tiny Jackson Hole, Wyo., airport may not realize it, but they’re landing inside a national park. Airline representatives have argued for years that the Jackson runway should be lengthened for easier access. But Grand Teton National Park officials and environmentalists have steadfastly opposed the idea, saying an expansion would further […]
Posted inOctober 12, 1998: A river becomes a raw nerve
A bridge to disaster?
There’s a traffic jam in West Yellowstone, Mont., and the Gallatin National Forest wants to do something about it. Snowmobilers who buzz across Cougar Creek on a crowded highway bridge need an alternative route, says the agency, because they’re creating a safety problem for themselves and other drivers. But environmentalists contend that an agency plan […]
Posted inSeptember 28, 1998: A senator for the New West in the race of his life
Critics slam bison plan
-I’ve got two words for this plan: it stinks,” said Page McNeill, chair of the Wyoming chapter of the Sierra Club, at a recent public meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Criticism of the draft management plan for the Yellowstone National Park bison herd (HCN, 7/6/98) came fast and furious at the Aug. 10 meeting, where […]