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<DIV>I still believe that I see way more bears in the Northern Range than I do
in the Firehole BMA, this is just my 40 years of life experience in the
Yellowstone area. By closing things, you are not teaching people how to
live with bears. I do believe there is enough volunteers out there, Id be
willing to bet that many of the geyser gazers would be willing to help monitor
bear activity.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>In the Northern Range, the bear rangers and volunteers have taught the
public over the last few years about bear etiquette, and no we see many of the
wildlife watchers and wolf watchers policing themselves. It is much better
to educate the public on how to react to bear sightings than it is to
have an uneducated public. There is not enough bear rangers in the
Northern Range, however, every year people are getting a little better about
policing themselves, which means people get to see the bears from a safe
distance. The park drums up about 20 volunteers for the elk rut in
Mammoth, I find it hard to believe they can't find that number for the Old
Faithful area in the couple of weeks the bear activity is at it's
greatest.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>The bear numbers have exploded over the past ten years, likely because of
the additional food provided by wolves. As bear numbers continue to grow
does this mean we will have to close Yellowstone altogether? </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I do not believe the park keeps track of very many den sites of the bears,
this would be an impossible task. as for the carcasses, yes last year
there was a carcass pile placed at the entrance of Firehole Lake Drive, which
attracted bears to the front country, a questionable move. Firehole
Lake drive could of been easily plowed or a better location would have been the
Freight Road for a mile in, which would have attracted the bears away from the
road. As of this date, and I have been at Fountain over 50 days this
winter, there are no carcasses anywhere near the boardwalk. Also, the more
human activity in an area, the less likely there will be bear activity in the
area. Sure bears may pass through from time to time, but it's Yellowstone
National Park, it happens.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>I do not oppose the temporary closures of trails because there is a carcass
in the area, that is just common sense. But to close an area that has
never been closed in the park's history because a bear may pass through is
ridiculous. By closing these areas, encourages the bears to stick around
longer. </DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>This is just my 2 cents worth, being raised in the area. Are there
any other geyser gazers out there willing to volunteer at bear jams with a can
of bear spray, a vest and the willingness to educate the visitors about the
bears as well as the geysers? I bet we could come up with at least a
dozen volunteers.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>Jim</DIV>
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