Yellowstone Gate (https://www.yellowstonegate.com/author/mark-bagne/)
Plains dwellers are familiar with the view of pronghorn antelope streaking across sagebrush flats and low grassy hills—camouflaged blurs racing on rawboned limbs at speeds upwards of 60 mph. Yet there's another view of this marvelous critter: fording swift rivers and scrambling up dusty mountain trails. That's the view of some rare souls who have tracked a pronghorn migration between Grand Teton Park and the Green River Basin. Continue Reading →
Yellowstone National Park Ranger Brad Ross was recognized Monday at the National Parks Day luncheon in Cody for an award he received recognizing valor in the line of duty. Business people and tourism representatives applauded the ranger upon learning he was one of 17 park system employees from across the nation honored by Interior Secretary Sally Jewell with the Valor Award. Continue Reading →
Heavy snow this winter and lingering wet, cold weather this spring has made travel in Yellowstone National Park a tricky proposition for some early visitors. Superintendent Dan Wenk said Monday that early park visitors should keep in mind that additional slides may cause temporary road closures. "Every entrance road has had a temporary closure," Wenk said. "We will continue to ensure the safety of visitors while staying open to the greatest extent possible." Speaking at the annual National Parks Day Luncheon in Cody, Wyo., the superintendent also updated tourism representatives and business people about renovations at Lake Hotel and Canyon, wildlife issues and an upcoming National Geographic special edition. Continue Reading →
Yellowstone Park has opened 49 miles of roads on the western side of the park to bicyclists. Cyclists are urged to prepare for quick-changing spring weather on the route from the West Entrance near West Yellowstone, Mont., to Mammoth Hot Springs. Bicycles will not be allowed to travel on to Old Faithful or Canyon until the first interior park roads open to public motorized vehicles on Friday, April 18, according to a Yellowstone news release. Continue Reading →
A smattering of protests Monday in cities from Cheyenne, Wyo., to Seattle drew attention to wolf-hunting as well as to Thursday's deadline for comments on a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposal to remove the gray wolf from the endangered species list. A pro-wolf organization called Wolf and Wildlife Action Group scheduled about a dozen "civil disobedience actions" across the Midwest and West, primarily in states that allow wolf hunts. Continue Reading →
A proposal to dramatically expand the territory available for bison living in and around Yellowstone National Park s still under consideration, despite a decision by the Montana Board of Livestock this week to table the plan pending further analysis. The plan to boost available habitat from about 40,000 acres used mostly on a seasonal basis to 420,000 acres year-round west and north of Yellowstone in Hebgen Lake Basin, the Taylor Fork of the Gallatin River and other areas "remains viable," officials say. Continue Reading →
Yellowstone National Park is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for illegally killing three bison last week in northern Yellowstone. The bison were likely shot between the evening of March 13 and the morning of March 15 alongside the road in the Blacktail Plateau, to the east of Mammoth Hot Springs at least 10 miles south of the park's northern boundary Continue Reading →
A ruling by the Montana Supreme Court allowing continued seasonal access for bison to the Gardiner Basin north of Yellowstone Park has been hailed by environmentalists as a victory for wildlife lovers. Justices upheld a February 2012 decision by state agencies to allow bison access to the basin to forage for food during the winter and early spring until May 1 of each year. Continue Reading →
The case of a Colorado man who protested the slaughter of bison migrating from Yellowstone National Park may be heading to trial after he rejected a proposed plea bargain Tuesday during his initial appearance at the Yellowstone Justice Center in Mammoth Hot Springs. Appearing before U.S. District Judge Mark Carman, the protester, 20-year-old Comfrey Jacobs, turned down a deal that would have required a guilty plea, $1,000 restitution, five years probation, and a ban on entering Yellowstone Park for five years. Continue Reading →
A “very large avalanche,” measuring 500 feet wide and 20 feet deep in some areas, swept over and killed a high school student who was snowmobiling with a group of six other friends late Tuesday afternoon north of Cooke City, Mont. Continue Reading →