Planet News Briefs

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

By PJH Staff

Bear activity possible anywhere in park
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-It’s summer in Grand Teton National Park, and in addition to increased people traffic in and around the park, there is also increased bear traffic.
Black bears have always inhabited the park, though Public Affairs Officer Jackie Skaggs notes that specific population numbers are unknown.

Grizzly bears, on the other hand, are more recent visitors and their population is on the rise.

“Many people who’ve been here for years may not think of us as a grizzly park,” Skaggs said. “They may think of Yellowstone and Glacier.” But, she warns, anywhere throughout the park can be considered grizzly country.

Through recovery efforts associated with the Endangered Species Act, grizzlies have returned to Grand Teton National Park and have led park staff to step up informational and educational campaigns about safety in bear country.

“We just have a lot of bears throughout the park that can be in close proximity to people,” Skaggs said, noting that bears frequent both front and backcountry campgrounds and lodge areas. “The trick is to manage people’s behavior as much as to try to avoid bears becoming habituated to people or food-conditioned.”

The park announced the new campaign in late May, and this year required backcountry users to carry food storage canisters.

But, despite efforts to educate people about proper use guidelines and regulations in bear country, encounters still occur. Last Friday, park biologists decided to euthanize a black bear that had been collared on June 5.

The 3- to 4-year-old bear had pushed against windows at Jenny Lake Lodge and scaled a six-foot fence near the kitchen before bluff charging rangers who had been called to the scene.

“We never take a decision to euthanize a bear lightly,” Superintendent Mary Gibson Scott said in a press release. “It is unfortunate and frustrating that food rewards and habituation to people have caused this bear to become food-conditioned and aggressive. Bears generally pose a safety concern only after they start to associate people and their activities with easily obtained food.”

Skaggs reminds people that food and backpacks should never be left unattended, even for a few seconds. Ice chests and coolers should only be removed from vehicles during food preparation and promptly returned inside the vehicle afterwards.

She also encourages all backcountry users to carry bear pepper spray and to keep it accessible and know how to use it, and to hike in groups.

“You should refrain from hiking in dawn and dusk hours,” Skaggs said, adding that bears can be active any time, “but because of low light, a hiker may not pick up on the presence of the bear.”

If you should encounter a bear, do not run. Stand your ground and back up slowly, putting your hands over your hand and speaking to the bear in a calm, soothing voice.
For more information on bear activity, stop by the Moose Visitors Center.
— Melanie Stein

After housing assessment, boards eye next steps
Though no action has been taken, and some town councilors and county commissioners are yet reluctant to plant themselves firmly in favor of any course of action, the town and county’s Joint Information Board is poised to move forward to address Jackson Hole’s work force housing needs.

Last week saw the final installment of the Housing Authority’s housing needs assessment, which brought to a head the findings and recommendations from the housing study done by a private consulting group and unveiled to the public in January.

“It was good to finally get some feedback so we could start being productive,” Housing Authority Executive Director Christine Walker said following the Thursday meeting.
One idea proposed in the housing needs assessment is increasing the housing mitigation rate required of residential and commercial developers from 15 percent to up to 25 percent.

By that formula, developers would have to increase by 66 percent either the deed-controlled affordable housing they provide or the fee they pay in lieu of housing.
City Councilor Bob Lenz was one of five board members in attendance on Thursday.

He called the mitigation increase “the most compelling idea” to come out of the meetings.

County Commissioner Hank Phibbs feels a dire housing situation should be addressed with some expediency; “This is an urgent community issue that needs public discussion: Should town and county commit themselves to acquiring as much land as they can bank?” he asked, noting it is yet unclear if that approach would yield results more immediately than a hike in the housing mitigation required of developers.

Mayor Mark Barron said that the assessment provided “a good review with simple, broad strokes.” Reluctant to opine more specifically on what measures might be taken to create affordable housing in Jackson Hole, the mayor repeated that the joint board would probably “look at increasing our [required mitigation] from 15 percent to something a little more aggressive.”

He declined to speculate on what kind of public opposition might mobilize against such a measure.
— Ben Cannon

Center for the Arts hires new director
The Center for the Arts’s board of directors this week named a new executive director to head the nonprofit’s million dollar operating budget and staff of 20.

Stephen D. Schultz has over 20 years of senior executive management experience from both public and private sectors, with an “expertise in marketing, communications, public/media relations, fundraising and long-range strategic planning,” a Center for the Arts press release said.

Schultz will replace Mark Berry, who after leading the organization through the two-phase, $35 million construction projects for the last three and a half years, announced his resignation last year and wrapped up his obligations with the Center in March.

“This is an exciting opportunity for me as I combine my passion for the arts, my love for Jackson Hole and my broad business background to support this wonderful community asset,” said Schultz. “I look forward to working with all of the Center’s talented board, resident organizations, generous donors, professional staff and the community as a whole.”

Schultz is an accomplished, award-winning artist, holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from St. Lawrence University in Canton, N.Y., and attended the Executive Management Program at Rice University. He also serves as a member of the board of directors for Falcon Oil and Gas, based in Vancouver, B.C. 

Schultz and his family currently live in Westford, Mass., where Schultz served as managing director of Acusphere, Inc., a specialty pharmaceuticals company.
— PJH Staff Report

Wyoming still experiencing drought
Don’t be fooled by the gleaming green National Elk Refuge and the colorful flowers sprouting up across the valley. Wyoming is still experiencing a serious drought.
The Wyoming Drought Management Task Force met with Gov. Freudenthal on Thursday to discuss the lack of precipitation in Wyoming.

“A large portion of the state had some spring moisture and the landscape has been green,” said Leanne Stevenson of the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and co-chair of the task force. “But a deeper look at the situation reveals that our hydrological system has been deprived for seven to nine years and this is severely impacting our reservoirs, streams and groundwater supplies throughout the state.”

The task force recommended that all citizens – businesses, homeowners, farmers and ranchers – practice water conservation efforts as the drought is likely to continue and worsen throughout the hot summer months.

Drought conditions such as those in Wyoming also make the Forest Service and firefighters nervous as the risk of wildfires increases. According to data from the Forest Service, the observed fire danger in parts of Wyoming is already high, very high or extreme.

“Unfortunately this year’s grass hides a myriad of long-term drought impacts and potential water supply problems,” State Climatologist Steve Gray said. “Most of the high country snow had melted out by early June, which is several weeks to a month earlier than usual. Stream flows are forecast to be far below average this year. This, in turn, sets the stage for very dry conditions later in the summer, along with high fire danger, restrictions on water use and declining reservoir levels.”
— PJH Staff Reports
PERMALINK:
Planet News Briefs | Planet JH News Article: General News

Leave a Comment