At a Glance: NEWS BRIEFS

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

By PJH Staff

Grizzly bear relocated northwest of Togwotee
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-Wyoming Game and Fish officials trapped and relocated two adult grizzly bears in separate incidents over the last week. Each animal was involved in cattle depredation on private lands near Cody.

Last Thursday, wildlife officials relocated a five-year-old female to an area approximately three miles northwest of Togwotee Pass, within the Grizzly Bear Primary Conservation Area, to minimize potential conflicts with livestock and people.

The bear was fitted with a radio collar and will be tracked, an official said.
On Monday, officials relocated a male to west of Grassy Lake, in Caribou-Targhee National Forest, about 25 miles northwest of Moran.

While the PCA encompasses Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, when the state traps a bear, it is generally relocated to a national forest. Likewise, when Yellowstone or GTNP traps a bear, they relocate within their own boundaries. 
Five grizzlies have been relocated to the PCA so far this year.
 
 
Jackson Lake over-

full, but dam flow will be reduced
Jackson lake reservoir is currently over-full, but the Bureau of Reclamation will most likely begin reducing output flows by 2000 cubic feet-per-second, starting Thursday through Saturday, an official said.

According to bureau spokesperson Gary Kraus,  the dam currently holds 853,900 acre-feet of water, which is nearly 6,900 acre-feet above capacity. Officials are currently releasing about 5,553 CFS from the dam as of Monday. The bureau said they expect runoff and other inflow levels to reduce, which will allow them to also reduce outflows and avoid creating flood areas on the river.

“Right now, it’s mostly a balancing act, we let out enough to keep below the maximum level, but not too much to create floods,” Kraus said.

Wyoming charter school laws weak, according to study
Wyoming charter school laws are of low quality, resulting in few schools and a low ranking among other states, according to a recent study by the Center for Education Reform, a private educational research program.

In the 2009 study, Wyoming ranked fifth to last among the 41 states that have charter school laws. According to a spokeswoman for the agency, the main reason for this low ranking is the limited options for development of new schools.
In Wyoming, only local school boards can approve new schools while in other states, institutions like community colleges or universities can take on the duty. 
 
Report: South Park vital to ecosystem 
The Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance submitted a report to Town and County Planning Commissioners that suggests wildlife populations in South Park are vital to Jackson Hole’s eco-system.

Franz Camenzind, executive director of the Conservation Alliance, said in a press release that the report should be weighed by the community, in order to make an informed decision regarding a land use plan that will steer future development in Jackson Hole.

According to the report, ungulates such as elk and mule deer use the area for annual migrations while raptors use the agricultural fields for hunting and foraging. Songbirds and migratory birds use the wetlands for feeding and resting while fish and reptiles use the rivers, creeks and irrigation ditches for hunting and spawning. JHW


Courtesy photo
Jackson Lake

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At a Glance: NEWS BRIEFS | Planet JH News Article: General News

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