Need some help

[jeffg]

I read this article on CNN yesterday and it gave me the heebie jeegies. The last thing I want to do is go out to Yellowstone to fish the Lamar and have a bunch of rafts come floating by. Yeah the resources and Nat'l Parks are for everyone. But the great thing about Yellowstone is the fact you can get away from the crowds/people/rafters/tubers/ and all kinds of stuff.
I see opening The Park to rafting (especially on the Lamar and in the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone River ) as insane. It is not like the Park has enough traffic to begin with...among other reasons.
I do not know who has and who hasnt fished The Park, but the ones who have I hope feel as passionate as I do about this issue. If you do please read the following article and please email,write or call the NPS or Yellowstone, and voice your concern.
*(Yeah I know this should be in environmental section but figured it would grab peoples attention here.)*
The Park is not only the most unique Nat'L Park in the country but probably the most unique park in the world. The diversity of animals, plants, and all in all ecologies makes Yellowstone a place we need to preserve.


Public access to Yellowstone rivers proposed

December 3, 1998
Web posted at: 11:30 AM EST

By Environmental News
Network staff

(ENN) -- American Whitewater, a non-profit organization representing whitewater paddlers, submitted a
proposal to the U.S. National Park Service Nov. 15,recommending that Yellowstone open four select river segments for non-commercial
whitewater recreation on a seasonal basis. Therecommendation
includes the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone, as well as portions of the Gardner, Lamar, and Lewis Rivers. American Whitewater access Director Jason Robertson noted that Yellowstone has more than "400 miles of incredible rivers which are entirely off-limits to the boating public; this is not consistent with
National Park Service policies, which are designed to promote
human-powered recreation such as kayaking and canoeing."
Yellowstone's rivers offer unique boating experiences in terms of whitewater, skills development, wilderness challenges, and scenery that
are not available anywhere else, according to American Whitewater.

Opening the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone for whitewater recreation is American Whitewater's highest priority. Ron Lodders, a boater and contributor to the Western Rivers guidebook, said that the Black Canyon of the Yellowstone, "may be the premier multi-day
whitewater run in any National Park in the United States."

Rich Bowers, executive director, emphasized that "the original ban on
river recreation was inherently flawed because it was implemented to address, overfishing, rather than river voyaging and recreation. There are better tools for managing anglers without banning boater access to
Yellowstone's rivers."

American Whitewater is convinced that the park can manage
whitewater boating while also protecting the wildlife during
particularly sensitive reproductive periods.

The selection of these river segments is based on:

their unique value as whitewater resources to boaters of varying
skill levels and interests,
the Park's need to balance use and resource protection,
the fact that whitewater recreation has no unique impacts relative to other human-powered recreation, and the ability of Park personnel to manage the resource on a limited basis, with the ability to open or close additional rivers in the future.

For more information, contact Jason Roberston, American Whitewater,
(301)589-6121, email: Access@amwhitewater.org.

[Mr T1]

Jeff -- PETA has proposed the elimination of fishing in Yellowstone and other National Parks but is particularly focusing on Yellowstone. I've noticed since the PETA proposal was issued, NPS has come up with several ideas as alternatives to fishing.

I think the animal rights people have a lot more impact with the feds than we realize and I'm afraid that by the time the fishing public recognizes what is happening, the damage will already be done. It's the same way the anti-gunners got started.

Now the constitutionally guaranteed right to even own a gun, even a hunting gun, is seriously threatened. And, there ain't no constitutional guarantee to protect fishing.

[jeffg]

T1
I love seeing the PETA people, and asking them if they have pets....and then ask them what they feed their pets...and where do you think that meat comes from??/ Most of them do not speak anymore to me after that....Or I find it hard to take PETA people seriously when they wear leather belts./...

But I agree, if people do not pay attention to what is happening now, then when it finally hits them...the damage is done.

I am kinda bummed not more people replied to this posting. Granted many have probably not fished in THe Park..but people please understand, this is such an almost unspoiled landscape that it has to be preserved with only the minimal of impacts....

(If PETA etc.. did ban fishing in Nat'l Parks I think the NPS would be stunned how much add'l rev they miss out on, how many less visitors and how much smaller their budgets would be the next year...For example, it cost 10 bucks for 7 days to fish Yellowstone(all that money stays in Yellowstone which is grossly underbudgeted anyways). Take that 10 bucks and multiply it by minimum 25K people a year....that is moey the NPS cannot do without.

[Mr T]

What is so scary about PETA is that they have the ear of the media. For 20 years, a Florida farmer had a big dove hunt and cookout on his land for family and friends and no one paid any attention.

Then he was elected to the legislature and the media converted it into a bash for legislative insiders and lobbyists.

Then two years ago, he was elected to Congress and his sister-in-law was elected to the Florida House in his place. They decided to charge attendees $10.00 and donate the proceeds to a local charity. Last year they raised $10,000 for United Way and this year, they raised $12,000 for the Boy and Girl Scouts.

This year, there were 125 hunters along with another 400 who came for the cookout. There were two PETA protestors and they had full media coverage. The story even made the national news.

And even though the news coverage I saw was fairly balanced as to what took place, it doesn't make sense to me that two protestors get so much attention in the face of 125 hunters. And while they gave about as much time to the hunters as they did the protestors, the coverage made it appear that it was a much bigger deal than it was.

Remember: "Fish have feelings, too."