Letter to the editor

Unnatural in Yellowstone

Emily Tracy Dec. 12, 1994 From the print edition
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  Dear HCN,


Having just returned from a four-day camping trip to Yellowstone National Park, I was interested in Dave Tillotson's letter (HCN, 9/5/94). Unfortunately, what I would like to tackle is a little more difficult than a vehicle ban: visitor stupidity!


A huge number of park visitors blatantly ignore warnings about approaching wild animals and walk right up to elk, buffalo and moose. I witnessed some agitated buffalo traveling north on the road just south of Firehole Canyon Drive, resulting in a two-mile backup of northbound vehicles and physical aggressiveness by some of the buffalo toward the vehicles: The car in front of me, traveling south very slowly, was butted by a buffalo.


I agree with Tillotson - naturalness is not being preserved in the park. Perhaps the geysers, rivers and Yellowstone Lake will be the last to go, but must we get to that point before a radically new approach to park management is put in place?





Emily Tracy


Caûon City, Colorado





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