[Az-Geocaching] The problem with public land

[Joe Brekke]

I grew up and lived for some time in a little town called Cut Bank, Montana
which is about 40 miles from Glacier Park and about 280 miles from
Yellowstone.  Although I frequented Glacier much more often than
Yellowstone, I have visited Yellowstone often over the years.  My Dad worked
in building the Going-to-the-Sun hiway through Glacier from 1929 - 1932.

At that time (and for some time after) when grizzlies came into camp, the
first thing they got from one of the Park Rangers was a 10-guage barrel
filled with rock salt...when the ran, they got the other barrel filled with
buckshot.  This was common, and was a way they kept the bears from man...now
I'm not saying this was the correct way, but it did instill a lot of fear
for man in the grizzlies...they stayed away from them.

This practice has of course stopped.  Man has encroached farther and farther
on the grizzlies domain.  However they no longer fear man, and wander in to
any campground or any site they can.  The rangers try to keep tabs on them
for the most part, but sometimes they fail.  When a bear becomes a problem,
it is trapped and moved...along with being tagged for identification.  The
bear has 1 more chance.  If it becomes a problem again, it is captured and
destroyed.

In Yellowstone, I can remember the days of driving through and having areas
where 30 - 40 bears (grizzly and black bear alike) lined the roadways while
people stopped, rolled down their windows and handed or threw food out to
these beggars.  Every once in a while there was a problem.  But as
Yellowstone saw more and more visitors, this practice was halted, sometime
around the late 60's.  Of course the bears didn't see it that way and
continued to try for handouts, coming into camps and whatnot.  In the 70's
the "harassment laws" came in to being because over time the bears that were
used to the handouts died off, but there were so many bears, and so many
more people that just the bear minding its own business in its own habitat
attracted onlookers...and they did just as the fellow in this story
did...they tried to get the perfect shot.  Of course by this time, the bears
were more "wild" than they were before, and had no fear for man.  When man
got to close, they attacked.  If they attacked they were destroyed.

These laws were not put in to protect the animals from humans, they were put
in to protect the animals against their natural tendency to attack...for if
they attack, they will be destroyed...so even though it may be called animal
harassment, what they are trying to prevent is the animal from being
destroyed...even though this article says there was no "charges filed
against the buffalo".  If this was a bear attack, things would be different.

I can remember going to Glacier Park...there is an area there that is called
Moose country...for those of you who don't know, Moose love to go into a
marsh and basically kneel in the water and eat the moss, lillypads and
pretty much anything green that is there.  I have seen, and every once in a
while you hear about some idiot wading into the marsh towards a Bull Moose
to get that perfect shot.  I have seen that Bull Moose attack.  Again, it is
not pretty.  Though the person I saw was not killed, he was broken up pretty
bad and spent months in the hospital and rehabilitation.

Sorry for this really lengthy response, but I just wanted everyone to know
why these laws exist...they aren't to protect the animals from man...rather
to protect the animals from their natural tendencies to attack.

In almost all cases, it is not the animal that is the problem...it is the
idiot trying for the perfect shot.  He should be prosecuted.

Thanks,

Joe
TeamBlunder


----- Original Message -----
From: "Jerry Nelson" <peakbagger2@juno.com>
To: <listserv@azgeocaching.com>
Sent: Saturday, August 17, 2002 3:01 PM
Subject: RE: [Az-Geocaching] The problem with public land


> Gotta agree with those who side with the buffalo.  If the photographer
> had more serious injuries I suppose I'd have greater sympathy,  But my
> guess is that the purpose of the fine is to further persuade visitors,
> for their own good, to be more respectful of the dangers from such
> critters.
>
> Jerry
> Offtrail
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