Scientists: Grizzlies expand turf but still need protection
BILLINGS, Mont. â Grizzly bears are slowly expanding the turf where they roam in parts of the northern Rocky Mountains but need continued protections, according to government scientists who concluded that no other areas of the country would be suitable for reintroducing the fearsome predators.
The Fish and Wildlife Service on March 31 released its first assessment in almost a decade about the status of grizzly bears in the contiguous U.S. The bruins are shielded from hunting as a threatened species except in Alaska.
Grizzly populations grew over the past 10 years in two areas â the Yellowstone region of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, with more than 700 bears; and around Glacier National Park in Montana, which is home to more than 1,000 of the animals.
BRETT FRENCH
Work that began last fall to upgrade the North Entrance station and road to Yellowstone National Park at Gardiner will continue through this summer and is projected to be completed by fall.
Until then, visitors and Gardiner business owners and residents may see some congestion on high traffic days in a year that park Superintendent Cam Sholly has predicted could be one of the busiest on record for Yellowstone. A busy summer could lead to backups regardless of the construction, said Terese Petcoff, executive director of the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce. The park is pretty good about getting visitors through the gates fast.
Where thereâs fog, thereâs.
Driving by, it looked like a tornado had hit a single home in East Jackson. The garage door was blasted through with a portion of the roof torn away and debris scattered across the front lawn.
Slated for demolition later this month, the 440 W. Kelly property is serving as a training site for Jackson Hole Fire/EMS. On Wednesday evenings, volunteer and career firefighters have been staging simulations.
âThereâs nothing like a real house to give you a feel for what it would be like during an actual fire,â said Lily Sullivan, Jackson Hole Fire/EMS training captain.