JACKSON HOLE HEADLINES

Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks officials have captured a 300 to 400 pound grizzly bear sow they believe may have attacked campers at the Soda Butte Campground overnight Wednesday.   The bear was with three yearling cubs. If DNA links the attacks to the bears, they’ll all be euthanized. 

48 year old Kevin Kammer of Grand Rapids, Michigan was mauled to death during the attack. He was alone on a fly fishing trip. Two other people…one man and one woman…were injured in the predatory attack.

Wyoming’s Select Committee On School Finance Recalibration has more work to do. At least, according to Governor Dave Freudenthal…who’s asking the panel to broaden its outreach and increase public involvement. In addition, he says the committee has not fully explored adoption of performance-based ties between the funding formula and the discretionary decisions of individual school districts. 

The Bridger Teton’s “Bull” Fire has grown to about 643 acres…still burning in beetle kill and sub-alpine fir. Because the fire is a benefit to landscape and wildlife, it’s being managed for both protection and resource objectives.

A blue collar working man should have a good handle on ways to cut state spending.   That’s the position, anyway, of a Cody native who is among the seven republicans seeking the nomination for Wyoming Governor next month.   Alan Kousoulous told us he’d like to try moving state agencies to a four day, ten hour work schedule. He says similar actions in Utah and Colorado have saved close to $1 billion a year.

The 54 year old Kousoulous is a full-time supervisor for the Wyoming Department of Transportation in Cody…and is running his gubernatorial campaign on vacation days.

 

One man was killed and two people injured after a bear or bears rampaged thru tents in the Soda Butte Campground on the Gallatin National Forest near Cooke City Wednesday.   The attack began about 1:30 a.m. It’s so far unknown whether the animals were grizzly or black bears. Officials will be analyzing hair samples at a Wyoming laboratory to try to determine that.

Other campers took refuge in vehicles until help arrived.   Forest Service, Montana wildlife and Yellowstone Park officials set out culvert traps in an effort to catch the responsible animal(s). Several nearby campgrounds have been closed.

 

A 22 year old Taiwanese woman has died of injuries sustained when she slipped under the surface of the Firehole River near Old Faithful. Lin Ching-Ling was submerged for about five minutes before bystanders pulled her out of the water. A doctor and two nurses who happened to be in the area applied CPR for about 40 minutes until she gained a pulse. The woman was transported to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center where she was pronounced dead.  

The Bull Fire…east of Hoback Junction in the Gros Ventre Wilderness…has grown by about 30 acres. Teton Interagency Fire Crews estimate the fire at 521 acres total and is burning in beetle kill and sub-alpine fir.   The lightning caused fire is being managed for resource benefits.

Governor Dave Freudenthal is urging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to delay action on a hastily drafted oil and gas regulation bill. The Governor believes the proposal would affect on-shore leasing and energy production and rob the states of their traditional oversight role. He contends the federal government lacks both the jurisdiction and expertise to effectively oversee natural gas production in Wyoming.

 

Senate democrats say they’ll bring an energy bill to the floor this week that’ll include off-shore drilling safety provisions. Although he complains its being written behind closed doors and he hasn’t seen it…Wyoming Senator John Barrasso says he doesn’t like it.   He says republicans have a different approach…which begins by lifting an off-shore drilling moratorium. “Rather than imposing a blanket moratorium that threatens thousands of jobs in the Gulf, the Republican bill would lift the moratorium for companies that have complied with the new safety and inspection requirements. This provision stops the Administration from compounding the economic damage that is currently occurring in the Gulf.” In addition, Barrasso said, “The bill increases liability limits based on risk factors, such as water depth and a company's previous history. It also sets up a system, Mr. President, where claims beyond the liability cap are paid for by all the companies drilling offshore.”

Jackson Hole real estate sales have more than doubled this year…compared to the first six months of last year…but some segments of the market have yet to find the bottom in terms of price. That’s the assessment of Jackson Hole Real Estate. Their latest report indicates the hardest hit segment is “entry level”…where values have dropped as much as 50% compared to all time highs in 2007.   It’s blamed on changing lending guidelines and the high number of distressed properties…in other words, an unprecedented number of sellers and few buyers.

 

The number of Wyoming children living in poverty is way down.   A new “Kids Count” data base indicates that number improved by 20% between 2000 and 2008. Thanks to a stronger overall state economy, the number of Wyoming kids living at poverty level is now 12%.

 

The town of Alpine has won a $9500 grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Wyoming Business Council’s Energy Office approved the proposal Tuesday under the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant program. It’ll help Alpine pay for energy efficiency upgrades.

 

It is not one of the biggest issues facing Teton County, Wyoming law enforcement these days….but as more and more people take to bicycles for transportation, it could become one. That is, whether someone should be cited for DUI on a bicycle. Sheriff Jim Whalen says he fully supports one of his deputies’ recent decisions to cite a bicyclist for DUI. 

The case was ultimately dismissed by the County Prosecutor…largely because of inconsistencies in Wyoming’s DUI laws. Whalen says state laws clearly allow citing a bicyclist for DUI….although other portions of the law also seem to apply only to motor vehicles.  

For now, the sheriff is leaving it to deputies to decide how they handle rare, individual cases. As for inebriated people making a decision whether to drive a bike or get behind the wheel of a vehicle, he suggests Door #3….a designated driver.

A scaled back search effort continues in the Snake River today for a missing Georgia man. The Lincoln County Sheriffs’ office dispatched Star Valley Search and Rescue to the “Lunch Counter” area Saturday night. Witnesses said 46 year old Joel Fegarido of Newman, Georgia was swept downstream after entering the water to help his son…who appeared to be having trouble in the water. Several private boaters attempted to follow the man, but were unable to catch him before he disappeared under water. He was not wearing a life jacket.

Yellowstone’s Beach Fire is still listed as 72% contained at 520 acres. But, cooler temperatures and high humidity helped firefighters build firelines around the main body of the fire. 222 firefighters are assigned to the fire about seven miles southwest of Bridge Bay Campground. The cause is still under investigation.

 

Teton Interagency Firefighters are continuing to manage the “Bull” Fire for resource benefit. The lightning caused fire is located east of Hoback Junction inside the Gros Ventre Wilderness. It’s now estimated at 480 acres. A closure order has been implemented and includes the Rough Hollow, Bull, Cow, and Bear Creek drainages north of Highway 181.

 

The National Park Service has named John Wessels as its new Intermountain Regional Director. Wessels will oversee five thousand employees and 92 national parks. He’s currently regional associate director for administration, business and technology and, for the past 18 months, has led the investment of $200 million in stimulus act funds for park projects across the region.   He takes the reigns in Denver in August.

 

A proposal to vaccinate Yellowstone Park bison against brucellosis by using a compressed air rifle is generating a bit more interest than the National Park Service expected. As a result, they’ve extended a public comment deadline that ended Monday another 60 days. The vaccinations are intended to reduce the brucellosis infection rate on historic and essential winter range outside the park in Montana.

 

 Wyoming’s unemployment rate fell two tenths of a percent to 6.8% in June. That rate has been decreasing every month since January. For the first time in 16 months, Wyoming’s natural resources and mining sectors added jobs in June.

Wyoming Department of Employment Senior Economist David Bullard says it was a particularly good month in Teton County. ”The unemployment rate came down from 9.5% in May to 5.7% in June and we expect it’ll probably come down a bit more in July as the tourist season gets into full swing there.” That swing is a traditional trend for Teton County.

 Lincoln County, by contrast had the highest unemployment rate in Wyoming last month…8.5%. That is down from 9.4% in May.

 

Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to be in Yellowstone National Park today (July 26). As part of “Recovery Summer” he’ll visit Yellowstone and Grand Canyon…where $25 million in Recovery Act funding is catching up on deferred construction and maintenance projects. The White House says 17 projects in the two parks have employed more than one thousand people. He’ll visit Grand Canyon tomorrow (July 27).

 

Wyoming’s Congressional delegation isn’t too happy with the National Park Service alternatives for winter-use management at Yellowstone. In a joint statement, they said “the more restrictive options do more to choke the Wyoming economy than protect the park.”   They argue that if the park is to fulfill its mission then snowmobiling must be a substantial part of the mix.

 

Yellowstone’s Beach Fire was reported to be 72% contained Sunday. 272 firefighters are on the fire…which now covers about 520 acres.

The Bridger Teton National Forest says a July 21^st lightning storm created nine wildfires. Most were less than an acre and initial suppression efforts were successful. A few are still uncontrolled. The Bull Fire on the Jackson District is located south of Hoback Junction. At sixty acres it’s being managed for resource benefit. 

 

Grand Teton National Park rangers are investigating the death of a 21 year old University of Michigan student. Jillian Drow apparently fell 80 feet after summiting the Middle Teton last Tuesday evening. She separated from her climbing partner as they descended the mountain and didn’t return to their back country camp in Garnet Canyon. A member of the party called about 9 p.m. that night to report she’d been found…but not alive. Rangers arrived about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday and flew her body out of the area about 9:30 a.m.…just before a severe lightning storm enveloped the Teton Range.

 

A California hiker was rescued from a boulder field while walking out of Garnet Canyon Thursday.   Grand Teton National Park rangers say 43 year old Scott Hanson was completing a two day guided climb of the Grand Teton. He was taken to St. John’s Medical Center for additional care.