2007 Road Construction

Dunraven Pass
Open May 25

East Entrance
Open May 4–Nov. 3 (if conditions allow)
May 4–May 25:
OPEN DAILY 8 am–8 pm, with half hour delays
CLOSED NIGHTLY 8 pm–8 am
May 26–Nov. 3:
OPEN with half hour delays
NO NIGHT CLOSURES

Canyon Village
Artist Point
July 9–Nov. 3: South Rim Drive from
Uncle Tom’s parking area to Artist
Point CLOSED; Artist Point area
CLOSED.
North Rim Drive
July 9–Sept. 9: OPEN daily 6 am–10 pm;
POSSIBLY CLOSED 10 pm–6 am

Beartooth Highway (US 212),
Northeast Entrance through Cooke City:
Expect construction to start mid-summer and
continue through October 15 with half-hour
delays Monday–Friday, but no weekend or
holiday work.For construction updates on this
highway only, call 888-285-4636.

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHER IDENTIFIED AS YELLOWSTONE BEAR ATTACK VICTIM

A photographer and author from Bozeman, Montana, has been identified as the man hurt by a grizzly Wednesday in Yellowstone National Park.

57-year-old Jim Cole has published books on the lives of grizzly bears in Montana, Wyoming and Alaska.

Cole told rangers he was attacked by a sow with a cub while taking photographs along Trout Creek in Hayden Valley. Despite severe injuries to his face, Cole managed to walk two or three miles to the Grand Loop Road, where he was discovered by visitors about 1:00 p.m. Wednesday.

Rangers and emergency medical personnel took Cole by ambulance to West Yellowstone, where he was transferred to a Portneuf LifeFlight helicopter from Pocatello and flown to Idaho Falls.

Cole remains hospitalized at Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center.

Cole was hiking alone off-trail in a backcountry area of Yellowstone which is prime grizzly habitat. He was carrying bear pepper spray, but it is not yet known if he used the spray on the sow. The incident remains under investigation.

This is the second time Cole has been seriously hurt in a bear encounter. He walked out of the backcountry and took himself to the hospital after being injured by a grizzly in Glacier National Park in September 1993.

Black and grizzly bears are active throughout the park. Rangers always encourage visitors to hike in groups, make noise, and carry canisters of bear spray. Park regulations also require that food, barbeque grills and garbage be stored in hard-sided vehicles or bear-proof food storage boxes.

This is the first time a person has been injured by a bear in Yellowstone National Park since September 2005. There have been eight minor bear-caused human injuries in the park since 2000. The last bear-caused human fatality in Yellowstone occurred in 1986.

- www.nps.gov/yell -

*Note this individual has been previously cited for approaching within 20 yards of a family of grizzly bears in Yellowstone National Park

"The Essenstials for Planning your Trip to Yellowstone Park"
More Information	More Information

Proposed Rule to Implement Yellowstone and Grand Teton Winter Use Plan Released for Public Review and Comment

A proposed rule to implement a draft plan to guide management of winter use in Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks and the John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway has been released for public review and comment.

The rulemaking process supports but is separate from the public review and comment period on the Winter Use Plans Draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).

The EIS examines the environmental impacts of a variety of alternatives for winter use in the parks. After a final EIS is released, a Record of Decision will be issued to explain the rationale behind the agency’s decision. A final rule is needed to translate that decision into regulations guiding winter use in the parks which will be implemented and enforced.

The proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on May 16, 2007, and is available for public review and comment for 60 days. The proposed rule as written would implement the preferred alternative in the Draft EIS. The National Park Service preferred alternative is similar to the temporary rules which have guided winter use in the parks the last three years.

The National Park Service intends to have a final EIS, a Record of Decision, and a final rule guiding winter use in place before the start of the 2007-2008 winter season.

The proposed rule and an electronic form to submit written comments can be found on the Internet at www.regulations.gov by searching the “Documents Open For Public Comment” and selecting the National Park Service as the agency. It is also available on CD or in hard copy by writing the Winter Use Planning Team, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming 82190.

Written comments may be submitted through the Regulations.gov website, in person, or by mail. Comments will not be accepted by phone, fax, or e-mail. All public comments must be received or postmarked by midnight, July 16, 2007.

The separate public review and comment process for the Draft EIS runs through June 5, 2007. - NPS

- SPEED KILLS more than 100 deer, moose, bears, elk, bison, wolves,
each year SLOW DOWN and save a life -