 Hannah
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North_Dakota_Wheat
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Jacob
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Wednesday, October 01, 2003
Bears Everywhere
This summer we saw the most bear I have ever seen is a short space of time. Eight in all between Sequoia, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. What is amazing is that we saw more bears then foxes. The kids are fascinated by the large animals, seemingly so much like us. Lumbering through the meadows grazing on the berries and plants the bears seem oblivious to our presence. Large over passes have been built in the Canadian Rockies. These "green" over passes provide an unrestricted path for deer, elk, and bear among the many other animal of the mountains. These "green ways" help connect the shrinking ranges of the animals. I believe that the USA should consider a similar ford over the interstate pavement that sections the range land of the Rockies. As beautiful as these parks are, they represent a small fraction of the necessary area required by the herds, packs, and bear habitat. The interconnection help maintain a healthy population by mixing up the genes and diversifying the range. The Sierra Nevada's are lucky that long stretch of the mountains are undivided. Yellowstone, however is more vulnerable to the development frenzy hobby farms and ranches. The park system should not trump the legitimate needs of people wanting to make Montana and Idaho their homes, but it should also invest in buying up corridors between the rugged and remote areas. This requires commitment and capital by the state and national governments. In the end such preservation will ensure that those going to the county to change lifestyles will continued to be enriched by those things that drew them there.
This summer we saw the most bear I have ever seen is a short space of time. Eight in all between Sequoia, Yosemite, and Yellowstone. What is amazing is that we saw more bears then foxes. The kids are fascinated by the large animals, seemingly so much like us. Lumbering through the meadows grazing on the berries and plants the bears seem oblivious to our presence. Large over passes have been built in the Canadian Rockies. These "green" over passes provide an unrestricted path for deer, elk, and bear among the many other animal of the mountains. These "green ways" help connect the shrinking ranges of the animals. I believe that the USA should consider a similar ford over the interstate pavement that sections the range land of the Rockies. As beautiful as these parks are, they represent a small fraction of the necessary area required by the herds, packs, and bear habitat. The interconnection help maintain a healthy population by mixing up the genes and diversifying the range. The Sierra Nevada's are lucky that long stretch of the mountains are undivided. Yellowstone, however is more vulnerable to the development frenzy hobby farms and ranches. The park system should not trump the legitimate needs of people wanting to make Montana and Idaho their homes, but it should also invest in buying up corridors between the rugged and remote areas. This requires commitment and capital by the state and national governments. In the end such preservation will ensure that those going to the county to change lifestyles will continued to be enriched by those things that drew them there.
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