July 6, 2007
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Dear One and All,
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Today has been very eventful. First, we went back out into the park, but in a different way. We went for a walk with a Ranger/Naturalist. We decided to go with a group to get a real feel for what this guy does. His name is JL. He and Haley are experts on just about everything you would want to know about this park.
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We hiked a couple of miles to a small lake that is actually an oxbow and saw a Moose cow and calf and learned about how different folks experience this park. There were people in our group of all ages and from all over the world. Some found the hike rather tame and some found it terrifying. It just depended on where they were from. In fact, we had a group of two couples turn back half way because they mistakenly thought the starting of a small engine was a bear. Before anyone in the group could explain what they were hearing, they fled back down the path as quickly as they could walk with all the gear they were wearing and carrying. Needless to say, they were city folks.
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The bears in this park are not like the Grizzly and Black Bears of the Rockies or even other parts of this state. They are much smaller, primarily vegetarian and a light blond color. They are not particularly aggressive and, if I remember correctly, no one has been killed in this park by a bear in the last twenty years, regardless you are not to get closer than 300 yards, (that’s three football fields). But, the biggest problem they are having with animals in the park are the wolves. They have stopped walking the sled dogs because of them and recently a jogger was chased by a wolf. The fact that they jogged up to it and when they realized what it was, turned and started jogging away from it, (this is how game would behave) the wolf started jogging along behind. No one has been hurt by a wolf and few are injured by the bears and, so far, only attacked when between a sow and her cubs and that’s to be expected.
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I digress, back to the hike. We arrived at the lake and saw the moose and her calf and a perfect example of a Beaver Dam. J.L. spoke to the group about global warming and the effects on the park and I got it all on camera. When asked about what he thought caused the problem his answer was succinct. For us here in the park, it isn’t about what is causing it, it's about what they are going to do about the impact on this park's delicate eco system. They feel the impact is already significant and are doing fast paced studies to determine what they need to do and how to proceed. But, climate change wasn’t his only topic in terms of park impact. The higher visitation due to the Cruise Lines busing people in by the droves is another problem the park has to face and do something about. The traffic on the only road in and out is heavy and, if wildlife is sighted from any of the buses, they stop and let passengers photograph the animals. This is clearly disruptive, so they are setting aside Sunday night as quiet time and no one is allowed on the road from 10:00 pm to 6:00 am. They have collared key herd animals and are tracking their activity. Hopefully they will have some data for action within the next couple of years.
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Ken is back! After our hike we picked him up at the train station. It’s good to see him again and he doesn’t seem any the worse for wear after his quick turn around to be there for his brother’s wedding. In fact, when he heard we had a pass to the back country, he could hardly wait to get behind the wheel of the jeep and go adventuring.
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So, by eight pm we were headed back into the park and parts unknown. The weather was OK, but the animals were not particularly out so we went onto Savage River and we all did the short two mile loop and saw a beautiful Marmot on the ledge and by now we are all getting pretty tired and tomorrow is a really big day.
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> Ken is in his room and Lila is trying to get to sleep, so I’ll close.
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>Good Bye and God Bless,
>Love,
>Susan