Discovering your power animals

Bear lover’s death fulfills a prophecy, leaves a questionable legacy

All about Moose

Milk carton birdfeeders

The mystical side of the American robin

Seeing takes being

A wild ride

Spring Reading

Being present when spring comes

Caring for mountain bluebirds

Snow fleas are out and about

Time to ski Harriman

Mercury watching

The T-Rex named Sue

Beetles are attacking our big Dougs

A focus on native trout

The joys of January

What IS a vole?

Celebrating nature with skis

Discovering your power animals

The fad to discover one’s power animal has faded in the last few years, even among Native Americans who have honored wildlife in a personal way for centuries.
A power animal is an important spiritual tool for people who love nature. Some fundamentalist religious groups frown on the idea of power animals, thinking that it is pantheism at best, witchcraft at worst, to view animals as spiritual companions.
Power animals are not worshipped or glorified and seeking knowledge of animals that seem special to you is not going to get you in trouble with mainstream theologians— or at least it should not.
A power animal— a mammal, bird, fish, insect, or reptile— is a tool used to focus on the gifts of creation and the particular gifts you have been given to use on your walk through life.
For example, an eagle is a popular power bird because it is so majestic in flight and at rest. Eagles see a long way and are precision hunters. Grace, balance, insight, and keen vision are all desirable qualities in people. It is no wonder that the eagle is the symbol of America and the logo of many businesses.
It is easy to discover your power animal or animals. Most people think it is a complicated process requiring fasting, vision quests, and consultations with spiritual guides. These methods are interesting, but the best way to find your animals is to look around you. Most likely, you live in a place because you love that place, and so you have a profound connection to the animals in your environment. The connection can be positive or negative. You may love the grizzly bears and elk but despise the spiders and skunks. Power animals can come from both groups.
A bear’s apparently strong maternal instincts may inspire you to be a better mother; you may be repulsed by a skunk, and that aversion could guide you into studying how even seemingly obnoxious critters are part of nature’s balance.
If you fish often, the trout you most love to catch could be one of your totems, along with the osprey you see when you stand in the stream, and the elk you hearing bugling in the distance.
Focus on the things you most love to do in nature, and on the critters that light up your day, inspire you, and call you to seek more knowledge.
You will feel at peace when you have selected your power animal or animals. You will want to use them as seed thoughts for prayer and meditation, and write about them or even compose songs about them. Many people make a commitment to join organizations that exist to protect the animals they have chosen. Others make them the subject matter of art they either make themselves or acquire from others. People with several power animals often create totems, stories, or paintings using all of "their" animals.
Seeking critters that help you on your path through life is always enjoyable, especially in this quiet time of year. Enjoy the journey!

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Bear lover’s death fulfills a prophecy, leaves a questionable legacy

This week, I had mixed emotions when I read news accounts of an Alaskan grizzly or grizzlies fatally mauling bear aficionados Timothy Treadwell, 46, and Amie Huguenard, 37, both from California.
I don’t know Amie, but I have written articles about Tim and questioned him many times about the sanity of getting so close to wild grizzly bears. He spent many summers camping out with the bears in Alaska, naming them, letting them enter his tent, and getting within "kissing" distance of them. He said his photos and videos of the bears, a book he co-authored about his experiences, and his many speaking engagements and television appearances would cause people to want to protect the animals.
No bear expert that I ever spoke to supported his approach, and some denounced it publicly, saying it would lead to his being mauled and to bears being killed because he had habituated them to humans. He was widely criticized for sending a message that might encourage others to copy his behavior.
The two bodies were reportedly found near Kaflia Bay when a pilot with Andrew Airways arrived to pick them up and take them to Kodiak, Alaska. The park is on the Alaska Peninsula, 60 air miles east of Brooks Camp, and the best-known bear-watching site in the park. National Park Service rangers killed three bears found at the mauling site— one was hunched over Tim’s body.
I first met Tim several years ago when he was a guest speaker at an Idaho Press Women’s conference in Idaho Falls. It was shortly after his book had been published, and he shared many slides showing how close he had gotten to the wild Alaskan bears.
At the time, I was working with Chuck Bartlebaugh, head of the Missoula-based Center for Wildlife Information, on an advertising campaign in the Island Park News urging people to give wild bears and other animals room to be wild. Gen. Norman "Bear" Schwarzkopf was the spokesperson for the Center, and the newspaper distributed thousands of brochures for Bartlebaugh with messages from the General urging people to use proper behavior when camping in Yellowstone’s bear country.
Bartlebaugh and other experts on wildlife denounced Treadwell’s actions. They asked the Discovery Channel, the David Letterman Show, and other media outlets that covered Treadwell to interview bear experts who would warn people that Treadwell’s invasion of a bear’s space was unacceptable.
Tim often said he decided to devote himself to saving grizzlies after he survived a drug overdose and sought peace of mind in the Alaskan wilderness. He established a nonprofit bear-appreciation group, called Grizzly People, that funded his excursions to Alaska.
The last time I talked with him, I asked him what he imagined it would be like to be mauled by one of the bears he claimed were as close to him as a ‘best human friend." He replied that he could think of no better way to die. I then asked him how he would feel if he caused bears to be put to death because he had habituated them to humans. He said that such a thing would never happen.
Tim leaves a legacy of beautiful images on film and tape, but none were worth the price he paid— the loss of life, both human and wild.

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Canada lynx found in Yellowstone

Wildlife technicians have identified a female Canada lynx and her kitten in the central portion of Yellowstone National Park, Nationap Park Service officials announced this week. DNA evidence of the rare cats was found while conducting a survey to detect lynx in the park’s interior.
This finding is important because the lynx, a shy, secretive carnivore, closely related to the bobcat, is rare in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. In fact, hard evidence of their existence in Yellowstone has been close to nonexistent in recent years and wildlife biologists have feared that they had disappeared from the park altogether.
The Yellowstone Lynx Project, funded largely by the nonprofit Yellowstone Park Foundation, has been seeking to determine whether Yellowstone has a resident population of this elusive animal. The finding of a female and her offspring is evidence that the animals are resident rather than transient.
This past winter, project technicians working on skis identified a lynx family using measurements and plaster casts of their tracks in snow as well as photographs that revealed the size of the cats’ foot prints and bed sites. Based on the disparate size of the large and small print tracks they left, it was determined that at least two animals were traveling together—one adult and one juvenile. In early May of 2003, the Carnivore Conservation Genetics Laboratory at the University of Montana at Missoula, confirmed the DNA from hair and fecal samples collected along the tracks were lynx. One sample was from a male lynx, apparently the kitten.
"This finding is significant because breeding Canada lynx are very seldom documented in the Yellowstone Ecosystem," said Kerry Murphy, the wildlife biologist who manages the Yellowstone project. He also noted that the Canada lynx are among the most endangered mammals in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. "Our findings, combined with those of the U.S. Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, and Grand Teton National Park, give hope that this species will not be lost from this area," said Murphy. U.S. Forest Service and Wyoming Game and Fish biologists monitored a small lynx population in the adjacent Bridger-Teton National Forest during the late 1990s, but this small population seems to have disappeared from that area. In 2000, the Canada lynx was federally listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act.
While this female lynx and her kitten represent the best evidence found thus far, the Yellowstone Lynx Project personnel made other discoveries leading up to this one. Hair samples were collected from a female lynx at a rubbing station – a hair collection device – in the summer of 2001 and from another lynx just outside the park this past winter. Both hair samples were confirmed by the Carnivore Conservation Genetics Laboratory to be from lynx.
The Yellowstone Park Foundation began raising funds for the Yellowstone Lynx Project in 2000. The Foundation’s board felt it was an important study to support because no previous research had been conducted to determine whether transient or resident lynx populations exist in Yellowstone.
"If resident lynx are found to be present in Yellowstone," said Lisa Diekmann*, Executive Director of the Yellowstone Park Foundation, "we hope that what researchers learn about the population will be helpful to biologists and land managers in preventing the extinction of this rare and beautiful animal." The Foundation raised more than $200,000 from several sources, including the Bernice Barbour Foundation, Camp Fire Conservation Fund, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Earth Friends, and the National Park Foundation, to supplement National Park Service funds.

Canada lynx facts
• Adult male lynx weigh about 30 lbs; females about 23 lbs. They are generally gray in color and have blunt tails and prominent tufted ears. Because they are similar in appearance to bobcat, it is difficult to determine the status of lynx in Yellowstone by sightings alone.
• Their primary prey are snowshoe hare, red squirrels, voles, and carrion.
• Lynx have large legs and broad, well-furred paws, making them well-adapted for traveling in deep snow.
• Limited studies suggest that lynx breed in April or May, and give birth to three to five kittens in late May or June.
• Lynx, like bobcats and mountain lions, typically travel alone, although females travel with their kittens and siblings may travel together after breaking away from their mother.
• Lynx in Wyoming range over 40-50 square miles in a year, and travel an average of 1-3 miles during a 24-hour period.
• The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) determined that lynx were historically resident in 16 of the contiguous United States, and that they currently occur at low levels in Montana, Washington, and Maine. According to the USFWS, they are rare in Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Utah, Colorado, Vermont, and New Hampshire, and have been extirpated from New York, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts.

All about Moose

Excerpted from Moose Country: Saga of the Woodland Moose, 1991. Buy this book at amazon.com
By Michael W. P. Runtz

Moose Habitat

By its body proportions, antlers' shape and size, and demeanor, the moose is the mighty symbol of the boreal and subarctic zones of the northern hemisphere. To describe moose country, an immense area of different habitats, is not easy. However, in simplified form, moose country is the variously dense mixed forest, called taiga or "northern bush," on the one hand; on the other hand, it is the open "forest-tundra," where conifers, ten to 14 feet high, dwarf-birch, alder and willows are scattered, mostly around takes, bogs and streams.
The climate differs from zone to zone, and moose prefer only those zones where the average summer temperature does not much exceed 60 degrees Fahrenheit. Wind chill helps the moose to stay cool in the coastal and relatively humid zones, as well as in the much drier interior. Thus, in evolutionary terms, the moose has had to adapt both to humid and dry climates, and to dense and open habitats.
North Americans refer to this animal as the moose; however, throughout continental Europe, it has often been known as the "elk." The scientific name, Alces alces, also translates into British English as "elk." For North Americans this has been a source of confusion, as the name "elk" is also given to another member of the deer family, the wapiti. Unfortunately, the common names of many living things differ from region to region, from country to country. On the other hand, the scientific names, albeit frequently awkward to articulate, are universal in their usage and eliminate the confusion generated by the more familiar appellations.

Moose Diet
The rustling of leaves and the sharp snapping of twigs herald the approach of a formidable creature. Finally, through the vegetation an endless lanky leg protrudes, slowly followed by another. Towering above, the massive head of the great beast casually surveys the surrounding land. Its disproportionately elongated snout is raised, and the huge nostrils flare as the air is checked for the scent of unseen danger. Standing six feet high at the shoulder and weighing more than 1,000 pounds, this giant commands respect. Its long neck stretches, and with a quiet snap it rips the tender tips off nearby shrubs.
The Algonkian Indians had an appropriate name for this magnificent animal. Their word "mons" or "moz" has been adopted into the English language as "moose." Although the word we currently use offers scant information about the animal, "twig eater"—a loose translation of the Algonkian term—provides an apt description of its diet.
Although moose lack teeth in the front of the upper jaw, they have little trouble dealing with the woody plant material that constitutes much of their diet. They feed on fresh leaves by browsing and may even pull a shoot sideways through their mouth, frequently stripping off up to two feet of vegetation with the aid of the tough, thick tongue and lips. They also browse the tips of twigs, particularly the most recent growth. Regardless of how it is attained, the plant material is thoroughly crushed between twelve sets of broad, flattened teeth at the rear of the mouth, six pairs of molars and six pairs of premolars. Although many different plants are eaten by moose, the type consumed depends on the availability, both geographically and seasonally. In general, preferred trees and shrubs include willows, aspen, redosier dogwood, red maple, striped maple, white birch, beaked hazelnut, pin cherry, and, primarily in winter, balsam fir. Aquatic plants, particularly water shield, yellow pond lily, and pondweed, constitute a preferred and important part of the moose's diet in summer.

Moose Ecology
A moose in its prime has little to fear from most predators, for few animals apart from man possess the ability to kill it. Timber wolves tend to take either calves separated from their mothers or sick or disabled animals. There are recorded accounts of adult moose standing their ground and successfully fending off entire packs of wolves. The front feet of a moose, as well as its hind ones, are lethal weapons that will take their toll on unwary adversaries. Wolves, opportunists by nature, often scavenge on moose that have died from other causes. In so doing, they often are erroneously blamed for causing the demise of those moose.
Black bears, being rather small bears, tend to prey primarily on newborns or exceptionally young moose. In western North America, Grizzly bears, larger and more powerful than their dark relatives, have been known on occasion to take adult moose, particularly in late winter when they leave their dens and the crusty snow hinders a moose's movements. As a rule, however, these large predators seem to have little negative effect on moose populations and in some ways may be deemed beneficial by removing animals in poor or diseased condition.
Perhaps the most serious, rather sinister threat to moose comes not from large predators, such as bears and wolves, but from a rather surprising source - the white-tailed deer. Where the ranges of moose and white-tailed deer overlap in North America, moose frequently develop a fatal illness commonly known as moose disease.
While many of the afflictions affecting moose do not cause permanent disability, as noted, some can prove fatal. Unfortunately, many people consider the death of a large animal to be tragic and believe the loss of life a waste. In the natural world, however, there is no waste. When a moose dies, every body component, whether flesh, hair or bone, is used by other living organisms. The list of animals that scavenge a moose carcass is almost endless and includes eagles, ravens, foxes, martens, fishers, wolverines and bears. The death of one moose may mean life for countless other organisms, particularly during the critical season of winter. When predators, disease, parasites or environmental stress strike, the weakest are usually the first to succumb. This "weeding out" of the less fit through the actions of a powerful force known as natural selection tends to result in a healthier, more fit population, which through future generations may exhibit greater resistance to those same environmental stresses.

Moose Behavior
The revitalizing warmth of the spring sun incites a profound change in northern landscapes. Almost overnight, vivid mosaics of spring flowers carpet the formerly barren forest floor. Overhead, buds burst open, sending forth regiments of unfurling leaves to capture the life-giving light. The air reverberates with song as scores of vibrant birds return to proclaim territories and attract desiring mates.
Spring is the season of birth for many animals, including the moose. By early May, last year's offspring, a close companion of its mother throughout the long, cold winter, is now considered an unwanted intruder and is driven off by the cow as she seeks solitude in which to bring forth the next generation.
The youngster must be tremendously confused when its dam, formerly its source of life and nourishment, its consoler in times of stress and its protector in the face of danger, suddenly rejects it.
Bewildered by this reversal in attitude, the calf attempts to reunite with its Mother, only to be rebutted repeatedly. Ultimately, the rejection is accepted, and the yearling must face the dangers of its world alone. It may for a time drift around the periphery of the cow's calving ground in the vain hope that she will discard her aggressiveness and once again tolerate its presence. Or the yearling may wander off, seeking a life completely on its own...
Most of the year, moose are relatively silent animals. However, during the breeding season, the rut, their silence is broken. Moose courtship is elaborate, consisting not only of intricate vocalizations but also of elegant visual displays and subtle chemical stimuli. Still, much of the underlying mechanism of the rut has yet to be resolved, for we are just beginning to unravel the complexities of this ageless ritual.

Milk carton birdfeeders

By Jamie & Terre Short and theri children, Erik and Taylow

An interesting and educational family project is to make birdfeeders out of used milk cartons. The pay-off for this fairly easy craft is almost immediate. Birds stop by to dine shortly after the feeders are filled with seeds.
Thoroughly wash and dry a half-gallon milk carton.
On each corner, one inch up from the bottom, make a slice in the carton approximately one and a half inches into each side of the corner. Push the carton in above where you sliced to force the fold to the inside of the carton. Do this on each corner.
One inch in from each bottom corner, and one inch up from the bottom of container, make holes to poke two long skewers through each side to the other side,
Reinforce the two top opening edges with a small piece of duct tape on each edge.
Fill the carton from the top with black sunflower seeds.
Close the top opening and poke a hole a half-inch down from the top edge, below the duct tape, in the center, through both opening edges.
Stick a coat hanger or similar wire, or string through the holes and hang the feeder in a tree.
Sit back and count the hungry birds!
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The mystical side of the American robin

Male robins are singing their hearts out all over the caldera this week, and their songs will become more intense and passionate in a week or so, when the females arrive. There is still time before "the girls" get here to bond to that special robin nesting near your cabin.

Follow him slowly as he hops along the ground and offer him mealworms, breadcrumbs, and small pieces of bread. Soon he will get closer and even sing outside your door or window until you come outside to keep him company. When he sees you, his song will increase in volume.

My Irish grandmother taught me how to make friends with robins, which she called "robin redbreasts." She believed that robins are mystical and often related a Celtic legend in which the robin was viewed as a symbol of rebirth because the bird mirrored Christ's death and resurrection.

Robins were brown and dull until the day the Romans placed the crown of thorns on the head of Jesus. A robin that had often followed Jesus on his journeys tried to pluck the thorns out of his head. In the process, the bird stained its breast feathers red with Christ's blood. Now Robin Redbreast, the bird hopped along the path Jesus took to his crucifixion and remained outside the tomb, singing until Jesus rose from the dead. Upon leaving the tomb, Jesus blessed the robin and said he would always be available to listen to prayers the bird gathered from people.

When my grandmother tossed a piece of bread to Robin Redbreast, she also tossed him a prayer. "There he goes taking the prayers to heaven," she would say as the bird flew off.

Native peoples, like Irish mystics, also view birds and feathers as conveyers of prayers and blessings.

This time of year, those of us who feed birds are saturated with the sounds and sights of new arrivals. As mating moments approach, feathers and beaks deepen in color, songs are more complex and voluminous, and some species dance on the ground and in the air.

One side of our brains seeks the scientific explanation for these events. Our mystical side is drawn to the contemplation of Creation's spiritual messages. If we fall into the trap of thinking there are none, all we will see when a robin hops by is a simple bird with a red breast.

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Seeing takes being

Folks from all over the country e-mailed us to comment on our photograph of the two fighting men on last's week's Wild Journal page. Messages expressed shock and disgust that people would have road rage in this beautiful country, where in April the traffic is light and the scenery so pretty.

The idiom, "blind with rage," explains how those men— strangers to one another—could fail to see the caldera's beauty. They were blind to their surroundings, intent on nothing other than expressing their anger.

One of the lessons here is that nature does not create naturalists. It takes focus to see the natural world, and the focus comes only after we put aside our cares and concerns, stop thinking about our busy lives, and make ourselves present to our surroundings.

Spring's earliest wildflower is blooming this week— the sagebrush buttercup, Ranunculus glaberrimus. It is one of more than 40 buttercups that grow in the Rocky Mountains. The flower is so small and low to the ground that it can be easily missed. In low light or shadow, it is possible to walk by hundreds of them. I found them blooming in the sagebrush and lava rock-covered banks of the Henry' Fork downstream from the McCrea Bridge. The scene looked as if a pointillist with shiny yellow paint had used the earth as a canvas.

In a week or so, the bright yellow will fade to white. Sagebrush buttercup appears as soon as the snow melts, so it will be easy to spot in the caldera's lower elevations for a week or two, and at higher elevations for several more weeks

The flowers have five to as many as 10 petals. The plant's center has several bright yellow stamens— the structure that bears a plant's pollen. One to several flowers bloom at the end of a single stem, and the plant has both smooth edge and notched leaves.

Buttercup is named after the color of butter. The root of "Ranunculus" is "rana," Latin for frog, a critter that enjoys the moist earth in which most buttercups grow. "Glaberrimus" means smooth.

Don't eat buttercups— they are poisonous to humans and animals with one exception— blue grouse eat sagebrush buttercups.

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A wild ride

April is half over and soon our summer critters will have all returned. This is the best time of year to drive the roads slowly in search of new birds and animals and the first signs of green plants. Driving this way is one of my favorite pass-times, especially with some great music playing on the CD. Two of my favorites this year have been Joanne Shenandoah's Peacemaker's Journey and Native American Music: Rough Guide, from the World Music Network Rough Guides series. Most of the songs on these collections are a soundtrack to the natural world I pass by on my motor journeys.

Late Friday afternoon I set out to have a peaceful drive home from the office. I spotted a pair of sandhill cranes stepping gingerly in the snow at the edge of the Buffalo Run Campground (formerly Snowy River). I stopped to photograph them, and Jeff, the new owner, called me into the office to see some of the changes he has made.

All that took a half hour or so, so I called John to tell him I had been delayed but was back on my way. I watched a robin dart into an aspen tree as I moved down the road listening to Sioux Tribe member Bill Miller sing Wind Spirit, which is a perfect song for spring.

Suddenly a voice boomed in my head, "Look in the rear view mirror." I think that the voice saved my life— perhaps it was an angel— because I saw first one and then two vehicles driving behind me really fast. We were all in the northbound lane and suddenly they both got into the southbound lane, crowding me off the road. I pulled over and stopped. They both stopped, too, but not on the side of the road. They stopped right in the center of the northbound lane. If I had not pulled over, we may have collided. A man jumped out of each vehicle and suddenly they were both on the ground on the side of the road, fighting. I watched blood fly as I called 911 and then John to tell him I was delayed again by a new kind of wildlife on the road—testosterone-challenged male Homo sapiens.

Almost an hour later, having filled out a witness report for the deputy sheriff and called John, I was on the road again. I was a bit unnerved by the near-death experience in this time of war. People who could be peaceful choose to fight like mad dogs, endangering the lives of others— how can that be?

Sharon Birch's Sacred Wind was playing as I drive slowly down Yale-Kilgore Road, trying to breathe deeply and relax. I had gone from mellow on leaving the office to hyped up like I'd just worked a double in the ER.

I was just about to turn onto Buttermilk Road when a young moose stepped onto the road down past my turn, east of McCrea Bridge. I had to drive over for a look. It was the first moose I'd seen in months. He/she ambled across the road and into the forest, giving me time to take a picture and to just watch. I can't say for sure but I felt that it was one of the moose that had been born on Bills Island last spring. He/she was heading in that direction, in any case.

Back at the corner of Yale-Kilgore and Buttermilk, I had one of those pleasant encounters that so many of us in Island Park enjoy this time of year. A couple of friends stopped to say hello. We rolled down our windows and chatted a bit. Being able to do this in the middle of a back road is one of the best things about our lifestyle here. We do not have to pass one another because we're pressed by the rush of traffic and crazy schedules.

The moose and the small talk were all it took to bring me back to a more desirable form of reality than that practiced by the road-enraged. I said a prayer for them and dialed up John to tell him about the moose.

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Spring Reading

This period of waiting for the trails to clear is a good time to do some reading on topics connected to your outdoor interests. Here is a new list of Yellowstone-related books, some which have been around for a while. I was delighted to see that the author included my first novel— thanks, Jeb. I almost took it off the list, but what the heck— I am delighted to share it with you.

I am reading Andrew Henry: Mine and Mountain Major, an historical novel starring Andrew Henry written by Margaret Hawkes Lindsley of Idaho Falls. I have started this book twice, and both times loaned it to people who were hungry to learn more about this amazing mountain man/trapper. Nobody is going to steal the copy I now have. It is more meaningful than ever now that Fremont County is the home of the Fort Henry Historic Byway, which begins on the Yale-Kilgore Road across from Elk Creek Station, and I want to have it finished before the byway is driveable. Happy reading.

A Yellowstone Country Summer Reading List

By Jeb Smythe

This summer I will make my 18^th trip to Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks. My home library is packed with books on the greater Yellowstone area because I love to read. This is a list of my favorites, which are all available at amazon.com and in most shops in the Yellowstone area.

Playing God in Yellowstone

Alston Chase

Chase, a Livingston, Montana resident, shows how good intentions sometimes do pave the way to bad experiences and results. Who could have imagined a national park having fences put up to keep wild animals in? Who would have thought that park rangers would decide that the beavers' dams were too destructive? Wolves were destroyed because they were seen as a horrible threat, yet now wolves have been reintroduced with brand new controversy. Did we ever not play God in this/and other parks? This is a great read for someone who has interest in national parks. Chase gives us a lot to consider and look into. When is it right for humans to interfere? Or is it ever right?

Scenic Driving Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks (Falcon Guide)

Susan Springer Butler

This book offers good information about 17 drives that cover all available roads in the parks and the roads leading to them from Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Tips on camping, fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing and more is also included. Good for people who are visiting the area for the first time and do not have much time to learn on their own.

The Best Travel Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks : Including Jackson Hole Wyoming

Joy M. Johnson

A complete travel guide to Jackson Hole, Wyoming and the two national parks. Good for people who are visiting the area for the first time and do not have much time to learn on their own.

Mystic Warriors of the Yellowstone

Elizabeth Laden

I purchased this novel in a shop in West Yellowstone and stayed up all night to finish it while backpacking. A well-told, romantic adventure story with plenty of twists and turns. Takes place during the great fires of 1988. Countless passages I wish I had written myself describing Yellowstone scenery, animals, birds, fly-fishing. Philosophical insight, Native American spirituality, a five-star book on all accounts.

Letters from Yellowstone

Diane Smith

Takes place in an exciting period in American history, when the stout-hearted heroine discovers independence at Yellowstone National Park.

Exploring the Yellowstone Backcountry : A Guide to the Hiking Trails of Yellowstone With Additional Sections on Canoeing, Bicycling, and Cross-country

Orville E. Bach

Complete, accurate (as far as I could tell) information on trails and scenic hikes.

Hiking Yellowstone National Park

Bill Schneider

The author has organized Yellowstone's huge trail system into routes for all types of hikers, from the person who wants a 20-minute trek to the someone on seeks a 10-day backpacking adventure.

Frommer's Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks

Typical detail of this series in the usual easy-to-carry pocket size.

Yellowstone: Like No Other Place on Earth  

David William Peterson    

Around the campfire in September 1870, a small group of men who had just spent more than a month wandering in what they called “Wonderland” came up with an amazing idea: Let's work to make this amazing landscape into a park that belongs to all of the American people.

In this book, a contemporary landscape photographer's color images accompany excerpts from the journal of that trek, published as The Discovery of Yellowstone Park by expedition member Nathaniel Pitt Langford. Text and pictures combine to give readers the same experience of discovery that those 19th-century explorers enjoyed.

Life at High Temperatures  

Dr. Thomas Brock    

This book examines at the hot springs and thermal features of Yellowstone. Learn about microbiology discoveries in Yellowstone that became building blocks for today's DNA research.

Outdoor Family Guide to Yellowstone and Grand Teton

Lisa Gollin Evans

Many tips for parents, so they can enjoy the parks with their kids.

Jeb Smythe is a freelance writer and photographer from Los Angeles.

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Being present when spring comes

Harriman State Park was nearly deserted when I went for an afternoon ski Sunday, and my Blazer was the only vehicle in the parking lot when I returned. Most weekends this winter, the parking lot has been full, but the warm weather has deteriorated the ski trails. It is not a time for skiing so much as for being outdoors at this singular event of the year, when winter transitions into spring.

This is when the caldera has the fewest number of people by far— perhaps by the thousands, considering that there are so many folks here in July and August. Even many year-round residents are away now, escaping the snowmelt, slush, and mud. The absence of human noise is a stunning backdrop for the lively songs and mating calls of resident and migrating birds. Now is the time to move slowly through the backcountry so you can listen to spring arrive and glimpse amazing and rare bird and animal behavior.

The trails I took were sometimes so icy, or bare, or covered with pine needles and mud that I had to take off my skis and walk a bit. At this slow pace, I spotted a northern three-toed woodpecker, a rare sighting in these parts. I also saw a pair of bald eagles dive toward one another in the sky over a snowy meadow, grab one another's talons, and tumble toward the earth. Another awesome sight was the mating dance of a pair of kingfishers on a mound of snow. In a meadow near the base of Thurmond Ridge, I watched two separate pairs of Mountain bluebirds set up territories. One was already bringing nesting material to a hole in a fir tree.

Hundreds of trumpeter swans, geese, and ducks seemed to enjoy the mild weather as they swam around open water in the lakes. I stopped to watch at a bridge over the narrow inlet to Silver Lake. I sat on a patch of bare earth and enjoyed some tea and the green of new plants breaking through the soil— March 30, and things are growing already!

On the way back, a trio of trumpeter swans that were close to the shore of Silver Lake suddenly started exercising their vocal cords as loud as Louis Armstrong at a jazz concert in the park. I stopped to look for the cause of the commotion and spotted a coyote trotting toward the swans. They swam away fast, as if they were accustomed to such a silly threat. The coyote stopped and turned back several feet from the water. Game over.

I took a long time changing out of my ski boots, enjoying the snow and the solitude and recalling the many conversations I have had at Harriman's parking areas with people from all over the world. There have been skiers, snowshoers, hikers, anglers, historians, birdwatchers, photographers, and kids on their way to Junior Ranger programs. All have come and gone, with Harriman just one more memory of many gathered on trips to the outdoors. Yet there I was— alone with spring slipping slowly into the caldera, almost undetected, one moment at a time. How often can one experience such an event in such a sacred place? At that instant, I felt like one of the luckiest, most blessed people alive to have this caldera as my year-round home.

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Caring for mountain bluebirds

As I write this column, the weather report is promising an afternoon- overnight storm with up to eight inches of new snow. Flocks of birds that have arrived to summer with us will struggle through this, and a few more storms, before the weather gets better.

Spotting a brilliant mountain bluebird is a cheerful sight this time of year, when our high altitude landscape is so drab and the possibility of seeing a spring flower is remote. I am glad that there are so many mountain bluebird nesting boxes in Island Park, and I hope that dozens of birds make their homes in them this spring. A large number of the boxes are a result of the Jean Losch Memorial Bluebird Project that John and I launched a few years ago in honor of his mom, Jean, a lover of mountain bluebirds— Idaho's state bird— who passed away in November 1997.

With advice and help from the Montana Bluebird Society and her husband, Fred Losch, a mountain bluebird trail was built from the Targhee Cemetery, where her memorial stone is located, across Hwy 87, along Targhee Creek for a half-mile or so, and then out into the meadows of the Slash E Ranch. Dozens of bluebird nesting boxed were given away to residents of Island Park, the rest of Fremont County, and the Hebgen Lake area in Montana. Hundreds of copies of nesting box plans were given away. The Project also donated bluebird books and educational videos to the Island Park Library and a television and VCR that can be used to view the tapes at the library.

Now the owners of the boxes can ensure that mountain bluebirds move in this year by taking time to clean the boxes— read Helen Bratt's article on the NatureWalk page. Also important is to fix all entry holes that have expanded by weathering or woodpecker assault so that they are no larger than 1 9/16" in diameter. They can be repaired with wood patches or patches of tin with the correct size hole can be nailed over the original entry.

Another good work would be to feed the birds in their boxes. This takes time and study and must be done consistently. For directions on how to do so, go to the North American Bluebird Society's Web site, nabluebirdsociety.org or check out one of the bluebird books at the Island Park Library.

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Snow fleas are out and about

It's just about spring, when a young snow flea's heart turns to love. The warm weather has millions of adult snow fleas bouncing about on the snow, getting ready to mate. From a distance, these dark blue-black critters look like a sprinkling of ashes. Do not confuse them with the lighter brown patches of road dirt that recent high winds spread on the landscape.

I first discovered them when I worked as a specimen collector for the U. S Geological Survey and had to ski to a gauging station on the Madison River in Yellowstone Park every week for a river water samples and to record the river depth. One warm March morning, there were so many tiny dark spots on the snow that my skis grabbed. No skier likes to have gripping skis disturb a nice glide, so I leaned over to get a closer look and was surprised to discover that the irritating stuff was alive. I took some home to examine under a magnifying glass, and ID'ed them as snow fleas in a field guide to insects— there was no Internet in those days.

Snow fleas proved to be so fascinating that I forgave them for messing up my skis. I learned that snow fleas are not really fleas and they won't bite you or your dog. They are a fascinating type of insect known as a “springtail.” They have two objects that look like long tails sticking from their back body section. These tails fold under the body, where two hooks hold them. When the springtail releases the hooks, the insect is launched into the air. Did the inventors of springs and pogo sticks steal idea from the snow flea?

Snow fleas are about one sixteenth of an inch long and have two eye clusters with 16 eyes in each. Imagine how dizzying the world would appear if you bounced along with that many eyes.

If you live near Henry's Lake, on Henry's Lake Flat, and in the Shotgun area, you will notice that it is easy to spot flocks of grouse these days. That's because grouse love to eat snow fleas. So do mountain bluebirds and robins— both are returning to the area now. Ants — including black carpenters— also like to dine on snow fleas, which is a good reason to keep snow piles away from buildings. I know several anglers who say that trout eat snow fleas, or at least appear to be active eating something on the surface near snow-covered riverbanks when snow fleas are out.

Snow fleas eat decaying plants and pine needles, bacteria, fungi, algae, pollen, roundworms, and sap.

Female snow fleas lay eggs in the soil from which hatch nymphs that shed their exoskeletons until the adult emerges.

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Time to ski Harriman

This is my favorite time of year to visit Harriman Sate Park. There are prettier times— when the wildflowers are in bloom, the moose are in their summer coats, and the birds are in abundance. There are more interesting times— when an educational or cultural event is on the docket. However, there is no time like now, when the park is a wonderment of solitude and silence.

I don't begrudge the motorized masses their snowmobiles and ATV's, and I will take a ride on both for fun. However, there is nothing like visiting the backcountry on your own power, especially if it's on a pair of fast skating skis. John gave me such a pair, with new poles and boots, as a birthday present last month. I took my first long tour on them at Harriman recently, happily retiring my battered skaters and faded silver boots.

Where else in the world can you skate by a row of historic ranch buildings and across meadows trimmed with gorgeous pine trees and visited by soaring eagles? It's a mental and physical rush to stop to catch one's breath surrounded by the classic beauty of snow-covered mountains, and hear a single swan trumpet over the pounding of your heart. And let me tell you, my heart was doing flip-flops because skating is taxing, especially when you haven't done it in a while!

You don't have to have skating skis to visit Harriman. There are actually more trails groomed for classic style, and there is plenty of room for snowshoeing, too.

“Grooming of the Brimstone Connector Trail from Harriman to Pond's Lodge has ended for the year, due to bald eagles returning to a nearby nest site. All other trails at Harriman will continue to be groomed as long as snow conditions permit,” according to park manager Keith Hobbs' Harriman Happenings report. And, the Jones House Warming Hut is open from 10 a. m. until 3 p. m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Things to look for in Harriman: Bald eagles are just beginning to show signs of mating behavior. I have seen this spectacular ritual in Harriman several times. They soar in parallel patterns and then rush at one another, grab one another's talons, and “do the deed” in mid air!

Trumpeter swans, ducks, and geese can be seen in the Henry's Fork River and in Silver Lake.

Look for woodpeckers— including the rare three-toed black-back woodpecker—, chickadees, siskins, juncoes, grosbeaks, and other songbirds in the forests. Bluebirds may be spotted later in the month— I saw a flock on Henry's Lake Flat last weekend. The park has a checklist of commonly seen birds you may want to pick up at the visitor center before you head out. As March progresses, the possibility of spotting a variety of new arrivals will go up.

Moose can be seen in the aspens, and you could spot pine martens and other small mammals in the wooded areas.

Whenever I write a column about skiing, readers tell me that they are inspired to get off their butts and go outdoors— but then they put it off and don't do it. Come on, lazybones. If you can walk, you can ski, whether you're six or 86. Even venturing a half-mile into the backcountry is great therapy for the cabin fever that invades our souls this time of year. Just do it!

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Mercury watching

Sub zero temperatures have had us all a-buzz this week. I don't know how I ever lived without a thermometer in my vehicle! For several years, we have had one in the ceiling console of our work vehicle, and we really notice its absence when we drive the sports car. It is fascinating to watch the temperature changes. Monday morning, the outdoor thermometer measured 42 below zero when I went out to start the Blazer. The Blazer's digital thermometer said it was 40 below.

As I drove to the office at 6:30 a. m. (well, first a stop to have my hair done at Shawna's), I checked the temp as I was approaching the bottom of Buttermilk Hill and it was still 40 below. Checking it again halfway between the bottom of the hill and Yale-Kilgore Road, I noticed that it has skyrocketed to 18 below! And, it stayed between 16 and 18 below all the way to Last Chance. The thermometers had close to the same readings Tuesday morning.

This morning, Wednesday, it was a balmy 20 below when I crawled out from under the quilt at 4:30 a.m.

Many factors cause the temperature to fluctuate. Cold air pockets linger in depressions and some of the warm air pockets around Island Park are caused by hot springs— we do sit on a volcanic caldera, after all.

If the cold is getting to you, think of some of its advantages, like Martha Stewart does in the March issue of Living, her special gardening issue.

She writes, “The winter's extreme cold gives plants a time to rest in dormancy, gathering strength for a great and vigorous burst into bloom and productivity the following season. A long period of freezing temperatures can also reduce populations of pests- white flies, beetles, bores, and even ticks (the last of which are less dangerous to plants than to gardeners and pets).”

As I read these words, I looked at the deep cover of sparkling snow that is protecting my flowers and shrubs and I pictured millions of mosquito eggs freezing to oblivion— although I noticed that Martha did not mention mosquitoes. Try as I may to be as positive as Martha is, I find it small comfort to imagine that the cold is helping things survive under the snow. I do not like these cold snaps at the end of February, when I need a dose of warmth and hope in this country where spring is still weeks away.

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The T-REx named Sue

This week's Wild Journal takes you back many centuries to explore the world of dinosaurs— providing you take a field trip to Idaho Falls like we did last weekend.

The re-opening this week of the Bonneville County Museum as the Museum of Idaho features the Field Museum of Chicago's "A T. Rex Named Sue" exhibit. The traveling exhibit's feature item is a cast of Sue—the largest, best-preserved T. rex ever excavated. The size of a school bus, Sue is named after her discoverer, and she weighed around 7 tons.

Sue is on display now through May 26, and she is augmented by numerous interactive exhibits and experiences, including sleep-overs with the dinosaur for children whose parents make advance reservations.

The exhibit includes a cast of the leg bones of an Ultrasaurus, a giant plant-eating dinosaur, casts of a flock of prehistoric birds, and a collection of some of the finds made by Cliff and Clark Miles, paleontologists who grew up in Idaho Falls.

Tickets cost $5 for adults, $4 for seniors, museum members or groups; $3 for children; $2 for children in groups; $18 for a family visiting Tuesday through Sunday. More than 30,000 tickets have been sold, and thousands of schoolchildren will visit the museum.

A limited number of visitors will be admitted at a time so that everyone has a chance to see the exhibits.

The museum's annual budget has grown from about $40,000 a year to more than $100,000. Philanthropist Greg Carr contributed $3 million toward the museum's expansion and donated $610,000 for operating expenses over the next five years. With eight paid staffers, the museum relies on volunteers.

The museum is the planned site for the annual INEEL Science and Engineering Expo, which lets children explore the world of science through interactive displays.

Sue Q amd A's

When and where was Sue found?

Sue was discovered and collected in the Hell Creek Formation in western South Dakota.

Why is good preservation of the fossil so important?

If a specimen is uncrushed and little changed by fossilization, it can tell us about the animal's skeleton, muscles, and other biology. Scientists can gain better information about how T. rex was related to other dinosaurs as well as how the animal lived its life, such as how it ate and ran.

Was T. rex warm-blooded like birds or cold-blooded like crocodiles?

Nobody knows. Scientists can't tell from the evidence so far. Whether T. rex and its close relatives were warm-blooded or cold-blooded is a tricky problem to solve. Closer examination of the skeleton and CT scans of the skull might reveal structures typical of warm-blooded animals.

What other dinosaurs are closely related to T. rex?

It's not clear how many different species are on the same branch of the dinosaur family tree as T. rex. Hopefully as more discoveries are made, the list will become more exact. For now, scientists agree that these five dinosaurs are all tyrannosaurids: Tyrannosaurus, Albertosaurus, Tarbosaurus, Daspletosaurus, and Alectrosaurus.

What other dinosaurs lived with T. rex?

Some of the other dinosaurs that lived with T. rex include: other species of Tyrannosaurus, Ornithomimus, Troodon, Dromeosaurus, Edmontosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, Stygimoloch, Edmontonia, Ankylosaurus, Triceratops, and Torosaurus.

Aren't there bigger carnivorous dinosaurs known now?

It is possible that Giganotosaurus and a newly discovered dinosaur from Argentina and Carcharodontosaurus from Morocco were bigger than T. rex. However, much less is known about these dinosaurs, and the specimens discovered thus far are much less complete than T. rex specimens. For now, T. rex is still the largest and most robust carnivorous dinosaur known from complete material.

Was T. rex a predator or a scavenger?

Scientists don't know for certain. It's impossible to tell from the fossil. But if we look closely at the robustness of the teeth and their tight anchoring in the jaws and compare T. rex to large meat-eaters of today, the answer is probably both.

Was Sue a she?

We don't know. Sue the T. rex is named for Sue Hendrickson, the fossil hunter who discovered the skeleton, but no one knows if this dinosaur was male or female. Actually, scientists don't know the sex of any T. rex skeleton. To find out, they would have to compare many fairly complete specimens--many more than the twenty-two that have been found.

What use were T. rex's relatively puny arms?

We aren't sure. What we do know is that their arms, which were about the same length as those of a human, were robust and extremely powerful. Muscle scarring on Sue's arms indicate that her forelimb muscles were very well-developed. So whatever these dinosaurs were doing with their arms, they were doing it with force.

Why is The Field Museum's T. rex specimen so important scientifically?

Size: Sue is the largest known specimen of a T. rex. Her extreme size has set new records for length and estimated weight for her species.

Completeness: Sue's skeleton is over 90% complete. The more complete a skeleton is, the more information it contains and the more it can teach us about how T. rex lived.

Quality of preservation: Most of Sue's bones are so well-preserved that, 67 million years after her death, you can still see fine surface details. These details help researchers reconstruct what Sue might have looked like and how she moved when she was alive.

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Beetles are attacking our big Dougs

Large diameter Douglas fir trees in the Island Park area are being attacked by the Douglas-fir Bark Beetle, Dendroclonus pseudotsugae Hopkins, according to Caribou-Targhee National Forest officials. Beetle attacks increase during drought periods such as the area is now experiencing.

The Idaho Department of Lands is cooperating with a Canadian company to provide a chemical to interested landowners. It helps repel the insect, says Richard O'Quinn of Idaho State Lands.

According to the Idaho Forest Products Commission, damage to the trees is caused when adults and larvae feed in the phloem layer of the inner bark, girdling the tree, and usually killing it. Trees less than 12 inches in diameter are seldom attacked.

Evidence that a Douglas fir tree has been attacked is the red-orange boring dust in bark crevices or on the ground around the tree. Attacks are often high on the tree's bole, so careful inspection may be required to determine if beetles are present. Sometimes the most evident sign of infestation is the clear resin exuded from entrance holes high on the stem near the upper limit of infestation. These "pitch streamers" are often visible from a considerable distance.

The primary attack period is from mid-April to early June. Beetles that over-wintered as larvae attack in midsummer. Adults are about one-fourth inch long, and are black with red-brown wing covers. The beetles normally kill small groups of trees, but during outbreaks, 100 tree groups are not uncommon. Losses can be devastating. In western Oregon and Washington from 1950 through 1969, 7.4 billion board feet of timber were killed. Outbreaks in standing trees range from 2 to 4 years long. Those of longest duration coincide with periods of drought. For example, thousands of acres of Douglas-fir supported outbreaks in several western states following a drought from 1986 through 1988. In 1966, an outbreak in California killed 800 million board feet of timber and an outbreak in Idaho killed 109 million board feet of Douglas-fir between 1970 and 1973.

The natural resistance of live trees to bark beetle attack is the most important factor controlling outbreak development. Climate and weather also strongly influence survival of Douglas-fir beetle populations. Natural enemies include many parasitic or predacious insects, nematodes, and mites. Woodpeckers are not important predators of the beetle.

While it is feasible to kill developing beetle broods with chemical insecticides, such a "direct control" strategy is not likely to be recommended on a forest-wide scale. The most desirable management approach involves prompt detection of blowdown or other stand disturbances, timely removal of threatened or infested trees, and maintenance of vigorous stands.

For information on obtaining the chemical for use on your Island Park property and for consultation on cleaning up deadfall, contact Richard O'Quinn, Idaho State Lands, (208) 525-7167, [email protected]

For more information on the beetle, contact the Idaho Forest Products Commission in Boise, 1-800-ID-WOODS (Idaho only).

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A focus on native trout

Several years ago a discussion began in the fishing community that made many of us who fish the Henry's Fork as uncomfortable as a trout on the end of a barbed hook. Trout biologists and fisheries managers called for the return of native species to streams and lakes across America. Talk began of replacing the rainbows in the Henry's Fork of the Snake River with the river's native species, the large spotted Yellowstone cutthroat trout.

Conservation organizations joined the push for native fish restoration, filing lawsuits to force state fisheries programs to take action. In some cases, this meant placing the native species on the federal Threatened and Endangered Species List. To avoid listing and its convoy of expenses and bureaucratic regulations in the Henry's Fork drainage, Idaho restored native Yellowstone cutthroats in Thurmond Creek in Harriman State Park, which is off-limits to anglers. The local fishing community— resident and non-resident individuals and guide services— was satisfied. Native fish proponents were not. They will be back.

At first, I was among the folks who grumbled about getting rid of the rainbows. The fighting rainbow tradition and all that, not to mention all of the businesses and streets that would have to change their names. Rainbow Realty is cool. Cutthroat Realty is not.

Still, I began a study the native fish restoration movement and now I think they have made an ample case, although tackling the Henry's Fork would be a whale-sized political and economic challenge.

Until last weekend, most of my reading about native fish restoration has been scientific papers downloaded from the Internet and articles in the magazines of Trout Unlimited and the Federation of Fly Fishers. The issue is also well-covered in the fabulous book on American shad, The Founding Fish by John McPhee, which we studied this winter in a local book club.

Now I am convinced that native fish restoration is a worthy cause after just completing Trout and Salmon of North America by Robert J. Behnke. This is a definitive work by a well-known pioneer in trout biology, exquisitely illustrated by Joseph R. Tomelleri.

Behnke makes the case that the natural world is so complex and interesting that we owe it to ourselves to preserve what we can in as close to a natural state as it can be. In the greater scheme of things, this is close to impossible for most places on the planet, due to industrialization and population growth. But it can still be done in many watersheds. The first step— restore the native fish.

Trout and Salmon of North America gives the life histories of Pacific salmon and trout, Atlantic salmon and brown trout, char, and “other salmonids”— grayling and whitefish. It covers species, subspecies, and groups and explains the unique ecology in particular rivers, lakes, and streams that supports the life cycle of a particular fish. It shows that native fish are the canaries of their rivers. When they struggle, we are warned about conditions such as water quality degradation and temperature changes that we can take steps to reverse because the degradation affects our quality of life, not just the existence of the trout.

Over my lifetime of fishing, I have caught many native species and thought little of it. And, I grew up not knowing that the stocked fish in lakes and streams I caught had replaced native populations 100 years before I was born. After living in the West a few years, I realized that my best days of fishing were on streams where native fish still lived. These have mainly been in Yellowstone Park and on several spring creeks in Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho. Now I think I will spend more time stalking such trout and making a more thorough study of their life cycles. Why? My best experiences in nature have always been in the most wild places. I would rather see a meadow of wildflowers than a formal garden, a herd of wild elk than a herd of imported elk fenced into a hunting preserve.

To each her own— for me, it's the wilder the better. For others, it's the most convenient or comfortable. I only hope the world always has room for both. If you are a serious angler, read Behnke's book. It will change the way you view your favorite rivers, whether they are filled with stocked or native species.

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The joys of January

This time of year many folks enjoy nature through the glass of their windows more often than by going outdoors. We are so blessed to live in a place where nature parades before us— moose in the yard, birds at our feeders, a family of trumpeter swans enlivening our river views.

When we gather at social events or community meetings, the conversation always contains a delightful interchange of wildlife and bird sightings—from bald eagles to wolves, bear tracks to coyote serenades.

Still, there are those days when we must shake that cooped up feeling and move from the window to the wild places— strap on our skis or jump on our snowmachines to heal the symptoms of cabin fever. Many of us live where there are fabulous snow-packed roads that are great for walking, wearing the right footwear.

After our accident last April, I will always appreciate the gift of two legs when I recall the painful journey from a wheelchair to a walker to a cane and the difficult weeks of painful walking on the trek back to pre-accident health. I admire and honor the people I know who have disabilities that will never allow them to experience the joy walking.

Here in the caldera, January is a spectacular time of year to go outdoors. The quietest days of the year occur during this month, when the least number of people are around and the snow acts as a sound absorber. Go a few miles away from the roads and listen. It is so quiet that you can hear individual pine needles fall onto the snow, the flutter of bird's wings, the snort of a moose in the willows many yards away, and the patter of a vole's tiny feet as it races to its burrow. You will have to work around the noise of snowmachines, however. First, turn off your sled if that is how you ventured into the backcountry. Second, get out early in the day, as first light is coming on. Worldwide, just 18 percent of the human race is awake before first light, so the quiet you experience at this time reaches a long, long way. January silence in the Island Park Caldera is as rare and lovely as any of the world's wonders.

If you still need motivation because your cabin fever has made you a slug, I recommend an excellent book on the spirituality and philosophy of walking, titled The Walker Within: Forty-five stories of motivation and inspiration for walkers. The stories were compiled by the editors of Walking Magazine and they will drag you off your comfortable couch to experience your own life-changing adventure. I purchased it at Harriman State Park's gift shop, and it is available at amazon.com, too.

January is a week away from being over, so I hope you take the time to experience its silence and serenity.

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What IS a vole?

Early one morning last week, I stood outside to greet the day and listen to the birds when a Clark’s nutcracker dropped a furry surprise in the snow in front of me. I don’t think he meant it as a gift because he shrieked in protest when I bent over it to see what it was. As near as I could tell, it was a vole. The moment I stood up and stepped back to give the nutcracker room, it swept down, and grabbed the vole, and flew off with a wobble to a nearby tree.
My field guide identified it as a Montane vole, due to its bi-colored tail. Depending on whom you talk to, voles are either an important part of the food chain or a menace. Ecologists and naturalists love them. Gardeners do not. Nutcrackers apparently enjoy them as a source of protein.
Voles eat a variety of foods including grasses, herbaceous plants, bark, and seeds. They eat almost twice their weight in food daily. With 100 species, voles are so common that they are a staple in the diet of many carnivores, including badgers, coyotes, and domestic cats. They are also eaten by raptors and snakes.
Voles, like most rodents, put a tremendous amount of energy into reproduction rather than growth and longevity. Their gestation period is 21 days and litters range in size from one to 11, with more than a dozen litters born a year. If a vole population grows too large the animals will become pests in farmland, orchards, and gardens.
Montane voles have silvery gray feet. They are 5.5 to 7.5 inches in length, 1.2 – 2.7 inches tall, and weigh between 1.19 to 2.7 ounces.
In winter, they borrow through the snow and can be seen scurrying on the top of the snow in the early morning and evening. The rest of the year, they tunnel through thick grass and densely-planted gardens.

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Celebrating nature with skis

Cross-country skis are fabulous tools for people who love to enjoy nature in winter. A serious skier should own three rigs: waxless trail skis with trail-length poles and round baskets and warm trail boots; waxable metal edge telemark skis with climbing cords, sturdy poles with round baskets, and telemark bindings, boots, and heel locators; short and skinny waxless or waxable skating skis with tall skating poles and half baskets. All of these skis should be made of fiberglass or other lightweight synthetic. Wood skis are lovely and romantic, but their heavier weight and less efficient design will cause you to work four to five times harder, or more, to cover the same distance.

If your main goal is to observe and photography wildlife, birds, and scenery, your trail skis will get the most use. Save the skating outfit for skiing on a well-groomed track, which will be so enjoyable and fast that you will probably not stop too often to observe nature. Telemark skis will take you into some great country, but most winter wildlife viewing opportunities are in gentle terrain at lower elevations and near rivers, springs, and lakes with open water. Good trail skis can double as telemark skis if you have good technique.

Let's focus on preparing trail skis. Using a metal ski or paint scraper, remove all old wax from the ski bottoms. If there are no cracks and nicks in the bottoms, proceed to the next step. If your skis are nicked up badly and layers of subsurface materials are showing, take them to a ski shop and have them repaired. Heat an iron to medium hot and drop small dabs of green glide wax onto your skis by turning the iron so the pointed side is over the ski bottom and carefully holding the wax against the iron near the tip. Iron the wax over the ski bottom, including the fish-scale or step surface under your foot known as the "kick" area. Press it in so that the surface is smooth and there are no blobs of wax. Let the skis cool completely. Draw a plastic ski scraper over the surface to even the wax layer, not remove it. Now cover a ski cork with an old piece of pantyhose and polish the entire surface until it shines.

Now make sure your bindings are tight and clean. If you will ski in deep snow, or if you stand around for long periods so that snow clumps under your boots, here is a trick that eliminates clumping. Make sure your skis are dry and put duct tape on the entire area where your foot rests— from the toe binding to the heel stabilizer or locator. Snow and ice will slip off the tape and you will be thrilled that you chose this tip over cosmetics.

When you are finished with the duct tape, throw it in your backpack along with all of the supplies you should have if you're going more than a few miles and will be out for several hours. These include: spare basket and ski tip if you will be in rough terrain; extra hat, gloves, and socks; water; energy bars; a few 15-gallon kitchen garbage bags (to cover your legs if going downhill in extreme cold and you're under-dressed); space blanket; compass, map; avalanche safety gear if applicable; notebook, pen that can write in cold weather; binoculars, camera and film. In spring conditions, you may want to bring Pam to spray on your skis if you clump up, as well as a scraper. If you're going a long way and with a crowd, someone should bring a butane wax iron and all the waxes and equipment you may need if conditions are erratic. Bad wax can kill you, literally, if you become so exhausted slipping or clumping that you become hypothermic.

Cross-country skiers know that they have to dress in layers due to the fact that the work of skiing heats up your body so much that you do not need well insulated suits like those worn by snowmobilers or downhill skiers. If you are visiting our area primarily to snowmobile, do not wear your snowmobile clothing if you decide to give skiing a try. You will overheat and sweat buckets, which will make you as dehydrated and exhausted as you can get when your heavy machine is stuck and you try to dig it out yourself. For a few hours of skiing in temperatures between 18 and 28 F, if you will be stopping to observe and photograph nature, eat, and rest, you should wear these layers: two pairs of light or medium weight socks; silk or polypro long underwear, lyrca/cotton tights; breathable water resistant pants made for cross-country skiing or running; long sleeve cotton tee or turtleneck, light sweater; fleece coat; 60/40 shell if it is windy and snowing- otherwise keep it in your pack; ski gloves or mittens; lightweight ski hat. The more you stop, the more you need to wear. Sometimes it works to wear a wind resistant shell around your waist so you can slip it on quickly when you stop.

As a rule, wildlife winter in the same habitat they live in during the other seasons— but the winter habitat is not made inaccessible by snow. For example, moose and whitetail deer winter in willows at lower elevations because willows at higher elevations are snowbound. Mule deer leave for much lower elevations because their habitat disappears in the mountain snow. Many birds easily seen from ski trails have vertical migrations— they move from high to low elevations rather than from north to south. These include Canada and Stellar's jays, Clark's nutcrackers, chickadees, and juncos. You will find the most species near open water created by warm springs. There are many areas like this in the caldera as well as in Yellowstone Park, especially if you ski any of the trails that begin along U. S. 191 north of West Yellowstone, from Fir Ridge north.

Fur bearers such as coyotes, wolves, fox, pine martens, mink, muskrat, and ermine are easy to spot in the winter, often by following their trails, which all tell stories of their own. If you don't see the animal, you can always photograph the track. And winter scenery is spectacular on a clear day with a deep blue sky a backdrop for sweeping panoramas or close-ups of snow crystals on a pine bough or icy pine needles and cones. Remember that wildlife are stressed out in the winter and may not move away from you quickly so that they can conserve energy. Do not approach them closely just because they are standing still.

Cross-country skiing is a sport for people who love peace and quiet and the challenge of moving across a winter landscape solely through their own power.

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