Page 28 - ARUBA TODAY

A28 SCIENCE
Monday 2 october 2017

U.S. considers ending protections for northwest Montana bears

species protections in 1975, lowstone region of Idaho,
the animals have repopu- Montana and Wyoming.
lated a huge area known The action transferred ju-
as the Northern Continen- risdiction over grizzlies to
tal Divide Ecosystem. state game agencies, pos-
The area that includes Gla- sibly opening the door to
cier National Park and the trophy hunts in the future.
Bob Marshall Wilderness Wildlife advocates and
now has about 1,000 bears. American Indian tribes
Biologists say the animals have filed multiple lawsuits
have doubled their distri- asking federal courts to re-
bution in the region and store protections for Yellow-
now occupy 22,000 square stone-area grizzlies. They
miles (56,000 square kilo- worry the bears’ recovery
meters.) will nosedive without U.S.
In recent years, grizzlies government oversight.
have pushed out of the Grizzlies occupy three
mountains around Glacier other areas in the Lower
and onto central Mon- 48: about 40 bears are in
tana’s plains, where ag- the Cabinet Yaak area of
riculture dominates the Montana; 70 to 80 in the
landscape and conflicts Selkirk Mountains of Idaho,
In this Aug. 3, 2014, file photo, a grizzly bear walks through a back country campsite in Montana’s between grizzlies and live- Washington and British Co-
Glacier National Park. stock have increased. lumbia; and fewer than 20
(Associated Press) Similar conflicts have oc- are in the North Cascades
Associated Press home to the largest group It would take another year curred in communities of central Washington, ac-
HELENA, Mont. (AP) — On of grizzlies in the Lower 48. for such a proposal to be around Yellowstone Na- cording to the Interagency
the heels of lifting protec- A proposal to lift protec- finalized. tional Park. Facing in- Grizzly Bear Committee.
tions for Yellowstone-area tions could come next Hunters and trappers wide- creased pressure from Grizzlies are not federally
grizzly bears the U.S. gov- year, U.S. Fish and Wildlife ly exterminated grizzlies state officials, the federal protected in Alaska, which
ernment plans to consider grizzly recovery coordina- across much of the U.S. government in July lifted has tens of thousands of
the same action for bruins tor Hilary Cooley told Mon- early last century. But since protections on an estimat- the animals and holds an-
in northwestern Montana, tana lawmakers Thursday. they gained threatened ed 700 grizzlies in the Yel- nual public hunts.q
Geologist: Yosemite rock falls don’t mean more danger

-By SCOTT SMITH unsafe we wouldn’t be al- The park typically sees Mammoth Lakes, Califor- aunt that he jumped to
Associated Press lowing people in there,” about 80 rock falls each nia, prepared Friday to cover her as tons of rock
YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Greg Stock said Friday. year. head up El Capitan early came cascading down.
Calif. (AP) — Rock falls that He and a U.S. Geologi- Stock said it’s impossible to Saturday. Gillian Stephens, in an in-
killed a British tourist and cal Service geologist were predict when and where a “It’s kind of an inherently terview with the Times pub-
injured two other people studying El Capitan after rock fall will strike and de- dangerous sport” but Ja- lished Saturday, says Lucy
in Yosemite National Park immense slabs of granite tecting shifts in rocks could mieson said he felt more at Foster told her: “Andrew
aren’t stopping climbers — one about the size of a be a sign that one will risk of being struck by a car saved my life. He dived on
intent on scaling the sheer 36-story building — succes- break loose days or maybe on the street than from a top of me as soon as he
walls of El Capitan and a sively broke loose from the years later. falling slab of granite in the could see what was going
park geologist says there’s formation and plunged The elite climbers who flock wilderness. to happen. He saved my
no more danger than usu- down in huge, flinty clouds to the park using ropes The slide of a building-sized life.”
al. that swept through the val- and their fingertips to defy slab of granite on Wednes- The massive slab of gran-
“If we felt any area was ley floor. death as they scale sheer day killed Andrew Foster, ite that fell Thursday was
cliff faces know the risk but 32, of Wales, who was hik- larger than Wednesday’s.
also know it’s rare to get hit ing with his wife, Lucy, at It weighed 30,500 tons
and killed by the rocks. the bottom of El Capitan. (27,669 metric tonnes), ge-
“It’s a lot like a lightning She was seriously injured ologists estimate.
strike,” said Alex Honnold, and remained hospital- That fall injured Jim Evans,
who made history June 3 ized. who was driving out of the
for being the first to climb A British newspaper is re- national park when rubble
El Capitan alone and with- porting that Foster died broke through the sunroof
out ropes. “Sometimes ge- while trying to shield his of his SUV, hitting the resi-
ology just happens.” wife. The Times says Lucy dent of Naples, Florida, in
Hayden Jamieson, 24, of Foster told her husband’s the head, said his wife. q