controlling-pollution: Yellowstone

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Friday, July 8, 2011

Victim of Yellowstone grizzly bear mauling was Torrance resident

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Victim of Yellowstone grizzly bear mauling was Torrance residentJuly 7, 2011 | 1:26pm

Grizzly
Officials at Yellowstone National Park have identified the victim in Wednesday's fatal grizzly bear mauling as 57-year old Brian Matayoshi of Torrance.

The bear's defensive attack was so rare, officials called it a "1 in 3-million" occurrence.

In a news conference at the park, Yellowstone Supt. Dan Wenk provided more details about the attack, which was the first time a park visitor has been killed by a bear in 25 years. Wenk said that Matayoshi and his wife, Marylyn, [A previous version of this post spelled her name incorrectly] were hiking on the Wapiti Lake trail about 11 a.m. when the couple observed a female grizzly and two cubs.

The California couple backed away and retreated in the direction they had come. When they turned to look back at the bears, the grizzly sow was already charging them, Wenk said. Matayoshi yelled to his wife to run and she took shelter behind a fallen tree at the side of the trail.

Wenk said the sow reached Brian Matayoshi first, fatally biting and clawing him. The bear then approached Marilyn Matayoshi, who was playing dead, according to Wenk. The grizzly apparently picked her up by the backpack she was wearing then dropped her to ground, uninjured.

The bear left the area and Marilyn Matayoshi rushed to check the condition of her husband, officials said, then attempted to call 911 with her cellphone. She was unable to find a signal and called for help. A group of six hikers heard her shouts and were able to call authorities, who responded in 15 to 20 minutes, Wenk said.

The Maytayoshis were on their fourth trip to Yellowstone, Wenk said, and had hiked the park's trails but had never encountered a bear.

Kerry Gunther, a Park Service wildlife biologist who specializes in bears, said based on the information authorities have, the bear perceived a threat to her cubs and attacked to defend them. "There is no indication that this was a predatory attack," he said.

Park officials said there would be no action taken against the animal, although there are continuing efforts to find it. Wenk said that because of the rarity of the attack, he was organizing a Board of Inquiry into the incident.

RELATED:

Grizzly bear kills hiker in Yellowstone National Park

Grim outlook for grizzlies in Yellowstone region

Yellowstone a petri dish for climate change

---Julie Cart

Photo: A grizzly bear crosses a road in Yellowstone National Park in 2009. Credit: David Grubbs / Billings (Mont.) Gazette

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ExxonMobil attempts to limit oil spill on Yellowstone River

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ExxonMobil attempts to limit oil spill on Yellowstone RiverJuly 3, 2011 | 4:45pm

Oil-fix

Workers on Sunday attempted to limit the spread of an oil spill from an ExxonMobil pipeline in Montana's Yellowstone River, as state officials promised outraged residents more government oversight of the company-led cleanup.

As much as 1,000 barrels, or 42,000 gallons, of oil spilled Saturday before the flow through the damaged pipeline was stopped, officials said.

“We can’t really tell what it’s going to do for our fisheries downstream,” Eric Beebee, 37, said of the oil as he worked at Bighorn Fly and Tackle Shop in Billings on Sunday. “If it was going to affect anybody, it’s going to be the farmers and the ranchers because the water is pushed up so high, when it recedes, it’s going to be left on their land.”

ExxonMobil pipeline workers first became aware of a problem when pressure readings for the stretch of pipeline dropped at 11:41 p.m. Friday, Mountain Time, and shut the line pumps within six minutes, according to Exxon Mobil Pipeline Co. President Gary Pruessing, who held a news conference near the site in south-central Montana on Sunday.

Pruessing said officials had temporarily shut the foot-wide pipeline in May because of concerns about seasonal flooding but decided to reopen it a day later after reviewing its record and deciding it was safe.

“We did a safety analysis and concluded the line was safe to operate” ExxonMobil spokesman Alan Jeffers said

The 20-year-old pipeline was last inspected in 2009 using a robotic device designed to detect corrosion and other flaws, Jeffers said. Most recent tests, in December, showed the pipe was 5 to 8 feet below the riverbed, he said. But that was before record rains and melting snowpack flooded the river in May, which Exxon and government officials have said may have exposed the pipe to damage from debris.

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-- Molly Hennessy-Fiske

Photo: ExxonMobil contractors spread absorbent pads to soak up oil along the banks of the Yellowstone River in Billings, Mont., on Sunday. A company pipeline about 20 miles upriver near Laurel, Mont., ruptured and spilled an estimated 1,000 barrels of crude into the Yellowstone on Saturday. Credit: Matthew Brown/Associated Press

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Grizzly bear kills hiker in Yellowstone National Park

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Grizzly bear kills hiker in Yellowstone National ParkJuly 6, 2011 | 4:11pm

Grizzly A hiker in Yellowstone National Park was killed by a grizzly bear Wednesday morning after he and his wife surprised a sow and her cubs on a popular trail.

The unidentified couple were about a mile and a half from the trailhead of the Wapiti Lake trail when they encountered the sow and her cubs. The bear, apparently reacting to the perceived threat to her cubs, fatally attacked the man, park officials said. The woman was unhurt.

Nearby hikers heard the woman's cries and used a cellphone to call for help. The victim died at the scene. Yellowstone law enforcement and emergency medical personnel responded, as did a park employee who serves as a coroner.

Rangers closed all trails and backcountry campsites in the area, which is southeast of Canyon Village. Rangers on foot patrol swept the region for any hikers. The area is is a gateway to the Pelican Valley, where it is common to see bears. A bear-warning sign was posted at the Wapiti Lake trailhead.

It was the first bear-caused human fatality in Yellowstone in nearly 25 years, according to park officials.?

Yellowstone spokesman Al Nash said there had been no reports of grizzly encounters in the park, which is just beginning to emerge from a heavy winter. Wildlife researchers in the upper Rockies have theorized that with declining grizzly habitat and fewer food sources, bears might become more prone to attack humans. But Wednesday's incident appeared to be an act of defense by the bear, which fled with her cubs.

The last fatal grizzly attack in Yellowstone was in October 1986, when the mauled body of a man was found by the road near Otter Creek. A camera and tripod were nearby, causing park officials to conclude that the man was attacked while he was photographing a grizzly.

RELATED:

Grim outlook for grizzlies in Yellowstone region

Yellowstone a petri dish for climate change

-- Julie Cart

Photo: A grizzly bear crosses a road in Yellowstone National Park in 2009.

Credit: David Grubbs / Billings (Mont.) Gazette

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controlling-pollution

Friday, July 8, 2011

Victim of Yellowstone grizzly bear mauling was Torrance resident

ExxonMobil attempts to limit oil spill on Yellowstone River

Grizzly bear kills hiker in Yellowstone National Park

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