Park News U.S. Department Of The Interior Teewinot .

Grand Teton National Parkwww.nps.gov/grte/Know Before You GoSAFETYSNOWMOBILINGn Protect yourself. Know your equipmentand your capabilities and limitations.n Never ski, snowshoe, or snowmobilealone. Let someone who remains behindknow your planned destination, route, andexpected time of return.n Hypothermia is a major cause of humanfatality in mountain country. When thetemperature drops within the core of thebody, the brain fails to function properly.Carry extra clothing and wear in time toprevent hypothermia. Never leave amember of your party alone. If someoneyou are with begins to act or talkabnormally, make him or her put on moreclothing and drink warm liquids. Study firstaid for hypothermia before your trip.n Be prepared for sudden changes in theweather. Snow and weather conditions varyconsiderably from day to day. Checkconditions before you venture out.n Be alert for avalanche hazards, especiallyin mountain canyons and along ridge tops.Check with park rangers about current andforecasted avalanche hazard conditions.Please check at the Moose Visitor Center orat the Flagg Ranch Information Station forcurrent information on winter use beforeoperating a snowmobile in Grand TetonNational Park or the John D. Rockefeller, Jr.Memorial Parkway. For a brochure onsnowmobiling in the park and parkway, goto l firearms, including state-permittedconcealed weapons, are prohibited in thepark and parkway – except when activelypursuing game during legal hunting seasons.Unloaded firearms may be transported in avehicle when the weapon is cased, brokendown, or rendered inoperable.FISHINGFishing conforms to National Park Serviceand Wyoming regulations. A Wyomingfishing license is required for fishing in thepark and parkway. Jackson Lake is open tofishing year-round except during the spawnfrom October 1 – November 1 . Jenny, Leigh,Phelps, and Two Ocean lakes are openyear-round.The Snake River is open November 1 –March 31 for catch and release only troutfishing; from April 1 – October 31, trout creellimits apply. From December 15 – March 31the Snake River floodplain is closed to allentry (including fishing) from Moran toMenors Ferry near Moose to protect wildlife.Obtain fishing regulations at the MooseVisitor Center. Be careful when wearingwaders in or near swift water.PETSDuring the winter, pets are not allowed offplowed roadways or parking areas, except theunplowed portions of the Teton Park andMoose-Wilson roads. Restrain pets on aleash no longer than six feet at all times.Keep pets within 50 feet of roadways; pets arenot allowed on trails or in the backcountry,in boats on the Snake River, in boats onlakes other than Jackson Lake, or in visitorcenters. Pet owners are required to clean upafter their animals.FLOATING THE SNAKE RIVERThe Snake River from Moran Junction toMenors Ferry is closed to floating fromDecember 15 – March 31. Only handpropelled rafts, canoes, dories, and kayaksare allowed on the Snake River within thepark and parkway. Register non-motorizedvessels (fee charged) at the Moose VisitorCenter permits desk. Check the launchsite bulletin boards for current riverconditions. On the surface, the Snake maynot seem very powerful, but onlyexperienced floaters should attempt thisswift, cold river.BOATINGMotor boats are allowed only on Jackson,Jenny and Phelps Lakes; there is no publicaccess to Phelps Lake. Human-poweredvessels are permitted on Jackson, Jenny,Phelps, Emma Matilda, Two Ocean, Taggart,Bradley, Bearpaw, Leigh, and String Lakes. Aboat permit is required. Obtain permits andboat regulations at the MooseVisitor Center.CLIMBING AND BACKPACKINGPermits are required for overnightbackcountry trips and may be obtained atthe Moose Visitor Center. Onlyexperienced mountaineers with ice axesand other essential equipment should travelon steep snow slopes. Weather andavalanche hazard forecasts are available atthe Moose Visitor Center.WILDLIFEKeep a respectful distance from all animalsto avoid disturbing their natural routines.Stay at least 300 feet away from largeanimals. Large animals are quick, powerful,and unpredictable. Getting too close canresult in serious injury. Take special care toavoid encounters with bears and to helpmaintain their natural fear of humans.Stay out of closed areas to protectwintering wildlife (see winter map onpage 8 for closures). Do not approachwildlife to obtain photographs. Animalsuse roads as travel corridors. Do not chaseor herd animals with your vehicle; stopyour vehicle and wait until they leavethe roadway.Park regulations prohibit the feeding andharassment of wildlife. Many small animalscan carry diseases and should never betouched or handled. Their natural dietassures their health and survival.Fattening Up For HibernationBlack and grizzly bears live throughout the park and may be active at any time of the day or night.During fall, black and grizzly bears engagein a feeding frenzy as they fatten up inpreparation for hibernation. Bears mayremain active through early December andemerge from hibernation in late March.These guidelines are for your protectionand for the preservation of bears, one ofthe true symbols of wild country.A FED BEAR IS A DEAD BEARCareless food storage or feeding spellsdeath for bears. Allowing a bear to obtainhuman food, even once, often results inaggressive behavior. The bear then presentsa threat to human safety and must beremoved or destroyed. Do not allow bearsor other wildlife to obtain human food.AV O I D E N C O U N T E R SMake bears aware of your presence andavoid surprising them by making noise.Be alert and look for signs of bears in thesnow when skiing or snowshoeing. Ifyou encounter a bear, do not run.Running may elicit attacks fromotherwise non-aggressive bears and theycan travel over 35 miles per hour. If thebear is unaware of you, detour quicklyand quietly away. If the bear is aware ofyou but has not acted aggressively, backaway slowly, talking in an even tonewhile waving your arms.AGGRESSIVE BEARSIf a bear approaches or charges you, donot run. Do not drop your pack; it mayprotect your body if attacked. Bearsoften bluff charge, stopping beforecontact. Bear experts generallyrecommend standing still until the bearstops, then backing away slowly.Climbing trees is no protection fromblack bears and may not help withgrizzlies either.Black BearTEEWINOT [Winter 2006]3

Wildlifewww.nps.gov/grte/Where to Look For WildlifeAlways Keep a Safe Distance When Viewing WildlifeBison in WinterWinterS A G E B R U S H F L AT S A R O U N DB L A C K TA I L B U T T ENear Moose. In winters with low snowaccumulation, moose search for bitterbrush,a preferred food that grows with sagebrushin this area.CAUTIONS AW M I L L P O N D SWinter places enormous stress on wildlife.Observe animals from a distance. If youcause an animal to move, you are tooclose. Unnecessary movement burnsprecious body fat needed to survivethrough winter and into spring. Parkregulations prohibit wildlife harassment.See page 8 for areas closed in winter toprotect wildlife.Southwest of Moose on the Moose-WilsonRoad. At dusk, elk emerge from coniferforests along the hillsides west of SawmillPonds. Moose sometimes browse on shrubsat the water’s edge. Puddle ducks feed inthe ponds.B U F FA L O F O R K M E A D O W SSouth of Moran Junction. Extensive willowmeadows attract numerous moose andgrasslands provide forage for herds of bisonand elk.GROS VENTRE ROADEast of the park boundary. Bighorn sheepforage on windswept, south-facing slopesnear Slide Lake.Spring and FallSAGEBRUSH FLATS AROUND BLACKTAIL BUTTEEast of Moose. Look for grazing bison andpronghorn, especially where grasses havegrown thick after dense sagebrush standswere naturally removed by lightningcaused fires – the 1994 Row Fire and 2003Blacktail Fire.TIMBERED ISLANDSoutheast of Jenny Lake. Elk venture from thesecurity of this forested island surrounded bysagebrush flats to eat grasses and otherherbaceous plants. Pronghorn, the fastestland mammals in North America, spend thesummer browsing on sagebrush and raisingtheir young fawns before they migrate towinter ranges south and east of the park.JACKSON LAKE DAMNorth of Signal Mountain. Canada geese,American white pelicans, a myriad of duckspecies, and other water birds concentrateon either side of the dam. Occasionallyperegrine falcons strafe resting ducks, whilebald eagles and ospreys search for fish.W I L L O W F L AT SNorth of Jackson Lake Dam. Abundantwillows attract moose. Grassy meadowsscattered among the willow shrubs concealgrazing elk. Beavers dam creeks, formingponds where waterfowl gather.OXBOW BENDWest of Moran Junction. Trumpeter swans,American white pelicans, Canada geese, anda variety of ducks gather on this quiet riverchannel seasonally. Coyotes search thenearby meadows for small rodents. Moosebrowse willows growing at the water’s edge.Elk Ecology and ManagementElk residing in Grand Teton and the John D.Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Parkway are partof the large Jackson Hole elk herd, whichconsists of approximately 12,000 elk.Management of this herd, including elkwithin the park and parkway, involves anauthorized reduction program in the formof an annual hunt on park lands. Therecommended population is 11,000 elk.the National Park Service. When GrandTeton National Park was expanded in1950, Congress included a provision formanaging elk numbers through an annualelk management program. This lawpermits selected hunters to be deputizedas park rangers so that they may legallyshoot elk. Hunting occurs in the parkfrom mid-

go for a cross-country ski tour or snowshoe hike along the snow-packed road to enjoy close-up views of the Teton Range or reach the Jenny Lake area (4.5 miles one way.) Other places to enjoy cross-country skiing and snowshoeing include Colter Bay, Antelope Flats Road, Taggart Lake and Flagg Ranch. A brochure and map is available at the Moose .