Page 32 - Flathead Beacon // 8.13.14

32 | AUGUST 13, 2014
LIKE I WAS SAYIN’ Kellyn Brown
Tourism Mishaps
AS A 20-SOMETHING SLINGING TRASH FOR the park service in the early 2000s, I was privy to my fair share of tourist mishaps, from the comical to the tragic. Gather thousands of people in any given area, and accidents are bound to happen – they are just more unusual in untamed land filled with equally untamed ani- mals.
Once a pair of tourists decided to camp illegally not far from one of the park roads. While they were sleeping, a nearby geyser that had been dormant for years decided to wake up. The campers also awoke terrified but unscathed.
There was at least one run-in with a bison each week. Over the radio, a park ranger would explain that a “bubba jam” was backing up traffic. And every few jams, a tour- ist would wander too close to the herd, be charged and, on occasion, flung in the air. You’ve probably seen videos of these encounters on YouTube.
You can chalk it up to the frequent odd behavior in our nation’s treasures. One would assume that people know not to pet the animals, but that’s not the case. From bison to bighorn sheep, the lure of touching the animals is irre- sistible to some, and of them a fair percentage are injured.
Less often, there were fatalities in Yellowstone. Dur- ing my two-season tenure at the park there was an unusual amount of tragedies involving thermal features, including a seasonal worker who died after she wandered off trail and fell in the scalding water.
I’m reminded of these instances after reading about the tourist who recently crashed a drone into the Grand Prismatic Spring in Yellowstone, which is the largest hot spring in the park and third-largest in the world. Of course, such devices are prohibited in the national park, but so is approaching wildlife.
Apparently, this is an ongoing problem as visitors want to capture the majestic beauty of the country’s national parks, even though unmanned aerial vehicles have been banned from their respective premises since June. Ear- lier this summer in Yellowstone, another tourist crashed a drone into the marina at Yellowstone Lake, but that one did not have to be fished from a 121-foot deep, 160-degree hot spring.
Right now, it’s unclear if the Park Service is even going to retrieve the device.
“What we have to determine is whether the presence of this radio-controlled recreational aircraft poses a threat to that unique resource,” park spokesman Al Nash told Re- uters.
To be sure, there are dangers in national parks that are unavoidable, such as the 2012 rockslides that injured tour- ists in Glacier National Park and run-ins with bears over the years. But then there are those instances that must leave park service employees scratching their heads, such as flying devices falling from the sky.
The vast majority of visitors to the country’s national parks are well behaved and prepared. But there are also plenty who fail to exercise common sense, which happens more often now that everyone wants to share their experi- ence with their Facebook friends and Instagram followers.
Of course, I snap photos with my phone nearly every time I enter Glacier. Long gone are the days when I worked in the park with no cell phone (or landline for that matter), Internet or television. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I do appreciate that cellular service in Glacier is spotty at best and ringtones don’t drown out conversations along the trail.
Enjoy the park. Just leave the remote-controlled planes at home ... and don’t pet the animals.
OPINION FLATHEADBEACON.COM
TWO FOR THOUGHT
Local Topics, Opposing Views
U.S. Senate Race in Flux
By Tim Baldwin
John Walsh (D) did well to end his cam- paign for U.S. Senate. His continued race would have done more harm than good to him and other Democrats running for office. This shows that most Montanans and Americans have become more sensitive to corruption in politics and will not tolerate politicians shown to be dishonest.
It is hard enough to know what is going on with politics today (especially on the federal level), so in reality, most of us simply vote for people we think we can trust.
While there are other politicians who are (more) dishonest (than Walsh) and deserve to end their political careers, the rare oppor- tunity to oust a revealed defrauder should be used by the people to let politicians know we will not put people in power we cannot trust.
In truth, we should pay closer attention to the character and decisions of those who want political power because Republican and Dem- ocrat Party labels do not define the character of a person.
In addition, we as parents, teachers, men- tors and communities must work diligently to instill honest character in our children so future generations will have honorable peo- ple for whom to vote irrespective of political party.
By Joe Carbonari
John Walsh’s nomination was a mistake in the first place. Let’s not repeat it. The job calls for a person with a strong sense of self, adequate intelligence, and deep integrity. It is not gender specific. Some “street smarts” help.
Two names have come to mind: Brian Schweitzer and Nancy Keenan. I have not met Nancy; Brian makes me smile.
At one time I thought Brian would re- spond to a draft. It looks like that’s not go- ing to happen. He says not. It may be that the high-stakes poker of the business world suits him. Understandable.
Nancy Keenan I also find interesting and hopeful. She handles herself well, knows the ropes, and sees a big picture. She sees a youth cohort that is ambivalent, at best, about a se- ries of issues that are critical to our quality of life, and they, millennials, will represent about 40 percent of our voting public in the years to come. They need to become engaged in a wide range of the issues of our day. Nancy has energy; she can help.
She is reported to have said no. She’s worth asking again, perhaps several more times, from what I’ve read of her. Smart, strong, straightforward, and homegrown. I think she’d bring some new people to the polls. Who else, with comparable qualities, is in the haystack?
When the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the carbon pollution rules for coal-fired power plants last month, they mentioned asthma and how asthmatic children who live near power plants are impacted every day by pollutants. They said what we in public health already know — we will all suffer more if carbon pollution continues to warm temperatures and worsen air pollution.
The EPA’s carbon pollution rules are needed to prevent the worsening effects of climate change. Leading public health organizations, such as the American Medical Association, American Lung As- sociation, and the American Public Health Associa- tion, support action to address climate change as one of the most serious threats to human health.
The recently published National Climate As- sessment dedicated an entire chapter to identify- ing the health consequences linked to uncontrolled carbon pollution. We are already experiencing longer wildfire seasons, higher pollen counts and increased ozone levels, all of which make life for people with asthma and allergies unbearable. From increasing the incidence of heart attacks to driving up hospitalization rates, the manner in which car- bon pollution compromises air quality has a wide and lethal reach.
Responsible for 40 percent of the nation’s car- bon emissions, no other industry produces more carbon pollution than America’s coal-fired power plants. There are currently no limits on how much
carbon pollution these plants can pump into the air we breathe.
To reduce our carbon emissions, the EPA has proposed common sense limits for carbon pollu- tion from existing coal-fired power plants. These limits will not only protect public health, but will ensure that power generation in our country be- comes cleaner and more efficient. The EPA’s plan allows states ample flexibility to determine how to meet this healthy air goal.
Power plant pollution makes people sick and even kills. In addition to helping address climate change, the EPA’s proposed plan would immedi- ately reduce the burden of air pollution in America by preventing up to 4,000 premature deaths and 100,000 asthma attacks in the first year these stan- dards are in place. By 2030, these standards will prevent up to 6,600 premature deaths and 150,000 asthma attacks every year.
We urge the EPA to finalize its carbon cleanup standard within the next year as we continue to work with our health partners across the country to support setting a standard that best safeguards the public’s health. Anything less shortchanges our children, our health and our future.
Kim Davitt is with the American Lung Association of Montana and Lora Weir is with the Montana Public Health Association
GUEST COLUMN | Kim Davitt & Lora Weir Carbon Limits Needed