Well, our friends the wolves have been at it again. Just off the hill from Island Park wolves decimated the cattle herd of an Ashton, Idaho rancher by killing 5 calves and two cows outright, with others badly injured enough to be likely to need to be put down.

So, let’s see. Each of those animals at maturity is worth $1,200 – $1,500. Multiplied by 7 (and maybe more) dead animals, this rancher just got dinged over $10,000 for the privilege of having predators he didn’t vote for and didn’t want. As I see it, it’s basically a tax imposed on this rancher by liberal pine-cone-spitters from out of state who will never personally feel any consequence whatsoever for their desire to see the wolves re-introduced. So not only is it a tax, it’s basically taxation without representation.

Now don’t get me wrong. I think if the east-coast environmentalists want wolves, they should be able to have them. But I think what we need to do is keep track of who voted for the re-introduction. Then, when something like this happens, we can just send them an invoice for their pro-rata portion of the bill. That way, they can feel the joy that rancher Brown feels when the wolves wantonly slaughter 7 cows.

Isn’t it interesting that the people with no “skin in the game” are always the most vocal about what they want? And isn’t it interesting how they feel that their rights are somehow more important than the rights of those who have skin in the game? This problem would quickly resolve itself if we just give them the opportunity to put their wallet where their ballot is.

What am I saying? We certainly don’t want to do that. The environmentalists would just want to raise the taxes to cover those costs (thus deferring the cost of wolves right back to the rest of us.) Because by so doing, they could continue making far-reaching decisions with no possibility of ever feeling any personal consequence of those actions.

If you have a better way to solve this problem (short of gunpowder and lead) let me know. I’d love to hear.

Macks Inn, located on the banks of the Henry’s Fork of the Snake River, turns 100 years old this year.  Buildings have come and gone over the years, and even the location has been moved a time or two.  But even so, 100 years of continuous service to the visitors and residents of Island Park is a significant milestone.

Macks Inn has been in its current location for nearly 70 years (having moved from its original location across the highway.)  The old lodge we all remember and love (on the east side of the highway) burned down in a tragic fire in October of 1989.

One of the things most people remember from the ’70′s and ’80′s is the dances that were held in the dance hall on Friday nights.  The theater is still intact and used regularly for dinner theater events.  The good news is, according to Chad Bauer current owner of Macks Inn, they will resume the dances on Friday and Saturday nights (beginning after the dinner theater each weekend) this summer.  That will add some wholesome entertainment for the youth who come to Island Park in the summers.

Macks Inn has been under near-constant renovation for the last couple of years and there is some talk of a new lodge (although a timeline for that has yet to be announced.)  If you haven’t been there for awhile, drop in and see what they’re doing.  And look for the dances and dinner theater opportunities this summer.

If you’ve driven west out of West Yellowstone lately you know there is a huge problem with bison on the road.  We saw 25 – 30 in the space of about three miles yesterday.  While they weren’t all on the road at one time, as high up in the food chain as they are, they don’t think twice about crossing the highway.  Apparently their moms didn’t teach them to look both ways before crossing the street, because last week several were killed in bison vs. car accidents.

The speed limit on the highways in big sky country is 70 mph (or whatever is reasonable and prudent for the conditions, whichever is lower.)  Reasonable and prudent (not 70) is probably the speed you should be driving this time of year with all the game on the road.

Last week a flat-lander, driving way too fast, came over a hill just west of West Yellowstone and encountered a whole herd of buffalo on the road.  He crashed into them and seven were killed or severely injured (and assumed put down.) While the highway patrol was cleaning up that mess, a trucker came high-balling over the same hill, crashed into eight more bison and killed or injured them.

That’s 15 bison killed in one day on one stretch of road!  Not to mention the damage to cars and humans.  Running into a buffalo would be like running into a tree.  Running into several would be like . . .   Safe to say you wouldn’t drive away from that one.

But the other thing I wonder is what happens to all that very expensive meat?  I mean, if we had 15 bison down, there was 8,000 – 10,000 pounds of meat (at an average price of about $12 – $15 per pound.)  What happened to that?  And the robes, at about $1,200 each.  And the heads, etc., etc., etc.  There was tens of thousands of dollars lying there in the highway.  Where did that money go?  Just a thought.

If you’re driving in or around Yellowstone National Park, slow down.  Not only will you be able to see more, you’ll protect yourself and our wildlife.  This is a critical time of year for wildlife.  The grass is starting to come back out and they’re able to start recovering from a harsh winter.  Please give our wildlife the right of way on highways and byways when you come to visit.  Trust me.  It will be better for everyone.

Many people say this is the time to visit Yellowstone.  Moms with their new babies can be seen everywhere, flowers are starting to pop up, and nature’s glorious rebirth is abundantly visible everywhere.

On our way to Yellowstone yesterday we saw bison, bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and other wildlife.  The bison were sunbathing near the road.  The bighorn sheep were feeding up the hillside.  The eagles were fishing for trout near the fish hatchery.  All in all it was a beautiful day filled with the best things in life:  family, friends and nature.

If you live in the city, you need to come here to realize just how much natural beauty there is to take in.  In the summer I go for a drive (or a ride on my ATV) every evening.  In two years of taking these short drives, there was only one time I went out in the evening and didn’t see big game.  To me, that’s worth more than all the money I could make if I moved to the city.  That’s why I live in Island Park.

How’s that for a title?  My dad would say, “You’re either open or you’re not.  Which is it?”  Well, you can go through the gate into the park.  In that sense, they’re open.  But few of the roads are truly open yet.  From the west entrance at West Yellowstone, MT you can go to Old Faithful, or you can go to Canyon, but you can’t make the loop.  So I think semi-open pretty much explains how it is.

I’ve talked to several people who have already been into the park and they report seeing wolves, grizzly bears (yes, they’ve started to wake up, even with all the snow still still on the ground,) bison, elk and the usual critters.  There’s still a ton of snow, so you can’t get out and walk around yet.  But if you’re looking to beat the crowd, any time in the next two to three weeks is a good time.  If you wait until the 20th of May, it will be wall-to-wall people until October.  So go now.  Bring your camera and a sharp eye to see all the babies this spring.  Oh, and bring your own lunch, because right now, basically nothing is open but the road.

See you there!

If you plan on riding your snowmobile or ATV in Idaho, you’d better be sure you have a current Idaho Sticker.  Fremont country Sheriff’s department deputies will be out in force for the holiday weekends checking stickers on ATV’s.  Those who don’t comply with the law are subject to some heavy fines (in the hundreds of dollars per ATV.)

Stickers are available at area gas stations, fly shops, and ATV shops.  They cost about $10 and are good for the whole year.  $10 is pretty cheap insurance to avoid being sideways with the local constabulary.

Of course the law of averages says you’ll probably never be caught if you don’t have a sticker.  So if you’re worried about the $10 you could play the odds — especially if you’re mister vegas.  Just don’t whine if you get caught with your hand in the cookie jar and get slapped.

But not before we have a few more big storms.  On Wednesday, a monster storm from the north dumped about a foot of wet, heavy snow on Island Park.  It seems cruel, I know, but that’s how it goes.

I usually gauge it by the jack fence that runs along the highway at Harriman State Park.  About three weeks ago we got to where we could see the bottom rail of the fence.  You know spring is just around the corner when you see the bottom rail.  I figured maybe we’d be melted by early April.

Then we got a big dumper that not only covered the bottom rail, it covered the middle on as well.   We were just getting to the point where we could see the bottom rail again, and BAM.  We’re back up to the middle rail again.

The only saving grace, is that with temperatures forecast in the 50′s and 60′s for the next eight or nine days (and nights where the temperatures never drop below freezing, we’ll see some serious melting.  This time I’m really serious.  Spring is on the way.  Hey!  It could happen!

That’s right.  Another year has come and gone, and it’s time once again to pay your uncle.  Fortunately for you, he only wants between a fourth and half of what you made last year.  But you can take comfort knowing that your selfless contribution blessed the lives of several people who didn’t work last year (including those on capitol hill.)   It also allowed our elected representatives to enact several new programs to bless the lives of our employment-challenged brethren that –  even though they’ve done without them up until now — will make them very comfortable.

Pat yourself on the back today.  I hope you feel like you did a good thing.  God bless the working man (and woman, of course) and God bless America.

Fremont county officials, concerned about the increase in drinking and driving (especially on ATV’s and snowmobiles) have reiterated their zero tolerance policy toward anyone operating any kind of motor vehicle after drinking.  All of us here in Island Park are pleased to have people come here to enjoy the great outdoors, but like the sheriff’s department, we want everyone to be able to do it safely.

I’ve seen the bumper sticker around here that says, “Friends don’t let friends drive Polaris.”  I’d have to say that’s true.  But even more importantly, we should certainly counsel those we love to avoid driving (or riding) anything after drinking.  ’Nough said.

Harriman State Park has decided to call it a season by discontinuing cross country ski trail grooming as of last week.   I’m not sure whether you can still ski there.  But after a foot or more of wet, heavy, new snow the last several days, any cross country skiing would be more like cross country trudging.  

If you are interested in spring skiing now might be the time.  Just give this new snow a couple of days to settle.  Temperatures for the next several days are forecast to be in the high forties and low fifties up here, so bring your sunblock.  And remember, now is the cheapest time to come to Island Park in terms of rooms, meals, etc.  April and May are the spring “shoulder season” months and prices are at their best.  So if you’ve been thinking about coming and spending some time with us, wait no longer.