Reporters Notes

Brucellosis

Blood samples taken from 32 grizzly bears in the Yellowstone region revealed that 10 of the animals tested sero-positive for brucellosis, with another five suspects. That means that 31 percent of grizzlies sampled tested sero-positive. Black bears faired a little better: of 31 tested, eight were positive, with four suspects, for a sero-positive rate of 25 percent, reported the Greater Yellowstone Interagency Brucellosis Committee.

Cottonwood

The Big Piney Ranger District of the Bridger-Teton National Forest has issued its record of decision for the Cottonwood II vegetation management project. The project involves prescribed burning and timber harvest on 2,032 acres in the North and South Cottonwood creeks drainage. One mile of the Nylander Creek Road will be relocated out of a riparian area and will be used as a timber haul road. The South Cottonwood Road from Hidden Basin to near the South Cottonwood Creek crossing will be reconstructed as well.

Forest plan

The Bridger-Teton National Forest is moving forward with the forest plan revision process by holding the second round of public workshops for 2005 starting next week. As part of that process, a workshop will be held from 6-9 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 8, at the Pinedale Elementary School cafeteria.

Moose-Gypsum

The Bridger-Teton National Forest Pinedale Ranger District will host an open house for the Moose-Gypsum project on Tuesday, Dec. 6 from 5p.m. - 8 p.m. in Pinedale, at the Amerihost Inn. The draft environmental impact statement for the Moose-Gypsum Project is available for public review and comment. The DEIS identifies the proposed action and two additional alternatives. The preferred alternative is the proposed action under which management actions could impact approximately 34,862 acres (32 percent) of the 110,397 acres within the projectarea. Activities include vegetation and fuels management (including timber harvest), travel management and recreation resource management in the Moose Creek and Gypsum Creek areas of the Upper Green River watershed. The DEIS canbe viewed at www.fs.fed.us/r4/projects.