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Fauna Series No. 1
Methods
Fauna of the National Parks
of the United States
CONSPECTUS OF WILD-LIFE PROBLEMS OF EACH PARK
YOSEMITE
Animal life in Yosemite presents much the same picture that it does in the other national parks of this group, though it is somewhat better off by reason of the greater size of the area. It is trapped and shot all around the edges of the park, its winter range either taken or endangered, and its very presence in the park resented by the local grazing industry. The park is accused of being the breeding den of all the predators in the region, and outside pressure is brought to bear upon the very existence of the animal life within the park itself.
The national value of our few isolated parks is seldom perceived locally when their presence conflicts with local interests. The whole situation was voiced bluntly by an inhabitant near Bryce Canyon, who said, "I don't see nothin' to rave about in them cliffs. We've lived here all our lives and never even thought about 'em. They just made it a park because some rich guy wants the deer for himself."
On the west side of Yosemite, the boundary cuts arbitrarily across all the water drainages, leaving the deer winter range outside of the park. In a niche of the boundary a private hunting preserve has been established directly across the main migration route of the deer. In the fall of 1931, thirty-seven deer were shot from the porch of the hunting lodge. Furthermore, exotic game birds have been introduced into this preserve. In the Wawona district, just outside the southwest corner of the park, the State lion hunter has killed 31 mountain lions since 1915, and correctly says that he can get every lion in the park without crossing the boundary. The lumber industry has eaten the forest to the very edge of the park in many places. Needless to say, all animal habitats are disrupted in the process. As far as the animal life of the park is concerned, the situation is like a reservoir with the downhill side wide open.
On the east side of the park the boundary follows the crest of the Sierra, but the higher park zones flow over and around the tall peaks of the crest, leaving these reservoirs of animal life wide open on the east side. One trapper, who has been established on the east boundary for 11 years, says that he caught 42 martens the second season. Since then his catch has dwindled until he took only 11 martens two years ago, and none this last season. He has taken six fishers and one wolverine from the territory, and many foxes, including silver, black silver, cross and red pelts. Of course, he has taken many weasel, wild cat, badger, and coyote pelts. While we believe implicitly in the personal integrity of this man, and are convinced that he does no trapping within the park, the situation is fundamentally all wrong. All of these animals trapped are of the roaming type. The trapper says that he knows marten will roam many miles in a day if food is scarce. It is, therefore, possible for trappers to drain off nearly the whole population of high Sierran fur-bearers from Yosemite National Park. These men are not to blame; they are only taking what is lawfully theirs. The fault is in the location of the present boundary. It should extend far enough down the eastern slope of the Sierra to include at least the Canadian Zone fauna. In a park such as Yosemite, where there are isolated faunal zones unprotected on one side, it is almost as if these zones were not in the park at all.
Most of the major animal problems of Yosemite have already been treated throughout this report.
BLACK BEAR (Euractos americanus). – In dealing with the bear problem elsewhere, an attempt has been made to analyze the basis of the trouble. For the benefit of similar situations, the practical measures which have been tried in Yosemite Valley to meet the immediate problem are given.
1. Signs warning people not to feed the bears have been posted.
2. Food-storage places have been bear-proofed by various means.
3. Bears are fed several miles from human habitation down the valley.
4. The feeding takes place three times each day – mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and evening. It is found that this does not interfere with the evening presentation of the bears.
5. A deadline is established across the valley below the centers of human habitation, and means are employed to make a bear unhappy above this line and quite contented below it.
(a) [...text missing from original document...] hours until it is thoroughly frightened and tired. Then it is allowed to come above the line. German police dogs and dovers have proven more satisfactory than wire-haired terriers. This measure has proven somewhat successful, according to Superintendent Thomson, but has been disappointing because of the difficulty of handling the dogs properly, the difficulty of procuring the right dogs, the problem of training the dogs, the fact that the dogs become pets, and that they make even more noise than a bear in a garbage can.
(b) When a bear is found above the deadline, it may be treed for several hours until it is thoroughly frightened and tired. Then it is allowed to come down and is chased away.
(c) Bears above the deadline may be trapped bodily and deported to more remote sections of the park.
6. Individual bears which are dangerous are shot.
Superintendent Thomson hopes by these means to train the cubs to stay out of the upper end of the valley. These methods are still in the experimental stage.34
WOLVERINE (Gulo luteus). – See pages 44-46.
CALIFORNIA OTTER (Lutra canadensis brevipilosus). – In August, 1928, remains of an otter were found at Babcock Lake. There had been previous reports of otters having been seen in the region. If they are present, they are not abundant, and are therefore in need of absolute protection from human interference.
COYOTE (Canis lestes). – See pages 47-49.
MULE DEER (Odocoileus hemionus). – See pages 35-36.
SIERRA NEVADA MOUNTAIN SHEEP (Ovis canadensis sierrae). – See pages 24-26.
DWARF ELK (Cervus nannodes). – A small band of tule elk has been in Yosemite Valley since 1921. They were placed there as an emergency measure to save the species from extinction. It has been necessary to keep them in a paddock and feed them hay each winter. Their paddock area is severely overgrazed, and the winter feeding is a heavy expense. They are entirely out of their native habitat and are a pauperized exhibit. In such close confinement they are not increasing satisfactorily. The limited valley floor is in great need of every acre of natural meadow land, and can not afford the loss of meadow within this artificial paddock. Every effort is being made to place these elk on a refuge within their native habitat, where their perpetuation in public hands will be assured.
RATTLESNAKE (Crotalus oreganus). – See page 68.
In general, the chief faunal problems of Yosemite National Park are: To establish boundaries consistent with the requirements of its animal life; to restore the animals of the park to their former numbers and interrelationships; and to reach an adjustment between the conflicting human and animal needs in Yosemite Valley proper. Next to nothing is known about these problems. Years of research are needed before these things can be accomplished. 35
34Also see pages 68-70 and 82-84.
35Also see pp. 73-76.
PACIFIC COAST PARKS
Crater Lake | Lassen Volcanic | Mount Rainier | Sequoia and General Grant | Yosemite
PARKS
Southwest | Rocky Mountain | Pacific Coast | Eastern | Territorial
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Last Modified: Tues,
Feb 1 2000 07:08:48 pm PDT
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