Another Man Killed By Grizzly in Yellowstone

POSTED: Monday, Aug. 29, 2011
Michigan man killed by grizzly in Yellowstone
By MATTHEW BROWN | Associated Press
MATTHEW BROWN Associated Press

BILLINGS, Mont. Wildlife agents were trying to capture a grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park on Monday after it killed a Michigan hiker in the second fatal bear attack this summer at the famed park.

The body of John Wallace, 59, was discovered Friday in a backcountry area known for its high population of bears. An autopsy concluded he died from injuries sustained in a bear attack.

After a fatal mauling last month - the first inside the increasingly crowded park in 25 years - authorities let the responsible grizzly go because it was protecting its cubs.

Etc.

Read more: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2011/08/29/21...

Bellingham's health food co-op should turn its parking lot into a seating area. "But we'd lose half our business", a co-op employee replied to the suggestion yesterday. Not necessarily. Those piloting WMD (motor vehicles) would simply have to adapt. That's what bus riders were told when going without Sunday bus service this entire past winter (not Western Washington University students though--they had a shuttle).

Besides, global climate change was cited as the reason Yellowstone grizzlies were re-instated under Endangered Species Act protection in 2009 (after being from from the list in 2007). District Judge Malloy explained global climate change threatens white bark pine nut--a favorite grizzly food in the Yellowstone region.

Which means motor vehicles pose the greatest threat to grizzlies through global climate change and as road kill. Why then the emphasis on pepper spray for bear attacks, thereby setting people up as unwitting marty's under the guise of conservation?

WWU professor Chris Morga's PBS documentary is helpful in showing humans and bears can co-exist in close proximity. However, when an attack does inevitably occur, sadly enough pepper spray is not enough. Remember Michio Hoshino; he too was a bear documentary filmmaker, loved and respected bears and was well educated in bear ecology, yet was killed indiscriminately by a brown bear on Kamchatka Peninsula (Russia; 1996). Hoshino was attacked in his tent around 4am, dragged from it screaming as the awakened film team could do nothing to stop the attack.

Bellingham's REI (outdoor store) sells Counter Assault bear spray, yet fails to inform the consumer that biologists' stated pepper spray does not work on black bears due to a "unique protective mucous coating" ('Pepper Spray? Bad Bet'; Anchorage Daily News; 10/6/96). The only reason I'm aware of that is because that was a followup article to 'A Can of Spray, A Lot of Luck'(9/29/96)--the story of how Keith Benner and I were attacked by a brown bear on September 15, 1996 and Counter Assault bear spray failed to prevent a face-to-face encounter after the bear knocked me on my butt. I sprayed the rest of the can into its growling, snarling mouth; it ran away; I jumped up; it made a U-turn and charged again. With no spray left, I turned my back to it and prepared to die, but the bear went around me and got Keith in the shoulder somehow before running away for good.

Keith was quoted crediting the pepper spray and divine intervention with saving our lives, while months later I concluded the spray allowed a face-to-face encounter wheras a firearm could have stopped the bear in its charge.

Weeks ago I spoke with a manager at the Bellingham REI and he replied it's the manufacturer's responsibility to inform the consumer biologists have described on record how the spray does not work on black bears due to the mucous coating. But the Counter Assault bear spray can fails to do that (I've contacted them in the past to no avail as well). So yesterday I filed a complaint through the Bellingham Attorney General's office and Consumer Protection. They'll contact REI and send their response within the next four weeks.

Ooops...that's WWU professor Chris Morgan (not "Morga") above.

In addition to filing a complaint with the Attorney General's office, I've been speaking about this issue during public comment at Bellingham City and Whatcom County Council meetings.

That, and recently again objecting to the increasing number of motels requiring a credit card to rent a motel room. That was due to a Best Western representative complaining (during public comment) about homeless behind their motel. I said requiring a credit card simply adds to the problem.

Perhaps my speaking out on those two issues is why Avellino's coffee shop called the police and had me "trespassed" yesterday? Downtown Business Partnership retaliation? Because I had done nothing wrong. Went in, ordered and paid for a shot of espresso in a (very small) to go cup ($1.63 +.37 tip). Poured soy milk into the cup as the barista rudely berated me for using too much soy milk (!). I replied that he had to be kidding, the size of the cup itself makes it impoossible to use more than any other customer might ordinarily use with their coffee. He said he would need to charge me for the extra soy milk. I should have said to take it out of the tip jar, but instead replied he was being petty. The man immediately got on his cell phone and called the police and said he wanted me "trespassed" from the coffee shop (made to leave under threat of arrest).

The police came, recognized me, yet wanted me to leave immediately (I was seated at a table with Don Quixote Cliff Notes in front of me--maybe they thought Polenka my service dog was Sancho Panza and considered a blanket toss).

Anyhow, they wouldn't listen to my explaining I'd done nothing wrong, especially not to warrant having the police called on me. Added that they were aware I'm homeless and dealing with a possible lung cancer diagnosis ("slowly enlarging nodule"--too close to the diaphragm for needle biopsy, so a "lung resection [VATS]" was recommended by the pulmonologist. He said due to the fatigue I already have from chronic Lyme disease [and cancer if it is cancer] means it would be very challenging for me to walk after the surgery. I've declined to go through with it, thinking there is no cure for lung cancer, etc).

Well, they didn't care. Threatened to pull me up from the chair and remove me physcially if I didn't cooperate. I did so; told them they were aiding and abetting an unjust situation. Out on the sidewalk they said I had to leave the area. Where does one go when a business can do as they did completely at will? They said "go to Maritime Park or the Mission", thereby indicating that is the only place a homeless person can hope to go and be free of harassment by business proprieters.

People know me as being very quiet and non-troublesome. The only reason I can gather is this may have been retaliation. Either for the reasons stated, or because this particular coffee shop is a drug den; a Satan's Lair, comprised of pot smokers pissed because I've been outspoken about the harm marijuana causes. That's probably it. You decide.

Forgot to mention in above post about the Lyme disease...there is controversy/differing opinions as to what it actually is. Some say it's ongoing bacterial spirochete (Borelia burgdorferi), others say it's auto-immune disease resulting from the antibiotics used to treat the Lyme disease.

My case was fairly straightforward--tick bite on back (walking to tent in woods in Santa Rosa, CA without a shirt on--brushed under a tree branch, tick must have climbed on), ten days later a large red rash appeared (seem in mirror when taking a bird bath in Santa Rosa health food co-op bathroom sink). That was an "EM rash"; ER doc prescribed doxycycline for Lyme disease; five days later woke feeling like I had MS, as if hands and forearms were going paralyzed. Multitude of symptoms continue to this day--around nine years later.

Perhaps it's antibiotic induced lupus--immune system on overdrive, attacking itself. I don't know. But maybe the inflammatory process contributed to causing the suspected lung cancer. Marijuana bong hits and daily marijuana smoking as a teenager may have as well.

Errr....didn't explain clearly....the red rash appeared about ten days after I had found the tick on my back and pulled it out.

Posted five minutes ago, post did not show-- posting again...

Also, about harmful marijuana symptoms: it can and often does cause mental illness (marijuana is a psychotropic drug--mind altering). Estrangement from the human race, extreme self-cociousness, anxiety attacks; afraid there is something dreadfully wrong about you and other people can notice it, feeling terribly different from others, neurosis--what nowadays is referred to as "obsessive-compulsive disorder" (though they rarely connect the dots for you back to marijuana use--Big Pharma will simply prescribe a drug to treat the condition induced by marijuana): for example, having to touch a door knob a certain way when leaving the house--if you don't touch it just right, you have to go back and do it again--elaborate rituals such as that where you have to do certain things to satisfy something in your mind or else you won't feel right not doing it. It can get very complicated. Have you ever seen a severely mentally ill person doing that? That's the later stages, after the mental illness has progressed.

I had all that as a teenager when smoking marijuana. Was smoking a 1/4 ounce every five days before finally quitting for good in 1985; symptoms noticeably diminished.

One other example--noticed a marijiuana smoker years ago. He was in a homeless shelter, and would dump a huge amount of small objects in his suitcase all over the floor. He then would have to meticulously place each and evry object *a certain way* back inside the suitcase. If they did not fit *just right* he would dump the entire contents back out on the floor and start all over again. He had sweat streaming down his face it was such a project. I smiled because I knew what it was like. It can be a personal torment for the person experiencing it though; wouldn't wish it on anybody.

That's interesting--the traffic camera initiative was just ruled invalid (non-legally binding even should it be voted on). Wouldn't have minded seeing it go to a vote, but found biologist's hidden camera's (purportedly for viewing reclusive wildlife) in the deepest wilderness areas far more invasive and offensive. That's the only place we have to escape the fishbowl--the woods. But with these wildlife camera's there is no assurance you are not being watched by someone in a cubicle at WWU.

Gigliola Cinquetti - Volano Le Rondini

video by BifferBob

Ooops..wrong thread (above post). That's okay. I'll leave it here.

I posted the following under on Bellingham Herald blog yesterday (John Stark) responding to the traffic camera initiative. Checked back about 45 minutes after posting it and the comment had been removed, with other comments having appeared since my posting.
Today my comment comes up on the blog (realized when google searching my name), but the topic is no longer under discussion. Why was it removed when the topic was being discussed, when people posting about the subject could have read it? The Herald censored me from posting under story articles many months ago, even though I'd not done anything wrong--no threats, no profanity, no rule violations. The blogs are the only time I can post every once in a blue moon. Evidently, they're censoring those now too (until the thread is no longer being viewed).

Bruce Deile Says:

September 6th, 2011 at 4:11 PM

SAVE A BEAR: Just say no to Ron Paul and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (state’s rights). Turn the WMD (motor vehicle) parking lot at the health food co-op into a seating area/garden in memorium to “poor, poor Sebastian” from ‘Suddenly Last Summer’(Elizabeth Taylor; Katherine Hepburn; Montgomery Clift). A Co-op employee responded they’d lose half their business. Not necessarily. WMD pilots would simply have to adapt–that’s what WTA bus riders had to do when denied bus service this entire past winter (though not WWU students–they had university buses running a devil’s triangle loop–WWU-Sehome-downtown-WWU throughout the winter on Sunday’s; while WTA riders in wheelchairs stayed home and ate peanut butter/crackers if they didn’t have a refrigerator). District Judge Malloy explained in 2009 (when reinstating Yellowstone grizzlies under Endangered Species Act protection) that WMD threaten white bark pine nut through global climate change. That and roadkill are the real threat to grizzlies, not pepper spray. REI sells Counter Assault bear spray but consumers are not informed biologists have stated on record that pepper spray does not work on black bears “due to a unique protective mucous coating”(’Pepper Spray? Bad Bet’; Anchorage Daily News; 9/29/96). I wouldn’t mind seeing the traffic camera issue go to a (legally binding) vote, but have always wondered why those piloting WMD expect to have their ‘Own Private Idaho’ while public bus riders are under camera surveillance all the time–not just when passing through intersections/school zones.

Very, very sad...but for the umpteenth time, note that a wildlife offical did not respond with a can of Counter Assault bear spray (though I wish it had been tranquilized and relocated instead--odd there isn't mention of that in the story--that's a commonly accepted practice; though perhaps in a residential area they concluded it was too risky to attempt saving the bear in that manner--hard to know):

Soldotna officer kills bear in residential area

Associated Press

Published: September 9th, 2011 12:28 PM
Last Modified: September 9th, 2011 12:29 PM

Read more: http://www.adn.com/2011/09/09/2057762/soldotn...