Yellowstone Standoff Read Free Page B

I’ve had to make. It’s not only me, either. Everyone who was here last year, and that’s just about all of us, is faced with the same kind of problems—research screwed up, theses delayed—because of what I would argue was an overreaction on your part.”
    Lex grasped the sides of the podium and leaned forward. “We pulled you and everyone else out of the field last year for good reason, Sarah. We lost two of our people the previous fall. A terrible, terrible tragedy. The entire Yellowstone research community was, and remains, devastated by what happened.”
    â€œUnderstood,” Sarah said. “Much as I continue to disagree with it, my point is not to rehash last year’s decision. Rather, I’m speaking up now because those of us on the Grizzly Initiative—” she looked to her right and left “—believe your forcing all the park’s backcountry science teams to work together out of Turret Cabin this summer will severely limit our opportunities to conduct decent research again this year, just like your roadside-only decision hurt us so much last year.”
    Lex released the podium and folded his arms across his chest as Sarah continued.
    â€œForty people working out of the same base camp? With that kind of crowd around, all of us involved in mammalian studies will have a tough time collecting meaningful data.The only team that’s sure to get any decent work done is the Archaeological Team. It’s not like anything they’re here to study will be going anywhere.”
    Clarence dug his elbow into Chuck’s side.
    â€œAs for the Grizzly Initiative,” Sarah went on, “we’re studying real, live grizzly bears. We have to go deep into the backcountry on our own in small teams to assure our presence doesn’t alter the bears’ behavior patterns. We’re trying to study their natural movements and traits, free of human interference, not their response to the crowd you’ve got heading across the lake to the Thorofare region tomorrow.”
    Lex’s steel-gray eyes glinted behind his glasses. He touched his upper lip with the tip of his tongue before he spoke. “I’ve acknowledged the difficulties inherent in last year’s decision, Sarah. Moreover, while your concerns are duly noted, I stand by this year’s determination that all backcountry teams will do the best they can while performing their summer research out of, and spending every night at, Turret Cabin base camp—which, I might add, park staffers have spent the last two weeks working long and hard to set up on your behalf.”
    â€œIt was a grizzly bear,” Sarah said. “A grizzly bear doing what grizzly bears do.” She turned in her seat to face the Wolf Initiative team members on the opposite side of the room. “I feel for you guys. I really do. I can only imagine how hard it’s been for you after what happened to your Territory Team. But you’ve got to understand. Our two teams are studying different creatures with different study protocols, different needs.”
    â€œSarah,” Lex warned.
    She continued to face the wolf researchers. “I don’t think you people can really comprehend the risks those of us with the Grizzly Initiative take every single day we’re in the field. Remember, it was a grizzly that attacked your team, not a wolf.Do you know the last time a wolf attacked a human? I’ll tell you when: never. But grizzlies? They attack. It’s what they do. They defend their young, their food, their turf. Learning what we can about their natural behavior by studying them in the backcountry is the best way we have of determining how best to keep people safe around them—and keep what happened to your team from ever happening again.” She turned to Lex. “You already cost us a year of critical research, along with the knowledge advancement that would have come with it. Now, with