FISHING BRIDGE VISITOR CENTER – Rain was due to start anytime so checking out the visitor center was the perfect activity to do since it was so close and of course totally indoors. Outside is the amphitheater the rangers use for educational presentations during the summer season.
We briefly stopped by this visitor center yesterday, and were impressed with the extensive educational display of birds of Yellowstone. We didn’t have time to appreciate it then, so we came today just for this.
Bufflehead – I remember seeing these near our home in Everett while walking around the pond/lake in Pioneer Trails with my dear friend and colleague, Elona Loewen. They were only there for a short time of the year.
As a Junior Girl Scout, we did a lot of camping in Mrs. Gerwin’s troop. I remember the senior cadets, (Cathy Gerwin and Laura Townsend) taking us on a “snipe hunt”. There really ARE snipes!
We actually saw a trumpeter swan yesterday!
I also learned about the native cutthroat trout vs the invasive lake trout. Native Yellowstone cutthroat trout are important prey for birds, bear, and river otters. Following the invasion of nonnative lake trout into Yellowstone Lake in the 1990s, the cutthroat trout numbers have severely declined. Lake trout are voracious predators that prey on cutthroat trout and compete with them for food.
To protect the native cutthroat trout, the National Park Service has been removing lake trout using gill nets. Each summer, thousands of miles of gill net are set to catch lake trout. The efforts are paying off, as the cutthroat trout numbers are on the rise. Unfortunately, the lake trout cannot be completely removed, so gill netting or other techniques will be required to maintain suppression of the population.
Yellowstone cutthroat trout live up to 12 years and grow to six pounds. They dwell in shallow waters near the lake surface and spawning in its tributaries, they are a readily available food source for many species.
The invasive lake trout, however, live up to 40 or more years. THEY ARE predators, eating dozens of the Yellowstone cutthroat trout per year. Here, they have grown to nearly 40 pounds!! (6 2/3 times larger than the native cutthroat trout!) Lake trout occupy deep waters in Yellowstone Lake and do not spawn in streams. This makes them unavailable to most wildlife species as a food source.
Beautiful views out behind the visitor center along Yellowstone Lake.
The rain is coming!
After the rain shower passed, we walked around part of the campground.
There were quite a few of these structures in the wooded areas within the campground – between campsite sections.
September 5, we waited till the rain showers stopped and low clouds appeared to be lifting to make drive to Dunraven Pass and Mount Washburn. The views along the way were beautiful, so we made a lot of stops along the way.
Dunraven Pass and Mt Washburn:
We revisited the rapids that are near Fishing Bridge.
We stopped at Fishing Bridge before continuing to our campsite. We enjoyed the contrasting and changing views as some bright blue broke through.
We will head back out in a couple hours in hopes to find bull elk!