Winter is here! At 8 a.m. Saturday, select roads in Yellowstone National Park will open to the public for motorized oversnow travel.

Visitors will be able to travel the park’s interior roads on commercially guided snowmobiles and snowcoaches from the West and South entrances. Visitors who have proper permits can also participate in the non-commercially guided snowmobile trips.

Travel between the North Entrance and Swan Lake Flat will be limited to commercially guided snowcoaches. This section will remain closed to visitor snowmobile use until more snow accumulates on the road. Plan accordingly and stay informed.

Travel from the park’s East Entrance over Sylvan Pass is scheduled to begin Dec. 22, weather depending.

The road from the park’s North Entrance at Gardiner, Montana, through Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City, Montana, is open to wheeled vehicle travel all year.

Are you planning a winter trip to the park? Weather is extremely unpredictable and road closures or delays can occur with little or no warning. Please come prepared. Carry personal emergency survival equipment and dress appropriately for outside activities in extremely cold weather.

Lodging and services are limited during winter. The following list highlights what winter visitor services are available and when they will open:

Old Faithful

• Dec. 15: Old Faithful Visitor Education Center, Geyser Grill, and Bear Den Gift Shop and Ski Shop
• Dec. 16: Old Faithful Snow Lodge and cabins and Obsidian Dining Room

Mammoth Hot Springs

• Dec. 16: Mammoth Hotel Map Room barista/bar, Mammoth Hotel Buffet, Mammoth Gift Shop and Ski Shop
• Open year-round: Albright Visitor Center, Mammoth General Store, medical clinic, campground, and post office

Service Stations

• Open year-round: 24-hour gasoline pumps are available at Mammoth Hot Springs, Tower Junction, Canyon Village, Fishing Bridge, Grant Village and Old Faithful

Additionally, warming huts at Canyon, Fishing Bridge, Indian Creek, Madison, Mammoth Hot Springs, Old Faithful and West Thumb provide shelter. Some huts are staffed during business hours. Food, restrooms and water are available at some huts. All warming huts, except Mammoth Hot Springs, will open on Dec. 15. Mammoth Hot Springs will open on Dec. 16.

In addition to unique winter travel opportunities, Yellowstone also offers a variety of activities such as ranger-led programs, cross country skiing and snowshoeing.

If you haven’t tried ice fishing in Idaho yet, you’re missing out on a winter activity that is not only fun and inexpensive, it’s a great way to catch lots of tasty fish. Not convinced? Here are 10 reasons why you should go ice fishing:

1. Ice fishing is a good reason to get outside during winter: Winter can give us all a nasty case of cabin fever, but unlike many other activities that make you wait until spring, you can keep fishing during winter. A day on the ice is not just another fishing trip, it’s a whole different fishing experience.

2. It’s surprisingly beginner friendly: Ice fishing may seem specialized, and part of it is because it’s the only type of fishing that requires an ice auger. But aside from that, nearly any fishing gear will work. You can also build your own ice fishing rods, or a batch of them, for a reasonable price. Here’s a DIY example. If you decide to buy your gear, an ice fishing rod/reel combo is inexpensive, and honestly, a lot of fun to fish with because even a modest-sized fish feels big. After that, all you need is a hook, weight and bait. You can make it as simple or as sophisticated as you want.

3. Ice fishing can be a combination of fishing and tailgating: The fishing part is always fun, but you can add more fun with the tailgating part. Bring a camping stove or grill, some food, your favorite beverages (hot or cold), lawn chairs, heater, etc. The only challenge is getting it out on the ice, and an inexpensive kids’ plastic toboggan can haul a surprising amount of gear. If you have a snowmobile or ATV, there are trailers and sleds that are great for hauling cargo.

4. You can take the whole family, and more: There’s no shortage of space on a frozen lake when there’s adequate ice thickness, so the more the merrier. That’s not always the case when you’re trying squeeze people into limited boat space, or even limited bank access to prime water. The whole lake, reservoir or pond is available, so you can make it a social gathering as well as a fishing trip. Naturally, everyone should be dressed for the weather, and bring lots of snacks and warm drinks for the kids. They love ice fishing because they can scamper around and have fun on the ice if fishing is a little slow.

5. The fish taste better: That may sound like an old wive’s tale — or a boast by ice anglers — but there’s scientific evidence that it’s true.

The “muddy” taste you sometimes hear about from fish can be caused by blue green algae, which can proliferate during warmer months. Blue green algae is gone, or greatly diminished, in cold and frigid water, so it no longer affects the fishes’ taste.

Regardless of the scientific reason, few anglers argue that winter-caught perch and trout (the most common quarry) are not tasty. You can catch a batch of them and have an awesome fish fry, and if you want, you can get it started while you’re still on the ice. Ice fishing is traditionally about catching fish for eating, so indulge, but stay within the bag limits.

6. No need to buy ice and pack a heavy, ice-filled cooler: Think of the money you’re saving.

7. It’s not as cold as it might seem: There’s no getting around it: It’s dead of winter and you’re standing on a sheet of ice. The temperature is what it is, but think of it as the opposite of the old cliche “but it’s a dry heat.” On a calm, sunny day, it can be amazingly comfortable on the ice, even when the thermometer is showing single digits. Part of that is the radiant heat from the sun, and the other part is dressing so all your exposed skin is covered and you’re dressed in layers so you can add and subtract clothing and adapt if conditions change.

8. Fishing can be fast, furious and fun: Like all fishing, there are no guarantees the fish will bite, but ice fishing is different than other types of fishing because you can fish up to five different lines at once. When the fish start biting, it can be fast paced because you’re trying to hook and land fish and keep all the lines baited and in the water. When you experience that first hand, you will understand why people look forward to ice fishing.

9. You could set a record: Think that’s a long shot? Maybe, but consider this: Lake Cascade is a popular ice fishing spot that has produced two world record perch since 2015, as well as numerous state records. Ice anglers were responsible for a string of record yellow perch.

10. Idaho has ice fishing in nearly every part of the state: No matter where you live, an ice fishing destination is probably within a couple hour’s drive and likely no more than three hours. If you don’t live near one, make it a weekend trip and stay at a motel, or if you have an RV, check if there’s a place to stay (preferably with electric hookups to run a heater). Think of it as a mini vacation and a fun winter get away.

Here are some of the best places around the southeast part of the state where you can try out this sport.

American Falls Reservoir: This is a great place to catch some big trout and perch through the ice. Remember, this is a large body of water, so ice conditions can vary greatly across the reservoir.

Bear Lake: Cutthroat, lake trout, rainbow trout and a unique Idaho fish called cisco can be pulled from this large water body that spans Idaho and Utah. Don’t worry, you just need one fishing license from either state to fish this lake. Just remember, only one line is permitted unless an angler possesses a two-pole permit. As with other large water bodies, the ice conditions can get “tricky” quickly from spot to spot, so be extra mindful of ice conditions as you fish across this water body. Dipnetting for cisco is permitted Jan. 1 through Feb. 15. Dipnets cannot be larger than 18 inches in any dimension; however, any size hole may be cut through the ice to catch cisco.

Chesterfield Reservoir: This is very productive fishery, and a fun place to catch some really nice rainbows. Imagine pulling a 2-pound fish through the ice! Bannock County maintains the road to this fishery, and sometimes the road is closed for weather.

Deep Creek and Devils Creek reservoirs: These bodies of water often see good catch rates during the winter with plenty of 12-inch rainbow trout and even some nicer fish pulling on the line.

Pocatello’s urban fisheries: The fishing ponds at both Edson Fichter Nature Area and the Portneuf Wellness Complex in Pocatello are very popular places to ice fish and offer the convenience of being right in town. There is a two-fish limit for each fishery.

After waking mysteriously for the first time in four years, the world’s tallest active geyser never went back to sleep.

Another major eruption of Steamboat Geyser was recorded in Yellowstone National Park at about 1:07 a.m., Saturday, according to seismogram data. It was the 30th eruption since March, setting a new record for total eruptions recorded in one calendar year. The next-highest total was 29 in 1964.

Jeff Hungerford, the park geologist, said he’s hoping for a few more eruptions before the year ends.

“It’s just exciting,” Hungerford said. “Steamboat being the largest eruption we know about, it’s a pretty fantastic event.”

Located in the Norris Geyser Basin, Steamboat is the tallest active geyser in the world. While minor eruptions of between 10 and 40 feet are common, the geyser’s major eruptions can reach heights between 300 and 400 feet, drenching the boardwalk around it and sometimes even the cars in the parking lot.

Park officials have recorded nearly 200 major eruptions of Steamboat since 1878. There have been long droughts in that time, including one that lasted 50 years. There have also been busy periods, including consecutive years with a dozen or more eruptions. Each year from 1963 to 1965 surpassed 20 eruptions.

“This activity is unusual, but it’s not unprecedented,” Hungerford said. “We’ve had activity like this in the early 1960s and the early 1980s.”

Prior to this year, the last known major eruption was in 2014. The first of this year was reported in March. By mid-May, five had been recorded, and they just kept coming.

Many of this year’s eruptions were separated by a week or less. A few were separated by two or three weeks. The longest break this year has been 35 days.

Hungerford and other geologists have been watching Steamboat closely throughout the summer. Early on, they put out seismic nodes to record activity just before and right after an eruption. Thermal sensors and cameras have also been placed near Steamboat.

They’re also examining precipitation data and the movement of the ground in the geyser basin, where uplift and deformation are normal.

South East Idaho Fly Fishers will be hosting a special presentation by East Idaho fly tying expert Gary Barnes on Thursday at the Idaho Fish and Game office in Pocatello at 1345 Barton Road. A tying demonstration by Barnes will start at 6:30 p.m. follo…

The take season for mountain lion has closed in Game Management Units 75, 77 and 78 in Southeast Idaho effective Monday. The 2017-18 Big Game Seasons and Rules states that the mountain lion take season is to be closed when four female mountain lions have been harvested. This harvest limit has been met. The dog training season will remain open in these units through March 31.


Hunters will be allowed to keep mountain lions taken in units 75, 77 and 78 prior to this closure and must report them within five days of harvest.

As a reminder, the take season for mountain lion also closed in units 71, 72 and 74 on Dec. 6.

Up to date information on whether a quota has been met or the season has been closed for a particular game management unit anywhere in the state can be obtained by visiting idfg.idaho.gov/hunt/harvest-quotas or by calling 1-800-323-4334.

The state of Wyoming has filed a notice of appeal on a federal judge’s decision earlier this year to restore federal protections for the population of grizzly bears that lives in and around Yellowstone National Park.

The three-page notice of appeal was filed a little more than two months after U.S. District Judge Dana Christensen ruled that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service erred in removing Endangered Species Act protections from the Yellowstone bears in 2017, siding with the environmental groups and Native American tribes that challenged the decision. The move blocked planned grizzly hunts in Wyoming and Idaho.

Wyoming is an intervenor in the case. An appeal would take it to the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

A spokesman for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department was not immediately available for comment. A Fish and Wildlife Service spokeswoman referred questions to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The groups who fought to restore protections for the animals are ready to fight the appeal, said Andrea Santarsiere, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity.

“Wyoming’s appeal of the court’s decision to restore protections for Yellowstone’s beloved bears is just wrong,” Santarsiere said in an emailed statement.

“We’ll fight to ensure these amazing bears retain the safeguards they need to fully recover.”

Grizzly bears in the Lower 48 states were first listed as threatened in 1975. At the time, the number of bears in Yellowstone was estimated at fewer than 150. Now, the population is estimated at approximately 700.

Federal and state officials argued that improvement represented a full recovery, and that it was enough to justify delisting and allowing hunts. Wyoming and Idaho both planned hunting seasons that would have allowed the take of up to 23 bears this year. Montana did not plan a hunt.

But delisting opponents argued the bears still faced threats from climate change and changing food sources. They also argued that the Fish and Wildlife Service erred in delisting one portion of the Lower 48 grizzly bear population without seeing full recovery of the others.

The Trump administration moved forward Thursday with plans to ease restrictions on oil and natural gas drilling and other activities across millions of acres in the American West that were put in place to protect an imperiled bird species.

Land management documents released by the U.S. Interior Department show the administration intends to open more public lands to leasing and allow waivers for drilling to encroach into the habitat of greater sage grouse.

Critics warned the changes could wipe out grouse colonies as drilling disrupts breeding grounds. Federal officials under President Barack Obama in 2015 had adopted a sweeping set of land use restrictions intended to benefit the birds.

Interior Deputy Secretary David Bernhardt said the agency was responding to requests by states to give them more flexibility in how public lands are managed. He said the goal to conserve sage grouse was unchanged.

“I completely believe that these plans are leaning forward on the conservation of sage grouse,” Bernhardt told The Associated Press. “Do they do it in exactly the same way, no? We made some change in the plans and got rid of some things that are simply not necessary.”

The changes drew a sharp backlash from conservation groups and wildlife advocates, who warned excessive use of drilling waivers could push the birds onto the endangered species list.

“If you allow exception after exception, that might make sense for a particular project in a particular spot, but you add them all together and you have death by a thousand cuts,” said National Wildlife Association vice president Tracy Stone-Manning.

The ground-dwelling grouse ranges across about 270,000 square miles in parts of 11 Western U.S. states and two Canadian provinces. Its numbers have plummeted in recent decades.

Under President Donald Trump, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has vowed to lift obstacles to drilling, and grouse protections have long been viewed by the energy industry as an obstacle to development.

Sage grouse are large, ground-dwelling birds known for an elaborate mating ritual in which males strut around breeding grounds with large, puffed-out air sacs protruding from their chests.

They once numbered in the millions. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service now estimates the population at 200,000 to 500,000. Energy development, disease and other causes have decimated populations in some areas.

The Trump administration’s proposal would reverse or modify the Obama-era protections in seven states — Wyoming, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, California, Idaho and Oregon.

The oil and gas industry chafed at the old rules. Once Trump took office, industry representatives pushed the administration to give more recognition to changes in drilling practices that reduce how much land is disturbed for wells.

“We can do both — protect sage grouse and move forward with responsible energy development,” said Kathleen Sgamma with the Western Energy Alliance, which represents more than 300 oil and gas companies. “We’ve reduced the size of well pads, reduced the numbers of wells. And we had done all these things and the prior administration assumed development was taking place like it was 20 years ago.

Governors from several western states previously raised concerns over a related federal directive that would limit a type of land swap that can be used to preserve habitat for the birds.

Following Thursday’s release of environmental studies analyzing the changes in each state, governors and the public get another chance to weigh in before a final decision is expected in early 2019.