I hope they never forget

Barb and I made a quick trip to Livingston yesterday for a special occasion – the adoption of our 10th-grandchild.

We left Malta at dawn, drove south to Billings, and turned west on I-90, following the Yellowstone River 125 miles to Livingston.

Traffic was heavy on the interstate like it is every summer. I suspect few of the travelers, however, knew anything was wrong. They were simply enjoying the view along this very scenic stretch of highway.

But there was something wrong. I would have known it even if I hadn’t heard the news. No one was on the river. There wasn’t a drift boat or raft in sight. There were no anglers along the shore and no vehicles in the river access parking lots. The Yellowstone and its tributaries from Gardiner to Laurel are closed to any water-based recreation in response to an unprecedented fish kill on the river.

The Yellowstone is the longest un-dammed river in the lower 48. For that reason alone I would expect every effort be made to remedy the problem.

But this time it isn’t an oil spill or a broken sewer line that threatens the river. It appears there’s no one to blame. The culprit is a microscopic parasite that causes kidney disease in whitefish and trout.

Low flows and high water temperatures may exacerbate the problem, and there‘s little doubt that both are in our future.

It was a sobering drive along a familiar stretch of river.

Things quickly began looking up when we arrived in Livingston. There was a crowd on hand to witness the proceedings at the courthouse and everyone cheered and clapped when the judge told my new grandson this was now his “forever family.”

Later, we gathered for a picnic at Sacajawea Park on the banks of the Yellowstone. Eight of my grandchildren have grown up on the river, fishing and playing along its rocky shores, swimming and floating in its deep green waters. My oldest grandson was recently baptized in the river.

The parasite that is killing fish on the river is naturally occurring. It looks like we’ll simply have to learn to live with it. But I certainly won’t have to live it as long as my grandchildren do.

They know how special the Yellowstone is. I hope they never forget.

Parker Heinlein is at

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