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Posted by Ballpark Frank (69.178.8.75) on 11:17:49 05/09/15
In Reply to: a Yellowstone question? posted by Lorrie
Hi Lorrie,
I did not see the post you are referencing, since I don't hang out on Facebook, but I am thinking I might know what someone was alluding to.
The concept of "staging areas" has been around for a long time. I have no idea when the term first evolved, but I know it was in use during World War II. In that context, it was used to refer to places where resources necessary to support the war effort were "stockpiled" for easy access when needed. This could be fresh troops held in reserve, oil and gas supplies, food stores, weapons and ammunition, etc. A staging area was a place where these various resources were "staged" in anticipation of being "deployed" when and where needed.
In the current era, the term "staging area" is used quite a bit in public safety Incident Command (ICS) and National Incident Management (NIMS) systems to designate a place where responding resources (ambulances, firetrucks, law enforcement vehicles, and personnel) first report when arriving at a major incident. From there, they are dispatched by those running the show to wherever they are needed. If there is no current need, they are held in reserve for any future developing need.
I could easily imagine someone applying the term "staging area" to Yellowstone's road system to refer to places where visitors and their vehicles could gather (like parking lots or any other type of pullout) so as to not impede the flow of traffic OR present a proximal harassment to wildlife. A classic example in a Yellowstone wildlife-watching context would be the seasonal gathering of humans in Lamar and Soda Butte Valleys. Noteable parking areas, like the Confluence, Coyote, Dorothy's, Fisherman's, Footbridge, Hitching Post, Soda Butte, could be construed as "staging areas". I'm not sure if I would use the term to describe those places in the Yellowstone context, but I might if I were referring to an area like the road between Tower and Roosevelt Lodge, where there are occasionally bear jams with bears right on or immediately adjacent to the road. Anyone working that sort of jam will likely temporarily block traffic, so the bears don't get run over. At that point, one could refer to the gathering line of cars as being a "staging area".
Someone who has seen the Facebook post you are referencing might be able to add more clarification.
I'm thinking Jake should be a teenager by now, or if not, a "borderline teenager". Is he very outdoorsy?
I hope you get to see all sorts of critters on your trip, and I know you will educate Jake on how to behave in their presence.
Here's wishing you a wonderful time in Wonderland!
Ballpark
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