National Park Travel Blog

The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem is home to an estimated 600 grizzly bears. While both grizzly and black bears live in the area, the grizzly bear stirs more human emotion as it’s known to be one of the most unpredictable and dangerous large animals in North America. When so many people congregate in bear habitat, as is the case in Yellowstone National Park, bear encounters are inevitable.

However, what happened on the night of July 28 in a campground just outside the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone Park was anything but ordinary. On that terrifying night under the cover or darkness, a sow grizzly bear and her three cubs brutally attacked and terrorized the campers in Soda Butte Campground. The Soda Butte Campground is a 10-acre camping area located on the edge of a very small town called Cooke City, Montana. The campground is located approximately 4 miles from the Northeast Entrance of Yellowstone National Park. On the night of July 28, the Soda Butte Campground transformed from a peaceful summer night in Yellowstone Country to a living nightmare in which three different tents were attacked by the four grizzly bears. In total, two people were injured and one man was killed and partially consumed by the bears.

Campers Paige and Don Wilhelm, of Aledo, Texas, were camped in site No. 12 of the 10-acre campground when they heard a scream at about 1:30 a.m. At first, they thought it was just teenagers playing around. They checked on their two boys, ages 12 and 9, and then tried to go back to sleep. Then they heard another scream, this one closer.“I heard somebody yell, ‘Stop! No!’ ” said Paige Wilhelm. And then they heard the woman yell, “A bear’s attacked me!”

Ten grizzly bear deaths have been documented in the Yellowstone ecosystem so far this year, a rate comparable to past years. One other grizzly death is suspected. Of the 11 deaths, humans caused eight. The count was seven at this time last year and 13 at this point in 2008.Biologists keep close track of grizzly bear deaths because the Yellowstone population is classified as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. Researchers consider the deaths of adult female grizzlies to be particularly important for the species. Two adult females have died this year, compared with one at this time last year.

Wildlife Biologist Mark Haroldson, with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team, says the number of female deaths is not a worry so far.

“It’s a pretty normal spring,” Haroldson said this week.

By the end of last year, the count of all types of grizzlies that died reached 31. Four grizzly deaths this year remain under investigation, according to the team. Three were in Wyoming and one in Montana. Haroldson declined to comment on the deaths being investigated, consistent with team policy. Killing a grizzly can be illegal and bring criminal charges.

Four male bears — two adults, a yearling and a subadult — were removed from the population or died as a result of management actions. One injured bear in poor condition died in a trap. One was killed for causing property damage and killing livestock. One was sent to a zoo after raiding a campsite in Yellowstone. One was killed after fatally mauling a hiker shortly after its capture and release for research outside Cody on Yellowstone’s east border.

Yellowstone National Park is an amazing place to visit that offers guests so many different experiences. For more information about the park including lodging and things to do, visit the Yellowstone website at http://www.nationalparktravel.com/yellowstone.htm

The month of June is here, and the summer 2010 season is well underway in Yellowstone National Park. This is the time of year when visitors will be able to view the park’s wildlife young. Baby bison and elk are the most frequently sighted from the roadways; however, all animals are caring for their newly born young this time of year. Visitors may also see moose calves, bear cubs, or bighorn sheep lambs.

Popular places to view wildlife inside Yellowstone Park include Lamar Valley (northeaster portion of the park), Pelican Valley (north shore of Yellowstone Lake), and Hayden Valley (central portion of the park). Bison, elk, wolves, and bears can often be seen in Lamar Valley. Hayden Valley is excellent habitat for grizzly bears and bison while Pelican Valley is often used by moose and grizzly bears. In fact, many of the areas around Yellowstone Lake are closed to hiking until July due to grizzly bear activity. If you plan on hiking in the park this time of year, be sure to check out the Grizzly Bear Closure Map.

Good places to view bighorn sheep include the steep slopes between Mammoth Hot Springs and the north entrance gateway community of Gardiner, Montana. Guests should also keep a close watch along the roadway that runs past steep hillsides near Lamar Valley. Nonetheless, park visitors may see any animal at any place since there are no fences and the wildlife don’t have any boundaries restricting their movements.

Despite the on-going economic recession, Yellowstone National Park continues to receive heavy visitation. In fact, 2009 saw a record number of visitors in Yellowstone. Reservations thus far in 2010 are well ahead of those at the same point in time during 2009. Subsequently, it appears that summer 2010 may well see a new record set for visitation. Reservations are accepted up to one full year in advance; and consequently, many lodges inside and around Yellowstone Park sell out for the busy summer months. That’s why it’s best to plan your visit and make reservations as early as possible. If you are interested in visiting Yellowstone National Park in summer 2010 and have not yet made your reservations, there may still be hope. Most lodging facilities maintain a 48 hour cancellation policy, which means guests must cancel their lodging reservations at least 48 hours prior to their scheduled arrival date in order to receive a refund of their advance deposit on the room or cabin. As a result, cancellations are often made within a week or two of the travel dates.

So, if you have not yet made your reservations for summer 2010, start now. Your individual dates of travel may not be full or there may be cancellations taking place that open up rooms and cabins for your dates. You can view information about the lodging inside and around Yellowstone National Park by visiting http://www.nationalparktravel.com/yellowstone_lodging.htm

For general information about Yellowstone National Park including wildlife, weather, park news, DVDs, webcams, and much more, simply visit the Yellowstone National Park website at http://www.nationalparktravel.com/yellowstone.htm

The animal disease brucellosis is emerging in new “hot spots” around Yellowstone National Park, according to new research that could complicate efforts to control transmissions of the disease to cattle. Feeding grounds where food is left for elk as well as herds of bison inside the park have long been considered the main sources of brucellosis, which causes pregnant animals to abort their young. But Paul Cross with the U.S. Geological Survey said a third source is now emerging: Blood tests indicate large elk herds living far from the feeding grounds have brucellosis exposure rates ranging from 10 percent to 30 percent.

That means containing the park’s bison and getting rid of the feeding grounds might not be enough to stop brucellosis transmissions to cattle in Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. The Yellowstone region has an estimated 100,000 elk and is the nation’s last reservoir for the disease. Over the last decade, cattle infections have appeared in all three states bordering the park.

“It’s no longer appropriate to say bison and the supplemental feed grounds are the only sources of contamination,” Cross said. Cross was the lead author of a USGS study published online Friday by the Public Library of Science. Co-authored by researchers from Wyoming Game and Fish, Montana State University and USGS, the study was based on more than 6,000 blood tests collected from Wyoming elk between 1991 and 2009. Since the testing began, Cross said disease rates increased dramatically in two “hot spots” - north of Dubois, Wyo. and northwest of Cody, Wyo. Both of those areas are far from the state’s 23 artificial feeding grounds. The study comes on the heels of another USGS report in March that found brucellosis rates on the rise across the region.

Prevalence rates increased from between 0 percent and 7 percent in 1991-1992, to between 8 percent and 20 percent in 2006-2007. Wyoming’s feeding grounds were established decades ago to keep elk separate from cattle in the winter. By providing elk with a guaranteed food source, it was hoped they would not eat hay left out for cattle. But the feeding grounds also facilitated the spread of disease. Montana does not allow feeding grounds. Yet state veterinarian Marty Zaluski said the same problems result when large elk herds congregate on private lands off-limits to hunters.

Zaluski compared the trend with colds and other viruses that spread quickly through facilities such as day-care centers. “You put any animals in close concentration, you’re going to exacerbate these disease issues,” he said. Representatives of the cattle industry - backed by members of the Montana Legislature - have pushed for the state Livestock Department to take more control over elk management. They argue that would be the only way to stem infections that can result in severe restrictions against out-of-state cattle exports. Livestock officials so far have declined the calls to intervene, saying elk fall under the jurisdiction of Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks. In Wyoming, wildlife managers have driven down brucellosis rates for elk in some areas through a pilot program to capture, test and kill disease-positive animals at three feeding grounds. Where those efforts were successful, brucellosis exposure rates have dropped as low as 5 percent.

That’s versus 35 percent or more historically, said Brandon Scurlock with Wyoming Game and Fish. Expanding the program across the region would carry a steep price tag. The five-year pilot effort cost $1.3 million and removed 197 brucellosis-positive elk. That comes out to about $6,600 per animal.

Yellowstone National Park is truly one of the most unique places on Earth, and everyone should make an effort to visit at least once. With all of its geysers, hot springs, mud pots, steam vents, wildlife, rivers, lakes, mountains and wilderness, Yellowstone has something for everyone. Check out the following trivial facts about Yellowstone and its many natural wonders.

Did you know:

The Upper Geyser Basin (location of Old Faithful) contains the densest concentration of geysers in the world. Twenty five percent (25%) of the world’s geysers are located in this two square mile area.

At Norris Geyser Basin, magma is closer to the surface than any other place in the park. When you drill a hole in the crust of the earth, the temperature increases the further down you go. Normally, this temperature increase is fairly constant at 1.4 degrees F for every 100 feet down. However, a hole drilled at Norris Geyser Basin showed the temperature increased 89 times faster, at a rate of 124 degrees F for every 100 feet down.

The Old Faithful Geyser spews about 8,500 gallons of water everytime it erupts.

On average, seismographs pick up 2,000 earthquakes in Yellowstone National Park each year.

On August 17, 1959, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit the Yellowstone area at 11:37 p.m. The quake was centered near Hebgen Lake just west of the park, and it was the largest earthquake ever recorded in Montana.

The fires of 1988 burned about 800,000 acres inside Yellowstone Park and another 400,000 acres around the park, an area about equal to the size of Delaware. However, only one-third of the park burned.

On average, 22 forest fires are started in the park by lightning each year; however, in 1988 about 50 fires were started by lightning.

About 86% of the rock in Yellowstone is volcanic, and the rest is sedimentary.

Pushed upward by a churning sea of magma, the land in Yellowstone has been rising at an average rate of one inch per year.

The Yellowstone caldera is the largest known center of active volcanism on the planet, measuring 45 by 30 miles.

During an eruption of the Yellowstone caldera two million years ago, 600 cubic miles of ash were ejected, enough to evenly cover the entire state of Montana in 20 feet of ash.

Yellowstone Lake holds about four billion gallons of water.

Five percent of Yellowstone’s surface area is water with Yellowstone Lake making up the majority at 136 square miles.

The record high temperature for Yellowstone was recorded in Lamar Valley in 1936 at 98 degrees F. The record low temperature for Yellowstone was recorded in Madison in February 1933 at 66 degrees below zero.

The largest rodent in the park is the beaver, weighing up to 90 pounds when full grown and well fed.

A five ounce pocket gopher can move approximately five tons of soil per year.

A moose can keep its head underwater grazing on aquatic plants for up to three minutes at a time.

Wolves were completely absent from Yellowstone for about 70 years prior to being reintroduced in 1995. It’s believed that the last Yellowstone wolf was killed in 1926.

An estimated 10,000 elk live in Yellowstone National Park, making it the park’s most numerous large mammal.

Bison do not get cancer. They are thought to be the only mammal with immunity to cancer.

Bison can live 30 to 40 years.

Bison weigh up to 2,000 pounds (one ton) and can run at speeds up to 45 miles per hour.

A grizzly bear will eat an average of 35 pounds of food each day. They typically spend 20 hours out of every 24 hours eating, consuming 20,000 calories daily and gaining 40 pounds a week. That would be equivalent to a human eating 40 hamburgers and 40 ice cream sundaes everyday.

The hump on a grizzly’s back is made of muscle, which is used to dig for food and to make dens.

From a standing point, a grizzly bear can run 100 meters in six seconds.

Grizzly bears can live up to 30 years in the wild.

Lake Hotel is the oldest hotel still in use in the park. Built with Northern Pacific Railroad money between 1889 and 1891, it was completely remodeled in the mid-1980’s and restored to its original glory. It’s also the world’s longest wooden hotel at 890 feet long.

On average in the summer time, the water temperature of Yellowstone Lake is 41 degrees F. The average survival time in water that cold is 30 minutes.

Yellowstone became the first national park in 1872.

There are countless other trivial facts and natural wonders in Yellowstone National Park. Plan your next vacation at Yellowstone National Park and experience them first hand. Yellowstone received a record number of visitors last year, so plan accordingly and make your reservations as soon as possible. For more information about Yellowstone National Park including lodging, things to do, major attractions, wildlife, news and weather, visit National Park Travel at www.nationalparktravel.com. You can also get a DVD about Yellowstone National Park by visiting the National Park Video Library at http://www.nationalparktravel.com/videolibrary.htm.

With all the movies and news stories about a potential volcanic eruption in Yellowstone National Park, there is a great deal of public perception that it may not be safe to visit Yellowstone National Park. Nothing could be further from the truth. Scientists and government authorities agree that there is NO evidence of an imminent eruption. In fact, authorities state that it is very unlikely that an eruption will even occur in the next 10,000 years. Subsequently, it is still safe to visit Yellowstone, and the park received a record number of visitors in 2009. We’ve included some questions and answers about the Yellowstone Volcano as provided by the National Park Service.

 Q: How imminent is an eruption of the Yellowstone Volcano?

A: There is no evidence that a catastrophic eruption at Yellowstone National Park (YNP) is imminent. Current geologic activity at Yellowstone has remained relatively constant since earth scientists first started monitoring some 30 years ago. Though another caldera-forming eruption is theoretically possible, it is very unlikely to occur in the next thousand or even 10,000 years. Scientists have also found no indication of an imminent smaller eruption of lava.

Q: How much advance notice would there be of an eruption?A: The science of forecasting a volcanic eruption has significantly advanced over the past 25 years. Most scientists think that the buildup preceding a catastrophic eruption would be detectable for weeks and perhaps months to years. Precursors to volcanic eruptions include strong earthquake swarms and rapid ground deformation and typically take place days to weeks before an actual eruption. Scientists at the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory* (YVO) closely monitor the Yellowstone region for such precursors. They expect that the buildup to larger eruptions would include intense precursory activity (far exceeding background levels) at multiple spots within the Yellowstone volcano. As at many caldera systems around the world, small earthquakes, ground uplift and subsidence, and gas releases at Yellowstone are commonplace events and do not reflect impending eruptions.

Millions of people visit Yellowstone National Park each year. Unfortunately, many miss out on one of the area’s premier attractions, the Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center. Located in West Yellowstone (the west entrance of the park), the Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center is a non-profit wildlife park and educational facility. At the center, visitors are able to view grizzly bears, wolves, and birds of prey. In addition to offering an exciting chance to view these majestic animals at a close distance, the Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center serves a much greater purpose. The center provides shelter to animals that get into trouble, often times due to human-wildlife conflicts. Many of the animals that found their way to the center would have otherwise been euthanized, and the center offered an alternative option that ultimately saved their lives. At the same time, the center is an educational facility that helps to educate visitors about bears, wolves, and birds of prey including animal behavior, safety, and the issues that affect these animals in the wild.

The Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center includes a gift shop, an interactive bear museum exhibit, a grizzly bear habitat where bears can be seen and photographed, a wolf habitat where wolves can be viewed and photographed, a naturalist cabin where visitors can view wolves from the comfort of a heated indoor environment, a theater, and oral presentations by a naturalist. Visitors can enjoy this amazing wildlife experience at very low admission fees. Adults are $10.50, seniors are $9.75, children (ages 5 to 12) are $5.50, and children under age 5 are free! Admission is good for two consecutive days, so you can return to the center for another visit before you leave the Yellowstone area.

As a non-profit organization, the Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center relies upon visitor admission fees, membership fees, and donations to continue its operations. Without adequate support from visitors and donors, the center would not be able to continue in its admirable mission to protect these magnificent animals and educate the public about them and the issues that threaten them in the wild. You can make a difference in helping bears and wolves by supporting the Grizzly Bear and Wolf Discovery Center. There are many ways in which you can offer support. You can visit the center during your next Yellowstone National Park vacation. You can also purchase an individual, family or business membership which comes with extra benefits and also provides much-needed support to the center. Other ways to offer support include individual donations, the “adopt an animal” program, and purchasing a Grizzly Bear and Wolf Discovery Center license plate.

Like so many other wildlife species, bears and wolves face many issues that threaten their continued existence in the wild. The Discovery Center is truly working hard to make a real difference. These animals and their counterparts in Yellowstone and the surrounding wildlands need your help. By providing support to the Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center, you will be personally taking action that will help provide continued shelter for these animals, educate the public, and ultimately contribute to the continued existence of these wild animals in the Yellowstone ecosystem. You can get more information and make contributions to the Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center by visiting its website at http://www.grizzlydiscoveryctr.com/.

If you are planning a vacation at Yellowstone National Park in the upcoming year, make sure that you visit the Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center. You’ll enjoy an amazing wildlife experience and help support a great cause at the same time! Also, make your lodging and activity reservations as early as possible to ensure that you’ll have a better selection of options. Like most popular vacation destinations, the lodging at Yellowstone Park can often sell out months in advance. Keep in mind that reservations are accepted up to one year in advance. You can get extensive information about lodging and activities in Yellowstone National Park from National Park Travel at www.nationalparktravel.com/yellowstone.htm.

With Halloween just a few days away, it’s time to begin thinking about your next winter vacation in Yellowstone National Park. If you have never visited Yellowstone during the winter season, then you are in for a pleasant surprise. Yellowstone offers entirely different scenery between the summer and winter seasons.

Winter in Yellowstone Park brings a landscape covered in pure white snow with clean crisp mountain air. The magnificence of the park’s geothermal features such as Old Faithful Gesyer is amplified with the contrast of hot steam and water in the frigid temperatures. Somehow, Yellowstone seems more spectacular, more pristine, and more remote during the winter months. Perhaps it is the deep blanket of snow that covers the park, or maybe it’s the much smaller crowds, or it could be the amazing contrast of hot steam against the pure cold mountain air. Nonetheless, there’s something very special about Yellowstone National Park in the winter.

Imagine yourself cruising through Yellowstone National Park on a snowmobile or a heated snowcoach. Imagine the excitement and awe as you pass within a few feet of a herd of wild bison or as you watch a wolf pack run through the powdery snow. Imagine yourself in the remote and pristine wilderness that is Yellowstone National Park. Many winter visitors choose to stay in West Yellowstone at the west gate of the park due to the greater availability of amenities and attractions such as a movie theater, grocery stores, snowmobile rental shops, gift stores, the Yellowstone IMAX Theater, the Grizzly Bear & Wolf Discovery Center, a variety of restaurants, lounges, casinos, and more. Others seek accommodations inside the park at the Old Faithful Snowlodge, because they simply prefer isolation and remoteness to the modern amenties mentioned above. Either way, winter visitors of Yellowstone National Park will enjoy an experience that will be remembered for a lifetime.

Every winter visitor should spend one day touring Old Faithful and other attractions inside the park. However, there is another very exciting opportunity awaiting you in West Yellowstone - backcountry snowmobiling. While touring inside the park, guests must be accompanied by an authorized guide and must remain on the groomed roadways at all times. It is prohibited by law to snowmobile off the road inside Yellowstone National Park, and the penalites for violations are very high. It’s an entirely different story outside the park boundaries. While the scenery remains the same as you are still in the high mountains surrounding Yellowstone National Park, the rules are quite different.

Outside the park, off-road snowmobiling is allowed. There are several hundred miles of groomed snowmobile trails that can be accessed from West Yellowstone. In addition, there are tens of thousands of acres of rugged and scenic mountain terrain that can be explored by snowmobile. Outside the park, guides are not requires although they are available for the guests that prefer the knowledge and experience of a local resident. Off-road snowmobiling offers a unique experience that is both exciting and difficult to describe in mere words. Imagine yourself operating a snowmobile as you cruise effortlessly through deep powder snow on a bright sunny winter day. See yourself floating on the soft powdery snow as you glide through an open meadow. Imagine the fresh snow running over your bumper and windshield as you plow ahead on your snowmobile. It truly is a feeling that must be experienced as words alone cannnot do it justice. Whether you are a beginner seeking an exciting powder cruise through open meadows or an advanced snowmobiler looking for some steep and deep conditions ripe for high-marking (climbing mountainsides with your snowmobile in attempt to make tracks higher than others), West Yellowstone can accommodate you. In fact, West Yellowstone is known as the “Snowmobile Capital of the World”. In March, West Yellowstone hosts the World Snowmobile Expo, which is known as the largest snowmobile event in the west. The event includes hundreds of booths with snowmobile manufacturers, retailers, and countless other snowmobile-related vendors. In addition, there are numerous events including snowmobile racing. The event also brings much nightlife to West Yellowstone with live bands. It truly is an incredible event for anyone interested in snowmobiling.

West Yellowstone offers it all for a winter vacation at Yellowstone National Park - lodging, restaurants, gift shops, snowmobile rentals, snowmobile clothing rentals, guides, attractions, and access to an ocean of backcountry snowmobiling opportunities. Packages are also available. More information is available at http://www.nationalparktravel.com/yellowstone_snowmobiling.htm

Although the crowds are smaller in Yellowstone during the winter, there are fewer lodging facilities open during the winter season. Subsequently, it is important to plan early. Start today, and begin planning your next Yellowstone winter vacation. Visit National Park Travel at www.nationalparktravel.com, and click on the “Yellowstone” link or visit the site directly at http://www.nationalparktravel.com/yellowstone.htm

Make your reservation today before lodges begin to sell out, and get ready for an experience that you’ll never forget - a winter vacation at Yellowstone National Park!

Nowhere else in the world can we find the array or number of geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles found in Yellowstone. More than 75% of the world’s geysers, including the world’s largest, are here in 7 major basins. Steamboat, the world’s tallest active geyser, is in the Norris Geyser Basin. Old Faithful, Grand, Castle, Giantess, Beehive, and Lion geysers may be frequently observed in the Upper Geyser Basin. Old Faithful Geyser has never been either the largest or most regular of geysers-yet, it has been the most regular and frequent geyser that erupts to a height of more than 100 feet; the average time between eruptions ranges between about 66 and 80 minutes, although occasionally visitors must wait two hours between eruptions of Old Faithful. For other major geysers in the Old Faithful and Norris geyser basins, eruption frequencies, durations, and heights change fairly often, especially in response to seismic activity; park visitors will find the most current information about specific geyser behavior patterns available at the Old Faithful Visitor Center or the Norris Museum. The park’s thermal features lie in the only essentially undisturbed geyser basins left worldwide. In Iceland and New Zealand, geothermal drill holes and wells 2.5 - 6.2 miles distant have reduced geyser activity and hot spring discharge. Despite the proximity of roads and trails in the largest basins, few park features have ever been diverted for human use (such as bathing pools or energy). Yellowstone National Park offers visitors and scientists an opportunity to appreciate thermal features in their natural, changing state. For example, research on thermophilic bacteria, algae mats, predators, and their environments is applied elsewhere to energy fuel production and extraction, bio-mining, control and removal of toxic wastes, development of new surfactants and fermentation processes, and other fields.Park features have always been subject to some influence from human vandalism. In the park’s early years it was common for visitors to use thermal features as “wishing wells”, and this practice continues to some degree today. Coins, rocks, trash, logs or stumps, and other paraphernalia are found in the narrow vents of geysers and hot springs. Features have been plugged up, and little can be done to repair the damage. Radical attempts to siphon surface water and induce eruptions have occasionally been tried on famous features such as Morning Glory Pool, with varying degrees of success. Damage also occurs when people leave walkways and climb on features, or occasionally break pieces of sinter or travertine off for souvenirs.  

Features can also be affected by nearby ground-disturbing activities. The presence of water, sewer, and other utility systems adjacent to thermal areas has likely affected features in the past. Since many major features are located near roads and developed areas, major maintenance and construction activities must be carefully designed and monitored so as not to alter thermal features.Periodically, applications are made for geothermal leases in Known Geothermal Resource Areas (KGRAs) outside the park, such as in the Island Park KGRA west of the park, and the Corwin Springs KGRA north of Yellowstone National Park near LaDuke Hot Springs. A rapid change in energy economics could increase pressure to open non-federal lands to leasing and drilling activity. Thus, research is needed to determine the extent to which Yellowstone’s geothermal systems connect with areas of lease application west and north of the boundary. 

Volcanic and seismic processes are very active in the park. A network of seismic monitoring stations in the park provides data to help understand overall seismicity in the region and gauge the magnitude of earth tremors. Thermal features and basins respond violently to volcanic/seismic activity, which creates both a serious hazard to humans and an opportunity to study and possibly predict major geologic hazards. Thus, maintenance of a long-term geothermal data base also helps us manage visitor use to increase public safety in a naturally hazardous environment.

Legislative restrictions on geothermal development around Yellowstone, such as the Old Faithful Protection Act introduced in 1992, have failed to pass Congressional approval. In 1994, the NPS and the state of Montana agreed to monitor and control the use of hot, warm, and cold groundwater in areas just north of the park. Proponents of water use must show that proposed geothermal development will not adversely affect park features. This Water Rights Compact could serve as a model for agreements between the park and other states to ensure the continued flow of heat and water to Yellowstone’s famous geysers and hot springs.

The magnificent geothermal features of Yellowstone National Park await you. Don’t pass up the opportunity to view and photograph these awesome wonders of nature. Plan your next visit to Yellowstone National Park today, and visit www.nationalparktravel.com for more information about the park, lodging, weather, news, and things to do.