Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone National Park covers 3,468.4 square miles in Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. On March 1, 1872 President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act that formally established the world’s first national park. It took the efforts of many explorers, writers and artists to convey the need to preserve the natural wonder of Yellowstone for the generations to come. The history of Yellowstone is preserved in the Albright Visitors Center near Mammoth Hot Springs and Fort Yellowstone.

The newly restored Albright Visitors Center has informative displays that chronicles the history of Yellowstone and the people that discovered the area and fought to preserve its beauty. The ongoing poaching and vandalism of the natural resources made it necessary for the US Army to take control of the park to restore order. Once the area was stabilized it was apparent that there was a need for an organization to manage the land and to educate the public about the national parks. So, President Woodrow Wilson passed the National Park Service Organic Act, thereby creating the National Park Service on August 25, 1916.

Also located in the Albright Visitors Center is a small habitat display of some of the animals that make Yellowstone National Park home.

Big Horn Sheep in Albright Visitors Center — Big Horn Sheep

American Beaver in Albright Visitors Center — American Beaver

Bull Elk in Albright Visitors Center — Bull Elk

Bear in Albright Visitors Center — Grizzly Bear

Within the borders of Yellowstone is the largest concentration of mammals in the continental United States. The complex predator-prey relationship provides a link between climate change and ecological management of Yellowstone National Park and the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

Wildlife Facts:

67 different mammals live here, including many small mammals.
As of 2016, 690 grizzlies were estimated in Greater Yellowstone.
Black bears are common.
Gray wolves were restored in 1995. As of December 2016, there were at least 108 wolves living mostly in the park.
Wolverine and lynx, which require large expanses of undisturbed habitat, live here.
Seven native ungulate species—elk, mule deer, bison, moose, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, and white-tailed deer—live here.
Nonnative mountain goats have colonized northern portions of the park.

Bison

Elk

Bison

https://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/mammals.htm

Mammoth Hot Springs

Mammoth Hot Springs terraces are located just past the historic buildings of Fort Yellowstone. The multihued travertine terraces are formed when the heated water from the deep volcanic activity dissolves the limestone and releases carbon dioxide along with calcium carbonate at the surface. The superheated water flows down the terraces created a glyncining sheen over the travertine. Within the pooling water thermophilic algae in shades of brown, orange, red and green flourish.

Devil's Thumb Mammoth Hot Springs — Devil’s Thumb Mammoth Hot Springs

Orange Spring Mound Mammoth Hot Spring Upper Terrace

Undine Falls

A few miles past the hot springs is Undine Falls. The 60-foot three step water falls is fed by the Lave Creek. The falls can be easily seen from a short walking path just off the road. Undine is just one of the hundreds of water falls found throughout Yellowstone. All the water falls are fed by seven rivers that flow from the Continental Divide on their way to the Pacific Ocean, the Gulf of California and the Gulf of Mexico. As the water moves through the park it provides much needed water and habit for the inhabitants of Yellowstone.

Petrified Forest

Yellowstone National Park has one of the world’s largest petrified forests. Volcanic eruptions millions of years ago buried trees with ash. Over time the organic material of the trees was replaced by silica from the groundwater. The end result is what scientists call petrified wood. The shape of the trees are made up of almost solid quartz. One example of this is located in the northeast section of the park between Mammoth Hot Springs and the Lamar Valley.

A visit to Yellowstone National Park is like submerging yourself into the wilderness. The combination of lush grasslands, tall trees, cascading waterfalls and volcanic activity makes you feel like you are right in the middle of the forces that formed the continent. The abundant wild life only adds to the magnificent beauty of Yellowstone. After a visit to Yellowstone it is easy to see why so many people strived to preserve its wildness and how it inspired the formation of the National Park Service.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_National_Park

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