B-YELLOWSTONE+NATIONAL+PARK

Yellow stone National Park Project The amazing area now known as [|Yellowstone National Park], was not always how it is today. Over 10,000 years ago, native tribes stumbled upon the vast area we now call Yellowstone. Some hunting routes even went right through the park we now know today. When [|Lewis and Clark] came to explore the territory, they unknowingly floated right by one of the most wonderful discoveries that was to be made. Lewis and Clark being off by the forty miles they were paved the way for the less publicized explorer, John Colter. Unfortunately many saw no truth to his stories of these magnificent natural wonders. In 1870, General Henry Washburn and Nathaniel Longford, along with others, organized a trip to the Yellowstone area, verifying the research recorded a year earlier by D.E. Folsom. William Peterson and C.W. Cook. Dr. Ferdinand Hayden attended a lecture on the findings and asked his friends in congress to grant him $40,000 for an official expedition into the Yellowstone region. The photographs and paintings from the [|expedition] really helped push the park into creation. On March 1, 1872 President Grant signed the bill and Yellowstone became the world’s first national park. The area was not particularly historical for the English men exploring it but it became absolutely necessary that it be preserved once the people realized how important the natural wonders it contained were. While there are many populations of native animals, only [|Native American] people inhabited the area so it remained natural over the centuries. Within the borders of the park there are over ten thousand thermal features, more than three hundred geysers, one of the world's largest petrified forests, over 290 waterfalls (one of which is 308'), the largest high altitude lake in North America, over one thousand species of native plants, more than two hundred species of exotic plants, seven species of ungulates, three hundred twenty two species of birds, sixteen species of fish, two species of bear, and sixty seven other mammals. With all those natural wonders, it would have been a crime for the area to go unprotected and be later destroyed by mankind. Yellowstone National Park covers 2,221,766 acres and because of the high altitude, snow falls every month accept July and August. In the mountains, snow can fall all year round. Temperatures range from 10 degrees Fahrenheit to 80 degrees Fahrenheit, which can make for some unpredictable weather; one minute it may be sunny and the next might be a thunder storm. Most of the park is in Wyoming and the remainder is in Montana and Idaho. The high altitude park ranges from 5,282 feet above sea level to 11,358 feet above sea level and is composed mainly of forested volcanic plateaus that have been eroded over a million years. Yellowstone has 2.5 million visitors a year. More than 25,000 of the visits are to one of the main features; Old Faithful! Yellowstone’s weather is quite unpredictable. One second it could be sunny, the next, you find yourself in the middle of a blizzard from nowhere. You can easily go from 110°F to -10°F. it is not unusual to see a car with two feet of snow drive out of the mountains, only to melt on the impact of the low lands warmth. You must always be prepared for anything. The park is comprised primarily of high, forested, [|volcanic plateaus] that have been eroded over the millennia by glaciations and stream flow and that are flanked on the north, east, and south by mountains. The [|Continental Divide] traverses the park from its southeastern corner to its «-western boundary. The elevation of the park averages 8,000 feet, ranging from 5,282 feet in the north, where the Gardner River drains from the park, to 11,358 feet in the east, at the summit of Eagle Peak in the Absaroka Range. Yellowstone has been graced by a huge variety of different species that live in the park. One of the most famous is their Bison. The park is also home to many [|Grizzly’s], coyotes, and wolves. Many of these different species live together in perfect harmony. This park is one of the last remaining large, almost intact ecosystems in the northern [|temperate zone] of the Earth. At the moment officials are more focused on individual species extinction over mass groups. Yellowstone is also the host of the volcano observatory. The observatory is to monitor the volcanic and earth quake activity in the park and surrounding areas. Creeping ground fires often described as "good" for grass production. The natural history of fire in the park includes large-scale [|conflagrations] sweeping across the park's vast volcanic plateaus, hot, wind-driven fires torching up the trunks to the crowns of the pine, and fir trees at several hundred-year intervals. The natural history of fire in the park includes large-scale conflagrations sweeping across the park's vast volcanic plateaus, hot, wind-driven fires torching up the trunks to the crowns of the pine, and fir trees at several hundred-year intervals. Many of Yellowstone's plant species are fire-adapted. Some (not all) of the lodge pole pines, which make up nearly 80% of the park's extensive forests, have cones that are [|serotinous] sealed by resin until the intense heat of fire cracks the bonds and releases the seeds inside. Fires may stimulate regeneration of sagebrush, aspen, and willows, but the interactions between these plants and fire is complicated by other influences such as grazing levels and climate. Though above-ground parts of grasses and forbs are consumed by flames, the below-ground root systems typically remain unharmed, and for a few years after fire these plants commonly increase in productivity. Yellowstone is home to more than 1350 species of different flows and grasses. 218 are non- native plants to Yellowstone. The face that Yellowstone has one of the best air quality’s in the country helps a lot. The water is also a vital part of the life in Yellowstone. The water in Yellowstone is everywhere. You have is spewing out of geysers and meandering through the crevices it has forged. Luckily it still is abundant enough to make life flourish in the park. With half of the earth’s geothermal features, Yellowstone holds the planet’s most diverse and intact collection of geysers, hot springs, mud pots, and fumaroles. Its more than 300 geysers make up two thirds of all those found on earth. Combine this with more than 10,000 thermal features comprised of brilliantly colored hot springs, bubbling mud pots, and steaming fumaroles, and you have a place like no other. Geyser land, fairyland, wonderland--through the years, all have been used to describe the natural wonder and magic of this unique park that contains more geothermal features than any other place on earth. Yellowstone’s vast collection of thermal features provides a constant reminder of the park’s recent volcanic past. Indeed, the caldera provides the setting that allows such features as [|Old Faithful] to exist and to exist in such great concentrations. It is our duty as the next generation to keep this [|Garden of Eden] just that.

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