Yellowstone Park 2020

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 2020 YOUR GUIDE TO THE NATION’S FIRST NATIONAL PARK AND THE COMMUNITIES SURROUNDING IT

Jacob W. Frank, NPS

Yellowstone Park tourists play in the Firehole River. The number of recreational visitors to the park last year was down slightly from 2018.

Coronavirus outbreak could cut YNP tourism Fewer Chinese travelers expected in 2020

By BRETT FRENCH french@billingsgazette.com

T

he coronavirus outbreak will reduce Chinese travel to Yellowstone National Park, according to tourism officials, but the impact will be small compared to the national effect.

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“Yes, we would anticipate it having some effect, but they are not our only customers,” said Marysue Costello, executive director of the West Yellowstone Chamber of Commerce.

Chinese tour groups are “100% suspended right now,” said Norma Nickerson, director of the Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research at the University of Montana.

“We can be pretty sure we’ll see fewer visitors in the Yellowstone area from China this summer,” she added.

“Most Chinese are avoiding any type

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

of travel. Period,” said Kenneth Zheng, a University of Wyoming professor who has acted as a Chinese tour liaison in the past. “Even domestic airfares in China are at historically low levels.”

A drop in Chinese tourism has less of an impact on Glacier National Park in northwestern Montana, Nickerson said, which never drew as many Chinese travelers as Yellowstone. However, Banff National Park in Canada could see a downturn, Nickerson added, because it has been more popular with Chinese travelers.

YNP attraction First detected in China, the coronavirus has been named a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization. So far the disease has killed about 2,600 people and infected more than 79,000.

West Yellowstone abuts the West Entrance to Yellowstone National Park, the park’s busiest entryway. Chinese tourism to the United States and Yellowstone began climbing after a 2014 agreement between the U.S. and China made it easier for resi-

Virginia City

virginia city chamber of commerce P.O. Box 218, Virginia City, Montana, 59755 1-800-829-2969, www.virginiacity.com

BRETT FRENCH, Billings Gazette

Asian tourists pose for a photo along Yellowstone Lake in August 2019. The number of Chinese tourists to the park is expected to drop this summer due to the coronavirus outbreak.

dents to get a visa.

“Yellowstone is the park” for Chinese tourists, Nickerson said, partly because it was the nation’s first park, but also because of its many geysers and hot pools.

Even before the disease outbreak in China, however, Costello said West Yellowstone saw a decline in Chinese tourists last year.

“It was not as full a year as the prior two,” she said.

Buses Initially, Chinese tourists came by the busload on chartered trips, which is documented in Yellowstone’s statistics. The number of buses visiting the park jumped from about 6,800 in 2013 to 12,800 by 2016.

Each bus is capable of carrying about 50 passengers.

Kathy Pope, of the Salt Lake Express tour bus company, said none of her business’ usual Chinese touring customers have verified lease deals, although it typically doesn’t pick up until around mid-May. “They’re just not confirming,” she said.

“We are a little worried, but only just a little.”

When business was good, tours for Chinese travelers accounted for about 60% of the company’s business, Pope added.

On a positive note, she said more local tour operators are filling in the void with trips to Idaho, Yellowstone and Jackson, Wyoming. She said Canadians and Europeans were booking trips, as well.

Nationally Tourism Economics, whose economists track the travel business, has predicted the

United States will lose 1.6 million mainland China visitors due to the coronavirus. Those visitors on average spend about $6,000 each, not counting airfare. All told, the hit to the U.S. economy is predicted at $10.3 billion.

“The effect is probably going to depend on how much each individual company relies on that market,” Costello said.

“I imagine the largest impacts will be on businesses that cater more to the Chinese market such as hotels that have placed more resources into advertising to the Asia-Pacific market and tour companies that operate out of the U.S.,” said Jake Jorgenson, an RRC Associates research analyst who coauthored a studyof Yellowstone visitation published last year.

Nonresident visitors to Montana in 2019 spent most of their money on gasoline, according to an Institute for Tourism & Recreation Research annual review. The next two largest beneficiaries were restaurants and bars, followed by hotels and motels. Those three categories accounted for just over half of all nonresident spending in the state.

“We’re still quite a way out on when people pull the trigger” on scheduling a vacation, said Jan Stoddard, bureau chief of the Industry Services and Outreach team in the Montana Office of Tourism and Business Development. “Generally it’s spring or early summer” before people make plans to visit Montana.

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Park stays Xanterra in Yellowstone — which owns hotels, restaurants and shops — is seeing no decline in advance room reservations, said Mike Keller, general manager. Most Please see TOURISM, Page 4

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

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Tourism From 3

Chinese travelers stay in communities outside the park, he added. His company is predicting that day traffic will be less in the spring, but that’s not a big concern considering that over the course of the last year the park had more than 4 million visitors, albeit that was down from 4.1 million in 2018.

Yellowstone National Park doesn’t track visitors by nationality, except in 2015 when it was estimated 500,000 Chinese travelers went to the park with 600,000 expected in 2016. During that expansion in Chinese visitation, the park made a point of hiring three Mandarin speaking rangers.

Big picture Although Montana may feel only a slight impact from the coronavirus outbreak, the disease is taking a larger toll on the U.S. economy that could last beyond this year. The Dow Jones Industrial Average closed down more than 1,000 points on Monday as concern spread about the virus’ effect on global trade. On Thursday, the widely watched stock market measurement dropped nearly 1,200 points.

Chris Hyslop, executive director of the Montana World Affairs Council in Missoula, said the slow down at sea ports is already hampering the supply chain for goods such as Montana’s crops, which will likely have a much longer economic effect on the state.

International travel restrictions have begun and may spread, he added, noting that coronavirus infections in Italy and Iran have heightened concerns as the disease has spread to 34 countries.

“The impact is coming and likely to continue,” Hyslop said.

An economy trending downward could reverberate into the wider travel business, according to Dax Schieffer, director of Voices of Montana Tourism.

“While coronavirus may present disruptions in travel and student workers for Montana tourism based businesses, the most concerning threat will be any downward trends in national consumer confidence based on a global economic slowdown,” he wrote in an email.

“Montana has many strengths as a desirable vacation spot domestically, but if potential visitors in the U.S. have concerns on the economy, the first thing they’ll pull back on is their family vacation budget,” he said. “This could hurt our main street businesses who rely on the visitor economy.”

Any travel restrictions from foreign countries could pose a different problem for business owners in the Greater Yellowstone Area. To fill some seasonal positions employers hire internationally through the J-1 Visa program.

Keller said Xanterra anticipates no prob-

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On busy summer days Yellowstone National Park’s Old Faithful Visitor Center may see 10,000 tourists.

BRETT FRENCH/Gazette Staff

lem finding J-1 workers, which the company recruits from Taiwan and Thailand.

Stigma How long the effects of the coronavirus outbreak may last is uncertain. Certainly its effects are far reaching. While businesses may focus on the economic issues, the World Travel & Tourism Councilis worried that any Asians who do visit the United States may face discrimination, “stigmatising one of the world’s biggest tourist groups” which could cause long-term harm.

“Given that the U.S. administration has put a ban on foreign visitors who have been in mainland China over the past 14 days, the number of Chinese travellers to the United States will realistically decrease while these policies are maintained,” wrote Tiffany Misrahi, vice-president of policy for WTTC, in an email. “It is critical that during such challenging times the world comes together to promote a message of peace and tolerance, rather than discrimination and stigma. What’s more, evidence indicates that travel restrictions directed at individual countries are unlikely to keep the virus out of a nation’s borders while exacerbating BRETT FRENCH, Billings Gazette the outbreak’s social and economic tolls.”

A Yellowstone spokesperson said that Yellowstone National Park photographer Jim Peaco, at left, gives Sunnyvale, California, tourists visitors from China would be “treated like Amanda and Stephen Chou a lesson in shutter speeds while photographing harlequin ducks in the LeHardy Rapids section of the Yellowstone River in 2017. any other visitors to the park.”

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

Kids to-do list at Yellowstone National Park

By CHARITY DEWING cdewing@billingsgazette.com

W

hen planning a trip of any kind, the first thing parents and grandparents do is find activities to make the children feel included and engaged in trip activities. With so much to learn and explore in Yellowstone National Park, there are plenty of activities parents can do to involve children and keep a young mind busy.

Become a Junior Ranger That’s right, kids can become a junior park ranger. The program is designed to familiarize kids with everything the park entails. Kids can learn all about their personal responsibilities for park care and preservation.

Children can participate in a self-guided, Junior Ranger program. Full-color booklets with park information and requirement checklist to become a ranger are available for $3 at the park visitor centers.

Ages 4 to 7, 8 to 12, and 13 years and over each have their own requirements. After successfully fulfilling all of the tasks in the booklet, participants must take their booklet back to a visitor center, where their work is evaluated. Successful completion of the work earns kiddos (or adults) their very own official Yellowstone Junior Ranger patch.

Explore as a Young Scientist Science is everywhere at Yellowstone National Park. The Young Scientists pro- Children can become Junior Rangers at Yellowstone National Park. gram is intended to intrigue and connect children with all of the natural scientific elements the park has to offer.

Children 5 and older get to put their investigative skills to the test and solve scientific mysteries. The program is only offered at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center and requires purchase of a self-guiding booklet at the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center – there is even a Young Scientist toolkit for use in the Upper Geyser Basin.

Upon completing the scientific investigation, kids 5 to 13 are awarded an official Young Scientist patch. Young adults 14 years and older receive a key chain.

Animals This land is their land – we need to respect it and be safe. Coming prepared with useful and fun information helps kids understand safety and conservation of the park.

There are several animal species in the park. Familiar and popular park animals are Grizzly bears, black bears, bison, elk, and

Gazette Staff

lowstone National Park. The four essentials animals need in their environment is food, shelter, space and water.

There are both diurnal (daytime) and nocturnal (night time) animals in the park, and when they are awake, they are usually looking for food.

There are shelters all over the park that serve as home base for much of the wildlife.

Give the animals plenty of space – do not approach any animal. They need room to thrive in the environment, which means they need access to food, water and take care of their family – or find a mate to start a family.

The local wildlife loves water. It’s great for a fun bath, a cool drink, and often leads to catching fish.

Remember, stay on designated paths and never touch any of the flowers, rocks or habKen Peaco, NPS itats – any human interference can damage Grizzly bear at Yellowstone National Park. the ecosystem. And never approach an animal of any size. Even if they look cute, leave Northern Rocky Mountain wolves. There horn Sheep and so much more. nature be. We are their guests and need to Animal habitats are everywhere in Yel- respect their home. are also moose, otters, frogs, weasels, BigYELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

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By CHARITY DEWING cdewing@billingsgazette.com Every year, approximately four million tourists flock to Yellowstone National Park to witness some of nature’s most curious and beautiful creations. While the experience is nothing short of magical, it can be overwhelming. Planning ahead and knowing what to expect is the best way to enjoy your time in the park.

Driving the park

First-timer know-how

Enjoy your time in the park by planning ahead

Believe it or not, car accidents are frequent at the park. Mass traffic, wildlife all over the road, and turns that create blind spots are some of the most significant reasons to take it easy on park roads.

“Drivers really need to slow down and pay attention. You can come around a corner and there may be a car parked right in the middle of the road observing wildlife. Be prepared and alert,” said park spokesperson, Linda Veress.

If you do see wildlife while driving, safely pull to the side of the road and observe from a secure distance.

Check road conditions Roads to the park are always open, so guests can enter and exit the park 24/7.

From construction to weather, roads can be temporarily closed. To check current road status before heading to the park, call (307) 344-2117 to receive updated road informa- Grand Prismatic Spring tion.

You can also register to receive Yellowstone road alerts. Just text “82190” to 888777 and an automated text will give confirmation and instructions.

Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

With as many as 500 geysers – that is about half of the world’s total – geothermal features are found throughout the park.

All are deadly and guests should remain on boardwalks and marked trails at all times.

Yellowstone sits on a volcanically active area. The reason why we can see all of the amazing heat-influenced features is because the magma reaches the surface a lot closer than normal. Guests will witness bubbling hot pots, acidic hot springs and steaming water filtering through the earth.

The Upper Geyser Basin holds the most sought-after attraction, Old Faithful. With temperatures reaching 350 degrees, Old Faithful erupts every 60 to 110 minutes, reaching as high as 184 feet, and lasts anywhere from one to five minutes.

Best times to go The park officially opens mid-April and according to Veress, this is one of the best times to visit if you want to avoid the masses.

“With kids still in school and summer vacations not yet planned, the end of April is far less busy,” said Veress.

Visitation reached its height in 2016, with a record year of 4.2 million guests. 2018 was close with 4.1 million U.S. and international guests.

With all of the park roads open and many locals having a three-day-weekend, Memorial Day is the busiest day in May. But May is still only a moderately visited month for the park. Guests can take guided tours and experience new life in the park as newborn black bears, bighorn sheep, bison, moose, antelope and wolf pups begin to emerge in Lamar Valley.

All roads are open from June to September and with that comes the busy season. All five park entrances jam with visitors from 9 to 11 a.m. Stay all day and into the evening

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A grizzly bear chews on a bison carcass in the Yellowstone River.

Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Wildlife can be seen at anytime and anyas crowds tend to lighten around 6 to 7 p.m., giving a few extra hours to explore before where. And there are some serious rules when it comes to visitor and animal safety. sunset.

Do not approach, follow or encircle the animals. Stay at least 25 yards from all wildlife What to see and where – and 100 yards from bears and wolves. All Throughout the summer months, the guests are encouraged to carry bear spray. park is abundant with plants and animals.

Taunting the animals or breaking these The two things that every tourist is there to rules can result in a hefty fine. If you see somesee is wildlife and geothermal features. one doing this, report them immediately.

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

No selfies With so many geothermic features, not to mention various activities like camping, hiking, boating and backpacking — getting the perfect selfie is a must for many visitors.

But, park officials advise against that.

“Selfies are dangerous in the park,” said Veress. “Visitors want to get a selfie near a geothermic structure or by a cliff and it’s not safe to turn your back to those things.”

Wildlife is also there, whether you see

A bison and calf take up the road at Yellowstone National Park.

Twenty-five-minute-old elk calf in Mammoth Hot Springs.

it or not. Turning your back to a heavily forested area may present a perfect opportunity for a threatened bear or wolf to defend its territory. While it makes for a great profile picture on Facebook, try taking a photo of the landscape you are admiring and leave yourself out of it.

Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

Hiker on the Boardwalk at Grand Prismatic Spring

Courtesy of Yellowstone National Park

tions as soon as possible. Lodges open beginning in late spring into the fall season.

Old Faithful Snow Lodge and Mammoth Hot Springs Hotel are the only lodges open during winter.

There are 12 campgrounds with as many as 2,000 spots to pitch a tent. Reservations can made for five of the campgrounds, everything else is first-come Look but don’t touch No service first-serve.

Plan to stay At 34,375 square miles, the park is Keep in mind that cell phone service For more information on planning There are nine lodges located in the your trip to Yellowstone, call (307) 344part of the greater Yellowstone ecosys- may not be totally accessible in the park. tem, meaning everything from the geo- Prepare ahead of time to deal with being park and rooms go fast. Make reserva- 7381 or visit nps.gov.

thermic features to the plants and ani- unable to receive or send texts or calls. mals cannot be jeopardized by human interaction. Simple acts like dropping a Entrance Fees rock into a hotpot or picking a flower can For people hiking or bicycling into the catastrophically alter the environment.

Treat the park with respect and keep your park, entry is $20 per person; motorcycles and snowmobiles are $30; and non-comhands to yourself. mercial vehicles are $35.

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

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YNP’s rock record rolls across millennia Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This contribution is from Laura Blackstone, Yellowstone Geology Program guest scientist, and Jefferson Hungerford, park geologist at the Yellowstone Center for Resources.

M

any people understand that Yellowstone National Park is unique because it hosts more than half of Earth’s geysers, mudpots and thermal springs. The park is also unique because it contains rock formations that span more than half the Earth’s 4.6-billion-year lifespan. These rock formations tell stories of the sinking, pulling, contracting and twisting of an ever-changing landscape.

In the Paleozoic era (542 to 251 million years ago), sea levels rose and fell while the Yellowstone area was close to the equator, due to the ever-shifting nature of Earth’s tectonic plates. Layers of limestone, shale and sandstone record periods of deposition in shallow marine environments, like the present day Bahamas and U.S. East Coast.

These rocks can be seen in the mountains of the Gallatin Range on the western border of the park.

During the Mesozoic era (251 to 66 million years ago), the North American continental plate gradually moved from the equator to approximately where it is now. At the beginning of the Mesozoic era, a subduction zone was present along the West Coast of North America as two tectonic plates collided and one dove beneath the other. The compression on the North American Plate and melting that resulted from this subduction resulted in volcanism like we see in the Cascade Range today and the pushing up of mountains to the west of the Yellowstone region. During the early to middle parts of the Mesozoic era, the Yellowstone region reverted back and forth between a coastal plain and a shallow sea.

Over time, the compression of the North American plate pushed the mountain building farther east toward the Yellowstone region. The sedimentary rock layers throughout western North America began faulting and folding in what geologists call the Sevier orogeny (orogeny is a term meaning mountain building from the compression of Earth’s crust), which lasted from about 140 to 50 million years ago.

Much of what you see in the Rocky Mountains, which includes the Gallatin Range in the northwestern part of the park, is a result of this mountain building.

Late in the Mesozoic era, sea levels rose

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Frank Jacob, NPS

On Mount Everts, shallow-sea sedimentary rocks from the Cretaceous period are overlain by the Huckleberry Ridge Tuff volcanic deposit from the first caldera-forming eruption of the Yellowstone hotspot 2.1 million years ago.

again and the Yellowstone region became part of a shallow sea at the foot of the mountains to the west. This sea covered the Great Plains of North America and ran all the way from Alaska to the Gulf of Mexico.

Shallow marine sediments deposited in this sea are exposed in the cliffs and slopes of Mount Everts, visible from Mammoth.

Even before the end of the Sevier orogeny, another sequence of mountain building occurred in the region. The Laramide orogeny (80-45 million years ago) not only deformed sedimentary rocks near the surface, but also reached deep into Precambrian (older than 541 million years), bringing these rocks up to the surface along faults. These basement rocks are 2.7 billion years old and very resistant to erosion; you can see them in the steep walls of Lamar Canyon near Lamar Valley. Yellowstone during this time might have looked like the Andes mountain range.

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

Michael Poland, USGS

This huge boulder was dropped by a retreating glacier on the north rim of the Grand Canyon of the Please see ROCKS, Page 10 Yellowstone in Yellowstone National Park, a testament to Yellowstone’s icy past.

USGS

This view looks northeast across Long Valley Caldera in California to Glass Mountain, about 30 kilometers away.

World has many caldera systems Yellowstone Caldera Chronicles is a weekly column written by scientists and collaborators of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory. This contribution is from Mike Poland, geophysicist with the U.S. Geological Survey and scientistin-charge of the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory.

tion 760,000 years ago, and numerous high-silica lava flows have subsequently erupted within and near the caldera.

There is also a chain of silicic lava flows and domes that extends north from Long Valley, toward Mono Lake. The most recent eruption along this Mono-Inyo chain occurred about 250 years ago.

Long Valley is very active seismically, ellowstone as a volcanic system in large part because the caldera sits atop may seem unique, with its hisfaults that have caused uplift of the Sierra tory of huge explosive eruptions Nevada mountain range. The caldera also and lava flows. But did you know deforms, with more than 80 centimeters that there are similar caldera systems (30 inches) of uplift measured since 1980. spread across the globe? And many of Some hot springs occur in the caldera, these are far more volcanically active although not nearly at the same scale as at than Yellowstone.

Yellowstone.

The United States is home to three The third system is Valles caldera, large caldera systems that have erupted located in northern New Mexico, near Los in the last 2 million years. Yellowstone Alamos. That caldera formed due to large is one, of course. Long Valley caldera, explosions 1.61 and 1.25 million years ago. in eastern California near the town of Although Valles also experienced numerous lava flow eruptions after caldera Mammoth Lakes, is also well known.

That caldera formed with a massive erup- formation, just like Yellowstone and Long

Y

Valley, it is not particularly active now.

There is no significant seismicity and no ground deformation, and only one small hot spring. The most recent eruption occurred about 68,000 years ago.

There are many other caldera systems in the United States, although these are all much older and long extinct. The San Juan mountains of southern Colorado host numerous calderas that were active about 30 million years ago, and of course there is a trail of calderas caused by motion of the North American plate over the Yellowstone hotspot and since buried by younger lava flows, forming the eastern Snake River Plain over the past ~17 million years.

The USA is hardly alone in playing host to caldera systems, though. Calderas can be found in volcanic areas all around the world.

Nearly as famous as Yellowstone, Campi Flegrei caldera, near Naples, Italy, experienced violent explosive eruptions

39,000 years ago and also 15,000 years ago, although neither was anywhere near the size of the largest explosive eruptions from the Yellowstone system. On the other hand, Campi Flegrei, like Yellowstone, experiences frequent earthquake swarms and even outdoes Yellowstone when it comes to ground deformation, with several meters of uplift occurring over the last century. Campi Flegrei’s most recent eruption formed the Monte Nuovo cinder cone in 1538.

The Greek island of Santorini is also part of a caldera, having experienced a large explosion about 3,700 years ago — an eruption that might be the source of the myth of Atlantis. There were many subsequent lava flow eruptions, the most recent in 1950. During 2011–2012, uplift and seismicity at Santorini demonstrated that the caldera is far from extinct.

Another restless caldera can be found Please see WORLD, Page 10

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

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World From 9

in Chile — the Laguna del Maule system.

There have been at least three calderaforming eruptions there in the past 1.5 million years, and numerous lava flows have occurred in the last 25,000 years.

Uplift started at Laguna del Maule in the mid-2000s, reaching rates of up to 25 centimeters (10 inches) per year.

In Japan, the Aira caldera, in southern Kyushu, formed about 30,000 years ago and is home to Sakurajima, which is one of Japan’s most active volcanoes. Taal, in the Philippines, is a caldera system that erupted earlier this year, and Rabaul, in Papua New Guinea, has been persistently active since the 1990s. Indonesia hosts many caldera systems, the most famous of which is probably Toba, which experienced an epic eruption 76,000 years ago.

The Taupo caldera system, on the North Island of New Zealand, might be the most similar to Yellowstone, given the concentration of hot springs and geysers, as well as frequent seismic activity and deformation. Taupo’s explosive eruption 26,500 years ago was larger than Yellowstone’s big eruption 631,000 years ago, and Taupo’s last significant eruption occurred about 1,800 years ago.

We tend to think of Yellowstone as unique, and certainly it is with respect to the dense concentration of hot springs, geysers, and mud pots found there. In terms of volcanic style, however, there are many similar caldera systems around the world, some of which have had larger Emily Montgomery-Brown, USGS eruptions and some smaller, some of which are restless and some dormant. All Serapeum, a Roman Marketplace in Pozzuoli, Italy, records deformation of Campi Flegrei caldera over two millennia. It was built above sea level about 2,000 years ago, but mollusk borings on the large marble columns indicate that it subsided by 7 meters (23 feet) below sea level before being uplifted have lessons to teach and are a focus of above sea level once more in the past several hundred years. volcanologists around the world.

Rocks From 8

Early in the Cenozoic Era (66 million years ago to present), things started heating up with the inception of the Absaroka volcanic field in the Yellowstone region.

This volcanic activity was similar to what we see today in the Cascade Range of Washington, Oregon, and northern California. Massive flows of ash, mud, and debris buried trees, which became petrified wood. Some of these deposits

10

are preserved in the northern part of the park — for example, petrified forests found on Specimen Ridge.

More recently (starting 16.5 million years ago), a plume of hot material sourced deep within the Earth created a hotspot that migrated to Yellowstone due to plate movement, forming the volcanic system we know today and that encompasses most of the national park.

Yellowstone isn’t always a land of fire, but also experienced two recent periods (about 150,000–130,000 and 22,000–13,000 years ago) of glaciation

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

that reshaped and carved much of the mountains and valleys into their current forms, and that also left mounds of gravel and dropped boulders in odd places as the ice melted. One place to see these deposits is in Hayden Valley, but evidence of glaciation can be found all over the Greater Yellowstone Area.

Yellowstone’s youngest rocks are formed by hydrothermal activity. Hydrothermal waters transformed hard lava flows into colorful clays that erode easily and form the dramatic walls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. At Mam-

moth Hot Springs warm water springs deposit travertine that forms terraces. In the geyser basins boiling water and hot steam erupt from underground pipe-like systems and deposit the silica-rich sinter that form the cones of our favorite geysers, like Old Faithful.

So the next time you visit Yellowstone remember that the big volcanic explosions are just one part of a long and complex geologic history — a history that is recorded by rocks that are exposed across the landscape, spans eons, and tell an amazing story.

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Opening of the Beartooth Highway

By CHARITY DEWING cdewing@billingsgazette.com The Beartooth Highway opened on the Montana state line May 22, and is scheduled to fully open on May 29 for visitors to make the trek and take in all the hghway has to offer.

The Beartooth Highway begins in Montana, enters Wyoming and ends up back in Montana. The highway is deemed an “All American Road” by the United States Department of Transportation for its natural and picturesque topographies. Thanks to Yellowstone National Park and the trans-

portation plows of Montana and Wyoming, guests can take in views from what feels like the top of the world.

Snow-caped peaks, wildlife like moose, mountain goats and bison, cloud-covered vistas, and variations of wildflowers are just some of the natural splendors the highway presents. Remember, leave nature be – don’t pick, pet or pull anything that belongs to the ecosystem.

Opening is subject to weather. For more information on the Beartooth Highway call Sherry Weamer at (406) 446-1718 or visit redlodge.com.

Wildflowers cover the terrain by the Beartooth Highway.

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YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

Courtesy photo

Courtesy Photo

Camp out with your BMW biker friends and family at the annual Beartooth Rendezvous in Red Lodge.

The Best Little Rally

IS BACK

By CHARITY DEWING Cdewing@billingsgazette.com

For 22 years, the BMW gathering known as “The Best Little Rally in the West,” has taken riders through scenic drives of the Beartooth Highway, Chief Joseph Scenic Byway and Hellroaring Plateau. This year, the annual Beartooth Rendezvous will be Aug. 13–16, and is guaranteed to be a roaring good time.

Hosted by the Beartooth Beemers, events kick off with gate opening at the Lions Beartooth Mountain Youth Camp (just 10 miles south of Red Lodge) at 10 a.m., Thursday.

There is plenty of space for camping

with the whole family – pitch a tent or rent a cabin. Individual bunks are $30 for all three nights. Cabins are $240 for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Each cabin offers eight bunks, bedding not included.

Three full-course dinners are also included with registration. Breakfast and lunch are available for purchase onsite.

The family-friendly event includes door prizes and live music – but furry family members are not allowed. Because of a high-risk fire season, the National Forest Service bans the use of fireworks and has created specific smoking areas on campus.

For more information on the Beartooth Rendezvous or to register, visit beartoothbeemers.org.

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

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Dispelling wolf myths

Yellowstone researchers give insight to canine predators

By BRETT FRENCH french@billingsgazette.com Among some people wolves have a reputation of being super killers, able to wipe out wildlife like deer and elk when they move into a territory. But that’s simply not true, according to Dan Stahler, a wolf biologist in Yellowstone National Park.

“There are limits to their ability,” he said during a recent Facebook Live broadcast.

“There is a lot of misinformation out there,” Stahler said, as he attempted to dispel some of the myths with his talk.

Elk Stahler has been studying wolves in the park for 23 years. In that time he’s examined animals that wolves have killed, conducted necropsies on dead wolves and watched wolf interactions with bison and elk while conducting scientific studies.

There are now about 20,000 to 30,000 elk that utilize different parts of Yellowstone in six to seven different herds, Stahler said.

It’s well known that elk numbers in the park gradually plummeted after wolves were reintroduced in 1995, but he said that population decline wasn’t solely due to wolves — although elk make up anywhere from 80% to 90% of their diet.

Other factors in the elk population decline included elk hunting outside the park, drought, harsh winters, and growth in couJacob W. Frank, NPS gar, grizzly bear and black bear populations. Wolf researchers ski to a bull elk carcass in Yellowstone National Park. The study of wolves in Yellowstone has contributed greatly to scientists’ “Wolves have definitely been a major understanding of the animals and their interaction with other park wildlife. player,” he said, but they are just one of sevwildlife that wolves have brought down. eral factors.

Overall Yellowstone National Park has a much healthier ecosystem since wolves Hunting were reintroduced, Stahler said, and the elk Wolves need vulnerable prey — the sick, have learned to adapt to the predator risk. old or young — to be successful, he said. At this time of the winter, bull elk are in more Peak park danger as their energy reserves have deKira Cassidy, a wildlife research associate clined. Cow elk, on the other hand, are “virtually invulnerable” between the ages of with Yellowstone Forever, has been working in the park since 2007. She said the large baabout 2 and 12, he added.

Wolf packs are only successful about 5% sins like the Lamar Valley have made it much to 15% of the time. Packs with 2- to 3-year- easier for scientists like her to collect inforold wolves tend to be more successful be- mation.

“Because we’re able to see them so often cause at that age they are in peak physical condition. By age 6 that hunting ability has … we get to recognize individuals,” she said.

Yellowstone Wolf Project staff She noted that group living, such as wolf dwindled, he added. Larger packs are also member Erin Stahler prepares packs, is unusual among species, with only more successful hunters. to fly in an airplane from which Thanks to wolf kills, other scavengers about 2% of species utilizing the power of wolf locations can be tracked. and predators in Yellowstone also benefit, several individuals for protection and food.

Jacob W. Frank, NPS The average wolf pack size in Yellowstone Stahler said — everything from ravens to golden eagles, coyotes and bears dine on is 10, with the largest — the Wapiti Lake pack

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YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

YNP

Processing and collaring often go best when captured wolves can be grouped together, allowing the entire team to work together. Pictured are Erin, at left, and Dan Stahler.

— numbering 15. Often those pack members want to take care of the pups. are relatives, although they do occasionally 3) When a wolf gets sick with something allow lone males to join — probably because like mange, they are more likely to survive if of their hunting ability, she said. they are in a bigger pack. One female in the Junction wolf pack contracted mange and lost much of her hair, but eventually recovTop 5 ered and is now 7 years old and the biggest Cassidy ticked off five reasons why wolf recently caught. When captured, the wolves live in groups: researchers also discovered her left eye was 1) Maybe the most obvious reason is for damaged. hunting. Ideally, four wolves are needed to “Wolves are incredibly resilient,” she hunt elk, she said. For bison, a much larg- said, especially if they can stay with their er animal, nine to 12 wolves have a better pack when injured or sick. chance of success.

4) Packs are the best way for wolves to 2) All members of the pack pitch in to help compete with other scavengers. Although raise pups, which are born in April. During an adult wolf can eat 20 pounds of meat, a that still cold time of the year the mother small pack will still leave plenty of meat on must remain with the pups to keep them a carcass that may be lost to other predators. warm. That means she relies on the other So a mid-sized pack is typically best suited members of her clan to bring her food. Cas- to utilize all of the animal it kills. sidy said in the spring a hormone increases 5) Wolves are territorial and will kill in all of the wolves’ blood that makes them members of other packs, accounting for half

of all wolf mortalities in a typical year. Packs therefore help protect pups and other pack members. In a bigger group, the wolves are pretty safe when they are together.

Moments Stahler said one of his most significant memories of working with wolves in Yellowstone began in his first field season in 1997. That spring he got to observe a litter of wolf pups and how they interacted with other pack members.

A wolf from that Rose Creek pack was later collared but left the area. In 2002 the wolf was discovered in the Bechler region, the southwestern corner of the park, starting a new pack. That white wolf, No. 192, lived to age 12 and successfully colonized a new region of the park.

Cassidy said she has been impressed over the years by the Mollie pack, which

Yellowstone National Park

The ability to view wolves, even at their den sites, is one of the benefits of studying the animals in Yellowstone National Park.

has stayed together for 25 years. Members of that pack have included some very strong females, she said. It’s believed that wolf pack territories are matrilineal, meaning they are based on the females’ heritage.

“I admire that long line of females,” she said.

YELLOWSTONE PARK GUIDE | SUMMER 2020

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