Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Can Fire Be Good?
In 1998, 30% of the park blazed in a major in-
ferno that only ceased with the first snows of
September. Front-page news, the event was
more a public relations disaster than an envir-
onmental catastrophe (see the boxed text
Click
ardship are evolving. Fire sparked by lighten-
ing hits is seen as a natural process that has been occurring for thousands of years. In Yel-
lowstone, the current policy is to allow natural fires to burn under strict guidelines, as they
encourage new growth in plant communities, restore nutrients to the soil and burn off ac-
cumulated deadwood.
The Greater Yellowstone Coalition
(
www.greateryellowstone.org
)
works on behalf of
every major issue affecting the Yellowstone region,
from environmental concerns to species survival.
Climate Change is Local
Climate change may be everywhere, but it appears to be happening at an accelerated pace
in the region. With summer temperatures on the rise, scientists predict that the Yellow-
stone River, a renowned trout fishing stream, will become a warm-water fishery. Rising
temperatures have also caused whitebark pines to die off at a rate of 85%, which in turn
will impact grizzlies as it's an important food source. Researchers have also found much
longer wildfire seasons, less snowpack and changing habitats.
While scientists study the issue, it's evident that reducing the stress we place on the en-
vironment is a clear step in maintaining it.
