Initial Publication Date: August 28, 2006
Policy and Management
This page was written by Denny Capps as part of the DLESE Community Services Project: Integrating Research in Education.
Yellowstone snowcoach. Details
Winter Use
Resources describing winter use policy and management of Yellowstone.
Show me information about winter use
Hide- Winter Use Management. This National Park Service website describes the regulations on snowmobile usage in Yellowstone and extensive research on the impact of snowmobiles on wildlife areas. (more info)
- Yellowstone National Park Online Slide File. This Yellowstone National Park website contains thousands of photographs of the Park. Images are organized by category including fire, thermal features, mammals, park structures, petrified trees, water, weather, scenics, and more. The photographs may be freely downloaded and more are being added through time. (more info)
Thermophiles
Resources describing the management and policy associated with Yellowstone's thermophiles.
- Life at High Temperatures. This website gives an overview of the various forms of life that exist in Yellowstone National Park's thermal features. Seventeen topics can be browsed in order or selected from a menu. Topics include hidden biological resources, microbial mats, types... ( This site may be offline. )
- Microbiology in Yellowstone National Park. This site describes how Yellowstone National Park is a focal point for cutting-edge microbiology research and how it provides a valuable setting for outreach education. Topics include questions for park officials, extremophiles... (more info)
- Yellowstone National Park Online Slide File. This Yellowstone National Park website contains thousands of photographs of the Park. Images are organized by category including fire, thermal features, mammals, park structures, petrified trees, water, weather, scenics, and more. The photographs may be freely downloaded and more are being added through time. (more info)
Fires
Resources describing fire management in Yellowstone.
- Wildland fires in Yellowstone. This Yellowstone National Park website is the home page for wildland fire information. Fire information is presented as links, a map, and a table. Links include information to fire ecology, the 1988 fires, the wildland fire management plan, and numerous other topics. The table provides yearly information on each fire's cause, start date, status, and acres burned. Important fires have links to additional information. (more info)
- Yellowstone National Park Online Slide File. This Yellowstone National Park website contains thousands of photographs of the Park. Images are organized by category including fire, thermal features, mammals, park structures, petrified trees, water, weather, scenics, and more. The photographs may be freely downloaded and more are being added through time. (more info)
- Yellowstone in the Afterglow: Lessons from the Fires. This report describes the 1988 wildfires in Yellowstone National Park and their effect on natural and cultural resources. Chapters include the role of fire in Yellowstone, the summer of 1988, the human aftermath, changes in the landscape, wildlife, watershed and stream dynamics, and others. Over 100 pages of information are presented as text, photos, graphs, tables, and maps. The report is available in html or PDF formats. (more info)
Maps
Maps pertaining to the management and policy of Yellowstone.
- Digital Atlas of the Greater Yellowstone Area. This online atlas provides a wide array of maps of the natural and socio-economic features of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and surrounding areas. The maps are made from GIS layers, and users can select from many types of information such as satellite imagery and topographic maps. Map areas include Yellowstone National Park, Grand Teton National Park, the Bridger-Teton National Forest, Gallatin County, and several other areas. A list of additional web resources with metadata is also provided. (more info)
- Yellowstone National Park GIS Data. This website provides links to GIS vector data and metadata for the geology, geography, biology, climate, infrastructure, and management of Yellowstone National Park. Note that these datasets must be viewed with ArcView. Additionally, it provides links to GIS raster metadata and an order form for a CD containing raster data. (more info)
Norris geyser basin. Details
Yellowstone Policy and Management
General resources related to policy and management of Yellowstone.
- Environmental Setting of the Yellowstone River Basin, Montana, North Dakota, and Wyoming. This U.S. Geological Survey report describes the natural and anthropogenic factors believed to influence water quality in the Yellowstone River Basin. Topics include physiography, climate, geology, vegetation, surface water, stream ecology, groundwater, anthropogenic factors, integrated environmental settings, and others. Text is supported by numerous maps, graphs, charts, diagrams, and tables. (more info)
- Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. This U.S. Geological Survey website uses remotely sensed data to analyze landscape change in the Greater Yellowstone Area. It features maps and satellite images that show the geographical extent of the area, its management, land cover, and land use. (more info)
- Notable Changes in Thermal Activity at Norris Geyser Basin Provide Opportunity to Study Hydrothermal System. This website gives an overview of the changes in many hydrothermal features in the Norris geyser basin that began in July 2003. To monitor the increased hydrothermal activity, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory installed a temporary monitoring network of seismographs, Global Positioning System (GPS) receivers, and temperature data loggers. Text, photos, data, and references show their findings. This website would be useful for anyone with a basic knowledge in earth science that is interested in recent developments in Yellowstone's hydrothermal system. (more info)
- Seismic Map for Yellowstone. A map of known hazardous faults and fault zones in Yellowstone National Park plotted with real-time earthquake data. The earthquake epicenters can be clicked for more information. (more info)
- Wetland Resources of Yellowstone National Park. This Yellowstone National Park online report provides an overview of the park's wetlands and associated flora and fauna. Chapters include wetland plants, wetlands and wildlife, wetlands and people, thermal wetlands, a wetland inventory, wetland classification and acreage, and others. Information is presented as text, photos, graphs, tables, and maps. (more info)
- Yellowstone National Park Facts. This Yellowstone National Park website provides a fact sheet with a wide range of physical and cultural information. Key topics include general park facts, wildlife, flora, geology, Yellowstone Lake, cultural resources, visitation, facilities, roads, trails, and the latitude/longitude of several significant features. (more info)
- Yellowstone National Park Online Slide File. This Yellowstone National Park website contains thousands of photographs of the Park. Images are organized by category including fire, thermal features, mammals, park structures, petrified trees, water, weather, scenics, and more. The photographs may be freely downloaded and more are being added through time. (more info)
Additional Literature
Additional useful literature about Yellowstone.
- Current Activity at the Yellowstone Volcanic System. This website provides a monthly summary of current geologic events that relate to the Yellowstone volcanic system. The summary includes information about earthquakes, hydrothermal activity, and other events of interest. Links are provided for more in-depth information. (more info)
- Geologic Map of the Island Park Area, Yellowstone Region. This website contains a geologic map of the Island Park, Idaho area. The map shows rocks, deposits, faults, calderas, flows, and other geologic features of interest. (more info)
- Seismic Evidence for Fluid Migration Accompanying Subsidence of the Yellowstone Caldera. This report describes the largest earthquake swarm in Yellowstone National Park's recorded history. For a little over 3 months beginning in October 1985, the swarm contained more than 3000 earthquakes with a magnitude greater than 5. The swarm had unusual characteristics that could be explained by the migration of hydrothermal fluids. Maps and numerous graphs support the text. (more info)
- Some Points of Volcanic Interest in Yellowstone National Park. This U.S. Geological Survey website highlights a few of the many interesting volcanic features related to the Yellowstone volcanic system. Highlighted features include the Obsidian Cliffs, the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone, Sheepeater Cliffs, and the Mesa Falls ash-flow tuff. An oblique overview map of the Yellowstone area shows the location of these features in relation to other prominent locations around the park. (more info)
- The Quaternary and Pliocene Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field of Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. This U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper is aimed at constructing a volcanic history of the Yellowstone Plateau region, interpreting important volcanic mechanisms, and seeking clues to deeper-seated processes that gave rise to the volcanic activity. Research for this paper spanned four decades and involved areal geologic mapping and the delineation of volcanic stratigraphy and significant structural relations. It includes text, maps, photographs, diagrams, and chemical analysis data. (more info)
- The Yellowstone-Teton Epicenter. This University of Utah website provides an overview of the history and present conditions of the Yellowstone hotspot. Topics include the track of the hotspot, tectonics, seismicity, history and global significance of major events, and the physical properties of the modern volcanic system. Numerous maps, graphs, and other figures support the text. (more info)
- Volcanic History of the Yellowstone Plateau Volcanic Field. This U.S. Geological Survey website gives an overview of Yellowstone volcanism. Text, numerous photos, tables, a map, and a volcanic term glossary explain the three major volcanic cycles that created the landscape that we call Yellowstone. (more info)
- Volcano Hazards Fact Sheet: Yellowstone - Restless Volcanic Giant. This U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report summarizes the Yellowstone volcanic system and its associated hazards. Scientists are studying the Yellowstone region to assess the potential hazards from future earthquakes and eruptions and to provide warning of increased unrest. The report includes text, several maps, and data plots. Topics include Yellowstone's roots, the Yellowstone caldera, contemporary unrest, reasons to worry, and additional readings. (more info)
- Yellowstone-Snake-River-Plain GPS Network. This clearinghouse of GPS information focuses on the overall strain and deformation field of the Yellowstone and Snake River Plain region. (more info)
For ideas on how to use these webpages in a classroom, a Study Guide is provided.