29 minute read
MEMORIES
MAKING MEMORIES
We asked residents living in the states surrounding Yellowstone Nati onal Park to share some of their favorite memories of the park, along with favorite places to visit, hidden gems that may be a bit off the main roads and some of their favorite photographs. Here’s a selecti on of what they so generously off ered.
In 1971, I readied my Harley sprint bike for the long trip from Kansas to Yellowstone, where I had taken a summer job working at the service stati on in Mammoth. My parents got nervous and loaned me a car for the summer. It would come in handy. One week aft er I started work, Hamilton Stores employees arrived, including a tall blonde with a soft North Texas accent. Two days later, I asked her to go with me on an evening trip to the brink of the Lower Falls of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone. At the ti me, I did not know that it was one of the most romanti c date desti nati ons on the face of the planet. Before the summer was through, we had made our plans. The next May, with a fellow Yellowstone employee as best man, we married and headed back to the park to work during its centennial celebrati on. We worked three seasons there, and then returned to the “real world,” with careers and a growing family. We have returned to Yellowstone on a nearly annual basis over the course of our lives. For many years, when he saw us come into the general store in Mammoth, longti me manager Ted Lowe would run through the aisles, grabbing presents for our four small children. Aft er he died, it was a decade before we could enter that store without tears.
In 1988, we were teaching in a ti ny Montana school, near the park’s northern border. We watched as the fi res raged and hoped for the best. In 2019, having reti red from teaching, we returned to Yellowstone to work a full, magical season. This year, we will return to Mammoth to celebrate our 50th anniversary. We will hold hands again as we walk behind the service stati on. We will stand in a parking lot and “see” the photo shop that is no longer there, and in our collecti ve memory, we will see and hear our friends who worked with us long ago. We will travel to the brink of the Lower Falls and Arti st’s Point. In the spring night, as a gibbous moon rises above the canyon wall, we will renew our commitment to each other.
Yellowstone boasts amazing natural landscapes, but it also harbors an immense tapestry of landscapes formed by countless human lives — lives forever altered by the park’s
Now
power and beauty.
John Forsyth
Laramie, Wyoming
Then
In September 1971, my wife and I made our fi rst trip to Yellowstone Nati onal Park. We planned to sleep in the back of our pickup beneath a metal shell. Our fi rst night, it snowed large wet fl akes, tents sagged and collapsed, roads were closed and fi res virtually impossible.
In the morning, we drove to the Old Faithful Lodge and inquired about lodging. Due to road closures, tourists couldn’t make it and a few rooms were available. We chose a small dormer room with comfy single beds. The bathroom, down the hall, had a large copper tub. The best soak I ever had. We were able to schedule dinner in the lodge and both ordered lamb chops — the best ever eaten. We managed to fi nd two seats near the large fi replace and listened to the fi re snap, the people talk and the front door constantly open and close.
The next day, the sun shone, temperatures rose, snow melted, roads cleared, people returned and we were relegated to cooking over a Coleman stove and sleeping in sleeping bags in the back of a pickup.
Iread in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle that you are collecti ng people’s memories and favorite places about Yellowstone Park. Reading that arti cle brought to mind one of my favorite memories, from my early childhood, back in the late 1950s (I couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old at the ti me), when many people sti ll didn’t know not to feed the bears. (Living in Wyoming, my family knew very well not to do so, and I was ALWAYS taught not to feed them, but I recall that in those days many tourists sti ll did feed food scraps to bears and other wildlife.) I have a very disti nct memory of being in the back seat of my family’s auto on a warm early summer day in Yellowstone — (probably a big suburban with the fake wood paneling along the side!?!). My parents were not in the car at the ti me, for some unknown reason, when a big bear ambled alongside the vehicle and suddenly stood up and put its front paws on the (thankfully closed) window no more than 2 or 3 feet from my awestruck face. My eyes must have been the size of saucers.
That bear and I stared at each other with nothing but the thin window glass between us for I know not how long, but it left a lifelong imprint on my memory. I never felt threatened in any way by the bear, and I suspect it knew that I posed no threat to it either — it must have been as curious about me as I was about it. Eventually, without my moving a muscle or making any noise whatsoever, the bear ambled along, and that was the end of the adventure. In the years since, over a lifeti me spent outdoors across
September 1971
When we return to Yellowstone, we always stop at the Inn, try to recreate our fi rst snowy visit, but nothing has compared. Old Faithful Lodge is our favorite, and a snowstorm helped create warm memories.
Richard L. Gilbert
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Wyoming and Montana, I’ve had other encounters with bears, but none at such incredibly close range, nor with such a wondrous impact as that one.
Bett y Stroock
Bozeman, Montana
Great time camping at Yellowstone!
“This photo brings back memories of our family vacation to Yellowstone. Great time camping.” – Bob Thomson, Cheyenne, Wyoming
My father worked for the Taggart Construction Company out of Cody, Wyoming, and in 1937, Taggart received a multi-year contract to construct the roadways throughout Yellowstone National Park. Since there was no housing available for the construction crew in the park, the men built makeshift mobile homes for their families. My parents, older brother and I lived in a mobile home my father made from an old hay wagon.
Over the course of four summers, Taggart built temporary trailer parks/campsites at Jenny Lake, Mammoth Hot Springs and Pelican Creek (just east of Fishing Bridge) so the families could stay near where the road construction was occurring. The trailers were always parked in a rough circle at these campsites, and each had a picnic table and fire pit built outside. The men constructed an asphalt tennis court in the center of the circle, with horseshoe pits and tire pitching posts set around the court. Evenings around the camp were a fun time, like having a big picnic every night.
While the men worked on the roads, the wives and children explored Yellowstone. Days were spent watching the geysers erupt, swimming in the swimming pool at Old Faithful, boating on Yellowstone Lake, climbing the many stairs and viewing the waterfalls at Canyon, touring the fish hatchery at Lake and watching the bears feed and fight at the bear feeding grounds near Mammoth. Speaking of bears, one of my most memorable experiences living in Yellowstone was of being chased by a bear. I was bringing a roll of toilet paper to a fellow in the outhouse when a bear stepped out on the path behind me. I let out a war whoop and started running around and around the outhouse with the bear right behind me! The fellow in the outhouse burst out of the door, hollered at the bear and joined the chase. When the women heard the commotion, they hurried over to help. When they got there, they found me, the bear and the fellow — who was trying to keep his pants up — all running around the outhouse! The women succeeded in chasing the bear off with their brooms, and everyone laughed and told stories about the incident for quite a while.
Living in the park, with all its natural wonders, was a fantastic experience for me. It was only four short years, but the memories have lasted a lifetime.
Kenneth Gene Moore
Laramie, Wyoming (Submitted posthumously by his family)
Photo of the Taggart Construction Company building a road in Yellowstone National Park.
Family at Yellowstone
The Moore family mobile home (converted hay wagon).
Ken and Bob Moore in Yellowstone National Park.
Ken & Bob
Old Faithful putting on her show!
Old Faithful faithfully putting on her regular show. – Rusty England, Cheyenne, Wyoming
The different colors in the pool are due to the different organisms living in
the water. The pools are hotter in the center and cooler at the edges. – Rusty England, Cheyenne, Wyoming
One of many pools scattered around the park. – Rusty England, Cheyenne, Wyoming
When I was a child in Laramie, Wyoming, in the mid-1950s, my parents liked to take us kids on driving vacati ons around Wyoming. Oft en we camped with a big Army tent with rooms (!), but when we got to Yellowstone, my parents splurged on a small cabin in the park.
I remember walking down a path (likely to the lavatory block) in the early morning, wearing a bright coral dress with black fl owers and black rick-rack trim. When I looked up from admiring my dress, I was standing about fi ve feet away from a bear! I wasn’t frightened, I was fascinated! Neither of us seemed to know what to do; we just stood there, looking at each other.
Finally, the bear, which seemed very large to a 5- or 6-year-old, slowly closed the distance and took the hem of my dress in his mouth. He started to pull, and I lost my balance. One step forward to catch myself, and he was out of there like a bat out of hell!
I think that was my earliest personal encounter with a wild animal, and it is imprinted on my memory in every detail. Of course, I realize now that, like me, this bear was quite young. I also think that mama bears, both ursine and human, are likely now much more careful about their children wandering around unsupervised!
Favorite thing about Yellowstone: The mudpots, which I hope are sti ll there, as I am returning to Yellowstone for the fi rst ti me in 66 years in September!
Christy Bidstrup
Laramie, Wyoming
My memories of Yellowstone Nati onal Park go back a long way — over 80 years. My fi rst trip was in 1940, aft er my grandparents moved to Livingston, Montana, from Nebraska in the late 1930s. My family lived in Columbus, Nebraska, at that ti me.
We have visited the park in all seasons of the year. It is always with a sense of awe at the amazing sights and sounds. Yellowstone in the winter presents sights that are truly amazing and beauti ful. It is a must-see for the adventurous.
My favorite area of the park to visit is probably the Geyser Basins, especially the Upper Geyser Basin, where Old Faithful is located. On one trip, we walked the enti re Upper Geyser Basin and have seen all the major geysers erupt at one ti me or another. When I was about 6 or 7, we were staying at Fishing Bridge when a bear almost walked into our cabin. I was in the car, and my Mom was so afraid I would try to get out. I surely do miss seeing the bears. My husband and I are in our 80s, and
Iworked 47 years as a seasonal interpreti ve park ranger in Yellowstone and now serve as a backcountry volunteer, so this is a tough task. But here are my top three:
1. My fi rst visit to Arti st Point at the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in 1968. It was early in the morning, and visitors were speaking in hushed tones, as though in a revered cathedral.
My family and I visited the park the year before the big fi re. I remember the forest being so lush, almost jungle-like. Then came the fi re.
1943
Local black bear, Fishing Bridge cabins, 1943. we are planning another trip to the park in May 2022. We love the park.
1940
Walking with my uncle at Yellowstone National Park, Old Faithful Geyser, 1940.
Cathy Conard
Windsor, Colorado
2. My fi rst major backpacking trip in early September of 1969 to the wild southern region of Yellowstone’s backcountry. As I stood on the Conti nental Divide, all I could see for miles in every directi on was wild country. Tears came to my eyes. 3. While on a day hike in central Yellowstone, I encountered a wolf pack that had bedded down in deep grass. I guess I surprised them and interrupted their day nap. One big black wolf aft er another stood up, eventually totaling seven. The pack had me almost surrounded in a semi-circle. Not one of the wolves snarled at me. No baring of teeth. No rising of neck hair. No growling. The wolves looked at me nonchalantly, then walked off . I walked over and sat down on a log, trembling and in awe at the experience.
Orville Bach
Bozeman, Montana
Two years later, I visited the park with a group of fourth graders. One of the places we went was an area set up to show how the forest recovers from a fi re. It was fascinati ng to see and to again experience the power of nature.
Linda Oswald
Cheyenne, Wyoming (formerly of Cody)
My dad’s voice had a tone of urgency as he roused us, stati ng, “Wake up! You have to get out of the tent. There is a bison crossing the creek and heading straight for us.” At fi rst, my family thought he was joking to moti vate us to get out of bed. Once we scrambled out of our warm sleeping bags and into the crisp morning air, we saw that he was not kidding. About halfway across the shallow 50-foot-wide creek, a large bull was carefully stepping his way toward us. We scrambled up the hill from our walk-in campsite and watched as the bison bull made it across, then dwarfed our tents as he passed. It was our fi nal morning at our incredible campsite along Slough Creek in northeastern Yellowstone Nati onal Park in July 1992, when we drove to Wyoming from our home in upstate New York. The temperature was probably around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and the humidity along the creek made it seem much colder, but I hardly noti ced as, sti ll pajamaclad, I stared in wonder at the hulking brown animal slowly crossing through the campground. As a 9-year-old, I truly loved these majesti c creatures, and every night at the campground I would carry around my stuff ed bison, pretending he was running through the camp. My older siblings and cousins would laugh and pretend to run away from the bison loose in camp. Litt le did we know that Mother Nature would make that act come true.
When I returned to Yellowstone 20 years later, my wife and I were Wyoming residents, and we have been back frequently over the past decade.
Scott Sink
Cheyenne, Wyoming
Arches over arch – Mike Coil, Bozeman, Montana
January 12, 1995
The highlight of my 17 years as a park ranger in Yellowstone came on Jan. 12, 1995, when I carried one of the fi rst wolves from Alberta into the Crystal Creek pen. I was directed to tell Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Director Mollie Beatti e where in the pen to place the wolf they were carrying. Park photographer Jim Peaco captured the moment I was whispering that message to Secretary Babbitt . Others in the photo are biologist John Mack, Superintendent Mike Finley and, far right, maintenance foreman Jim Evanoff .
Norman A. Bishop
Bozeman, Montana
A young grizzly can barely be seen swimming
in Yellowstone Lake. – Joyce Stone, Cheyenne, Wyoming
Two very disti nct, but defi nitely diff erent memories pop into mind when I hear Yellowstone Nati onal Park menti oned. Some 37-odd years ago, my recently acquired husband and I headed to Yellowstone aft er getti ng married at the top of Signal Mountain. That, in itself, was notable because, being a fl atlander, he had never been at those heights or seen the spectacular views from such a vantage point. His mouth was already hanging open as we headed into the park (on a motorcycle) and got caught up in the looky-loo anti cs of tourists roadside glimpsing and photographing various wildlife. He was already getti ng nervous as we passed buff alo, elk and antelope, but when a bear wandered down the barrow pit beside us, he nearly needed medical att enti on. Aft er all, he was used to rabbits, squirrels and pheasants!
Tensions mounted to another level, though, when we started approaching mud pots, bubbly ponds and geysers. His curiosity was trumped by his fright that, at any moment, the earth below us could open up and draw us in, or explode and send us into the air. I did not dare
In the summer of 1983, as a college student, I rode a Greyhound Bus from Tulsa, Oklahoma, to take a job at Fishing Bridge in Yellowstone. I was a cabin maid, a job that earned free room and board and just about enough pay to cover the cost of travel there and back home.
I was also a volunteer for a Christi an ministry in the nati onal parks, a job that had no pay but many nonmonetary benefi ts. It was the fi rst ti me I had seen mountains, not to menti on the enormous expanses of Yellowstone’s wild and beauti ful landscapes.
Each morning, my work partner used a broom to shoo away a mother bear and her two cubs feeding at the trash bins so we could get to the cabins we needed to clean. On warm days aft er work, we’d walk to the shores of Yellowstone Lake to sunbathe with fellow park workers. Oft en at night we’d gather on the shores of the lake around a campfi re. Someone always had a guitar, and we’d sing folk songs under a canopy of the brightest stars I’d ever seen.
On our days off , we hiked on mountain trails or hitched rides to see other parts of the park: Old Faithful, Lake Lodge, Upper and Lower Falls, Tower Falls, the mud pots and thermal pools, encountering elk, bison, deer, bears and eagles along the way. tell him earthquakes had been experienced in the whole general area in the past!
Long story short, we did not linger long! We did, however, have reservati ons (even pricey then) for lodging in the park for that night. The couple traveling with us, also on a motorcycle, had mistakenly (I think) spoken for two rooms with two beds, so, on our wedding night, we walked into a quaint room with TWO twin beds. Again, long story short, it did not take the new husband long to rearrange the room so the beds were side by side. We were not, apparently, through getti ng a close-up encounter with Yellowstone’s wildlife … suddenly, across our bed runs some animal. Now, as I think back, it was probably as spooked and scared as us, but, at the ti me, we were up and out of those beds instantly, turned on the light, only to fi nd a woodchuck hovering in the corner, just wanti ng to get out in the wild. Oh, yes, very fond memories of a beauti ful, breathtaking area, and so glad we got to experience it on a beauti ful, breathtaking day in our lives!!
Scoop Kriegh
Laramie, Wyoming
My view of the world was not only expanded, it was transformed. This was God’s creati on on a scale I had never seen before. I took some photos (black-andwhite back then) to show family and friends, but more importantly I took mental photographs that remained with me — indelible reminders of Yellowstone’s spectacular beauty and a way of life lived close to nature. Aft er that summer, I returned to Oklahoma to fi nish college, eventually becoming a wife, a mother and a schoolteacher. Yet I always longed to return to Wyoming. In those years, I made a couple of trips back as a tourist. Then, fortunately, 20 years later, I had an opportunity to teach in western Wyoming. I jumped at the chance to live close to Yellowstone. Finally, my Yellowstone dreams to live an outdoor-focused life in a western landscape became a reality. I have lived in Wyoming for 35 years now and have made numerous trips to Yellowstone in all seasons. Those visits have renewed my aff ecti on for the park, revived my mental photographs, refreshed my memories and fi lled me with grati tude for that life-changing summer in Yellowstone Nati onal Park.
Marcia Hensley
Laramie, Wyoming
July 25, 1988
“Sign of things to come” ... On July 25, 1988, it became increasingly clear to regional fire officials that the fires burning in Yellowstone, the nation’s first national park, would most likely not be put out “until the snow flies in autumn.”
This sign is/was at the entrance to Grant Village on Yellowstone Lake. – Robert Bower of the Idaho Falls Post Register July 25, 1988
It was July 25, 1988, and Yellowstone’s Grant Village was under siege by the Shoshone Fire. One of the first pictures released to the Associated Press by the Post Register was of firefighter Gary Wagner (of Libby, Montana). He was shown clutching a hose as he sprayed a protective coating of foam onto the buildings of Grant Village. His exhausted face was spattered with fire retardant foam. The firefighting photo received widespread usage through AP. It moved National Public Radio commentators enough to mention it on “All Things Considered,” and USA Today used it on their Second Front Page. The eyes of the nation and world soon became focused on Yellowstone, as fires burned for
the next two months. – Robert Bower of the Idaho Falls Post Register
Bison in winter
Waterfall
I must admit to loving Yellowstone. Like many “baby boom” families, my first visit to Yellowstone was a road trip in the 1950s, when black bears were still allowed to beg for food from the cars of tourists; not visiting again until after moving to Laramie 30 years later.
Between 1989 and 2022, I’ve spent nearly 200 days hiking Yellowstone’s seemingly endless trails and exploring and photographing its many features. So, trying to select my favorite memories or favorite photos of Yellowstone is extremely difficult. But, included are a few.
The first is a “Bison in Winter,” taken near Mammoth Hot Springs (Yellowstone is a magical place during the winter). The next is “Castle Geyser,” taken during the summer. One of my favorite things to do in Yellowstone is hike the boardwalk of the Upper Geyser Basin early in the morning. Next is a photo of a “Grizzly bear walking in the snow,” taken near Madison Junction during the fall. (For me, my favorite memories of Yellowstone include the excitement of slowly driving through the park, unsure of what you’ll see next.)
Finally, Yellowstone is blessed with waterfalls. My favorite waterfall tends to be overlooked by many park visitors: Fairy Falls. Though located just about three miles from a parking lot (and only 10 miles or so from Old Faithful Geyser), Fairy Falls is secluded enough it tends to have few visitors. To stand beneath this tall (197 feet) wispy waterfall, with a lovely pool below is to feel the calm splendor of Fairy Falls. I find a great deal of comfort
perched on one of the surrounding bench-like logs, taking in this very special place. – Michael Day, Laramie, Wyoming
Yellowstone Lake off ers many diff erent adventures, and not one with the same feeling or exciti ng experience. I started kayaking the lake in July 2004 with a one-day excursion to Stevenson Island from Gull Point. I did not realize the beauty or the danger Yellowstone Lake possessed. The danger I would soon discover on my return voyage to Gull Point. Noti cing an aft ernoon storm bearing down in the western sky toward Stevenson Island, my girlfriend decided it was ti me to leave the island and make haste from open water to Gull Point Bay. About a mile from shore, I decided we were safe enough to show off by demonstrati ng an Eskimo roll. Knowing the water was warm by placing my hand underwater, I set up for the roll. Looking at her, I said, “Watch this.” Down I went. As my head broke the water surface, I realized sti cking my hand in the lake was quite diff erent from submerging half my body. This, I believe, was the fastest setup and perfect Eskimo roll I had ever performed, but when I broke the surface, I was hyperventi lati ng and suff ering a splitti ng ice cream headache.
It is seldom that anyone drowns on Yellowstone or Shoshone Lake. Most deaths occur from the frigid water. My brush with hypothermia educated me about that danger. Since then, I have kayaked and camped at least 15 ti mes, with most being solo excursions on Yellowstone Lake.
What is the fascinati on that draws me to this lake? It off ers sighti ngs that could not be seen when trail hiking along the lake. Deer nestled down, bedding between fallen trees for protecti on from prey; coyotes roaming the shore, scavenging food or an occasional drink; ott ers Kayaking
playing in the water or hunti ng; birds swooping to snatch fi sh; a herd of bison soaking along the lakeshore, or even an occasional bear swimming across the lake.
An avid photographer, my camera is always at the ready, tucked between my legs in the kayak where I can access it at any moment. However, there are ti mes when I would like to pull it, but am prevented because of the choppy water. I am reminded of that ice cream headache.
Kayaking Yellowstone Lake taught me its immense size. I have been forced to make decisions that have become wiser than that earlier decision to impress my girlfriend. I have learned the wisdom of waiti ng it out on shore, even if it requires unplanned camping. Paddling the Yellowstone can be smooth, like gliding on glass, but that glass can shatt er, then every paddle stroke becomes harder, depending on the wind-driven waves, and it’s a fi ght to keep moving or to make shore.
Tony Assante
Bozeman, Montana
The summer of 2018, in the month of June, my parents took their youngest grandson, Cameron (14 years old at the ti me), to Bridge Bay Marina on a charter fi shing excursion. Cameron, like his great-grandfather, loves everything about fi shing and dreamed of catching “the big one” from Yellowstone Lake!
The weather that day was terrible, so the tour guide took Cameron behind the island for a chance to catch something in calmer waters. Cameron ended up catching the biggest lake trout of the season thus far that year, as seen in the att ached photograph! His great-grandfather (who also loved Yellowstone, and a nati ve of Wyoming) would have been proud!
Stan Sorensen
Thornton, Colorado
Owl. – Mike Coil, Bozeman, Montana
My husband and I have lived in Bozeman, Montana, since the early ‘70s. We had both visited the park as children, but we quickly returned and sti ll return at least three or four ti mes a year. We camped in a VW camper van for our fi rst 20 years of park visits. Our favorite spot was Goose Lake, now only accessible by bicycle and foot. Fountain Flat Drive was a paved road that went through to a bridge at Midway Geyser Basin. The north end of this trail is sti ll rather quiet compared to the south end due to the new lookout for Grand Prismati c Spring. For many years, we drove in to Goose Lake and camped in what we thought were established campsites, but perhaps not. You had the lake on one side and the Firehole River on another side. It was peaceful, and we were joined by bison and many other critt ers, perhaps even a bear. We also hiked into Fairy Falls. We ride our bikes and visit this spot at least once a year. It is now diffi cult to get to our favorite campsite due to downed
Yellowstone is my happy place. I took my two young girls to Yellowstone for a day trip Memorial Day weekend 2014. As a newly single mom. I needed some peace. Nature always gave me peace, so I thought a trip to Yellowstone would be just the ti cket. So, living in Cody at the ti me, I had the perfect opportunity.
I had never been to Yellowstone, even though I had lived in Laramie for nine years. My girls and I stopped at the lake overlook on that brisk, blue-skied morning. It had already been a successful animal-sighti ng day as we had watched a brand new baby moose nursing and a grizzly digging for food.
When we stopped, l looked out over the lake and thought of all the adventurous, brave explorers who came before me and explored Yellowstone. I thought about all the life in the park that was strong enough to
Four friends enjoy some quality time together in the water at Yellowstone
National Park. – Debbie Feigle, publisher, Discovery Map of Bozeman/Big Sky/Livingston
ti mber and overgrown roads. The magic of this spot is worth it.
Truthfully, every part of the park is magic to me, no matt er the season. Winter skiing and watching Old Faithful totally alone is special. The spring biking, when the roads are closed to cars, is fun. Watching a storm cross Yellowstone Lake from the comfort of the Lake Hotel is breathtaking. In 1988, I was so fearful it would all be destroyed by the fi res. So many people joined forces to save the structures. I am saddened by today’s traffi c and do fear we may love the place to death, but am also glad so many people get to see it and enjoy it. I do hope to enjoy the park unti l I no longer can and then will ask that a pinch of my ashes be scatt ered in the park! The park is truly for the enjoyment of the people!
Mary E. Murphy
Bozeman, Montana
survive the long, dark, cold winters and bring new life into the world in the spring. It was at that moment in Yellowstone where I found the strength and peace to know — really believe — that I could do it, too. I could raise my daughters to be strong and independent, no matt er the challenges. Spring had sprung in my life that day. The peace from Yellowstone kept me going through the next year as I got laid off from my job and had to move to Utah. This very spot would also be the place where my current, wonderful husband would propose. He knew how much that spot meant to me, and by proposing here (and later getti ng married in Yellowstone), it brought my life full circle. Another spring had begun in my life that day.
Regina Harris
Salt Lake City, Utah
DID DID YOUYOU KNOW? KNOW?
WolvesWolves are are an an essential essential keystonekeystone species. species.
In Yellowstone, theIn Yellowstone, thereturnreturnofof the wolf helpedthe wolf helpedcorrectcorrectthethe destructive over-populationdestructive over-population of elk and coyotes, allowingof elk and coyotes, allowing plants and animalsplants and animalstotothrive.thrive. FewerFewer coyotescoyotes mean mean moremore small small animals animals lik like e rabbitsrabbits and and volesvoles that that other other predatorspredators and and birdsbirds of of preyprey relyrely on on for for food. food. With With fewerfewer elk, theelk, the aspens andaspens and willows willows havehave grown back,grown back, revitalizingrevitalizing Yellowstone’s landscape,Yellowstone’s landscape, and and inviting inviting thethe return of anotherreturn of another ecosystem ecosystem engineer – the beaver.engineer – the beaver.
