Grizzly bear tipping up dead tree near Obsidian Creek. © Jim Peaco; April 24, 2009. Last month, a federal court ordered the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem population of grizzly bears put back on the endangered species list. Some environmentalists cheered the decision because it stopped a planned hunt. But the decision should also give people pause. If the […]
[…] course. Many of America’s most popular national parks face similar overcrowding issues as the nation’s appetite for outdoor recreation surges. In his recent farewell address, the outgoing superintendent of Yellowstone National Park cited overcrowding as one of the most important challenges facing the park. And, despite their popularity, many of the parks face a huge and chronic maintenance […]
Old Faithful Geyser, Yellowstone National Park This article originally appeared in the Los Angeles Times. Yellowstone’s Old Faithful is a symbol of reliability. The geyser’s regular eruptions attract millions of visitors each year. But the funding from Congress to sustain the park is anything but reliable. Decades of neglect have created a backlog in […]
[…] in recent U.S. history. In a span of three months, two of our nation’s most charismatic species received clean bills of health from the federal government. Yellowstone’s iconic grizzly bears numbered just 136 in the early 1970s. Today, the grizzly has rebounded to more than 700 bears. That warranted a decision by biologists […]
[…] than two decades. PERC is the nation’s leading institute dedicated to exploring market-based, entrepreneurial solutions to environmental challenges. Living in Bozeman, Montana, I am lucky to have Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Glacier National Parks in my backyard. I am an avid skier and hiker as well as a frequent visitor to our parks and […]
This article originally appeared in the Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Last weekend, thousands of people in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem took to the trails to knowingly, or unknowingly, celebrate National Trails Day. Many good samaritan hikers, bikers and outdoor recreationists spent their day on a favorite trail with a shovel or picking up trash. National […]
[…] per car per week. His fee would have applied to the busy summer season in only 17 of the crown jewels in the park system such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, and Grand Teton. The park service estimated that raising fees to $70 would have raised an additional $70 million, which would have been […]
For the price of an ice cream cone at Yellowstone’s Canyon Lodge we will collectively be investing millions in the future of our beloved public lands.
Road maintenance required near the Firehole River in Yellowstone National Park Prepared statement before the U.S. Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources’ hearing to examine deferred maintenance and operational needs of the National Park Service on April 17, 2018. Summary Congress has prioritized the acquisition of new parks over the care and maintenance […]
[…] species, the answer is the same: If the marginal benefits exceed the marginal costs, save it. Let us apply this to the issue of wolf reintroduction into Yellowstone National Park. In 1995, during the Clinton administration, Bruce Babbitt, then Secretary of the Interior, released a few Canadian timber wolves in Yellowstone with the idea […]