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Enviropreneurs at Work: Hank Fischer

Hank Fischer, a special projects coordinator for the National Wildlife Federation, tells the story of wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park.

Published on: December 12, 2017

Leave No Trace?

[…] recent years had household incomes of $100,000 or higher. A 2013 study by researchers from the University of Idaho found that the median household income of summer Yellowstone visitors was $75,000—nearly 50 percent higher than the national median. Yet currently, all American taxpayers subsidize their recreation on public lands. The outdoor industry may not […]

Published on: December 6, 2017

We’re Not Paying Our Fair Share to Visit National Parks

[…] admission fees are charged, they make up a small portion of the cost of the average park visit — just 3 percent according to visitor data from “destination” parks like Yellowstone and Yosemite. For a typical family visit, expenses for transportation, lodging, and food will swamp the cost of park fees. Truly making parks accessible to low-income […]

Published on: December 1, 2017

Science Supports Removing Grizzly Bear Endangered Species Protection

Grizzly bear with cub in Yellowstone National Park. Courtesy of Frank van Manen / USGS. It comes as no surprise that environmental groups filed a lawsuit in U.S. district court on August 29 to stop delisting of the grizzly bear as a threatened species. According to WildEarth Guardians, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s decision on July […]

Published on: September 23, 2017

Contracting for Conservation

[…] hunting. Ultimately, our goal is to stitch together 3.5 million acres of both private and public land in the region—an area more than twice the size of Yellowstone National Park. Once these fragmented public and private lands are connected, the reserve will provide a continuous land area collaboratively managed for wildlife and recreation, the […]

Published on: September 14, 2017

Land Of Many Uses Or No Uses?

[…] or reduced in size. Especially in the crosshairs of the review were Bears Ears, created by President Obama in 2017 at 1.35 million acres—half the size of Yellowstone—and Grand Staircase-Escalante, created by President Clinton in 1996 at 1.9 million acres—bigger than Glacier. Though his report has not been made public, it is likely to […]

Published on: September 12, 2017

Environmentalism Through Privately Owned Lands

[…] the past 15 years, the organization has acquired and protected 300,000 acres of grassland and hopes to grow the reserve to 3.5 million acres — more than Yellowstone, Yosemite and Grand Teton combined. By working with private property owners rather than against them, these environmental gains are accomplished in a civil manner and are […]

Published on: September 1, 2017

The Valles Caldera Experiment

[…] no one,” Zinke said in a speech to Interior Department employees in March. One place the secretary might look for lessons in innovative land management is the Yellowstone-like wonderland in northern New Mexico called the Valles Caldera. Encompassing more than 139 square miles of high country in the Jemez Mountains, the Valles Caldera’s vast […]

Published on: August 27, 2017

Are higher entrance fees the fix for overcrowded national parks?

[…] here? National parks are incredibly cheap for such incredible and popular attractions. The most visited park—Great Smoky Mountain National Park—is free and a week-long pass to both Yellowstone and Grand Teton is $50 per vehicle. As a point of comparison, Disneyland starts at $100 per person per day. Raising fees could help reduce overcrowding and […]

Published on: August 9, 2017

Private Conservation Might Be the Future Hero for Endangered Species

[…] Prairie Reserve, a non-profit organization working to create a nature preserve that, when completed, will encompass an area of Montana’s northern plains 1.5 times the size of Yellowstone National Park. The reserve raises funds to purchase private lands and also works to obtain leases on public lands. So far, American Prairie Reserve is home […]

Published on: August 7, 2017