[…] local leadership—not just more money—are key to solving our parks’ most persistent challenges. His essay outlines five principles for modernizing park stewardship. Kat Dwyer zooms in on Yellowstone—the park that started it all but now faces unprecedented pressures. Her essay explores how targeted entrance fees and smarter funding models can help Yellowstone endure record […]
[…] long advocated by PERC. The setting to receive this big news could not have been more perfect, or appropriate. The cabin’s back deck has a view into Yellowstone National Park, the world’s first national park. And it provides a view of a historic campsite integral to the creation of the national parks. In 1871, […]
Examples from around the world of creative conservation in action
Time to stop fighting and get smart about national parks
[…] its upkeep. It’s a model of how creative thinking, and a willingness to innovate within historical constraints, can generate new resources and improve long-term sustainability. Rapid-Response Creativity: Yellowstone Floods In 2022, historic late-spring flooding forced the closure of Yellowstone’s northern entrances. Faced with a summer of potentially unmanageable congestion and strain on park resources, […]
[…] something radical. It set aside two million acres of geothermal wonderland and sweeping mountain vistas nestled in the heart of what today is known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The monumental achievement established a new precedent for conserving America’s natural heritage and laid the foundation for the National Park System. Yellowstone National Park became […]
Private efforts to save our heritage are also saving our ecosystems
This special issue of PERC Reports explores the next wave of solutions for our national parks. In May, the harlequin ducks arrive at LeHardy Rapids in Yellowstone National Park. Sleek, steely-blue birds with slashes and patches of white and a chestnut crown and flank, the males follow their mates to the clear mountain streams […]
[…] DeeAnn and Jim Durgan on their ranch in Paradise Valley. The Cost of Living in Paradise Paradise Valley, with its open plains, mountain views, and proximity to Yellowstone National Park, is one of the most stunning places to ranch. But sharing space with the wild comes at a cost. This land isn’t just home […]
[…] digging that hole deeper. International visitors can and should be part of the solution. They represent a meaningful share of park tourism—particularly at marquee destinations such as Yellowstone, Yosemite, and Glacier. Yet under the current fee structure, they pay the same standard $35 per vehicle entrance fee as U.S. residents—or even less. Visitors arriving […]