Yellowstone National Park By Annette Boyd

Table of Contents 1. The worlds First National Park 2. Where is it located? 3. What is there to do in Yellowstone? 4. A Super Volcano 5. Old Faithful and Other Geysers. 6. Wild Animals

The First National Park  Ulysses Grant, The 18 th President of the United States, signed the bill making Yellowstone the first national park on March 1 st (Mangan)  The beautiful area was set aside for the enjoyment of generations to come(Mangan )

Where is it Located?  About 96% of the land area of Yellowstone is located in Wyoming. Another 3% is located in Montana, while the remaining 1% is in Idaho.  Yellowstone is 2,219,789 acres in diameter, which is 3,468,420 square miles. (Listing of acreage, 2011)

What is there to do? Camping, There are over 12 campgrounds in the park. (”Things to do”)

Fishing, Yellowstone has 16 different species of fish. You can boat fish or fly-fish, or even just sit by the lake.(“Things To Do”)

Boating, You can rent a private boat or take a boat tour on the lake. (“Things To Do”)

Skiing and Snowmobiling, The park has miles of trails for snowmobiling and skiing, make sure your equipment is ready for wilderness use. (“Things To Do”)

Bicycling, all the roads are open to bicycles. For a small fee you can bicycle into the park and camp without a vehicle.(“Things To Do”)

Horseback Riding, Guided riding in the backcountry is available with horses or lama’s. You can also bring your own horses. (“Things To Do”)

Ranger led activities, The park rangers give walks, hikes and campfire activities. (“Things To Do”)

Wildlife viewing, Is the number one thing people like to do when they go to Yellowstone. Yellowstone is the only place you can really get up close to an animal in the wild. Yellowstone has 67 species of mammals, 330 species of birds, 4 amphibians, and 6 reptiles.(“Things To Do”)

A Super Volcano The Yellowstone Super volcano, also called the volcanic mass was previously measured at 25 and 37 miles. They are saying it is much bigger than that now. (Praetorius)

What is a super volcano? A volcano that ejects more than 1000 cubic km of ash and debris, which is enough to bury London by 1 km. (Davis)

Can we predict a volcanic eruption? There are signs of an eruption like the swelling of the earth and rock over it, and the temperature of the ground. This has been happening in Yellowstone for a lot of years, so to determine exactly when and if it will happen, no one really knows.(Davis, The Guardian,2014)

Here is a picture/diagram of the Yellowstone Caldera. Lots of earthquakes happen when there is a super volcano as well. If eruption does happen, most of the west of the United States would be wiped out within seconds.(Lowenstern, 2011)

Old Faithful Old Faithful is the worlds most recognized geyser. The Geyser was named in 1870 for its remarkable consistency. Old Faithful erupts every 92 minutes or times per day. It reaches up to 130 feet of boiling water in the air.(“Things To Do”)

The Other Geysers Beehive Geyser, This geyser looks like a spraying hose, with a cone shape shooting 190 feet into the sky.(“Things to do”) The Lion Group, Four geysers that are connected under ground, They rumble and growl before each eruption, which is why they are called The Lion Group. (“Things To Do”) The Beehive Geyser

The Grand Geyser, This fountain geyser can get up to 200 feet into the sky, very hot when you’re standing real close to it.(“Things To Do”) Heart Spring, It is named this because of its heart shaped diameter.(“Things To Do”) The Grand Geyser

Wild Animals of Yellowstone Grizzly Bears, are identified with the large hump on their backs and upturned nose. Most people go to Yellowstone hoping to see one in the wild. Rangers are very quickly on scene when there are a lot of tourist around as every year there are to many incidents where a grizzly will attack. So stay far back. (“Wildlife”)

Wolves, There are 13 wolf packs in Yellowstone. Lamar and Hayden valley are the best places to see wolves in the wild. No wolf has ever attacked a human in Yellowstone. They are very smart and you can walk up to them with caution. Wolves travel in packs and will associate campgrounds and picnic area’s with food, as like most animals in Yellowstone. (“Wildlife”)

Moose, There are over 400 moose in Yellowstone, however over the years they have drastically declined because of drought and loss of habitat. They are the largest member of the dear family. The 25 yard rule is strictly enforced with the bull moose as they will attack if you get to close. They can live up to 20 years.(“Wildlife”)

Elk, The largest populated animal in Yellowstone, with over 15,000 currently. During the fall the Elk are the most watched by tourist as they are out all over the park. They are out in herds with females and calves as it is mating season. The males fight with their antlers for the females. This is what the tourist enjoy watching. (“Wildlife”)

Buffalo, Yellowstone is the only place in the lower 48 states to have roaming buffalo in the wild. There are over 4,000 buffalos in Yellowstone. They are the #1 cause of traffic jams in the park as they love to travel down the paved roads. A bull buffalo can reach over 2,000 lbs. and are the #1 cause of human injuries than any other wildlife. If you get to close they will charge you and gore you. (“Wildlife”)

Badgers, The Badgers are very common in Yellowstone, but very rarely do tourist get to see one, as they dig for a living they are almost always underground. If you do happen to come across one they are very dangerous as they will attack. Their main food source is the squirrel and gopher. (“Wildlife”)

Otters, The Otters are funny to watch, they are very playful and you can touch one if it will let you get close to you, as they will not bite or hurt you. They live in streams and rivers and their main food source is the cutthroat trout. They often travel miles a day in search of food and to play. (“Wildlife”)

Conclusion I hope you really consider going to Yellowstone National Park. There are many benefits to visiting there. Learn about a super -volcano, and actually being on top of one, to spending quality time with your family. Yellowstone provides a fun and adventurous place to learn from. It is neat to know you are actually in the wildlife and surrounded by it.

Works Cited 1.Manga, Elizabeth, Yellowstone, The First National Park, United Stated Geological Survey, National Park Service, Listing of acreage, PDF file, Dec 31, National Park Service, “Things to do”, (Website Brochure) do.htmhttp:// do.htm 4.Praetorius, Dean, “Yellowstone ’Supervolcano’ May be Larger Than Previously Thought, The Huffington Post, June 13, Davis, Nicolla, “Explaining Supervolcanoes: Big, Hot and Dangerous, The Guardian Magazine, January 9, Lowenstern, Jake, “Yellowstone Supervolcano”, Solcomhouse.com/yellowstone.htm, 2011

Works Cited Continued 7. Yellowstonenationalpark.com, “wildlife”