Yellowstone Center for Resources 2006 Annual Report

Yellowstone Center for Resources

Introduction Yellowstone’s unique geological and biological resources inspired its creation as the world’s first national park in 1872. The National Park Service (NPS) is legally responsible for preserving, unimpaired, the park’s natural and cultural resources and values for the enjoyment, education, and inspiration of this and future generations. The Yellowstone Center for Resources (YCR) works to fulfill these responsibilities for the resources we are mandated to manage and protect. The biggest change in the YCR during 2006 was the February retirement of Director John D. Varley, who had lead the division since 1993. In May, I was selected as the new YCR chief—big shoes to fill, indeed.. During 2006, bison and grizzly bear population numbers in the park were similar to 2005, the wolf population rebounded from a decline as a result of disease in 2005, and the northern Yellowstone elk population continued to decrease in number. More than 59,000 non-native lake trout were removed from Yellowstone Lake, bringing the total number removed to almost 200,000 during 1994–2006. The Servicewide Benefits-Sharing Draft Environmental Impact Statement was released for public comment to examine the issue of whether the NPS should share in potential scientific and economic benefits when researchers studying park resources discover or invent something commercially valuable from their research involving NPS specimens. Almost 3,000 people used the Heritage and Research Center in 2006. Park archeological staff made two discoveries of stone used in prehistoric tools and their associated workshops that are changing how we view the movements of prehistoric peoples in the park. The Greater Yellowstone Science Learning Center was accepted into the national NPS Research Learning Center program, and YCR staff continued to develop the learning center website in cooperation with partners. YCR’s partnerships and agreements with other federal and state agencies, academia, and public organizations continued to be critical to our successes in stewardship. In 2006, the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory (a partnership between the park, the U.S. Geological Survey, and the University of Utah) published a 10-year monitoring plan for the Yellowstone Volcano. The YCR also continued to benefit from the hard work of many volunteers. Research Permit Office (RPO) staff authorized more than 200 research permits to investigators from across the U.S. and foreign countries. For more information, readers may contact us at (307) 344-2203, visit the park’s web site at www.nps.gov/yell, or visit the Greater Yellowstone Science Learning Center website at www.greateryellowstonescience.org. Introduction Tom Olliff Chief, Yellowstone Center for Resources