Yellowstone Center for Resources 2007 Annual Report

Yellowstone Center for Resources

Introductions 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. During 2007, the Core Operations Analysis culminated in two new branches, Compliance and Resource Operations, being added to the YCR. We will begin to report on their programs and activities in the 2008 annual report. After much hard work, the Servicewide Benefits-Sharing Draft Environmental Impact Statement was completed and released for public comment; 9,600 comments were received, responses were developed, and the final was ready for internal review by the end of the year. Almost 2,500 people used the Heritage and Research Center in 2007. Six new archeological sites were discovered during a survey of park land near Gardiner, Montana, and work continued on developing information about the Nez Perce National Historic Trail and the Bannock Trail. As park of historic road rehabilitation projects, private and federal funds were combined to include rehabilitation of the historic Artist Point viewing area in the redesign of the parking area. In 2007, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem grizzly bear from the list of threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. More than 75,000 lake trout were removed from Yellowstone Lake, bringing the total number removed since 1994 to more than 270,000. Three new non-native plant species were discovered in the park. The late summer bison population numbered 4,700, and 171 wolves occupied the park. The YCR’s partnerships and agreements with other federal and state agencies, academia, and public organizations continued to be critical to our successes in stewardship. The YCR also continued to benefit from the hard work of many volunteers and cooperators. Research Permit Office (RPO) staff authorized almost 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. Tom Olliff Chief, Yellowstone Center for Resources