User:Lgenn03/Yellowstone National Park

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Way before the Yellowstone National Park was created, it was home to several Native American tribes. It is important to understand the history of Indigenous People's relationship to Yellowstone to understand the connections. The land was never found untouched. Several tribes used to live on the land of Yellowstone. The native Americans had very important religious connections to the land. They used the land for medicine, housing, food, and several other things. They lived completely off of the land. Some of the tribes were the Blackfeet, Cayuse, Coeur d’Alene, Bannock, Nez Perce, Shoshone, and Umatilla. Over 26 tribes lived within the park. Some of the trails created by these tribes date back to almost 11,000 years ago. Many tribes would just come and go throughout Yellowstone, but members of the Tukudika tribe permanently had Yellowstone as their residence.

Many tribes in Yellowstone did commerce and mining through a very large popular Obsidian Cliff. This large resource attracted tribes to mine for obsidian for tools and weapons important for their culture. Yellowstone houses so much tradition of tribes. The land has been utilized by Indigenous people since the last glaciation.

The treaty of Fort Laramie established by the US government that various regions of the Park belonged to tribes, however, in 1872 when the Park was officially established, residence by tribes had ended. Park Superintendent Colonel P. W. Norris was determined to remove all tribes from Yellowstone National Park. He believed the tribes would drive away tourism. They wanted to make the park safe for visitors. The park officials stated that the "primitive savages" did not live there anymore because they feared the geysers. Tribal people did not fear Yellowstone, they respected it and had cultural and ancestral connections to the land. There were some rumors of tribes that they feared the hot springs and geysers, died of smallpox, and some ended up in the Wind River Reservation established for tribes. Negotiating the second treaty of Fort Laramie, the Crow leader Black Foot said, “My grandfathers advised the nation of the Crow to be good. How can we be good when you take our lands, promising in return so many things which you never give us?” Shortly after, in 1872 Yellowstone was established as the first National Park. Ulyses Grant signed the Act of Dedication. It was created to protect the land from lawless whites and Indians. Once removed, a lot of tribes faced poverty and hunger. Their way of life was challenged and they and they lost ancestral connections to their homeland. The only time they were allowed to stay in the park was when park officials used their history to promote tourism and they exploited their connections.

Flora[edit]
Over 1,700 species of trees and other vascular plants are native to the park. Another 170 species are considered to be exotic species and are non-native. Of the eight conifer tree species documented, Lodgepole Pine forests cover 80% of the total forested areas. Other conifers, such as Subalpine Fir, Engelmann Spruce, Rocky Mountain Douglas-fir and Whitebark Pine, are found in scattered groves throughout the park. As of 2007,[needs update] the whitebark pine is threatened by a fungus known as white pine blister rust; however, this is mostly confined to forests well to the north and west. In Yellowstone, about seven percent of the whitebark pine species have been impacted with the fungus, compared to nearly complete infestations in northwestern Montana. Quaking Aspen and willows are the most common species of deciduous trees. The aspen forests have declined significantly since the early 20th century, but scientists at Oregon State University attribute recent recovery of the aspen to the reintroduction of wolves which has changed the grazing habits of local elk. Yellowstone sand verbena are endemic to Yellowstone's lakeshores. There are dozens of species of flowering plants that have been identified, most of which bloom between the months of May and September. The Yellowstone sand verbena is a rare flowering plant found only in Yellowstone. It is closely related to species usually found in much warmer climates, making the sand verbena an enigma. The estimated 8,000 examples of this rare flowering plant all make their home in the sandy soils on the shores of Yellowstone Lake, well above the waterline.

In Yellowstone's hot waters, bacteria form mats of bizarre shapes consisting of trillions of individuals. These bacteria are some of the most primitive life forms on earth. Flies and other arthropods live on the mats, even in the middle of the bitterly cold winters. Initially, scientists thought that microbes there gained sustenance only from sulfur. In 2005 researchers from the University of Colorado at Boulder discovered that the sustenance for at least some of the diverse hyperthermophilic species is molecular hydrogen.

Thermus aquaticus is a bacterium found in the Yellowstone hot springs that produces an important enzyme (Taq polymerase) that is easily replicated in the lab and is useful in replicating DNA as part of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) process. The retrieval of these bacteria can be achieved with no impact to the ecosystem. Other bacteria in the Yellowstone hot springs may also prove useful to scientists who are searching for cures for various diseases. In 2016, researchers from Uppsala University reported the discovery of a class of thermophiles, Hadesarchaea, in Yellowstone's Culex Basin. These organisms are capable of converting carbon monoxide and water to carbon dioxide and hydrogen. An invasive plant that can easily be spotted because of its notorious purple color is the Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense). This invasive plant is known to be in Yellowstone and surround national forests. This invasive species is easily spread by wind and can take over a wetland. This plant will take over an area and choke out native species. To eradicate this plant, the NPS uses weed killers. This takes a lot of money, time and people to help with this process.

Non-native plants sometimes threaten native species by using up nutrient resources. Though exotic species are most commonly found in areas with the greatest human visitation, such as near roads and at major tourist areas, they have also spread into the backcountry. Generally, most exotic species are controlled by pulling the plants out of the soil or by spraying, both of which are time-consuming and expensive.

Fauna

The Yellowstone Park bison herd is believed to be one of only four free roaming and genetically pure herds on public lands in North America. The other three herds are the Henry Mountains bison herd of Utah, at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota and in Elk Island National Park in Alberta. The relatively large bison populations are a concern for ranchers, who fear that the species can transmit bovine diseases to their domesticated cousins. About half of Yellowstone's bison have been exposed to brucellosis, a bacterial disease that came to North America with European cattle that may cause cattle to miscarry. The disease has little effect on park bison, and no reported cases of transmission from wild bison to domestic livestock have been filed. However, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has stated that bison are the "likely source" of the spread of the disease in cattle in Wyoming and North Dakota. Yellowstone Park does support hunting of the Bison outside the Park's border. The Park would like hunting of Bison to improve so less animals are sent to the slaughterhouse. Elk also carry the disease, and are believed to have transmitted the infection to horses and cattle. Yellowstone's bison herd is controlled in three different ways. The first way Bison are controlled is they are hunted outside Yellowstone's boundaries. The second management technique is capturing the bison to be shipped and slaughtered. The last management technique is capturing bison, testing them for brucellosis and then shipping them to tribes.

Climate

Yellowstone climate is greatly influenced by altitude, with lower elevations generally found to be warmer year-round. The record high temperature was 99 °F (37 °C) in 2002, while the coldest temperature recorded is −66 °F (−54 °C) in 1933. During the summer months of June to early September, daytime highs are normally in the 70 to 80 °F (21 to 27 °C) range, while night time lows can go to below freezing (0 °C) especially at higher altitudes. Summer afternoons are frequently accompanied by thunderstorms. Spring and fall temperatures range between 30 and 60 °F (−1 and 16 °C) with nights in the teens to single digits (−5 to −20 °C). Winter in Yellowstone is accompanied by high temperatures usually between zero and 20 °F (−20 to −5 °C) and nighttime temperatures below 0  °F (−18 °C) for most of the winter.

Precipitation in Yellowstone is highly variable and ranges from 15 inches (380 mm) annually near Mammoth Hot Springs, to 80 inches (2,000 mm) in the southwestern sections of the park. The precipitation of Yellowstone is greatly influenced by the moisture channel formed by the Snake River Plain to the west that was, in turn, formed by Yellowstone itself. Snow is possible in any month of the year, but most common between November and April, with averages of 150 inches (3,800 mm) annually around Yellowstone Lake, to twice that amount at higher elevations.

Tornadoes in Yellowstone are rare; however, on July 21, 1987, the most powerful tornado recorded in Wyoming touched down in the Teton Wilderness of Bridger-Teton National Forest and hit Yellowstone National Park. Called the Teton–Yellowstone tornado, it was classified as an F4, with wind speeds estimated at between 207 and 260 miles per hour (333 and 418 km/h). The tornado left a path of destruction 1 to 2 miles (1.6 to 3.2 km) wide, and 24 miles (39 km) long, and leveled 15,000 acres (6,100 ha; 23 sq mi) of mature pine forest.

The climate at Yellowstone Lake is classified as subarctic (Dfc), according to Köppen-Geiger climate classification, while at the park headquarters the classification is humid continental (Dfb).

With warming conditions, the climate will change drastically in the next one hundred years. The warming climate affects the amount and pace of snow melting on mountain tops. The snow that melts on the mountain tops will eventually go into rivers and streams. With this change in snow melting it has affected the flow of water sources. The water sources in Yellowstone are homes and resources for many wild animals.