Save Our History
Yellowstone National Park
The writer and historian Wallace Stegner said “The American park system was the best idea we ever had.” When Yellowstone National Park was created by Congress in 1872, it was the world’s first national park. It was created to protect and preserve our natural heritage and to provide a space for “the enjoyment of the people.” This dual mission has led to conflict as different groups have divergent interpretations of what it means to enjoy the landscape and wildlife in the park. A symbol of the American West, Yellowstone has become a center of debate over endangered species, fire policy, how people should access protected areas, and the role of national parks in our culture. It is important to understand the history of and debate over Yellowstone because it is crucial in shaping policies about all of our national parks. As natural areas are threatened by human settlement, each space becomes more precious, and we must Save Our History.
Curriculum Links
Save Our History: Yellowstone would be useful for classes on American History, Environmentalism, Ecology, Biology, and Political Science. It is appropriate for middle school and high school.
Objectives
Students will explore and analyze the history of Yellowstone, the struggle to protect endangered species and manage the role of fire in wild areas, and the debate over how people should use the park. They will be exposed to the ecology of the park as well as the role of politics and culture in preserving natural areas.
National History Standards
Save Our History: Yellowstone fulfills the following National Standards for History for grades 5-12: chronological thinking, historical comprehension, historical analysis and interpretations.
Pre-viewing Activities
1. Locate Yellowstone National Park on a map of the United States. What is the history of that area of the country? Did Native Americans live where the park is now? How was that land affected by westward expansion of the United States? Who wanted that land to be a park, and why? Research the history of the area and how it became a park and write a short essay explaining this history.
2. Yellowstone National Park is famous in part because of its geological features like geysers and hot springs. Research geothermal activity and make a poster, with pictures, showing why features like geysers occur and how they function in an environment like Yellowstone.
3. Research the Endangered Species Act of 1973. Why did Congress pass this legislation? What are some of the animals that were put on the list? Why were they endangered? Have the circumstances of any listed species improved, and why? How does human behavior threaten wild animals? What can we do to reduce that threat? Write an essay and/or give a presentation about endangered species.
Discussion Questions
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What does it mean to consider Yellowstone a “cultural repository”? What natural features of the United States do you consider important to our culture? Why?
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Part of the legislation that made Yellowstone a national park stated that the park should be “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people.” What does that phrase mean to you? How do you think that idea should be implemented? What problems that might come as a result of that idea?
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The film discusses the history of the grizzly bear and tells us that the grizzly lost 99% of its habitat and population by 1950, when Yellowstone was the only place in the continental United States where grizzlies survived. What was the original range of the grizzly? Why did it decline so dramatically?
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The grizzly bears in the park ate human garbage to the point that they became dependent on garbage for survival. What happened when the park changed its policy and stopped feeding the garbage to the bears? How did this change affect the bears?
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Another species that is part of the debate over Yellowstone is the grey wolf. By the 1920s, there were no wolves in the park at all. In 1995 they were reintroduced, but not after a long and hard fight. What were the positions on both sides of the debate over reintroducing the grey wolf? Why was the wolf population exterminated in the first place?
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Wolves are considered a “keystone species.” What does that mean? Which animals do wolves hunt? What role do wolves play in the ecology of the park, and why is it important to understand this role?
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In 1988, Yellowstone was engulfed by fires that burned a third of its acreage. How had the park system’s fire policy helped to create this situation? What happened after the 1988 fire that surprised people? What is the role of fire in the park’s ecosystem? What is the current fire policy for the parks?
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Why do many people oppose snowmobile use in Yellowstone? What are the problems associated with snowmobiles? How do the snowmobiles affect the bison in the park? Who supports the snowmobile access, and why?
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Research the role of fire in Yellowstone. Make a poster describing the effect of fire in the ecology of the park. Be sure to include a discussion of how forest management policy can shape that ecology and how that policy has changed over time.
Extended Activities
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Imagine you are taking a walk in Yellowstone National Park. Write a story or draw a picture describing what you see. What kinds of animals and plants do you see along your walk? What is the landscape like?
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This film discusses four species of animals: bison, elk, grey wolves and grizzly bears. Research one of these species and make a poster or chart or write an essay describing their ecology. Include their habitat, diet, and lifecycle, and the relationship they have with other animals in Yellowstone.
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Imagine that you are preparing for a trip to Yellowstone – only for part of your trip, you are going back in time to when it first became a park! Think about what the park was like in 1872, and what it is like now. What is the same? What has changed? And what should you bring in your backpack? Make two packing lists, one for 1872, and one for 2003. What things in the two bags might be the same? What is different?
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Organize a debate in your classroom with two teams, either two small groups or two individuals, a moderator, and an audience. The teams should research an aspect about how we should manage and use the National Parks, and each team then should choose a side to argue and prepare their position with supporting evidence. For example, you could choose to focus on the issue of snowmobile use in the parks, or the question of reintroducing grey wolves to Yellowstone. Consider the arguments on both sides, including who makes those arguments and why. Then, stage a discussion with the rest of the class as an audience. Start by giving each team five minutes to state their position. Then, with either the teacher or another student acting as moderator, address questions from the audience about the issue and about each team’s position. At the end of the debate, make sure to give each team time to give a closing statement.
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Instead of having a debate, write an essay about the same issues. Choose one of the debates over the use and management of the park and research it further. Write an essay in which you state your opinion on an issue and defend your position with evidence.
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Imagine you are a member of Congress and you are introducing legislation about how we should manage the national parks, including Yellowstone. What issues do you think are important? What will you include in your legislation? Which interests are involved, and how might those interests affect the success of your legislation? How can laws affect the parks?
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Write a letter about Yellowstone to your representatives and senators in Congress. How do you think they might be able to protect our national parks? Or write a letter to the editor of your local paper expressing how people can protect Yellowstone and other natural areas.
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Imagine you have been hired by the National Parks Service to design a poster to attract visitors to Yellowstone. What do you want people to know about the park? Design a poster that you think represents Yellowstone.
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