Wild America.... Nature Thrives in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
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Story by Bert Raynes,
Photography by Henry H. Holdsworth, Wild By Nature Gallery
In all too many places on earth, man has altered his pre-existing habitat so drastically that many animal and plant species have vanished. Extirpated, gone forever. Overall, worldwide, the scene and scenario for wildlife verges on the tragic innumerable species disappearing each year, each day, far above previous rates of extinction in prehistoric times. Deforestation, desertization, single-crop farming practices, overfishing, human overpopulation, and pollution are responsible.
Some surviving species were forced to move elsewhere, if they could, or to modify their behavior to exist or coexist within the confines or interstices of their new situation. Come to that, man increasingly is forced to do the same. Yet our understanding of and compassion for wildlife's welfare appear to be declining at an accelerating rate.
Thankfully, in a few places on the planet, for reasons of enlightened thought and concern, or more likely, a disinterest in them or their habitat, wildlife yet flourish in a relatively natural state. A few places only, despite an increasing body of knowledge which points to the need for there to be very large areas set aside for many animals even to have a chance to exist in something like their pre-homoerectus situations.
This is one of those places.
When you visit large parks like Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks, yet buffered from urbanization by surrounding national forests and all together making up the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, take every opportunity to absorb all the scenery you can lay your eyes on: endless vistas and small scenes, bear and vole and squirrel and bison; vast expanses not altered by man; wild animals going about their lives largely as they have been doing for thousands of years, behaving in response to instincts which evolved over millions of years (modified to various extents by the presence of post-industrial man during the last two centuries).
Preserving what you see hasn't been easy. By 1872, when America created Yellowstone as the world's first national park, much of the continental eastern United States had been altered, or defiled. Forests had been denuded, soil erosion in the plains was deliberate and would become deadly, animal and fish species were or would shortly be decimated.
A sorry record, which extends into today, and not compensated for by a slow-growing awareness of the absolute need for conservation and protection. Look ye while ye may at the wonders of Greater Yellowstone and reflect that it could be lost, as it is always under attack, always coveted for other uses. You might want to ally yourself with some of the organizations that devote their energies to retaining or reclaiming some of the continent's natural resources and treasures.
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While it's not possible to return even the Yellowstone region to prehistoric splendor, there have been steps taken in that direction. The wolf was absent for most of this century, man having eliminated and subsequently reintroduced the region's top predator. Its return is to be celebrated. The wolf belongs in Yellowstone, along with grizzly and black bears, the largest herds of elk in North America, bighorn sheep, and over 60 other mammal species.
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It's now recognized that biodiversity requires large areas in which to behave normally: even large parks like Yellowstone aren't guarantees for wildlife, or for those who wish to observe wildlife literally wild...especially when these parks are crocheted with roadways and trails. The effects of a road, a visitors' center, or campgrounds are manifold. Foot or horse trails are major dislocations. Isolation is, except for the exceptionally hardy, lost.
Ah, but what is left is splendid; you can wait until you get home to join the conservation movement. Right now, fill your eyes and mind with the shining mountains, the snow-capped peaks, the blue skies, the play of light and distance in the forests, the animals braving the season. Wild animals in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem require luck, skill, and good instincts and genes.
So, look ye while ye may. And you still can, in the GYE, see various animals responding primarily to long-held instinctual behavior and relatively little to modern man and his many implements. It's important and rewarding to observe them.
Viewing Wildlife
 Many and varied wildlife habitats exist within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), created by altitude, elevational variation, mountain ranges, rivers and lakes, thermal areas, exposed cliffs, and lush meadows, forests, and sagebrush steppes.
Much of the area is protected by national parks and wilderness area, and is semi-protected by six national forests. Even today the GYE benefits from its relative inaccessibility and historically late exploitation.
Moreover, the Continental Divide transects the region in a roughly northwest to southeast direction.
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As one happy result of these several circumstances, wildlife remain in relative abundance. The wildlife viewing is a promising and worthwhile activity during your visit. Opportunities exist for you to discover and enjoy some 60 animal species, including black and grizzly bears, elk, moose, bison, antelope, mule deer, coyote, pine marten, badger, river otter, flying squirrel, a half-dozen bat species, and an array of ground squirrels, mice, moles, and shrews. Over 300 species of birds are found in the region, including bald and golden eagles, sandhill cranes, white pelicans, ravens, great gray owls, water ouzels, harlequin ducks, trumpeter swans (the largest North American waterfowl) and the calliope hummingbird (North
America's smallest hummingbird).
T he gray wolf has been absent from Yellowstone National Park and surrounding forests and wilderness areas for a half century, but in the winter of 1994-95, reintroduction of this magnificent predator began in Yellowstone National Park. If you are fortunate, you may see or hear wolves in or near the park. Wolves are large dog-like animals whose head and body length, combined, is about four feet. Wolves range in color, despite their common name, from almost white to black. Their tails are a foot to a foot-and-a-half in length, and are carried up high when the animal is running. Coyotes are about two-and-a-half feet long, head to tail, and have tails also about a foot to a foot-and-a-half in length; coyotes hold their tails down, between their legs, when on the run.
Wolves' eyes shine (in headlights) a greenish-orange; coyotes' eyeshine is greenish-gold. If you are driving at moderate speeds and in control you may be able to distinguish that
difference and you may avoid hitting some wild creature.
Fish species include Snake River cutthroat trout (west of the Continental Divide) and Yellowstone cutthroat trout (east of the Divide); Rocky Mountain whitefish; rosy-sided, Utah, and mountain suckers; and the now-rare grayling. There are a couple handfuls of different amphibians count yourself especially lucky if you locate many and a dozen or so snake species (it's up to you how you feel around them).
 
Plus, of course, insects and their allied species: butterflies, moths, spiders, flies, and at times a sufficiency of mosquitoes. A caution: ticks are present and active in spring and summer especially. Although transmission of serious diseases to mankind (or their pets) by ticks is still uncommon in the GYE, it has been documented. Take proper precaution, including at least daily personal inspection of your entire body, the use insect repellent collars on pets.
Wildlife observation is not entirely predictable. Animals move about, undergo population booms and busts, are reclusive one time yet conspicuous the next. Some animals are nocturnal or normally active only at dawn or at twilight. Finding wildlife is largely an unpredictable exercise, but if you're diligent you'll probably succeed.
Bert Raynes writes a column in the Jackson Hole News, in which he delights his readers with observations on wildlife, natural history, and other selected topics. He has four current publications covering the birds and animals of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. His latest book, Valley So Sweet, is receiving well-deserved, wide acclaim.
The Grizzly Discovery Center
Five blocks from the west entrance of Yellowstone National Park in West Yellowstone, Montana, the Grizzly Discovery Center thrills visitors with eight grizzly bears and 10 gray wolves. The center gives a real-life view of how predatory animals behave in the wild. Educational exhibits illustrate the decline in bear and wolf populations in the last 100 years and also offer prospects for their return. Videotapes shown daily bring visitors
further into the life of the powerful animals.
National Big Horn Sheep Center
Located in Dubois, Wyoming, the National Big Horn Sheep Center is a one-stop journey into the life of one of the most unique alpine animals in the world. Learn where sheep lurk in the Wind River and Absaroka Mountains, and discover how they forage for food while evading predators. Life-size displays at the center depict the animals in their habitat and explain how sheep survive harsh weather with a sparse food supply.
Dubois Museum
For a glimpse into the lumber and gambling days of Dubois, Wyoming, check out the Dubois Museum on the west side of town. From 1914 to 1946 "tie hacks" cut wood around Dubois for 10 million railroad ties and floated the trees to Riverton. The museum displays artifacts from the logging era, as well as memorabilia from the lumberjack's gambling houses.
Porter Fox
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