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October, 2005
Ever-Changing Yellowstone

John Colter explored much of the Yellowstone Country after hearing of it on the return trip with William Clark during the Lewis and Clark expedition. He brought back to the East tales of gigantic fuming geysers and sulphurous-smelling mud pots, leading his doubters to label Yellowstone "Colter's Hell." But more credible accounts, most notably by the early U. S. Geological Survey, led by F. V. Hayden, verified Colter's accounts and led to the creation of the world's first national park, one of the untarnished gems of our American heritage. Old Faithful, pictured at left in an evening shot of the beginning of an eruption, has become the symbol of the enduring nature of Yellowstone.

Certainly some parts of Yellowstone seem timeless, like the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone River. But a closer look reveals the tell-tale red color of hot springs on the canyon walls. The hot acidic water quickly tears apart the weak volcanic rock, sending large pieces into the roiling river below.

Yellowstone's historic buildings, like the Old Faithful Inn, were built in such a way that it's hard to imagine the park without them. But 1988's record wildfires nearly took some of these classic structures.

Some things, of course, like these blue gentians, are renewed every summer.

But things that seem to be written in stone are often quite changeable. This mound of travertine at Mammoth Hot Springs gradually swallowed up a small tree, just the top of which is still visible. (Travertine is formed when hot, acidic water flows over layers of calcium-rich limestone. When the water flows out of the ground, the water cools and deposits the calcium into mounds and terraces that cover the entire mountainside.) This mound, though, is one of the few springs still active in the area and many of the formerly beautiful terraced springs are now dry and gray.

One of my disappointments on my latest trip to Yellowstone was to find that one of the most beautiful hot springs at Mammoth had changed course. But I discovered something more interesting that you can see in this indistinct photo: fresh green grass, still growing, is already being petrified by the mineral waters.

Not all of the changes in Yellowstone are natural. At left above is a picture of Fishing Bridge, which for decades held a thicket of fishing poles, the park visitors hoping to snag one of the brown trout spawning in the headwaters of the Yellowstone River. But park officials eventually realized that not enough fish were completing the spawning, meaning the fish populations plummeted. As the fish disappeared, so did the native white pelicans which feed on them. Now, despite the irony, fishing is no longer allowed from Fishing Bridge but the fish, and the pelicans, have returned.

This doesn't look like much of a picture, but it sure looks good to me. That little black spot in the center is actually a black bear. And this is the perfect way to see one: from a distance. When I was a kid, my folks brought me to the park and we saw over 60 bears, many of which would approach the cars and beg for hand-outs. Unfortunately, many people got hurt and many of the bears had to be destroyed.

Now, of course, visitors are forbidden by law from feeding any of the park's animals. (At least, most animals. After all, one never really hikes alone. There's always that familiar whine beside your ear, followed by a slapping sound. Skeeters are as unavoidable as death and taxes, and a lot more frequent. And it's only the females who go after you, seeking the proteins in your blood they need in order to produce eggs and launch another season of misery for hikers. And after the blood-suckers are satisfied, they immediately fly the scene, leaving you irritated and with an itch that you just can't quite scratch. And still you keep coming back. . .But I digress.) Anyway, watch out for the bears.

Not all the wildlife is so irksome. This bull elk peacefully munches the lush foliage all around, storing up essential fat reserves to survive the long hard winters. But visitors often don't realize how dangerous these vegetarians can be.

The poster child of these dangerous vegetarians is the bison, which accounts for most of the animal-caused injuries in the parks of the West. This big bull steams as an early July frost melts in the warm morning sun.

Most of the time these large, powerful animals relax in small herds in their pastures, keeping the calves far from the roads and the photographer. This photo was taken from quite a distance away using a telephoto lens.

I was lucky enough to get caught in a traffic jam waiting for a bison herd to cross the road. Even with my sturdy Volvo between me and the large bulls, I still drew away when they walked by. But it gave me a rare chance to get a close look at these majestic creatures.

Once present in herds of millions, bison almost disappeared in just 50 years. Yellowstone and Teton National Parks offered a refuge. One thing that really struck me was the surprising variation between individuals, like the different angles of the horns at left, a sign of healthy genetic diversity.

The bison isn't the only symbol of America that is thriving in Yellowstone. Bald eagles, once severely threatened by the widespread use of the now-banned insecticide DDT that weakened the shells of their eggs, have made a heartening come-back in recent years. This immature eagle waits by its nest for the return of its parents. Park officials cordoned off the nearby road to prevent the crowds of well-wishers from disturbing the eagles during this sensitive time.

One of the creatures of Yellowstone that has received the least respect, though, is the lowly bacterium. Thriving in conditions intolerable to other forms of life, these colorful, adaptable microbes give us a view of the inside of our planet and of the origins of life. And, in an exclusive, unprecedented display, I've discovered they also have an artistic side. To see my photos, click here.

Despite the ever-changing nature of Yellowstone, there is a timeless quality to the place that endures beyond the fires, the earthquakes, and the increasing tide of human presence. The world's first national park remains one of the world's very best.

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