Yellowstone National Park was consecrated as such on March 1, 1872. In 1886 the Secretary of the Interior comes to realize the hopelessness of trying to keep opportunists from ruining the Park in the face of recent Park superintendents who appeared unconcerned about vandalism and poaching. The Interior department asks the US Army to intervene, and Yellowstone came under military jurisdiction, which gradually brought order back into the Park.
By the 1970's attention began slowly turning from viewing Yellowstone National Park as a recreational playground to viewing Yellowstone National Park as an ecological treasure which needed to be preserved and protected for future generations. The awareness of the fragile nature of Yellowstone National Parks resources and a growing awareness of the connectedness of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem began in the previous two decades, but the 1970s witnessed the implementation of more steps to restore ecological balance in the Park and protect the Park from the ill effects of human interaction, while at the same time not discouraging human visitation.
Today Yellowstone National Park has overcome its worst fire season ("The Fires of 1988" burned some 1.4 million acres in the Yellowstone ecosystem between June and October. 25,000 firefighters and $120 million dollars were unable to stop the massive flames. Early winter snows finally extinguished the flames), the disease of wildlife, human carelessness, and threats of wildlife extinction. Most immediately Yellowstone National Park is struggling against a government that continues a campaign to weaken the nation's environmental laws and protections. However, Yellowstone National Park is visited yearly by millions coming to get a little bit of rest and renewal of both body and mind.
Visit Yellowstone today to get you own taste of why this park has become protected land. For more information and to make lodging reservations at Yellowstone log on to: www.nationalparkreservations.com or call toll free at: 855.866.1913.