Ecological Dynamics on Yellowstone's Northern Range (2002) / Chapter Skim
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1 Introduction
1 Introduction
Pages 15-31
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From page 15... ...
It includes six national forests, Yellowstone National Park (YNP) , Grand Teton National Park, and two national wildlife refuges.
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From page 16... ...
16 Ecological Dynamics on Yellowstone's Northern Range l ~ ' l, MONTANA t`` WASHO~' Greater YeDo~tone I / ORfiO0N ~ ~ D - =A IDAHO ~ I ~ ~~ J. | ' Jo YOUNG I NEBRASKA S 1 ~1~ <~ (A NEvADA urAH Deny ~ ~ Pusan \ COLORADO l Tjfi~cisCo\ _ g~ V~ ~ .' ~ i;> AReONA NE~'ME)
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From page 17... ...
One of the most contentious approaches, applied since the late 1960s, is the policy of "natural regulation." Concern has centered around the effects natural regulation might have on ecosystem processes, particularly in the northern winter range of ungulates of the GYE (Figure I-21. Under naturalregulation, ecolog~cal processes end physical influences such as primary production, foraging, competition, weather, predation, and animal behavior determine or limit population dynamics, rather than hunting and other human interventions.
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From page 18... ...
The northern range, a mixture of grassland and forest approximately 153,000 ha in area, encompasses lands along the Yellowstone River and Lamar River basins lower than 2,255 m from the junction of Calfee Creek and the Lamar River in the east to the area around Dome Mountain and Daly Lake in the west. Two-thirds of the northern winter range is within YNP; one-third is north of the park boundary on public end private lands (Houston 1982, Clark et al.
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From page 19... ...
The committee is composed of experts with backgrounds in ungulate ecology, wildlife biology, animal/veterinary science, animal population modeling, grassland ecology, ripanan ecology, climatology, hydrology and geomorphology, landscape ecology, and soil science. These experts were charged to review the scientific literature and other information related to ungulate populations on the Yellowstone northern range, particularly as they relate to natural regulation and the ecological effects of elk and bison populations on the landscape.
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From page 20... ...
Meetings were held in Gardiner, Montana, and in Mammoth Hot Springs, Wyoming, to permit committee members to see the northern range in summer and winter and to obtain input from federal and state agency personnel and members of the public who are intimately familiar with the issues. The committee is aware of the deeply held convictions of many different parties and the difficulties faced by land and animal managers in the GYE.
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From page 21... ...
They also provide advice and make recommendations in the development of management policy for YNP ungulates when they are outside of the park, where human interventions are more pervasive. Although YNP's natural regulation policy attempts to minimize human intervention within the park, this does not characterize the policies that affect ungulates when they are outside the park.
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From page 22... ...
It follows, therefore, that if the natural regulation policy assumes that all processes under the policy are functioning in a natural fashion, any outcome of the policy would also have to be termed natural. However, our lack of understanding about previous conditions and current dynamics makes it difficult to reject either the hypothesis that ungulate populations will be naturally regulated~without causing Tong-term damage to the GYM or the notion that naturally regulated ungulate populations will cause long-term damage to the GYE.
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From page 23... ...
put it, "tW] e have imagined ourselves wise enough to control EYellowstone National Park]
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From page 24... ...
This has led to distracting and ultimately unproductive arguments about whether high elk populations and low aspen recruitment in the northern range are the effects of natural changes (e.g., climate) or human actions (e.g., removal of predators)
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From page 25... ...
Climate changes complicate management strategies because they make it especially difficult to predict the likely consequences of any human interventions as well as the consequences of not intervening. Biodiversity Context Yellowstone's wildlife, including its ungulates, is part of a diverse biota.
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From page 26... ...
Management of wildlife within YNP, or more correctly management of human behavior that affects wildlife within YNP, has been driven by the view that national parks exist for public enjoyment and appreciation. Thus, wildlife within YNP has been managed to achieve certain objectives for human interactions with wildlife, although recent management philosophy tends toward ecosystem management.
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From page 27... ...
1923-1929 Elk removed primarily by hunting outside park; probably 10-15,000 elk on northern range (Houston 1982) 1930s-present Very little recruitment of aspen on the northern range 1960s Period of most intensive elk population control and population reduction (YNP 1997)
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From page 28... ...
With the rapid expansion of domestic livestock onto western range lands, many viewed wild ungulates as competitors for forage. Others appreciated them for their meat and hides.
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From page 29... ...
By the middle of the twentieth century, there was a Broadening apprec~ation for wildlife among the public along with an increased understanding of the interrelationships of wildlife in nature. This increased interest in wildlife led to recognition of the importance of natural environments for wildlife as well as their importance in providing ecologically rich environments for Americans to appreciate nature through leisure travel and other outdoor activities.
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From page 30... ...
Supporters of natural regulation policy believe that current range conditions are determined primarily by biophysical factors, climate in particular, and that ungulate populations are having a small effect on range condition. Others believe that ungulate populations play a central role in determining range condition and that those populations are now so large that damage to vegetation on Yellowstone's northern range has occurred.
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From page 31... ...
ORGANIZATION OF THIS REPORT To present a perspective for understanding current conditions in YNP, Chapter 2 describes historical conditions in the GYE, including climate, geological, and landscape conditions. Chapters 3 and 4 give an ecological context in which park management strategies are conducted, including a review of vegetation, possible driving factors, and processes related to ungulate population dynamics.
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