Yellowstone: World's First National Park, an Eco Tourism Treasure

By Henrylito D. Tacio

Montana, 21 August 2009. Welcome to the Yellowstone National Park. In big bold letters, this is what you will read see at the Roosevelt Arch. The park, added: For the Benefit and Enjoyment of the People. Actually, those words were excerpted from the Act of Dedication, which established Yellowstone as the world's first national park. President Ulysses S. Grant signed it into law on March 1, 1872.

A treasure that inspires awe, for me, the park defies description. It is simply awesome. With a total land area of 3,472 square miles, it is larger than the states of Rhode Island and Delaware combined!

At the heart of Yellowstones past, present, and future lies volcanism. About two million years ago, then 1.3 million years ago, and again 640,000 years ago, huge volcanic eruptions occurred here. The latest spewed out nearly 240 cubic miles of debris.

Yellowstone's unparalleled array of hydrothermal features geysers, hot springs, mudpots, and steam vents provide evidence of the active volcano beneath our feet. The largest concentration of geysers in the world is in the Upper Geyser Basin. Old Faithful erupts more frequently than any of the other big geysers and it is one of the top tourist attractions. An eruption lasts 1-1/2 to 5 minutes, expels 3,700 to 8,400 gallons of boiling water, and reaches a height of 106 to 184 feet.

Tourists who explore the Upper Geyser Basin will notice the variety of mineral formations surrounding its geysers and hot springs. Science tells us that when hot water erupts from a geyser or flows from a hot spring, it cools and leaves behind a thin mineral deposit. These deposits build up as a grayish-white mineral, which is primarily composed of silicon dioxide (the same material found in glass) to create the so-called formations.

They may be beautiful and amazing to look at but the parks hydrothermal features can kill. In fact, the waters are frequently near or above boiling point. The crust surrounding them is thin and breaks easily, and often overlies scalding water. As such, visitors and tourists are required to stay on boardwalks and designated trails.

In the midst of the park is the Yellowstone Lake, considered the largest high elevation lake (above 7,000 feet) in the Western Hemisphere. It has more than 100 kilometers of shoreline with its deepest spot approximately 390 feet deep. With the Absaroka Mountains as a stunning backdrop, the lake is breathtaking. Among the things you can do: boating, fishing, hiking, and wildlife viewing.

There is also that equally famous Yellow River. The current of this beautiful river is very great, wrote Fur trader Antoine Larocque. These rapids, this river, they never rest, Marty Stouffer pointed out.

The National Geographic described the Yellowstone River, which flows from the national park to the Missouri River at the Montana/North Dakota border, as the last best river. The free-flowing Yellowstone is marked by such natural wonders as Upper Falls (109 feet), Lower Falls (308 feet), Grand Canyon, Yankee Jim Canyon, and Paradise Valley.

In areas where swimming is allowed, you can do so, but at your own risk. The park's natural waters tend to be very hot or very cold, and immersion in extreme temperature can be fatal. Hot water can also harbor an organism that has been known to cause a fatal meningitis infection.

Environmentalists will have a good time at the park since it is a haven for wildlife. It has the largest concentration of free-roaming wildlife in the lower 48 states of the United States and the global temperate zone. The park reportedly has two species of bears, seven species of ungulates, more than 50 species of other mammals, 18 species of fish, six species of reptiles, and four species of amphibians.

The numbers of variety of animals you will see are largely a matter of luck and coincidence. During our visit, we saw a lot of buffaloes, elks and deer. My sister pointed at an animal that looked like a dog. Its a wolf, she told me.

Just bear this in mind, though: All wild animals are unpredictable and dangerous. The Yellowstone is considered a bear country. There are several newspaper accounts where people had been seriously injured, maimed, and killed by bears.

My brother-in-law shared this advice: Do not approach a bear under any circumstances. Observe them at a safe distance; it is illegal to approach on foot within 100 yards of bears. Bears may appear tolerant of people but are known to attack without warning, he warns. View them from the safety of our vehicle.

If you have the opportunity of coming to visit Yellowstone National Park, dont forget to bring your own camera. Annually, more than 600,000 people visit the park. Some of them capture memories with a video camera; others use standard still photography; a few use digital equipment. Whatever camera you are using, please bear this in mind: Avoid surprising wildlife. Keep a safe distance and move slowly. Binoculars will help enhance viewing from afar.

Yellowstone Park is a premier national park for its scenery or wildlife. However, its history abounds in colorful tales, too, of fur trappers, explorers, surveyors, photographers, and artists. William Henry Jacksons photographs and Thomas Morans sketches influenced the US Congress to establish Yellowstone as the worlds first national park. The national park idea has become a land-use model for many nations (including the Mount Apo in the Philippines), and Yellowstone has evolved from a pleasuring ground and wildlife refuge to today's Biosphere Reserve and World Heritage, too.

Dont worry about places where you can stay, take a rest or sleep. There are plenty of hotels and lodging houses within the park. Restaurants also abound.

During the summer season, commercial businesses offer tours. During the winter season, some businesses provide snowcoach tours for most park roads or bus transportation on the Mammoth Hot Springs to Cooke City road. There is no public transportation within the park.

Getting there

Commercial airlines serve the following airports near Yellowstone National Park all year: Cody and Jackson, both in Wyoming; Bozeman and Billings in Montana, and Idaho Falls, in Idaho. The West Yellowstone airport, also in Montana, is open from June to early September.

Comments

[Aruna Abhayawardana]

Mihintale sanctuary comes under protection today:
Is it the world's first sanctuary?

The Mihintale Wildlife Sanctuary, which is believed to be the first sanctuary in the world, is today in a rather neglected state. There are no proper borders demarcating the sanctuary and no measures have been taken to protect its biodiversity. However, the Government has now taken steps to restore this sanctuary to its former state, in connection with the 2550th Buddha Jayanthi celebrations.

Buddhism has a strong link with trees and the environment, with the Buddha being born, attaining Enlightenment and Parinibbana(passing away), all under the shade of trees. By paying His gratitude to the bo tree, which helped Him attain Enlightenment, through the Animisa Lochana pooja, the Buddha displayed the importance of trees, to the whole world.

The first lesson on protecting animals and trees was given to the world by the Buddha. Through the first pansil 'Panathipatha Veramani Sikkhapadan Samadiyami', He showed the importance of protecting all living beings. In the Vana Ropa Sutra, the Buddha has explained the importance of planting trees and forests, and the benefits thus accruing.

In His sermons, the Buddha has said that the forests don't seek anything from us for their survival, while generously donating their produce for our benefit. Forests protect all living beings; they give shade to even those who cut them down.

Therefore, the Buddha can even be described as the world's first environmentalist. So it's opportune that we concentrate on the conservation of trees and animals in this 2550th Buddha Jayanthi year.

The link between Buddhism and the environment in our country grew even stronger with the arrival of Arahat Mahinda Thera in the third century BC. On this day, Sri Lanka's king, Devanampiya Tissa was deer-hunting in the jungles of Mihintale, Anuradhapura. The sight of the king pursuing a deer greeted Mahinda Thera on his arrival in Sri Lanka.

The Thera, who stopped the king in his tracks, preached to him that all mammals, birds and other creatures enjoy an equal right to live in this land, wherever they may want.

The land belongs to all the people and animals. The king is only the ruler and not the owner of this land, the Thera said. With that, Mahinda Thera advised King Devanampiya Tissa to designate Mihintale and the surrounding jungle areas as a sanctuary for wildlife.

Even the newly planted trees are under threat today.

Thus, the area became the first sanctuary, on a Poson Poya day in the third century BC. This fact has been accepted by all environmentalists and archaeologists, based on facts in the Mahavamsa and other available documentation.

According to the Director of the Biodiversity Unit of the Environment Ministry Dr. Gamini Gamage, a sellipi (stone inscription) found at Mihintale establishes the fact that the king did command the people of the area not to kill animals or destroy trees in this area.

Going by all these facts which proves that this area was declared a sanctuary as far back as more than 2,200 years, and that to date there are no known records of other wildlife sanctuaries in the world, it would not be wrong to state that the Mihintale Sanctuary is not merely the oldest, but perhaps the first such sanctuary in the world.

May be it's time to look into this matter seriously and take necessary steps to declare it as the world's first wildlife sanctuary, if there are no other claims from other parts of the world.

However, legal protection for this sanctuary was granted only on May 27, 1938. It's on this day that the Anuradhapura Wildlife Sanctuary and Mihintale Sanctuary were gazetted by the Department of Wildlife Conservation.

The Anuradhapura sanctuary comprises 3,500.7 hectares or 8,750 acres. The Mahamevna Uyana, the sacred city, Atamasthana and Western part of Isurumuniya all came within this compound.

However, today, this area has been urbanised and many buildings have come up within the premises. Even the Mahamevna Uyana, where a few trees are still left, is also facing many threats.

Viharadhipathi, Ruwanveliseya, Pallegama Hemarathana Thera said: "The old trees in this compound are dying, and not enough new trees are being planted. Although some organisations carry out tree-planting ceremonies, they don't assign personnel to look after them. During the Poson season, some people even light hearths on the roots of trees , which also result in the dying of trees."

Atamasthanadhipathi, Pallegama Sirinivasa Thera said: "This area belongs to the world's first sanctuary. There may not be another place as archaeologically important as this. We must get together with government and private sector organisations to design a programme to protect this area."

The environmental pollution caused to this area, especially during the Poson season, is enormous. The Mahamevna Uyana, which consists of many trees such as palu, weera, mara and esathu bo, is today the kingdom of cattle and monkeys. Its conservation cannot be carried out only by the Wildlife Conservation Department or the Forest Department. A special task force with government backing is necessary in this regard.

The Mihintale Sanctuary is also a part of the area demarcated as the first sanctuary during the third century BC. It comprises 999.6 hectares or 2,500 acres.All the mountains and hills of Mihintale, the Kaludiya Pokuna, Mihindu Guhava, Ambasthala area and the Amba Vanaya, which belong to the Forest Department, come within this sanctuary.

The biodiversity of this area is high, according to a study conducted by the Deputy Director, Wildlife Conservation Department, H.D. Gunawardane.

It comprises trees such as palu, weera, burutha(teak), ebony and milla and mammals such as elephants, deer, sambhur and bears. Although the area is legally protected, due to various reasons, such protective measures are not properly enforced. There aren't even boards designating these two areas as the first sanctuary.

The protection granted today to the Anuradhapura and Mihintale sanctuaries is very low. Within these areas, unauthorised constructions and illegal land grabbing are very high. Hunting of deer and sambhur is especially high in the Mihintale sanctuary, say residents.

Mihintale Viharadhikari, Valahahenguna Weve Dhammarathana Thera said: "The protection granted to these areas today is not enough. There isn't even a single boundary for this area. Nobody has paid any attention to this for years. Killing of animals and burning of the forest go on unabated. The Wildlife Conservation Department cannot stop this. Everybody should get together to stop this destruction."

W.A. Sarath, the Wildlife Conservation Department official in charge of the Anuradhapura area, said that although their personnel are working tirelessly to protect these sanctuaries, a lot of legal problems have arisen due to the unclear boundaries of the area.

As a solution to all these problems, a programme has been designed by the Environment Ministry and Biodiversity Unit to conserve these sanctuaries in connection with the 2550th Buddha Jayanthi. Today (June 11) the area will be declared as a highly protected zone, and a monument too will be erected by the Ministry officials.

As a first step, the issue of their boundaries will be resolved. The Biodiversity Unit is also taking steps to name the area as the first sanctuary and to set up a special environmental monument there. Steps will then be taken to conserve and further enhance the biodiversity and environmental diversity of the area.

This project has given us an opportunity to display the glory of our culture and environment to the whole world. The Environment Ministry should be thanked for putting this plan, which would benefit both environmentalists and archaeologists, into action.
Nihal P. Abeysinghe