What Is a National Park?

Abstract

For much of its existence, Yellowstone National Park spent the winter months quietly under a blanket of snow. Winter was a time of restoration, for the bears that hibernated on isolated mountain slopes, for the elk and bison relieved from the attention of visitors, and for the park rangers who used the time to recover from the hectic summer season. That is no longer the case, however. The park is now a beehive of activity during the winter months. Snowmobiles dash around the park roads, rangers are on frequent patrol to control wayward visitors, and the winter-stressed wildlife must endure regular encounters with snow machines and cross-country skiers. Along with this new winter season has come controversy that strikes at the heart of what our national parks are and supposed to be.