Biology

The Yellowstone National Park

On May 7 , 1894 the U .S . Congress approved a piece of legislation that would forever change how Americans would look at nature and wildlife . On this day the nation that recently went through a harrowing Civil War was ready to do something that was unheard of in the history of mankind and that is to create a law in favor of conservation

If one would think of it there is not much incentive in taking extra care of the environment , even in the latter part of the 19th

century There is still so much wilderness to explore and tame but most importantly the industrialization of western civilization is still at its infancy . There were even no cars and airplanes yet . This means that only a few could imagine the future - a future which will threaten the biodiversity and ecology of the planet . A portion of what was agreed upon on that fateful day in 1894 can be seen in the following excerpt

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled . That the Yellowstone National Park , as its boundaries are now defined . shall be the sole and exclusive jurisdiction of the United States . That all hunting , or the killing , wounding , or capturing at any time of any bird or wild animal . is prohibited within the limits of said park nor shall any fish be taken out of the waters of the park by means of seines , nets , traps , or by the use of drugs or any explosive substance or compounds (Dilsaver ,

. 36

The above mentioned piece of legislation is truly groundbreaking . It has paved a way for future conservation efforts and at the same time a constant reminder that against all odds great work must be done to ensure the protection of the species and the environment

Biodiversity

What could have encouraged 19th century Americans to think ahead , in fact so far ahead into the future ? One safe answer would be that even in their limited understanding of the extent of environmental degradation that progress would bring to the natural environment , the leaders who fought for the creation of Yellowstone National Park would have been moved by the sheer beauty of the place and at the same time the degree of biodiversity present within the system

Conservationists were correct in saying that the region that contains Yellowstone is the last bastion of nature , .unspoiled forests teeming with elk and deer stalked by mountain lions and grizzly bears bald eagles nesting near lakes and rivers fat , feisty native trout in rushing mountain stream and dazzling arrays of wildflowers in lush meadows (Tomback Kendall ,

. 153 . The high diversity in birds mammals , butterflies , reptiles , as well as vegetation that grows in different geographic location is enough incentive to pursue conservation efforts

But never before has there been a greater need to intensify efforts in the conservation of Yellowstone National Park . Aside from the increase in...