Visitation To Yellowstone National Park Is Increasing And So Are The Problems

Yellowstone National Park has seen a significant increase in visitation recently. According to Spokeswoman Morgan Warthin, the park conducted two separate studies in 2016 to better understand why people are visiting the park.

“87% of the groups had only visited the park once in the last 12 months,” said Warthin. “96% of the groups indicated that they come to Yellowstone to see natural scenery. They also come to view wildlife, geysers and other thermal features. Finally, the come to experience a wild place.”

As visitation to the park has increased, so have some of the problems.

“What I can tell you is since 2014, motor vehicle accidents have gone up by 90%, ambulance use has gone up by about 60% and search and rescues have gone up by an astounding 130%.”

Warthin says the data from these two reports will help Yellowstone managers decide what type of management strategies should be used in the future.