The Yellowstone BasinINT1 Task 2

(Yellowstone river, Billings, MT. 6 June 2011 Sara Goth)

Location

The headwaters of the Yellowstone are located in the Absaroka Range in Wyoming

(DEMIS)

Biotic Components

NPS, ID, MT, WY

Animal Life

• Bears

• Wolves

• Bison

Plant Life

• Yellowstone Sand Verbena

• Ross’s Bentgrass

• Yellowstone Sulfur Buckwheat

(NPS, ID, MT, WY)

NPS, ID, MT, WY

Abiotic Components

• Elevation from 1850 ft at the mouth in North Dakota and 13780 ft at the Wind River Range in Wyoming.

(USGS)• 150 in of snow annually• The Yellowstone Caldera measures

34 by 45 miles.• Average Summer high

temperatures can reach 80 degrees Fahrenheit (20 C)

NPS, ID, MT, WY (NPS, ID, MT, WY

Current Human Impacts

• The Yellowstone river is considered to be the greatest trout streams in the world.

- The early game wardens of Yellowstone, to keep the population of fish up in the river and the lakes, introduced non-native trout that were predatory to the established Cutthroat Trout population.

- The Westslope Cutthroat species was eliminated due to that practice.(NPS, ID, MT, WY)

• Oil spills in 2011 and 2015 have introduced harmful chemicals into the watershed.

- July 1, 2011 the ExxonMobil pipeline ruptured 10 mil west of Billings, causing the evacuation of Laurel. 63,000 US Gallons were spilled into the Yellowstone.- January 17, 2015, the Bridger Pipeline near Glendive ruptured. Spilling 50,000 gallons of oil and benzene into the Yellowstone. Residents of Glendive were told to drink only bottled water for six days.

Future Human Impacts

• If non-native fish keep being introduced into the Yellowstone, it could cause the loss of the bio-diversity of the marine life in the Yellowstone.

• If the oil refineries operating along the Yellowstone do not employ more stringent safety and inspection measures, it is possible there will be more incidents.

Guidelines

• Implement direct intervention program. Monitor the fish population closely, see if the Cutthroat trout population begins to regenerate.(NPS, ID, MT, WY)

• The refineries must implement stricter regulations on pipeline inspections and maintenance.

Resources

• http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Billings,_Montana_the_Yellowstone_River.JPG

• "YellowstoneRiverMap" by Background layer attributed to DEMIS Mapserver, map created by Shannon1 - Background and river course data from http://www2.demis.nl/mapserver/mapper.asp. Licensed under GFDL via Wikimedia Commons -http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:YellowstoneRiverMap.jpg#/media/File:YellowstoneRiverMap.jpg

• http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/slidefile/mammals/grizzlybear/Images/00126.jpg

• http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/plants.htm

http://pubs.usgs.gov/wri/wri984269/envsett.html

http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/calderas.htm

http://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/weather.htm

•

• http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/volcano.htm

•

• http://www.nps.gov/features/yell/slidefile/scenics/winterscenes/Page-6.htm

http://www.nps.gov/yell/learn/nature/fisheries_issues.htm