Yellowstone Ecology Institute

Q & A

The students of Institute participants have been invited to submit questions about the wildlife and geology of Yellowstone National Park. A selection of these questions will be answered each day during the 2008 Institute.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

• Why is it called “Yellowstone” National Park? Are the stones really yellow?
• What kind of impact does Yellowstone park seem to have on the people that visit there?
• How many acres is Yellowstone?
• Does the park still look old-fashioned?

Friday, June 13, 2008

• What Native Americans lived in Yellowstone? Do any people live there now?
• What are some types of trees and/or plants that can be found in Yellowstone that are not in NC? What is the most abundant tree species?
• What types of bears are there and please tell me about them.
• What is the difference between a Buffalo and a Bison?

Saturday, June 14, 2008

• How do you compare standing in Yellowstone to standing on the beach here in Carteret County?
• Have you seen any animals that appeared to be dangerous or got too close to your group?
• Who was the first person to find out that Yellowstone existed?

Sunday, June 15, 2008

• Were you were more afraid of hiking in the summer than in the winter because of the Grizzlies and other wildlife being out? Have you see a Grizzly Bear?
• What kind of changes do the animals go through to adapt from winter to summer?
• Were the Bison walking on the roads in the summer as much as they were in the winter?
• What kind of names do the rocks have?

Monday, June 16, 2008

• Are there places where the snow is still deep in the summer, what is the average depth, and what is the highest depth you recorded while there?
• What is the biggest waterfall in Yellowstone?
• Describe the night sky in Yellowstone.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008

• What are the requirements for becoming a Park Ranger?
• How many endangered species (animals and plants) have you seen so far? How many live in Yellowstone?
• Have people been attacked or killed by the wildlife?

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

• Tell me about mudpots. How were the mudpots different in summer than in the winter?
• How can steam come out of the ground? Why isn’t it lava?
• What makes Old Faithful erupt regularly? How often does it erupt? How hot is the eruption water?

Thursday, June 19, 2008

• What types of thermal features are there and describe them.
• What sound is made when the geyser goes off? How does it feel to be near a geyser?
• What is the best part of the trip in your opinion?

Friday, June 20, 2008

• What types of thermal features are there and describe them.
• What sound is made when the geyser goes off? How does it feel to be near a geyser?
• What is the best part of the trip in your opinion?