Defining Sustainability in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Because of the normative and subjective nature of the terms sustainability and sustainable development, solutions tend to be applicable for specific regions but not the whole of society. Thus, it is imperative understand better how community stakeholders and decision makers define the concept of sustainability. Not only will greater understanding of such definitions add to our understanding of nature-society relations, but also in certain contexts, this understanding may help to promote realistic and effective decision-making at local levels. The objective of this study was to determine how amenity-driven gateway communities surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National parks define, conceptualize, and perceive sustainability, and if those perceptions varied between time in residence, community of origin, or role within the community. Thirty-five key informant interviews were conducted with decision makers within the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem to meet the study objectives. Throughout study communities, definitions of sustainability focused on the environment, the economy, and multi-generational thinking, and it is believed that these similarities can be the starting point for communication and collaboration among gateway communities, the long-term sustainability of their individual communities, and the collective resource upon which they all depend, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

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Embedded in Nature: Challenges to Sustainability in Communities of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su11051459 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1459 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ryan Bergstrom ◽

Lisa Harrington

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Local Community ◽

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽

Community Members ◽

Human Environment ◽

Sustainable Community Development ◽

Effective Decision ◽

Greater Yellowstone ◽

Effective Decision Making

Solutions to sustainability transitions tend to be applicable for specific regions but not the whole of society. Limitations on what may be sustained also exist, and preferences will vary among people in different places. Because of these differences, there is a need for better understanding of the perceptions and experiences of local community members and the challenges they face in the transition toward sustainability to promote realistic and effective decision-making. As a region with significant natural resource protections, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem has been known to researchers for decades as an ideal location to study human-environment interactions. The objective of this study was to determine the challenges to sustainable community development and natural resource management identified by residents of communities surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. Thirty-two key informant interviews were conducted with decision-makers, with a focus on the communities of Red Lodge and West Yellowstone, Montana, and Jackson, Wyoming. Findings suggest that primary challenges include the seasonality of the tourist industry, disparities between agricultural and tourism-dependent priorities, and the implementation of stated sustainability goals. Challenges differ based on communities’ socio-economic conditions, dependence on tourism and recreation-based industries, and the influence of local and extra-local institutions.

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Status, Distribution, and Management of Mountain Goats in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.1988.2747 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 12 ◽

pp. 193-198

Author(s):

John Laundre

Keyword(s):

North America ◽

National Parks ◽

National Forests ◽

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽

Western North America ◽

Oreamnos Americanus ◽

Mountain Ranges ◽

Mountain Goats ◽

Greater Yellowstone

Mountain goats ( Oreamnos americanus) are indigenous to western North America but are not native to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Recent introductions of mountain goats at several sites in National Forests surrounding Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks have brought them to the area. The introductions have been successful and goat populations are increasing. Goats are now reported to be in most mountain ranges surrounding the Parks and occasional sightings are reported within the Parks.

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Ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem Field Research and Conservation

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2011.3829 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 33 ◽

pp. 231-231

Author(s):

Scott Carleton

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

Field Research ◽

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽

Greater Yellowstone

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Status, Distribution, and Management of Mountain Goats in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.1990.2915 ◽

1990 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 139-139

Author(s):

John Laundre

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

Current Distribution ◽

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽

Field Surveys ◽

Oreamnos Americanus ◽

Resource Managers ◽

Mountain Goats ◽

Greater Yellowstone ◽

Potential Impact ◽

Available Information

Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus) are not thought to be historic natives to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. They occurred in the area before 10,000 B.P. but all evidence indicates they were extirpated from the area by the time Europeans arrived. The Idaho Department of Fish and Game and the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks introduced goats into the area in the mid 1900's. Goats have expanded in numbers and range and are occasionally seen within Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks. There is concern that their presence in the Parks might negatively impact native plants and animals. This study assessed the current distribution of mountain goats and their potential impact on fauna and flora of the Parks. The current distribution of mountain goats in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem was determined by consulting area resource managers, perusing sighting records, and conducting field surveys. The potential impact of goats on the fauna and flora of Yellowstone and Grand Teton Parks was assessed by compiling all available information on mountain goat behavior and ecology.

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Ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2011.3897 ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 34 ◽

pp. 195-195

Author(s):

Scott Carleton

Keyword(s):

Species Composition ◽

National Parks ◽

Life Histories ◽

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽

Data Sets ◽

Individual Tree ◽

Successional Stages ◽

Greater Yellowstone

During June, 2010 six wildlife students from Laramie, WY traveled to Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks for a 10 day course on the Ecology of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. The course focused on the vegetation, animals, geology, and management challenges concerning the parks. For each of the components, a student gave a brief introduction to the class on the topic we would be exploring that day. Students learned to identify trees using dichotomous keys and then spent the day in the field performing vegetation transects in recently burned to mature forests within the parks. Students then used their data sets to make inferences into species composition and the process of succession across the landscape. Students learned about individual tree life histories. including the role of serotiny in early forest successional stages following a fire.

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Spatial and Temporal Patterns in Post-Fire Nitrogen Dynamics of Lodgepole Pine Forests in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

The UW National Parks Service Research Station Annual Reports ◽

10.13001/uwnpsrc.2001.3485 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 25 ◽

pp. 149-150

Author(s):

Monica Turner ◽

William Romme ◽

Daniel Tinker

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

Ecosystem Processes ◽

Landscape Patterns ◽

Spatial And Temporal Variation ◽

Limiting Factor ◽

Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem ◽

Spatial And Temporal Patterns ◽

Research Attention ◽

Greater Yellowstone

Our study addresses the effects of fireÂgenerated landscape patterns, or variability in structure and composition of successional forest communities, on ecosystem processes such as biogeochemical cycling and productivity. Forest fire is a well-studied disturbance, yet little is known about the long-term implications of a fire-generated landscape mosaic for ecosystem processes. In particular, the dynamics of nitrogen turnover, availability, and sequestration following standÂreplacing fire in conifer forests, has received surprisingly little research attention, even though nitrogen is thought to be a limiting factor in most coniferous forests (Smithwick et al. in press). Our current work in Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks builds on our previous and continuing long-term studies of the causes and consequences of fire in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (Turner et al. 2003). The fires of 2000 provided new opportunities for studying spatial and temporal variation in ecosystem processes soon after severe disturbances and how these patterns develop and change through time.

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Research for a sustainable European sugar sector

Sugar Industry ◽

10.36961/si10151 ◽

2010 ◽

pp. 487-495

Author(s):

Martin Bruhns ◽

Peter Glaviè ◽

Arne Sloth Jensen ◽

Michael Narodoslawsky ◽

Giorgio Pezzi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sugar Industry ◽

Research Priorities ◽

Decision Makers ◽

Sustainable Chemistry ◽

Technology Platforms ◽

Research Themes ◽

Starting Point ◽

Manufacturing Applications ◽

European Technology

The paper is based on the results of international project entitled “Towards Sustainable Sugar Industry in Europe (TOSSIE)”. 33 research topics of major importance to the sugar sector are listed and briefly described, and compared with research priorities of the European Technology Platforms: “Food for Life”, “Sustainable Chemistry”, “Biofuels”, and “Plant for the Future”. Most topics are compatible with the research themes included in the COOPERATION part of the 7th Framework Program of the EU (2007-2013). However, some topics may require long-term R&D with the time horizon of up to 15 years. The list of topics is divided into four parts: Sugar manufacturing, Applications of biotechnology and biorefinery processing, Sugarbeet breeding and growing, Horizontal issues. Apart from possible use of the list by policy- and decision makers with an interest in sugarbeet sector, the description of each research topic can be used as a starting point in setting up a research project or other R&D activities.

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