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As goes Yellowstone’s ecology, so goes the nation’s

[Sunday May 25, 2008] As goes Yellowstone National Park, so goes the rest of the nation’s ecology — at least, that’s always been the theory. We’re now a step closer to cementing that as a reality, as Montana State University officials announced their efforts to bring an ecological observatory near Yellowstone National Park are moving closer to fruition. The proposal …

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Grant Village

We are not going to lead you astray and tell you the hotel rooms at Grant Village are high on our list of favorite places to stay in Yellowstone National Park. Truth be told, they're our least favorite. They lack any sort of character; no standard-issue Yellowstone lodge furniture. The exteriors look like they could be anywhere in the northern United States; no echoes of parkitecture here. Above all, they don't feel like they are part of Yellowstone. The six buildings with 50 units apiece are utterly interchangeable and fairly anonymous.

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Preparing for the 2009 Yellowstone Season: The Lodging Challenge

Last year was a pretty good one in terms of visitors at Yellowstone National Park — good if you want to see lots of people seeing the sights, less so if you like the back trails to yourself, of course. Chances are pretty good you could have more of the park to yourself this coming summer season, as a spot …

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Lake Lodge

Back when Yellowstone National Park was first starting out, most of the tourists coming out to see the park were those who could afford the trip out there. That is why places such as the Lake Hotel aren't just humongous log cabins. Lake Hotel was built for the cultured (i.e. rich) tourists who were coming out to the Park. Lake Hotel's Ionic columns and sense of elegancy reflects this (it's also the most expensive hotel in the park).

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Preparing for the 2008 Yellowstone Season: The Lodging Challenge

It’s a beautiful day, the kids are entering their final weeks of school, and you’re finally thinking about that summer vacation. Given recent hikes in airfares, flying the family somewhere is out of the question, so you decide on a automobile vacation. And what better destination for a car trip than Yellowstone National Park? Good luck with that plan, bub. …

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Roosevelt Lodge Cabins

The cabins at Roosevelt Lodge are among the first to be sold out at the beginning of every summer. It's not because of any great location -- the cabins are located on the east side of the Park, far away from the Park's trademark geyser fields to the west -- nor is it because the cabins are nestled on the edge of a lovely landmark like Lake Yellowstone.

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Canyon Lodge and Cabins

A wide variety of rooms are available at Canyon Lodge and Cabins. While they are not especially rustic and can be a little noisy, Canyon's various lodging options are billed as being the most centralized in the Park. That's probably true, and if you want to spend any time from the madding crowds descending on the western geyser fields, then Canyon is for you.

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Back in the Public Forum: Guns in National Parks

[Wednesday April 30, 2008] Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne proposed on Wednesday to allow concealed weapons in national parks and wildlife refuges on the condition that the gun owner has a valid permit for a concealed weapon in the state where the park or refuge is located. For Yellowstone and Grand Teton national parks this means that people with Wyoming …

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Grazing deal a tiny step toward effective bison management

[Thursday April 17, 2008]  The purchase of grazing rights at Royal Teton Ranch was hailed by officials as a step forward in quelling the controversy over winter bison slaughters in the Yellowstone National Park ecosystem, but the reality is that the agreement will do little than slap a temporary bandage over the issue. The National Park Service and the state …

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Lining up for a great fishing season

[Monday April 22, 2008]  The 2008 Yellowstone fishing season promises to be a big improvement. Thanks to the abundant snow this winter, the streams and rivers of Yellowstone will be running ‘almost normal’ after several years of drought and high water temperatures. Last year, during mid summer, the Firehole River and several other park streams were closed to fishing in …

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