News

So far this summer changes in America's gun laws, allowing legal gun owners to transport weapons in America's National Parks, has had a minimal impact on Yellowstone National Park, according to rangers and Park officials.

Turn out the lights, Martha: the Beach Fire -- which at one point threatened to take out a large swath of Yellowstone National Park -- is now 95 percent contained, as the Incident Management Team prepares to hand off mop-up operations to the National Park Service tomorrow.

The Yellowstone National Park Beach Fire has been contained to the point where control of the firefighting effort will shift back to the National Park Service tomorrow, with other firefighters removed from the current effort today.

Vice President Joe Biden gave a surprisingly personal speech to 100 Park employees, their families and contractors yesterday, saying a Yellowstone National Park trip after the loss of his wife and daughter "gave nourishment to the body and soul."

The Yellowstone Beach Fire is almost totally under control: it's stayed at a size of 520 acres for several days now, and firefighting crews estimate that it's almost three-quarters contained.

It was a hot week in Yellowstone National Park, judging by what readers found interesting. Here are the most popular stories posted in the past week on Yellowstone Insider, as measured by page views.

If you're in Yellowstone National Park Monday, you may want to adjust your travel plans accordingly: Vice President Joe Biden will be visiting the Madison Junior Ranger Station to speak and survey Recovery Act projects in the Park. Yes, there might be a small caravan tying up the road between West and Madison Junction that morning.

The Yellowstone Beach Fire remains at 520 acres, as its growth has stalled and more of it is contained by fire fighters; meanwhile, its growth potential has been downgraded by the fire fighters as well.

Beetle infestations have killed off most of the whitebark pines in the eastern part of Yellowstone National Park and the Absaroka Mountains, as a Natural Resources Defense Council aerial study shows significantly more damage to the pine population that previously though -- giving fuel for the pines to be listed as an Endangered Species.

The Yellowstone Beach Fire continues to expand, but thanks to fire-fighting techniques and a favorable day of weather its growth has slowed dramatically, kicking off less smoke and moving at a more deliberate pace.