Screenings currently planned:

• Thursday, January 22^nd at the Center for the Arts in Jackson, Wyoming

• Thursday, April 9^th at the Shane Center in Livingston, Montana

Stay tuned for more screening dates! See the film trailer below. Learn more about the Yellowstone Cougar Project here.

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Ornaments

Purchase

Trekking Board Game

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Bison Water Bottle

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Yellowstone Mugs

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2026 Wall Calendars

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Plush Animals

Purchase

Grizzly Canvas Print

Purchase

Junior Ranger Beanie

Purchase

YNP Puzzle Cube

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Snack Time Chico Bags

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Bison Blanket

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Patch Magnet

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B. Schelling Print 11×14

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Prismatic Chico Bag

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Bison Sweatshirt

Purchase

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It was early June, and I had just come into Lamar Valley to see every wildlife watcher’s dream: the Junction Butte pack hunting bison on the valley floor. We pulled over the car, set up the scopes and spent the next two and a half hours watching the back-and-forth battle of wolves pushing bison herds and chasing the young, and then the bison mounting a counter charge and causing the wolves to retreat to a safe distance. After many nearly successful attempts by the Junctions, and a well-placed kick from a female bison, the pack moved off to bed down through the heat of the day. Perhaps they would try again later, but this attempt had been thwarted.

Although the chances of witnessing a predation event are relatively low, the details of predator-prey relationships in the park are a focus of the Yellowstone Wolf Project, Cougar Project, elk research and the Elk Calf Study. This team of scientists monitors Yellowstone’s predators and their effect on prey. In 2024, the team spent 4.5 months across the year studying predation. They were able to identify over 260 different kills, 211 of them from wolves, and 56 of them from cougars. While these 267 kills likely don’t cover every single predatory event throughout the year, they act as a very good representation for what Yellowstone’s wolf and cougar diets looked like. Of the carcasses sampled, 82% of all wolf kills were made up of elk and bison and 67.9% of all cougar kills were made up of elk or deer. These studies have also revealed that predators are disproportionately targeting younger prey, as well as female prey.

While those statistics are interesting, consider the implications for what they mean in the context of the ecosystem. Within wildlife biology, there is a concept known as carrying capacity. This concept states that there is a certain number of animals within a species that an ecosystem can support. Here in the park, the current population of wolves is around 100 adult animals, and it’s been fluctuating around that threshold since 2008. This 100-animal population size, or carrying capacity, is influenced by a number of factors, including disease transmission, competition with other wolves, and food availability. For cougars, current estimates put the population somewhere between 34 and 42 individuals, with carrying capacity likely near that range.

If we look at the population graph for wolves over the last 30 years, a very clear early spike can be seen in the early 2000s. This “overshoot” of the carrying capacity is common when a predator is reintroduced to a landscape. Oftentimes, in the absence of predators, and with wildlife management norms of the twentieth century, it was common for prey species, like elk, to overpopulate landscapes, and have few ecological controls. This was the situation in the northern range of Yellowstone in the 1990s when the northern elk herd numbered upwards of 17,000 individuals. With an abundance of food on the landscape due to this overpopulation, wolves were able to quickly reproduce and expand their population to over 170. However, by the late 2000s, elk populations started to return to a more sustainable level, not only because of predators returning to the landscape, but also because of a variety of management actions and circumstances. These included a recovery of bear and cougar populations, late season cow elk hunts outside of the park, a prolonged drought and series of severe winters, and competition with increasing bison herds. As elk populations fell, other ecological stressors, such as increased competition with other predators caused wolf populations to slowly decline and level out to the stable and healthy population we see today.

A beautiful thing about carrying capacities is that in a healthy ecosystem, carrying capacities exist such that predator and prey populations become very closely tied together. In years of abundant plant growth, elk calf survival might be higher than normal, and therefore the prey population could increase. This could cause a connected response of predators with more available food in following years leading to higher wolf and cougar survival and perhaps their population increasing. As the prey population begins to fall once more, the predator population will follow. In a healthy ecosystem, these populations exist in a harmonic balance, oscillating above and below the carrying capacity for their species. The predation and population dynamics of wolves and cougars of Yellowstone teach us that beneath every action, every situation, and every population we find in the park, there is a complex web of relationships, interactions, and interdependence.

It’s this complexity that I find brings me back to wildlife watching. Being out there, watching wolves hunt is an experience unlike anything else I have experienced. The range of emotions that are felt when, for example, you watch a wolf pack sneak off with a newly born bison calf can be overwhelming. The pure excitement for the pack, and honestly some underlying sadness for the life the calf didn’t get to live. But, at least for me, understanding what predation means for the landscape, and health of a wild ecosystem, like Yellowstone, acts as a certain type of centering force. It allows me to refocus on the now, and it’s what keeps me waking up at 3:30am to get out there for the chance to see it all again.

by Kyle Wonders, Yellowstone Forever Institute Lead Field Educator

Feature Photo: Lead Field Educator, YF / Amanda Evans

The post Dance of Survival: Yellowstone’s Predators and Their Prey appeared first on Yellowstone Forever.

Most visitors never get to see Yellowstone like this — quiet, pristine, and nearly untouched. Winter transforms the park into a peaceful wilderness where iconic landscapes and wildlife take center stage, without the crowds. With exclusive access to areas unreachable by most, this is your chance to experience Yellowstone as few ever do. Reserve your spot today!

Winter Field Seminars

Choose from a rich variety of immersive programs: photography, journaling, tracking, cougars, wolves, ravens, holiday-themed adventures, and even master naturalist certification.

Lamar Buffalo Ranch serves as the base camp for most Field Seminars

Book Today

Private Winter Tours

Snowshoe, ski, or simply explore the park with our expert naturalist guides. Enjoy wildlife watching, family-friendly adventures, and the serenity of Yellowstone’s snowy trails.

Book Today

Lodging & Learning: Winter Wolf Discovery

Journey into the northern range and Lamar Valley, where wolves roam the open landscape and are easier to spot in the snow-covered terrain.

Book Today

Lodging & Learning: Old Faithful Winter Expedition

Travel by snow coach into Yellowstone’s interior, a region inaccessible to most in winter. Witness geysers, hot springs, sweeping snowy vistas, and the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone in near solitude.

Book Today

This winter, step into a Yellowstone few ever see — wild, quiet, and unforgettable. Reserve your spot today and make this season one to remember!

The post Yellowstone in Winter: A Rare and Remarkable Experience appeared first on Yellowstone Forever.

Yellowstone National Park remains open and accessible to the public. With financial support from Yellowstone Forever, the Mammoth Hot Springs, Canyon, and Old Faithful Visitor Centers have been able to remain open. This successful partnership ensures visitor assistance remains available, Yellowstone Forever Park Stores in these locations are open, and restroom facilities are accessible.

As the official nonprofit partner of Yellowstone National Park, Yellowstone Forever supports the park by directly funding programs that protect, preserve, and enhance the visitor experience.

How you can help support Yellowstone at this time:

• Make a Donation: Yellowstone Forever will continue to support the park while federal resources are paused, and we rely on your help to make this possible.
• Take an Institute Class: Browse our current catalog and register for programs here.
• Shop our Park Store: Visit Yellowstone.org—proceeds directly support the park.
• Visit Responsibly: Be a good steward by following the seven Leave No Trace Principles and remember to pack out what you bring in, stay on marked trails and boardwalks, and respect wildlife and cultural sites.

As we receive additional guidance, we will continue to update you on our website and through our email newsletters.

With gratitude,

Lisa Diekmann
President & CEO

The post Update from Yellowstone Forever appeared first on Yellowstone Forever.

With its turbulent thermal features, rock formations, sulfuric gases, volcanic events, and seismic activity, it’s no wonder some early visitors to the park fancied Yellowstone full of fire, brimstone, and bizarre creatures. Yellowstone is in many ways the ideal environment for dragons. Particularly in thermal areas, Yellowstone has a kind of dangerous beauty, and for many visitors the thermal features appear to be something out of a fantasy story.

Dragons do exist here in Yellowstone. Well, in spirit that is. Some of the thermal features near the Mud Volcano now bear names inspired by the fantastical early impressions of the park. Dragon’s Mouth Spring and Black Dragon’s Caldron are remarkably different kinds of thermal features.

Dragon’s Mouth Spring is located just down the boardwalk from Mud Volcano. Gases and steam are released deep in its cave, creating pressure bubbles that explode against the roof of the cavern. As this occurs, it creates a kind of booming and gurgling noise that is echoed through the cave and can be heard from the boardwalk. The sound resembles the growling of an animal. Due to the high temperature of the water, large amounts of steam rise from the mouth of the cave, giving the impression of smoke billowing from the mouth of a dragon. Dragon’s Mouth has captured the attention and imagination of travelers since the early days of the park and continues to do so today.

Black Dragon’s Cauldron is a boiling mud pot similar to Mud Volcano. While Mud Volcano is now just a pool, having blown away its volcano top in 1872, Black Dragon’s Caldron did not exist before 1948. It exploded into existence sometime before June of 1948, knocking trees down and showering the surrounding forest with mud.

Black Dragon’s Caldron, NPS / Addy Falgoust

I know what you’re thinking, those aren’t real dragons in Yellowstone. I concede, the only dragons with wings that exist in Yellowstone exist in works of fiction. One such story is a book by Kimberly Loth, titled Obsidian: The Dragon Kings. The story follows a young girl studying the dragons that live near her home in Yellowstone. In a world where all national parks are the homes of dragons, Yellowstone rises supreme.

Dragon’s Mouth Spring and Black Dragon’s Caldron can both be found along short boardwalk hikes near Mud Volcano. Obsidian: The Dragon Kings can be found at the Yellowstone Research Library housed in the Heritage and Research Center in Gardiner, Montana.

The post Dragons in Yellowstone appeared first on Yellowstone Forever.

2026 Yellowstone Forever Calendar

The 2026 Yellowstone Forever Calendar is available for purchase online. It is the perfect holiday gift for any Yellowstone enthusiast in your life (or yourself)!

See the winning images and honorable mentions from last year’s calendar photo competition at https://www.yellowstone.org/calendar-images-2026/.

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The post Sound the Bugle: Yellowstone’s Fall Elk Rut appeared first on Yellowstone Forever.

Excerpt from the score for “Yellowstone” by Gene Quaw

When most people think of a library, they imagine shelves lined with books, DVDs, CDs, and periodicals. At the Yellowstone Research Library, however, our collection extends beyond the expected—we also house a small but unique collection of sheet music, all inspired by Yellowstone National Park.

This collection spans piano and vocal works to concert band suites and marches. Most of the music is housed in archival boxes in the main stacks, with one additional box in the Rare Book Room and a number of photocopies filed in our vertical files. While modest in size, this collection captures a fascinating slice of Yellowstone’s cultural history.

One highlight from the collection is the piano and vocal score for “Yellowstone” by Gene Quaw. Born in Bozeman, Montana, Quaw was a band leader who performed with his orchestra at the Canyon Hotel during the 1920s and 30s. His concerts featured a mix of classical standards but always closed with his own composition, “Yellowstone.”

The piece became a familiar sound to hotel guests, and copies of the sheet music were even available for purchase at the Canyon Hotel News Stand. Programs from the era document its popularity, offering a glimpse into the soundtrack of a Yellowstone evening nearly a century ago.

At the same time Quaw’s orchestra was entertaining guests, Yellowstone employees were creating their own musical traditions. Grace Johnson and Donald Midgley, both employees at Canyon Lodge, collaborated on a series of songs performed for lodge guests.

Johnson typically wrote both the music and lyrics, while Midgley handled the arrangements. Together, they produced playful and heartfelt pieces such as “Rotten Logging,” “Off to Yellowstone,” and “Love Began in Yellowstone.” Each of these works, written for piano and voice, reflects the experiences and camaraderie of park staff during the 1920s and 30s.

Excerpt from the score for “Off to Yellowstone” by Grace Johnson and arranged by Donald Midgley

Beyond music created and performed in the park, Yellowstone has inspired countless composers and musicians nationwide. The Research Library has gathered many of these works, including:

• “Yellowstone Suite” for concert band by John Klein

• “Sunset in the Yellowstone: Reverie,” a piano piece by Henry S. Sawyer

• “Yellowstone Trail March” by Karl King, a prolific American bandmaster

Score for the 1st B-flat Clarinet part of “Yellowstone Trail” by Karl King

These pieces demonstrate Yellowstone’s influence as a muse—not just for visitors and employees, but for artists who may never have performed in the park yet felt its grandeur through music.

Curious about what else we have? You can browse our full list of sheet music through the library catalog. All materials are available for in-library use, though items from the Rare Book Collection require advance arrangements.

For more information—or to plan a visit—please contact us at yell_research_library@nps.gov.

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