The National Parks Service is celebrating the 150th anniversary of the establishment of its first national park.
President Ulysses S. Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act March 1, 1872, and established Yellowstone National Park as the nation's first national park, according to a news release on the Yellowstone Forever website.
"Today we celebrate the 150th birthday of Yellowstone National Park," Director of the National Park Service Chuck Sams said. "For nearly seven generations now, the American people and our guests have been able to experience the beauty and majesty of Old Faithful, Minerva Terrace, Morning Glory Pool, the Grand Prismatic Spring and the Yellowstone River and marvel at the bison, wolves, elk, wildflowers and many other breathtaking sites.
"We also celebrate something much bigger than the park itself — the beginning of the national park idea, an idea that spread through the country and around the world, inspiring governments to protect natural and cultural treasures 'for the benefit and enjoyment of the people," Sams added. "I’ve been lucky enough to visit several times and proud to share with my family our special connection to these lands."
Yellowstone spans three states. According to a CNN report, 96 percent of the park is in Wyoming, while 3 percent is in Montana and 1 percent is in Idaho.
There are more than 10,000 hydrothermal features within Yellowstone National Park, and this may be up to half of the world's hydrothermal features, according to the U.S. Department of the Interior. These include geysers, hot springs, mudpots, fumaroles and travertine terraces.
"So much of what most Americans call 'wilderness,' American Indians call home," Sams said. "Indigenous people served as the original stewards of these lands, understanding that the natural resources of land, water, air, flora and fauna allowed humans not only to survive but to thrive. This connection to the land has driven me in my lifetime commitment to stewardship."
From May through September, the Yellowstone Forever group will host a Tribal Heritage Center at the park at the Haynes Photo Shop at Old Faithful. This public space will allow Native American artists, scholars and presenters to engage with park visitors.
