If you’ve visited Yellowstone National Park in the past
14 years, you’ve seen the impact friends of Yellowstone
are making. The nearly 15,000 supporters of the
Bozeman-based Yellowstone Park Foundation – the
official fundraising partner of Yellowstone National
Park – significantly affect your visit. Don’t believe us?
Consider these facts…
Dozens of Yellowstone’s most popular trails – such
as Boiling River, Observation Point, and Norris Geyser
Basin – have been rehabilitated through donations to
the Yellowstone Park Foundation (YPF).
Since the wolf returned home to Yellowstone in
1995, most visitors hope to catch a glimpse of this
fascinating creature. Friends of Yellowstone have contributed
more than $4 million for monitoring wolves,
studying their effects on the ecosystem, and helping
visitors learn how to view wolves without disrupting
their behaviors or habitat.
The new Old Faithful Visitor Education Center,
which opened in August 2010, was a $27 million project.
$15 million was contributed by private individuals
and corporations to YPF, and the other $12 came
from federal funds. The environmentally friendly
center and its interactive exhibits are enhancing
the experience of millions of visitors, while serving
as a focal point for education in Yellowstone.
Other projects include new bear-proof storage
boxes in campgrounds, the live-streaming Old
Faithful webcam, the Junior Ranger program
for kids and more.
“Yellowstone is everyone’s park,” said Yellowstone
Park Foundation President Karen Bates
Kress. “The Foundation provides a way for all
of us to help take care of the park and provide
new ways to appreciate it, so that future generations
can enjoy its pristine beauty and wildlife,
just as we do today.”
Every day of the year, Yellowstone Park Foundation-
funded projects are making a difference in the
quality of our visit, and the future of the world’s first
national park.
