Searching for Yellowstone

by Paul Schullery

Combining exhaustive research with twenty-five years of experience at Yellowstone, Paul Schullery paints a dramatically new picture of Yellowstone park. He shows how Yellowstone's "discovery" by whites followed 10,000 years of occupation and use by native Americans. The search for Yellowstone is as vital and unpredictable today as it was in 1872, and Paul Schullery makes an urgent, eloquent, and startlingly practical case for ensuring that Yellowstone lasts another 125 years.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Nature, Travel, Science

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 14, 2014

About the author

Paul Schullery is an American author and photographer. The main focus of his work is centred on nature and our relationship with it. Schullery studied American History at Wittenberg University and Ohio University, receiving his M.A. and B.A., respectively.

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I timed this perfectly -- tomorrow my nephew and I leave for Yellowstone. I'll write a review when I return ...

With this background info in hand (literally) I had broader insight into the Park. And, it reminded me that Yellowstone has often been used as a political tool, which is especially relevant now. While we were at Mammoth, Trump appointed a new superintendent, getting rid of Wenk because he didn't agree with what Trump wanted to do (over-simplified on my part, I know). Basically, Trump wanted to allow hunting of grizzlies, not just hunting but trophy hunting, reversing the concept of natural selection. And, the administration doesn't like the way the brucellosis problem is being handled. (I believe that the Trump group doesn't value national parks and wouldn't mind if they all could become commercial money-makers.) See Schullery's book for more about both issues--bears and bison.

I appreciate Schullery's point of view, some of which I've quoted here:

p 17 on nature:
We now have every reason to believe that what we call nature ... is a far more unruly, undirected business than we can even imagine.

p 99 reference to Kipling:
I have often wished I could go back in time, knowing what I know now, and take one of the standard tours of the park in the early days. Would I react as did Rudyard Kipling who began his account of an 1889 visit with the lament "Today I am in the Yellowstone Park, and I wish I were dead"? Kipling was appalled by the attitudes of the tour group ... [not just the] "ghastly vulgarity, the oozing, rampant Bessemer-steel self-sufficiency and ignorance of the men that revolts me so much as the display of these same qualities in the women-folk."

On this trip, I was struck by how much change there had been since my visit 20 years ago. Changes in the vegetation (mainly tree growth following the fires of 1988), Park development to accommodate the ever-increasing number of visitors, and the varied (and often totally different) appearance of several of the geothermal features. Schullery must have been talking to me when he wrote:
p 122: ... people have a tendency to presume that the form of the landscape they first remember it having is its 'right' form.

Throughout the Park's history, there has always been considerable public and scientific debate about how to manage the Park. Aldo Leopold was among those asked to contribute his thoughts, some of which are quoted on p 168:
The major policy change which we would recommend to the National Park Service is that it recognize the enormous complexity of ecologic communities and the diversity of management procedures required to preserve them.

Of course, I should reference at least one comment about geothermal features, so here it is ... p 218:
Protecting the geothermal resources ... comes down to a fairly simple symbolic mission: no one wants to be known as the person who killed Old Faithful. Of the major geyser areas of the world, only two, Yellowstone and portions of the Kamchatka Peninsula of extreme eastern Russia, have not been massively disrupted by energy development. ...

I'll end with a quote from ecologist William Romme. This is longer than I usually copy, but it's important. p 242:

Erosion of biological diversity, loss of open spaces, diminishment of air quality, and most of the other degradations that we are concerned about usually occur gradually, by small, barely perceptible increments. ... I think that even the extinction of a charismatic endangered species like the grizzly bear probably would occur over a long enough period of time (a few decades) that most people would get used to it rather than be stimulated to take action. My darkest fear is not that the earth's ecological systems will one day collapse; but that they will be progressively diminished in richness and in beauty, and that the mass of humanity will not even realize what we have lost.

That's already been happening for a good many years.

2022
Minor point, but it still niggled at me: the title doesn't fit the book! Ok. Maybe it does, but only if the reader gives enough thought to Shullery's purpose for writing this book. Namely, what's the reason for designating this particular national park? To showcase the geysers? To provide habit for wildlife? To serve as a 'reservoir' for mammals that sport-shooters value? To protect the scenery that visitors expect to see? To provide a quality visitor experience? ... All of these questions are relevant to the management of YNP. There are no easy answers and there never will be. BUT the search is on-going.

I'll watch for other titles by Schullery.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a friend working on a Ph.D. in "Parks and Recreation," and after reading this book, I finally have a fuller understanding of what makes this field so fascinating.

This book is on one hand a history of Yellowstone National Park, but mostly it is an ecological consideration of the dilemmas of resource and people management in designated parks. Yellowstone evolved first as a place to preserve rare geological wonders, then a place for people and their recreation, then a preserve for animals (first prey species, then eventually predator species), and finally a "living laboratory" for scientific study. (One interesting point raised is how little money the National Park Service has actually spent on scientific studies in the park--it has largely been dependent upon the science of other organizations). Modern ecology wrestles with its task of enabling usage of such spaces but also preserving them intact and for the future, often conflicting aims. And given that even before Europeans officially arrived in the park area, they had already affected its ecology, what does it mean to preserve the place in its "natural state"? What is "natural" anyway, when you're describing an ever-changing ecosystem? And does it become part of the park's task to preserve the early history of the national park itself, i.e., the historic lodges and buildings that were themselves built originally simply for the sake of enjoying the park's natural wonders?

Some of the strengths of the book are its discussion of the rise of the concept of an "ecosystem," in which species of flora and fauna are not seen or dealt with in isolation but seen as part of a larger "elegant tapestry." Specifically, the book discusses the rise and general acceptance of the idea of the "Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem," in which it is recognized that the health of Yellowstone is interrelated with that of a much broader swath of land than the political boundaries drawn around the park. Another strength is the book's discussion of the ecological realization that nature doesn't remain in some sort of even equilibrium, but tends to change in dramatic fits and spurts, like rivers suddenly changing their course, fires on a massive scale, and dramatic changes in animal population numbers. Thus, "Parks and Rec" must grapple with nature's volatility and find a way to tolerate it, all the while keeping in mind the more linear nature of human demands upon "wild" spaces.

Are national parks truly the last wild places left, or simply some sort of artificial freak show (a "park")? Or do they appear unusual because of all the damage we've done to the rest of the land? How do we know what is "normal" in these places, and is it possible/desirable to restore that?

One interesting aside is that the #3 most common visitor activity in Yellowstone (right behind "walking for pleasure" and "going to a visitor center or museum") is "shopping," while less than 10% of visitors enter the backcountry. (p. 251)

All in all, this is a fascinating book and highly recommended. I shall end with the quote the book ends with, which is John Muir writing about Yellowstone:

"Now comes the gloaming. The alpenglow is fading into earthly, murky gloom, but do not let your town habits draw you away to the hotel. Stay on this good fire-mountain and spend the night among the stars. Watch their glorious bloom until the dawn, and get one more baptism of light. Then, with fresh heart, go down to your work, and whatever your fate, under whatever ignorance or knowledge you may afterward chance to suffer, you will remember these fine, wild views, and look back with joy to your wanderings in the blessed old Yellowstone wonderland." (p. 265)

[Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

My third book on Yellowstone and I'm still learning new things.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Schullery's book is both scholarly and entertaining. I feel like I'm beginning to grasp and understand Yellowstone's complex history. This book looks at the evolution of the park, and the Greater Yellowstone area, through the lens of its ecology. While Schullery discusses both flora and fauna, he is weighted towards the fauna, probably because animals such as the elk, bear, bison, and wolves have such a strong economic and political impact on Yellowstone's development.

Schullery's writing is fluid and readable, a rare quality in a book that is also a well researched history. Reading some of the episodes from Yellowstone's past, I couldn't help but imagine that they would make great Westerns.

I appreciated Schullery's objectivity when it comes to the political questions surrounding Yellowstone. He dissects the arguments of everyone, from anti-environmentaltist Alston Chase, to the bear-watching Craigheads. Nobody is spared a critical examination. His perspective is more scientific than political, which means that he acknowledges the flexible nature of ecological models. In the end, I felt a strong sense of ridiculousness concerning the ego with which people impact what they think is the right way to manage the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

I'm ready to continue my own search for Yellowstone, and when I return to it I'll have a greater appreciation for the the place.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thought-provoking and very readable look at Yellowstone history. Nicely footnoted too, to make it easy to dive deeper into the wide range of topics that caught my interest.

[Linda Kolko]

Excellent history of Yellowstone

Well written, engaging history of Yellowstone, going back to when Native Americans lived there. Great analysis of the.history of the flora and fauna, the politics of establishing the National Park System and the constant struggle among hunters, ecologists and politicians. Excellent background for my first trip to Yellowstone which begins today.

[Keith W · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting book when it talks about the history of the discovery and development of Yellowstone and the evolution of governmental policy with respect to the park. However, after that, the author lapses into a rather tiresome discussion of all the supposed complexity of understanding and managing the park, a discussion that is filled with “on on the one hand this but on the other hand that” analysis. I grew very tired and impatient with the long discussions of the complexity of the problems and the “tensions” between the possible solutions. Is a national park really that “complex?” If so, maybe we need to simplify our approach to it.

[Rae · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well-rounded examination of the history of Yellowstone National Park. I like that the author does not shy away from the more controversial management practices having to do with the reintroduction of wolves, bison slaughter outside the park due to the threat of brucellosis transmission to cattle, the yearly culling of elk herds, and dealing with the millions of visitors that come into the park annually. The biggest drawback to the book is that it is quite dated now. But this is a decent and broad introduction.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was really interesting. But I was a little confused by some of the contradictions in what he was saying, and I found it very dry, which I know I should have expected from a history book.

[Jane Caruso · Rating 4 out of 5]

a remarkably detailed history of Yellowstone

Great read for the park lover . As a former employee, I now realize that I still had so much to learn

[Julie Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in depth history of conservation and wildlife management through the ongoing evolution of Yellowstone National Park.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is grade A historical writing. Schullery really does justice to the history of the Yellowstone ecosystem, primarily the area now occupied by Yellowstone National Park. I really got into the concept of "history as propaganda" in my undergrad studies and what it meant to paint a picture of a place in order to progress or develop in the name of manifest destiny/western civilization/etc. Yellowstone definitely experienced (suffered?) this approach and it is a wonder we don't recognize it's human history as much as we do the concept of its "wilderness." A great read for historically inclined folks and those living in the Greater Yellowstone. Academic, yes, but chock full of excellent perspective.

[Jill Shultz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I nearly grabbed people to tell them about this book (okay, I grabbed my husband--and merely spoke very loudly with much hand-waving to everyone else). If you care about wildlife, nature, history, conservation, national parks, or the American myth, I believe you'll find this story compelling. Schullery's research is impeccable and he's a great storyteller.

There was a point in my elementary education when I realized that my history textbooks were biased; unfortunately, instead of challenging my teachers, I just started ignoring history in favor of literature and science. Had I encountered this book back then, I would have devoured history, maybe even become a historian.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic book to read for anyone who is interested in the ecological history of Yellowstone. Schullery concisely and clearly discusses a wide variety of challenges park managers have faced over the last 150 years, including managing the elk, managing the crowds and park development, managing predators in the park, etc. Schullery clearly loves Yellowstone as a place, and he summarizes a huge chunk of the research and historical record without overwhelming the reader. I finished the book both excited to go back to Yellowstone as well as more generally interested in the history of our national parks and ecology. Highly recommended.

[Nancy Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everybody loves it but nobody loves it enough to leave it.

The second edition (2004) doesn't seem to have much new information - at least not enough to warrant a new edition. Maybe Schullery was focusing more on correcting mistakes in the first edition than on updating the information. For example, he talks about the beginning of "this century" when he is referring to the 20th century, and says that it will be interesting to see how the "recent reintroduction of wolves" will play out in Yellowstone. Still, the information is useful if outdated, and I like his sense of humor (he called the Yellowstone books that he doesn't like "real dogs").

[Darren Hawkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoughtful and quickly moving history of human interactions with Yellowstone and the various philosophies that have influenced the way that people perceive the area. I was going to write "ecosystem" instead of area, but chose the most neutral word I could think of because the most basic descriptions of Yellowstone are shaped by cultural understandings that filter the sense that we make of it. The book persuasively suggests humility, patience and research as important ingredients in our approach to the Park.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

An historical overview of public perceptions of Yellowstone National Park and the conundrums of resource management that have evolved over the century and a half since its designation as a park. Replace the term "Yellowstone" with "wild nature" and you've got a very thoughtful and well researched thesis on human relationships with wilderness in general, Yellowstone being the icon of that idea.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the most important books on Yellowstone's ecological and political history.

[Nancy]

A very easy to read explanation of the history of Yellowstone. Beats Audry Haines any day.

[Terry · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very informative and enjoyable read. I especially liked it when the author was writing about places that I visited in Yellowstone National Park.