The research in this proposal will support a pre-planning process being implemented in Yellowstone to address interrelated problems associated with increasing summer visitation in order to protect resources and improve visitor experience.
This project will help with the continued development of
tools to interpret landscape change, as well as engage visitors in the process of data collection via citizen participation in a repeat photography project.
Phase II of the repeat photography portion of this project will develop outreach programs for schools (elementary, high school, and college curricula) to engage students in the value of repeat photography datasets and the benefits of monitoring landscape changes for park management and protection.
The research in this study will also help the park continue to understand and monitor visitor use levels, visitor behaviors, and resource impacts at the park¿s most heavily visited front and backcountry attractions and trails.
The project will entail reviewing and refining protocols used with citizen science data collection by high school YCC participants under NPS supervision as part of a program that motivates its youth participants to become involved in the natural, cultural and /or historical resource protection of their communities and beyond.