May 13th, 2016 § Comments Off on How does the economy influence behavior adaptation and disease fluctuation within the Yellowstone herds? § permalink
Elk are one of the many types of wildlife in the greater Yellowstone area. Tourists come from all over to observe and learn about the wildlife. It has been accounted that 93% of tourists come to see the wildlife. The elk population is one of the most plentiful and is seen most often making the Elk one of the most economic incomes. Elk viewing and hunting has become a huge part of the economy for the greater Yellowstone area, but when cattle and elks cross paths, the elks are displaced and cannot thrive, therefore affecting the economy.
States that have an over abundance of Elk allow for the removal of a predetermined amount of Elk per season. Hunters and Hunting outfitters are in a position to obtain significant economic gain each season. Hunters and outfitters provide economic input into the economic system that surrounds the Yellowstone National Park. Money that is spent on hunting of Elk involves tag prices, gear prices, and other miscellaneous rental, room and board, and various other fees. Gardiner, Montana thrives on the economic fluxes associated with Elk hunting and Outfitting. But as the harvesting of mature buck trophy elks are declining so is the economic input into economies such as those in Gardiner and surrounding towns suffer.
Elk behavior has had to go through several changes over the past few years with the integration of wolves and hunters. Their travel patterns have changed quite a bit because of this. Blacktail is a good area for elk to gather but also has plenty of hunters so elk will not go in that area because of it. Madison valley provides a safe passage for elk so it is more likely that they would go this way. Their Northern route is riddled with wolves so that would be the area where the elk population becomes thinned out.
Brucellosis is a contagious bacterial disease that originated in livestock. Both Elk and Bison have been exposed to the disease in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The prevalence of the disease in Elk should be fairly low, but with the presence of about twenty-two feedgrounds in Wyoming, the high density of Elk have been known to carry high densities of the disease. The transmission of the disease from feedground Elk is known to be the cause of recent infections of Wyoming cattle.
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For the benefit and enjoyment of the people; who are the people benefiting and enjoying Yellowstone National Park?
Demographics of the United States:
Maptitude Mapping Software
With 323,543,308 people in the United States as of May 2016, why did only 4,095,317 people visit the park in 2015? Is it a question of money, time, physical inability, health issues, weather, distance, or do people just not want to visit America’s First National Park? With an entrance fee anywhere from fifteen to thirty dollars, it’s not an entrance fee that will break the bank for people in surrounding states that are only a short drive away. But still, people in surrounding states such as Montana, Utah, Idaho, South Dakota, and Nebraska have never traveled into the boundaries of Yellowstone. California being the leading state population of 40 million people in The United States and only two states away from Wyoming, you’d think there would be more visitors to the park each year. The typical U.S. worker at a private company gets 10 days of paid vacation and six paid holidays per year, why isn’t the typical U.S. worker using those days to go to Yellowstone? Who is the typical American?
Obstacles are one of the main factors that play into individuals visiting Yellowstone National Park. Accessibility to the park isn’t always ideal either. Many individuals are effected by issues such as limited wheelchair access areas, impaired hearing and vision, overall health issues, and much more. As described by the National Park Services, “Extra obstacles will be encountered because of the remote, wilderness nature of this special place”. In addition to physical barriers that could prevent individuals from visiting the park, money and phobias can factor in as an obstacle as well. The fee to enter the park is varied by vehicle and the amount of people per vehicle. If you are a private, non- commercial vehicle it’s 30 dollars, motorcycle or snowmobile is 25 dollars, individuals by foot, or bicycle is 15 dollars per person under 16 and 20 dollars per person older than 16. The entrance fee is for a seven – day pass. For commercial tour buses, 1-6 seats are 25 dollars with an additional 15 dollars per person. A van with 7-15 seats is 125 dollars, a mini bus with 16-25 seats is 200 dollars, and a motor coach with 26 or more seats is 300 dollars. With the National Park being 3,472 square miles, someone with a walking disability is going to have a much harder time getting around the park. Having a phobia could also prevent an individual from coming to the park whether their phobia is the fear of flying from state to state, driving across the country, being at extreme heights and altitudes, or just an overall increased anxiety from a lack of safety in a different environment. Regardless of whether it’s a physical, materialistic, or emotional obstacle there are multiple obstacles that can prevent someone from experiencing the beauty and adventure that Yellowstone National Park has to hold.
