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The first task for LANDFIRE—and it was a massive one—was
to determine how the more than eighteen hundred ecosystems
throughout the United States looked and functioned hundreds of
years ago. The result was the very first detailed “encyclopedia of
ecosystems.” Using that, scientists were able to create data sets
(collections of related data) that illustrated the current condition of
each ecosystem along with its natural condition. “These datas-
ets paint a picture of the entire landscape,” says ecologist Randy
Swaty. “They are not only beautiful, but allow conservationists to
understand what they are dealing with.”
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LANDFIRE has been extraordinarily useful to scientists who
are studying wildlife habitats. It has been used for monitoring the
NATIONAL PARKS ARE ESSENTIAL TO SCIENCE
America’s national parks are places where science has profoundly affected the
protection and preservation of wildlife habitats. These vast expanses of land,
which are run by the federal government and owned by all Americans, are
home to a wondrous variety of wildlife species. In the United States there are
more than four hundred national parks, which conservation scientist Ryan Val-
dez refers to as “living laboratories for scientists and resource managers” and
“critical hotspots for scienti c research and discovery.” These parks, says Val-
dez, have a long history of supporting scienti c discoveries. “Their resources,
accessibility, unspoiled nature and remarkable geographic distribution make
them the greatest collection of study sites a scientist could possibly ask for,”
says Valdez.
America’s rst national park, Yellowstone, was established on March 1,
1872, by President Ulysses S. Grant. The massive Yellowstone National Park
covers nearly 3,500 square miles (9,065 sq. km). It is mostly in Wyoming and
also stretches into parts of Idaho and Montana. The park is home to abundant
and diverse wildlife, with sixty-seven species of mammals, nearly three hun-
dred species of birds, sixteen species of sh, ve species of amphibians, and
six species of reptiles. In the nearly 150 years since Yellowstone was estab-
lished as a national park, it has provided scientists with a wealth of information
about habitats and the creatures that depend on them.
Ryan Valdez, “Why Science Matters for National Parks,” National Parks Conservation Association, April 21,
2007.
