The road is quiet at this hour in the morning, all the tourists are
asleep or gone. It's just us and the bison, covered in a thin layer of
frost, alongside the road. Suddenly, the road is invisible and we are
surrounded by clouds and fog. A stench of rotten eggs fills the air in
the car. I'ts an ordinary morning at work in Yellowstone National Park.

From August 1^st^ till Oktober 26^th^ 2007 I have been working as a SCA
volunteer, for Fisheries in Yellowstone National Park.

The main aim for the Fisheries staff in the park is the conservation of
the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout, one of the park's native fish species.
It's important to protect this species, because at least 42 species are
dependent on the Yellowstone Cutthroat Trout. This makes this specific
trout a key species. The research of Fisheries focuses on three main
topics.

1.  Preservation of Yellowstone Lake Cutthroat Trout by means of
    gillnetting non-native Lake Trout.

2.  Restoration of fluvial populations of native trout.

3.  Water quality research, which includes amphibian and invertebrate
    sampling.

During my 3-month stay in the park I have mainly volunteered for the
water quality crew. However, I also got the chance to try gill netting
and electro fishing for a couple of days. Every first week of the month
was water quality week. During a week we sampled several sites all over
the park. With the Hydrolab we sampled the basic water quality
parameters such as pH, conductivity, temperature and dissolved oxygen.
Due to the volcanic activity in the park, you could find some surprising
high temperatures and low pH-values. Further on, we had to calibrate the
Hydrolab for dissolved oxygen at every site, due to the elevation
change, which could be as much as a 1000 feet! For a Dutch girl, used to
elevation differences of less than a meter, quite an experience. At
these sites we also sampled turbidity and took waters samples for
dissolved cat ions, nutrients etc. These last samples were mailed to a
laboratory. During this week we also sampled seven water quality sites
by boat on Yellowstone Lake. At these lake sites we sampled the basic
water parameters and took suspended solids samples at the surface.
Furthermore, we made a depth profile with the Hydrolab. At some sites
the lake can be as deep as 90 meters! Due to this depth the deepest
water will not warm up in the summer and stays at a constant temperature
of about 4°C. The surface water, on the other hand, will warm up in the
summer, and a thermocline develops. The results of the depth profile
showed that this thermocline remains at about 15 to 20 meters.

Water quality in the park is not only monitored by chemical analysis,
but also by biological analysis. Invertebrates, in example, are
excellent indicators of aquatic health, "because they are long-lived,
relatively immobile, sensitive to changes in the environment and
important food for resident fishes" (Annual Report, 2005). Invertebrate
sampling occurred on several sites throughout the park and even beyond
(in Bighorn Canyon). The sites were sampled with a Serber net. At the
invertebrates sites we also measured the basic water quality parameters
and did discharge measurements. Some sites were so remote that it took
us a two hour drive plus a one hour hike just to get there. Again,
something remarkable for a Dutch girl, who can normally reach Germany
easily in a two hour drive.

Looking back at 3 months Yellowstone NP I ask myself what I have learned
in these three months. To me, the most important lesson is this: when
you're interested and open- minded, the world is yours. I have learned
what it is like to camp between the bears, to work with a Hydrolab, to
think, live and dream in a foreign language, what nature conservation in
the United States is like, what I like and don't like about living in
the Netherlands and so much more. In short, it was a remarkable summer,
living in a different country, almost a different world. I would like to
thank Todd Koel and Jeff Arnold for giving me this great opportunity.
And, of course, thanks to Ty Harrison for learning me proper language
and all the rest of the Fisheries staff. To me, it was an experience of
a lifetime!

Eefje Smit

November 18^th^ , 2007.

Utrecht, the Netherlands.