![](media/image1.png){width="0.9326388888888889in"
height="0.9326388888888889in"}**Department of the Interior**

**Protecting Yellowstone's Heritage**

**September 2003**

Established on March 1, 1872, Yellowstone National Park is the first and
oldest national park in the world. It deserves our best care. Secretary
Norton recently delivered an Accomplishments Report to President Bush,
demonstrating her commitment to care for all of our National Parks and
protecting them for the enjoyment of all American families and future
generations. Two years into the Bush Administration, great headway has
been made to improve conditions for visitors and the environment in
Yellowstone National Park. In 2003, Yellowstone National Park was
removed from the World Heritage Site In Danger List partly due to these
recent environmental improvements.

**President Bush Addresses Longstanding Neglect of National Park
Facilities**

![](media/image2.png){width="1.5430555555555556in"
height="1.2722222222222221in"}**Promises Made, Promises Kept** -
President Bush has tackled the neglect of the National Parks by
committing almost \$5 billion to restore and upgrade Parks for visitor
enjoyment. This is the largest investment ever made by an Administration
in not only helping to improve national park facilities but to set into
place a system to assure maintenance backlogs don't reoccur. For the
first time, the Bush Administration has instituted a condition
assessment report of the facilities in need of repair so the National
Park Service can better manage the restoration and maintenance programs
in the future. Yellowstone alone received \$25 million for improvements
in FY 2003, and \$32 million has been appropriate for FY 2004.

●**Improving Park Visitor Experience -**The Administration is broadening
opportunities for Americans to enjoy their national parks. From
battlefields in Fredericksburg to campground restoration at the Grand
Canyon, the NPS has begun to improve the condition of hundreds of park
assets. Approximately 900 repair/rehabilitation projects were addressed
in FY 2001-2002. Another 500 projects are being tackled in 2003.

**Improving Air Quality in Yellowstone National Park**

**● New Cleaner Burning Yellow Buses -** A low-emission bus, which is
eventually expected to run on alternative fuels, is intended as a
modernized version of the traditional yellow buses that have been used
to tour the park since 1931. The new version of the bus will include
room for 18 to 32 passengers and will run on natural gas, propane,
ethanol or biodiesel. The bus also has a retractable roof and some
models may include tracks so the buses can be converted to snow-coaches
in the winter.

![](media/image3.jpeg){width="1.1597222222222223in"
height="1.6402777777777777in"}

**● Cleaner, Quieter Snowmobiles -** For the past 40 years, snowmobiles
have been used throughout Yellowstone National Park. The Bush
Administration has instituted a more environmentally friendly snowmobile
plan that is limiting snowmobile use to only designated routes and is
requiring that only the cleanest and quietest models be used in the
Park.

Two major snowmobile manufacturers were recently certified as having met
the new, stringent noise and pollution requirements being phased in this
winter in Yellowstone. Production has begun on new 4-stroke engines that
are significantly cleaner and quieter than traditional snowmobiles with
2-stroke engines. These machines will reduce hydrocarbon emissions by at
least 90% and reduce carbon monoxide emissions by at least 70%; sound
levels at full throttle will be reduced to no more than 73 decibels.
Daily limits on the number of snowmobiles will be imposed, and advanced
reservations are required.

**Recent Environmental Improvements at Yellowstone National Park**

**Fuel Cell --** The National Park Service is working with the
Department of Energy at INEEL on the development of fuel cell technology
to be used in remote areas.

![](media/image4.jpeg){width="2.21875in" height="1.5in"}**Green
Buildings --** Plans are underway and designs are complete for building
new concessionaire housing with green building techniques. The NPS is
partnering with the National Green Building Council to obtain LEED
certification for sustainable building practices.

**Water and Sewage --** A new sewage treatment plant has been completed
at Old Faithful. A new water and sewage treatment plant is currently
under construction at Norris Geyser Basin. The park has replaced or
repaired leaking sewer lines throughout the park. Sewage lift stations
have been repaired to prevent leakage.

**Fleet Maintenance** -- Yellowstone's fleet maintenance operation is
now a closed loop system. All hazardous materials including solvents,
oil, and antifreeze, are recycled and or reused to assure that none of
these materials have to be disposed of as hazardous waste.

**Night lighting** -- New lighting is being installed at the Old
Faithful site and Lake developed areas to allow visitors to better enjoy
the night sky of Yellowstone without intrusive lights.

**Green Conferences** -- Yellowstone has sponsored three Greening of
Yellowstone conferences, bringing government and industry together to
look at success as well as opportunities for improving environmental
management responsibilities.

**Clean Cities --** Yellowstone and a number of surrounding communities
(both private and public sector) received the Greater Yellowstone/Teton
Clean Cities designation in 2002 based on the development of a program
for alternative fuels, alternative fuel vehicles and fueling stations.
The development of the Yellow Bus is a part of that designation.

**Compost Facility** -- Yellowstone is participating in a regional solid
waste composting facility where all park solid waste is transported,
reducing the amount of solid waste hauled to the landfill by 70 percent.

**Recycling --** In cooperation with park concessionaires and a regional
recycling group the park is recycling steel, aluminum, glass, plastic,
paper, cardboard -- and has created an opportunity for the public and
park employees to use the Park's recycling facilities. The program has
expanded rapidly in the past six months to include recycling locations
in all developed areas of the park.

![](media/image5.jpeg){width="2.4583333333333335in"
height="1.7083333333333333in"}**Cleaning Products -** Yellowstone has
reduced the number of cleaning products used in custodial operations
from 32 to 6. All six products are certified as non-hazardous to
employees and the environment.

**Plastic Boardwalk** -- In partnership with Unilever, Yellowstone has
replaced treated lumber boardwalks with recycled plastic at the Old
Faithful and Norris Geyser Basins.

**Award Winner** -- Yellowstone was the 2001 recipient of the Department
of the Interior Environmental Achievement Award.