The theme of it could well be Earth itself in all its diversity and turbulence. Steam rises from Grand Prismatic Spring, which is the largest of Yellowstone's hot springs. Motorists on the main roads see little of that, and now hardly anyone would claim that the flames dealt Yellowstone a knockout punch. Grizzly and black bears, bison, moose, elk, wolves, coyotes among 56 species of mammals, plus 290 bird species, fish, reptiles, amphibians. Yellowstone National Park, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190-0168.
Vegetation comes back with renewed vigor.
A couple of human generations may not see Yellowstone return to full pine-topped glory, but an abundance of glory remains. Yellowstone probably became a national park so early in the nation's history because its unique properties were recognized early on. Several tribes hunted in the plateau that is the sunken cone, or caldera, of a huge volcano. After the big California gold strike in 1848, miners roamed the West looking for more. They turned up quite a bit in areas surrounding Yellowstone, and sent back word to the East about the fantastic lakes and geysers they found in northwest Wyoming, northeastern Idaho and southwest Montana.