Atlas of Yellowstone, 2nd Edition: Celebrating 150 Years of the World’s First National Park, 1872–2022

Abstract. The Second Edition of the Atlas of Yellowstone will celebrate the 150-year history of the world’s first national park – and reflect on the future of Yellowstone and its evolving place in the world. Like the first Atlas of Yellowstone published in 2012, the Second Edition will provide a comprehensive view of the human and natural setting of Yellowstone National Park. Also like the First Edition, the new edition will portray variations over space and time, explore human-nature interactions throughout the region, document connections of Yellowstone to the rest of the world, and – ultimately – guide the reader to a deeper appreciation of Yellowstone.

Beyond that, the new edition will provide much expanded coverage of the park’s history. Readers will better understand the many different ways in which the creation of Yellowstone National Park has preserved and altered the landscapes and ecology of Yellowstone and conservation thought and practice, both locally and around the world.

The new atlas will also reflect advances in scientific data collection, knowledge, and insight gained since publication of the first edition. New topic pages will address key management issues ranging from increased visitor impact to wildlife disease to light pollution. In addition, many of the 850 existing graphics will be updated, reimagined, or replaced by new graphics that capture the remarkable wealth of data that has become available since the First Edition. Whether it be tracking of individual wolves, ecosystem imagery from space, or detailed visitor surveys – new data provide insights that could not be graphically displayed before.

The Second Edition celebrates 150 years of America’s best idea and what that has meant to the world. The significance of Yellowstone National Park to conservation, scholarship, and the human experience is enormous, and deserves a volume that captures that importance.