Explore "Surfing the Edge of Chaos" by Mark Millemann on Textopian. Read with annotations and highlights.
Yellowstone, the first national park in the United States, has long been regarded as a national treasure. Its 2.2 million acres (3,450 square miles) of diverse terrain and wildlife reconnects us to the vast wilderness that once was North America.
But during the 1970s and 1980s, when the park's popularity brought in excess of 10 million visitors a year, the National Park Service faced a quandary: Should it continue to maintain Yellowstone as a kind of natural theme park and maximize visitor throughput? Or should priority be given to the park's ecosystem? The latter choice would impose restrictions on public access and favor the best interests of nature in shaping park utilization decisions.