Why Parts of Yellowstone National Park Are Closing This Fall

As one of the most popular national parks in the country for visitors, Yellowstone National Park boasts everything from breathtaking mountains to steaming thermal pools to a wide range of wildlife. With the summer travel season winding down and fall slowly approaching, scientists are taking advantage of the warm window of time before bears go back into hibernation. 

The U.S. Geological Survey and the National Park Service just announced that certain parts of the park will be closed to the public from Aug. 28 to Oct. 31. This will give scientists the time and space to conduct a crucial grizzly bear research survey as part of the Endangered Species Act. 

Biologists with the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team (IGBST) are tasked with monitoring the bear population within the park. To do so, they'll lure the animals with bait, including "natural food sources such as fresh road-killed deer and elk," before capturing them with culvert traps. After they're captured, handlers will adhere to strict safety and animal care protocols enacted by the IGBST and approved by the U.S. Geological Survey and the NPS. 

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Scientists will be working all over the park for the next two months. To ensure the public doesn't interfere with research (and possibly put themselves or others in danger), signs will indicate to visitors where not to venture. 

"Whenever bear capture activities are being conducted for scientific purposes, the area around the site will be posted with bright warning signs to inform the public of the activities occurring. These signs are posted along the major access points to the capture site," a NPS statement said. "It is important that the public heed these signs and do not venture into an area that has been posted."

For more information regarding grizzly bear capture efforts, you can call the IGBST hotline at 406-994-6675 or read up on the IGBST website.