Protecting the Geyser Basins of Yellowstone National Park: Toward a New National Policy for a Vulnerable Environmental Resource

Abstract

Geyser basins provide high value recreation, scientific, economic and national heritage benefits. Geysers are globally rare, in part, because development activities have quenched about 260 of the natural endowment. Today, more than half of the world's remaining geysers are located in Yellowstone National Park, northwest Wyoming, USA. However, the hydrothermal reservoirs that supply Yellowstone's geysers extend well beyond the Park borders, and onto two "Known Geothermal Resource Areas"-Island Park to the west and Corwin Springs on the north. Geysers are sensitive geologic features that are easily quenched by nearby geothermal wells. Therefore, the potential for geothermal energy development adjacent to Yellowstone poses a threat to the sustainability of about 500 geysers and 10,000 hydrothermal features. The purpose here is to propose that Yellowstone be protected by a "Geyser Protection Area" (GPA) extending in a 120-km radius from Old Faithful Geyser. The GPA concept would prohibit geothermal and large-scale groundwater wells, and thereby protect the water and heat supply of the hydrothermal reservoirs that support Yellowstone's geyser basins and important hot springs. Proactive federal leadership, including buyouts of private groundwater development rights, can assist in navigating the GPA through the greater Yellowstone area's "wicked" public policy environment. Moreover, the potential impacts on geyser basins from intrusive research sampling techniques are considered in order to facilitate the updating of national park research regulations to a precautionary standard. The GPA model can provide the basis for protecting the world's few remaining geyser basins.

Energy Efficiency as a Wicked Problem

“…Barrick [29] discussed this in relation to geysers. More than half of the world's remaining geysers are located in Yellowstone National Park, northwest Wyoming, US.…”

“…Barrick argued that it is important that a Geyser Protection Area not become a wicked policy conflict where the issue becomes acrimonious, symbolic, and intractable, and goes beyond standard scientific, economic, and techno-rational problem-solving methods. Several of Yellowstone's environmental policy disputes have become wicked in recent years, and Barrick's [29] study indicates that wicked problems are in a way a social construct that is possible to avoid. The need to have a social constructivist view on wicked problems was upheld by Valentine et al [9].…”

Embedded in Nature: Challenges to Sustainability in Communities of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem

“…As Swanson [18] suggested, the sustainability of local and regional economies that are dependent on oil, gas, and minerals requires land managers, industry representatives, and local communities to ensure that current and future development be conducted in ways that protect environmental resources. The region also faces both environmental and social challenges related to mining [19][20][21], hydrothermal energy development [22,23], agriculture [24][25][26], rapid population growth [14], development and zoning policies [15,27], changing ranchland ownership and management [28], the multiple and sometimes conflicting mandates of management agencies [29]; and increasing pressures from tourism and recreation-based visitation [28,[30][31][32][33]. Driving a number of these changes, amenity migration affects both the environment and social relations, and is itself largely driven by the attraction of environmental beauty and open space [25,28,30,34,35].…”