This issue of Intermountain Park Science highlights research projects that address a few of the human dynamics in parks. People are inextricably linked to the mission of the National Park Service. People visit parks to recreate, experience nature, and to connect with historic places and events. The National Park Service preserves these places so they can be experienced by generations to come. NPS Intermountain Park Science, 2025
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Yellowstone National Park
Article 1: The Positive Impacts of Policy Implementation on Wintertime Air Quality in Yellowstone National Park through 2024
Motorized access to Yellowstone National Park during the winter season has been historically contentious, with continual concerns regarding potentially affected resources, including air quality. The culmination of the air quality monitoring aimed at understanding the impacts of OSVs in Yellowstone National Park provides an excellent example of how balancing policy and public interests can result in positive environmental impacts. NPS, Intermountain Park Science, 2025. Read more
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Article 2: Lessons Learned from Parkwide Visitor Use Modeling
Estimates of visitor use levels are important for informing park management decisions. The spatial and temporal extent and resolution of visitor use estimates can limit how they can be incorporated into management decisions, research, or paired with ecological data. This article recommends how visitor use monitoring can be approached more systematically and then used in parkwide predictive models of visitor use. NPS Intermountain Park Science, 2025 Read more
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Tumacácori National Historical Park
Article 3: A Framework for Advancing Historic Preservation Research and Education through Partnership
Tumacácori National Historical Park is testing new materials and innovative techniques for preserving earthen architecture. This article summarizes the procedures and outcomes of laboratory and in-situ evaluations on the effectiveness of these new methods since 2014. While the generated information is primarily for earthen architecture, the methodology is equally valuable for rendered masonry. NPS Intermountain Park Science, 2025 Read more
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Article 4: Internship Opportunities for Students in National Parks
Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units created additional internship opportunities that mutually benefit parks and students while increasing agency capacity and preparing future employees. For parks, these programs provide access to student interns who are a good fit to assist with projects in the fields of conservation, cultural resources, tourism, park management or science, communication, and more. NPS, Intermountain Park Science, 2025 Read more