Today we got a later start and headed out to the park around 7:30 a.m. The temperature was considerably warmer today (in the 50s) and it made for a good day for being out in the park and hiking. We saw quite a lot of bison today all over the park, it seemed as though we were stopping on the road often waiting for the bison. We even happened to see two collared bison.

Another interesting thing we observed today was Pika. When I thought of the animals in the park, bigger mammals typically come to mind so it was neat to observe and learn about the Pikas environment today.

There was a habituated coyote that caused problems in the park today. We happened to witness the coyote approaching a man without any caution. The rangers were already at the pull-off spot looking for the animal because of the incident that happened earlier today at that location. The coyote had no fear of the rangers which goes to show how once they are accustomed to people it isn’t only dangerous for the people in the park, but the animal as well.

Our group went on a short 2 mile hike today along the Yellowstone river. The scenery was great and it lead to small beach area with flowing water and the opportunity for time to just sit and take in our surroundings.

We ended the day with a climate change presentation. Overall the presentation brought up interesting connections between human behavior and temperature changes. I didn’t realize that the Yellowstone ecosystem had such a great impact on other water ways and landscapes across North America.