Bison roam free across green valleys. Geysers shoot columns of water high into the sky. Visiting Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming can feel like stepping back into another time! That’s because it’s a national park, so the land is protected. While people can visit the park, no one can build there or otherwise cause damage to its plants and animals.
Yellowstone was the first national park created in the U.S. It was approved by President Ulysses S. Grant in 1872. Since then, more than 400 national park sites have been created across the country. Many of them feature special natural resources, such as unique fossils, endangered species, or rare plants.
National parks are an important part of conservation in the U.S. The pictograph on the next page shows the number of national parks in a few U.S. states. How could you work to protect places with unique animal and plant life where you live?