Yellowstone National Park

When people think of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem, the critters that usually come to mind first are bison, bears or elk. But the park's most prolific organisms are too small to see with the human eye.

In a recent news release, the National Park Service estimates that hundreds of millions of dollars make their way into gateway communities surrounding Montana’s national parks.

Yellowstone National Park’s northern entrances remain closed after major flooding swallowed roads, bridges and homes. State and federal public land agencies are now anticipating visitors to look for other outdoor recreation opportunities, bringing crowds and tourism dollars to other areas.

President Joe Biden has declared the catastrophic flooding in Montana a major disaster following requests from the state’s governor and congressional delegation. Governor Greg Gianforte has been traveling since late last week and is scheduled to return to Montana Thursday night.

Almost all visitors have been evacuated from Yellowstone National Park due to historic flooding, but superintendent Cam Sholly said in a press conference this afternoon that the park is considering how it can reopen later this season.

Montana Lt. Gov. Kristen Juras is the acting executive of the state while Gov. Greg Gianforte is out of the country. The governor’s office did not say where Gianforte is traveling.

Major flooding in south central Montana has destroyed homes, roads and bridges. Reporter Nick Mott lives in Livingston, where the Yellowstone River crested around 11 p.m. last night. He describes what the town looks like today.

Severe storms across Montana over the weekend and into Monday forced some residents to evacuate and prompted a rare closure of all entrances to Yellowstone National Park.

States neighboring Yellowstone National Park have eased rules on hunting wolves, resulting in the most being killed in nearly a century

Yellowstone officials say a pilot conducting wildlife research on Monday saw an adult bear walking in a meadow in the west-central part of the park.