Streaks of bright sunlight pierce the dark blue storm clouds over the Fountain Paint Pot Geyser field in Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on Friday, Aug. 15, 1997. The Associated Press
Elk graze in the meadows of Yellowstone National Park with Mt. Holmes, left, and Mt. Dome in the background on Aug. 15, 1997. The Associated Press
Steve Connole fishes in the Missouri River in Helena, Mont., on Aug. 1, 2012. The Associated Press
Tourists photograph Old Faithful erupting on schedule late in the afternoon on Saturday, May 21, 2011. The Associated Press
Amish visitors to the Yellowstone National Park stand on the boardwalk as they wait for the eruption of Old Faithful on Friday, Aug. 15, 1997. The geyser erupts approximately every hour, shooting boiling-hot water and steam 100-140 feet skyward. The Associated Press
Geologist Rick Hutchinson watches over a spurt of activity from one of his charges – a steam hole in Yellowstone National Park – on Aug. 4, 1978. The Associated Press
Grand Geyser in Yellowstone National Park is the tallest predictable geyser in the world, reaching 150 to 200 feet high. It's one of a number of geysers concentrated along a 30-mile stretch in the middle of the park. The Associated Press
Grizzly bear No. 399 crosses a road in Grand Teton National Park, Wyo., with her three cubs. People now can use their phones to find out where somebody has just seen a bison, wolf or grizzly bear in Yellowstone National Park. The Associated Press
A bald eagle perches in the forest as Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton tours Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2005. The Associated Press
A black bear looks for food in the sagebrush of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on Thursday, Aug. 14, 1997. The Associated Press
Bison graze in deep snow in the wilderness of Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming on March 2, 1979. The Associated Press
Bison on the Fort Peck Reservation near Poplar, Mont. The Associated Press
A tourist walks along the boardwalk at Midway Geyser Basin inside Yellowstone National Park, Montana, on Saturday, May 21, 2011. The Associated Press
Life & Culture 
