Klein Collection

A group of bighorn sheep enjoying the scenery.

Yellowstone, Grand Teton, and Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area make up the Greater Yellowstone Network. The Greater Yellowstone Network is one of 32 inventory and monitoring networks in the National Park Service. The overall purpose of these networks is to determine the status and trend in the condition of the different Park Service resources. Parks can use the inventory and monitoring studies for early warning of impending threats, for making better management decisions, and for providing a basis for understanding and identifying meaningful changes in the natural systems. 

Bighorn Canyon offers a diverse landscape of forest, mountains, upland prairie, deep canyons, broad valleys, lake and wetlands. The wildlife is equally diverse. Two of the large animals that are common in Bighorn Canyon are bighorn sheep and wild horses. The Greater Yellowstone Network recognizes them, but goes deeper; monitoring bat, amphibian, reptile, predator, and invertebrate populations while also monitoring the water quality and springs in the park. 

For more information on the natural and cultural resources, and the inventory and monitoring research that has been conducted in Bighorn Canyon, please visit the Greater Yellowstone Science Learning Center website.

Resource Brief topics of interest found on the Greater Yellowstone Science Learning Center website include:

Amphibians   Wild Horses   Peregrine Falcons   Bighorn Sheep Water Quality   Invasive Plants   Prescribed Fire   Prehistoric Resources   Lake and River Use   Yellowtail Wildlife Management Area   Climate   Seeps and Springs