Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area

We monitor water quality in the Bighorn River at Kane, Wyoming, from April through August. Total suspended solids and total phosphorus are at their annual maxima during high flows. We compare our results to federal and state water quality standards.

Each year, we collect water from across the entire width of the river and at multiple depths to test for chemical and metal components. We also collect core water quality measurements, including water temperature, dissolved oxygen, conductance, pH, and turbidity.

The Bighorn River is the largest tributary of the Yellowstone River, flowing from central Wyoming north into Montana. The monitoring site at Kane, Wyoming, is upstream of Bighorn Lake and is within the Yellowtail Wildlife Management Area. From Kane, Wyoming, to Fort Smith, Montana, Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area straddles the Bighorn River.

The Bighorn River flows from Wyoming north into Montana. It is formed below the confluence of the Wind River and the Popo Agie River in central Wyoming and flows 236 miles to the Yellowstone River in Montana. We monitor the Bighorn River near Fort Smith, MT on Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area.

Across the US, changes in water availability are altering which plants grow where. These changes are evident at a broad scale. But not all areas experience the same climate in the same way, even within the boundaries of a single national park. A new dataset gives park managers a valuable tool for understanding why vegetation has changed and how it might change in the future under different climate-change scenarios.

Hot, dry conditions in July 2012 pushed Bighorn Canyon NRA into extreme fire danger and fire restrictions, as well as prompting a severity request and stepped up staffing. Bandelier Wildland Fire Module was sent to mop up a fire near Bighorn Canyon’s boundary. While they were there, the crew conducted thorough assessments on all four historic ranches in the NRA and helped suppress a wildland fire. Their work helps create fire–adapted human communities.

At night, birds use the stars to find their way. But bright lights from buildings can confuse them. That's why national parks are so important - they're like bird hotels! They give birds safe places to rest and eat, especially after flying across the ocean.

Dinosaur fossils have been discovered at or are associated with at least 27 NPS units. Geographically, their finds are concentrated in the parks of the Colorado Plateau, but they have been found from central Alaska to Big Bend National Park in Texas to Springfield Armory National Historic Site in Massachusetts. The most famous site is the Dinosaur Quarry of Dinosaur National Monument, but a rush of new finds since the 1970s has greatly expanded our knowledge.