A publication for Friends
of Yellowstone
Visit us online at
www.ypf.org
Y E L L OW S T O N E
PA R K
FOUNDATION
Protecting the wonders and wildlife of Yellowstone National Park
Spring/Summer
Fall/Winter
2010
2005
Volume
Volume
eleven,
six, no. 2
1
Old Faithful Visitor Education Center. Photo: Shasta Grenier
Visitor Education Center Opens its Doors at Old Faithful
T
$15 MILLION IN GENEROUS DONATIONS TO THE YELLOWSTONE PARK
FOUNDATION, YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK UNVEILED ITS NEW, STATE-OF-THEART V ISITOR E DUCATION C ENTER AT O LD F AITHFUL ON A UGUST 25, 2010.
YELLOWSTONE SUPERINTENDENT SUZANNE LEWIS HOSTED THE EVENT BETWEEN
BUILDING AND O LD F AITHFUL G EYSER .
HANKS TO
THE NEW
Hundreds of invited guests and Yellowstone visitors gathered under
As the world’s most famous geyser, Old Faithful plays an important
the bright morning sun, as Wyoming National Guard’s 67th Army
role in representing Yellowstone’s precious collection of 10,000 geyBand kicked off the ceremony by performing “America the Beautiful.”
sers, hot springs, and other geothermal features. Yet prior to the openSpeakers included Yellowstone Park Foundation
ing of the Visitor Education Center, most visitors
Chairman Bannus Hudson, National Park Service
were
leaving Old Faithful—the Park’s most-visited
“Every day, we
Director Jon Jarvis, Yellowstone historian Paul
area—without a basic understanding of the science
Schullery, and Assistant Secretary of the Interior
work to understand behind the amazing wonders all around them.
Tom Strickland. At the conclusion of the ceremony
Now, multi-media and interactive exhibits are
Yellowstone again,
—as if on cue—Old Faithful treated attendees to a
enabling visitors of all ages to discover what makes a
magnificent eruption, and then the doors to the new
geyser erupt, what creatures thrive in the scalding
in light of new
facility opened to the public for the first time.
hot spring waters, and how the Park’s fascinating
The Old Faithful Visitor Education Center is the
volcanic past is visible today. The Center serves as a
science, new needs, starting point to inspire further individual exploresult of a ten-year collaboration between the
National Park Service and the Yellowstone Park
ration, and appreciation, of the Park.
and new dreams.”
Foundation, made possible by the generosity of
The Center has already been recognized for its
more than 400 individuals, foundations, and
eco-friendly design with a Gold LEED designa— PAUL SCHULLERY
corporations (see list on page 4). The Foundation’s
tion from the U.S. Green Building Council. It is
AU T H O R & YELLO W STO N E H ISTO R IA N
$15-million grant to Yellowstone National Park, for
one of the first national park visitor centers to
From his keynote address
building design, construction and exhibits, was
achieve this Gold rating, making it a model for
atthe dedication ofthe
O ld FaithfulV isitorEducation C enter
matched by $12 million in federal funds.
sustainability as well as visitor education.
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L E T T E R
The
Yellowstone
Park
Foundation
222 East Main Street, Ste. 301
Bozeman, Montana 59715
telephone: 406.586.6303
email: [email protected]
www.ypf.org
Bannus Hudson
Chairman
Karen Bates Kress
President
I
F R O M
YELLOWSTONE
PARK FOUNDATION AT A MOST
AUSPICIOUS TIME. As the Foundation’s
new President, I am so pleased to be
associated with an organization that recently
celebrated such a major accomplishment as
the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center.
The Old Faithful Visitor Education
Center is the result of a landmark publicprivate partnership, involving the generosity
of many Friends of Yellowstone, like you,
along with the vision, commitment and
hard work of numerous people. I hope you
enjoy seeing the photographs of the Center
in this issue, and that you have a chance to
experience it in person soon.
HAVE JOINED THE
“The Old Faithful Visitor
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
John Bottomley
Jack Cooney
Education Center is the result
Sig Cornelius
of a landmark public-private
John Costello
Stella DiPasqua
T H E
P R E S I D E N T
have a minimal impact on the land and
resources preserved in Yellowstone.
Likewise, scientists are already working to
identify and address threats to Yellowstone’s
wildlife and ecosystem posed by both
climate change and invasive species.
The other priority is reaching today’s
youth, who are increasingly connected to
their phones, computers, and video games,
and decreasingly connected to the great outdoors. The Visitor Education Center represents the next generation of National Park
visitor centers, which foster learning and
wonder with multi-media, electronic, and
interactive exhibits that encourage techsavvy kids to go out and explore what the
Park and other wild lands have to offer.
I look forward to working with you in
the years ahead to help ensure Yellowstone
has the resources it needs to stay on the
cutting edge of both conservation and
education.
partnership, involving the
Michael Fanning
generosity of many Friends
Philip Frederickson
Annie Graham
of Yellowstone, like you.”
Daniel J. Hennessy
Karen Bates Kress
President
Scott Heppel
Mary Johnston
Fiona Laird
Bill Long
Daniel Manning
Robert Mathias
Doug McClelland
Mary Nickerson
Valerie Colas Ohrstrom
Larry Patrick
John Raben
But even as we celebrate, we continue to
look ahead to future challenges and opportunities. It is fitting that this Visitor Education
Center represents two emerging priorities of
the National Park Service and, thus—as its
partner—the Yellowstone Park Foundation.
One priority is addressing environmental
threats. The Gold LEED-certified Visitor
Education Center was designed and built to
James D. Shattuck
Wayne Siemens
John Walda
Kay Yeager
The Yellowstone Park Foundation
works in cooperation with the
National Park Service to fund
T
OLD FAITHFUL VISITOR EDUCATION
CENTER DEDICATION in person were able to go online to watch the event live
on Yellowstone’s website, followed by the premiere of an e-video tour of the
inside of the Center. The event was broadcast via the Old Faithful streaming
webcam, made possible by equipment and technology donated by Canon USA, Inc. Visit our
homepage at www.ypf.org to link to the Old Faithful webcam or to view the video tour.
HOSE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE
projects and programs that protect,
preserve, and enhance the natural
Would you like to see more photos?
and cultural resources and the
FIND US ON FACEBOOK and check out our special photo album
for the Old Faithful Visitor Education Center.
visitor experience of Yellowstone
National Park.
www.facebook.com/YellowstoneParkFoundation
P A G E
T W O
Shasta Grenier
F A L L
/
W I N T E R
2 0 1 0
Welcome
O
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Justin Lubke
Immediately following
the conclusion of the dedication
ceremony, the doors of the Old
Faithful Visitor Education Center were
opened to the public for the first time.
Event attendees were treated to
geyser-shaped cookies and were
among the first to explore the
exhibits inside the new
Center.
h
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v i s i to r
education
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Several hundred
people attended the
ceremony on August 25,
2010, hosted by Yellowstone
Superintendent Suzanne Lewis,
to celebrate the opening of
the Old Faithful Visitor
Education Center.
Young Scientists
Exhibit Hall & Lobby: Justin Lubke
Shasta Grenier
The Young Scientist Room is a
special area just for kids to
touch, see, hear, and learn
about some of Yellowstone’s
wonders.
Gold LEED Award
Designed by CTA Architects,
of Montana, the Old Faithful
Visitor Education Center has
been awarded Gold LEED
certification by the U.S.
Green Building Council. The
soaring lobby, which will
accommodate up to 25,000
visitors per day during the
peak summer season, utilizes the natural evaporative
cooling power of water.
Exhibit Hall
One of the exhibits illustrates how
mammals utilize Yellowstone’s
hydrothermal areas for warmth
and for easier access to prey and
vegetation.
P A G E
T H R E E
Honored Guests
Leadership donors to the OFVEC
capital campaign were honored on
stage. (Above left to right): Jim Lentz
of Toyota, Rob Wallace of GE, Shalin
Liu, YPF President Karen Bates
Kress, and David Lustig of Unilever.
YPF Leaders
YPF Board Chairs, past
and present, have had
key roles in fundraising
for the Old Faithful Visitor
Education Center, and in
helping to bring the project to fruition. (Left to
right): Past Chairs Chuck
Koob, Jane Lerner, William
LaWarre, and current
Chair Bannus Hudson.
Shasta Grenier
Background photo © Tom Murphy
r
NPS
e
Shasta Grenier
c
Y E L L O W S T O N E
10
F O U N D A T I O N
Things to Do at the
Old Faithful Visitor
Education Center
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
Above photos #1 & 7: Shasta Grenier; #10: Justin Lubke
P A R K
Explore the main exhibit area to find out what makes a
geyser erupt, why the mudpots smell so stinky, and why
Yellowstone has so many small earthquakes each year.
In the research library, enjoy a moment of quiet
contemplation, or delve deeper into Yellowstone’s
seismic, volcanic, and hydrothermal science.
In the Young Scientist room, compare the size of your
hands and feet to the prints of Yellowstone animals, or
watch the pressure build until the geyser model erupts!
Read signs that point out some of the innovative “green”
elements that earned the building Gold LEED (Leadership
in Energy & Environmental Design) certification.
Check out the great selection of books and other educational items at the Yellowstone Association’s book store.
Relax and view the film Yellowstone: A Symphony of
Fire and Water in the auditorium.
Use the interactive touchscreen on the electronic Honor
Wall to learn more about the impact of philanthropy in
Yellowstone, and to view donor names.
Preview the Old Faithful Virtual Visitor Center,
where you’ll be able to continue your exploration online
once you return home. (You can find it at
www.nps.gov/yell/photosmultimedia/)
Find out when Old Faithful and other area geysers are
predicted to erupt next on the new geyser prediction
flatscreen.
Watch Old Faithful erupt, framed by the soaring
36-foot-high lobby windows.
Adopt a Yellowstone Wolf !
I
This loveable plush wolf
will be sent to you, or your gift
ANNIVERSARY OF THE RETURN
OF THE WOLF TO Y ELLOWSTONE , recipient, complete with a perwe are offering a special opportunity sonalized adoption certificate
and a fact sheet filled with color
for you to adopt a Yellowstone
wolf. With this symbolic adoption, photographs and interesting
you can provide much-needed sup- information on wolves in the
port for ongoing wildlife conserva- Park. Learn more, or adopt
today, at www.ypf.org/adopt.
tion and research in the Park.
N HONOR OF THE
15TH
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Many Thanks
THE YELLOWSTONE PARK
FOUNDATION WISHES TO THANK
the following foundations, corporations, and individuals for their
generous leadership gifts to the
Old Faithful Visitor Education
Center capital campaign.
ConocoPhillips
National Science Foundation
Shalin Liu
Unilever
Cheng Wu
The Coca-Cola Foundation
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
Wallace and Mary Lee Dayton
Kresge Foundation
Gilman and Margaret Ordway
IBM Corporation
Harriet and Edson Spencer
Andrew and Shana Laursen
The GE Foundation
Lockheed Martin
Tom Murphy Photography
William M. and Claudia M. LaWarre
S. Livingston Mather Charitable Trust
The Ohrstrom Foundation
Jane and Ron Lerner
Thomas W. Offutt
Hezlep Family Foundation
Sony Electronics
The Lund Foundation
Fayez Sarofim
Melinda Sweet Held and Barry Held
Richard and Joanna Heckert
Pam and Chuck Koob
Sarah and John Morgan
Bill and Judy Walter
In addition, we thank the hundreds
of people from across the country
whose donations helped make this
project possible.
A Greener Approach
Starting this fall, we’ll provide the
Yellowstone Park Foundation’s
annual report online to reduce our
carbon footprint and paper waste,
and allocate more funds towards
helping Yellowstone. We will still
provide printed copies upon request.
If you’re not already receiving
Yellowstone eNews, our monthly
e-newsletter, this is a great time to
subscribe so that you’ll receive a
notice as soon as the 2010 report
is available online. Sign up today at
www.ypf.org.