The conservation of wildlife in and near Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, is complex and often contentious because federal and state management agencies, local residents, visitors, and various stakeholder groups have a wide variety of expectations. P. J. White has spent more than 15 years working as a biologist in Yellowstone, currently as the leader of the Wildlife and Aquatic Resources Branch. In this book, he provides insights into the scientific, social, and political issues influencing the conservation of wildlife in the Yellowstone area. He offers candid assessments regarding the difficulties of conserving and restoring native wildlife in modern society, including bison, grizzly bears, native fish, and wolves. The advice and lessons contained herein will help newer professionals and students of wildlife conservation avoid many pitfalls. The information will also benefit the millions of people that visit the Yellowstone area each year or monitor the condition and management of the natural resources via the Internet or other outreach avenues.

P. J. White is the Branch Chief of Wildlife and Aquatic Resources at Yellowstone National Park. He received the Director’s Award for Natural Resource Management in the National Park Service during 2010. He has collaborated to produce three other books on Yellowstone, including The Ecology of Large Mammals in Central Yellowstone: Sixteen Years of Integrated Field Studies (2009; ISBN–13:978-0-12-374174-5); Yellowstone’s Wildlife in Transition (2013; ISBN 978-0-674-07318-0); and Yellowstone Bison—Conserving an American Icon in Modern Society (2015; ISBN 978-0-934948-30-2). P. J. received his doctoral degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin (1996); master’s degree in Wildlife Conservation from the University of Minnesota (1990); and bachelor’s degree in Wildlife Science from Cornell University (1980).