Integrated geological resources management for public lands: A template from Yellowstone National Park

Abstract

Geological resources are often a neglected component of comprehensive natural resource management programs, and yet, all ecosystems are built upon the physical or abiotic foundation of the landscape. Geological resources pose hazards and create technical challenges while also providing both irreplaceable ecosystem functions and significant education. Our valuable geological resources are also invaluable indicators of environmental change. It is critically important that geological resource management be a central component of a comprehensive natural resource management plan. Public lands account for nearly a third of the land area in the United States, but most public land management agencies do not have sufficient geological expertise on staff; external geoscientists complete much of the geological research and study on public lands. The effort to integrate geological resources into natural resource management, and the shortage of geological expertise within public land management staff, indicate the need for a widely applicable template for framing geological resource management. A functional structure is proposed for a comprehensive geological resource management program that can be adapted to a wide variety of public land administration scenarios. Specific examples from Yellowstone National Park show the importance of geological resource considerations in planning, construction, education, protection, hazard mitigation, and other activities. This paper also serves as a call for involvement by the larger geological community to address society's need for comprehensive geological resource management to be more fully integrated into natural resource management on our public lands.