Life Anew
Park officials have always had the difficult task of convincing Americans that fire is necessary - that it’s natures way of cleaning house and assuring the continuance of a healthy forest. I returned to Yellowstone in the spring of 1989 and initially felt that the burnt forest seemed desolate - but with closer examination I could see that life was regenerating almost everywhere. The officials were correct. For certain, it will be a long time before a full canopy of trees will be seen through the park, but the ecosystem, undeniably, will be healthier because of the experience.
I was fortunate to grow up in Wyoming and have Yellowstone Park in my back yard. My boyhood memories of the park are fond and irreplaceable and throughout the years I’ve witnessed several changes in Yellowstone - I have never felt it suffered because of them. It was initially hard to see such dramatic effects brought on by the events of the summer of 1988, but the park is as intriguing now as it was in my youth and is still a very special place for me.
Life Anew depicts the first spring in Yellowstone Park after the 1988 fires. The new born elk and the seedlings show a promise of renewal. If you look closely at the painting you will see two lodgepole seedlings beginning to grow - one by
the calf’s nose and one in the foreground.
Image Size 22" x 32"
Park officials have always had the difficult task of convincing Americans that fire is necessary - that it’s natures way of cleaning house and assuring the continuance of a healthy forest. I returned to Yellowstone in the spring of 1989 and initially felt that the burnt forest seemed desolate - but with closer examination I could see that life was regenerating almost everywhere. The officials were correct. For certain, it will be a long time before a full canopy of trees will be seen through the park, but the ecosystem, undeniably, will be healthier because of the experience.
I was fortunate to grow up in Wyoming and have Yellowstone Park in my back yard. My boyhood memories of the park are fond and irreplaceable and throughout the years I’ve witnessed several changes in Yellowstone - I have never felt it suffered because of them. It was initially hard to see such dramatic effects brought on by the events of the summer of 1988, but the park is as intriguing now as it was in my youth and is still a very special place for me.
Life Anew depicts the first spring in Yellowstone Park after the 1988 fires. The new born elk and the seedlings show a promise of renewal. If you look closely at the painting you will see two lodgepole seedlings beginning to grow - one by
the calf’s nose and one in the foreground.
Image Size 22" x 32"
Park officials have always had the difficult task of convincing Americans that fire is necessary - that it’s natures way of cleaning house and assuring the continuance of a healthy forest. I returned to Yellowstone in the spring of 1989 and initially felt that the burnt forest seemed desolate - but with closer examination I could see that life was regenerating almost everywhere. The officials were correct. For certain, it will be a long time before a full canopy of trees will be seen through the park, but the ecosystem, undeniably, will be healthier because of the experience.
I was fortunate to grow up in Wyoming and have Yellowstone Park in my back yard. My boyhood memories of the park are fond and irreplaceable and throughout the years I’ve witnessed several changes in Yellowstone - I have never felt it suffered because of them. It was initially hard to see such dramatic effects brought on by the events of the summer of 1988, but the park is as intriguing now as it was in my youth and is still a very special place for me.
Life Anew depicts the first spring in Yellowstone Park after the 1988 fires. The new born elk and the seedlings show a promise of renewal. If you look closely at the painting you will see two lodgepole seedlings beginning to grow - one by
the calf’s nose and one in the foreground.
Image Size 22" x 32"