top of page
Vital Signs Index

Monitoring baseline vital signs is one way to compare where we are today with the past, and discuss where we may want to be in the future. The following is set of vital signs we monitor as community scientists on the Upper Yellowstone. Data covers Park County unless otherwise specified. 

Reference Condition
Current Condition
Vital Sign

Indicators

climate

Ave min, max daily temp

Annual precip '00-'18 (Pine Creek)

Annual precip (Gardiner)

Drought index

Growing degree days

Peak snow water equivalent

Peak streamflow (Corwin)

31F, 55F

15.19" (Mean)

10.10" (Mean)

-0.2

3,212

13.0"

17,900 cfs

27F, 52F (1971-2000 ave)

19.2 (Max '15), 11.9 (Min '03)

11.1 (Max '10), 8.8 (Min '09)

-2.0 to +2.0 (1894-2012 ave)

2,731 (1971-2000 ave)

14.3" (1983-2012 ave)

12,500 (1971-2000 median)

FIRE

Acres burned per year

6,232 acres

1-28,849 (1990-2005 range)

Air quality

Visibility (deciviews)

Ozone (W126)

Nitrogen in precip (kg/ha/yr)

Sulfur in precipitation (kg/ha/yr)

Winter CO max 1-hour ave

Winter PM2.5 24-hour ave

3.1 (2010)

10.5 ppm-hr (2010)

1.9 (2010)

0.8 (2010)

12.6 ppm (2013)

4.4 PM2.5 mg/m3 (2013)

< 2 deciviews

< 7 ppm-hr

< 1.4 kg/ha/yr

< 1 kg/ha/yr

28 ppm

28 ppm

water Quantity

Base Flow rate (Corwin)

Base Flow rate (Carter's)

Base Flow rate (Mill Creek)

 Park County Irrigation Usage

TBD

TBD

TBD

279 Mgal/day - 430 cfs

TBD

water

quality

Temperature

Nitrates

Phosphates

Ammonium

pH

Coming Soon

Coming Soon

Salmon Flies

TBD

TBD

TBD

Ospreys

Breeding Pairs

(Gardiner to Livingston)

15 Active Nests & 29 Fledglings in 2018

20 (ave since 2012)

bighorn

sheep

Northern Range Count

378 sheep, 39 lambs

300-500 sheep

Keystone ungulates

Elk Northern Range Count

Pronghorn Northern Range Count

Mule Deer Count

3,915 (2013)

351 (2013)

TBD

4,000-15,000 elk

300-600 pronghorn

Keystone Predators

Grizzly Bears

Wolves

TBD

TBD

livestock deaths

Due to Bears

Due to Wolves

Due to Disease

TBD

TBD

yellowstone

cutthroat

Ave # per net in fall

Ave # caught per hour angling

Ave # observed in spawning streams

10.7

.55

2.76

> 15

> 2

> 60

whitebark

pine

% Blister rust infection

Pine beetle infestation

20-30% of trees

6,362 acres (2011)

TBD

0-41,000 (range 1983-2011)

non-native

plants & animals

Invasive Trees

Invasive Weeds

Bass

TBD

TBD

2

0

0

0

wildlife diseases

Brucellosis

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chytrid Fungus

Parvovirus & Mange

West Nile Virus

White Nose Syndrom

< 5% in elk, 40-60% in bison

Not Evident

45%

Some

Not Evident

Not Evident

0

0

0

0

0

0

direct human impacts

Road & Home Density

Annual Visitation (Gardiner)

% time audible OSVs (8am-4pm)

Average Daily Floaters

Average Lot Size

TBD

1 million

66% 

TBD

.8-1 million (2000-2009

Rural character

# Cattle

Average Farm Size

Irrigated Land

Farm Revenues

TBD

TBD

museum collections

Percentage Catalogued

TBD

100%

historic sites

Percentage assessed in good condition

TBD

100%

humans

Population

Jobs

Poverty

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

soil quality

Active Fungi

Active Bacteria

AF:AB

Carbon Sequestration

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

TBD

bottom of page