Daniel P Shepardson

National Park Zine Daniel P Shepardson

National Park Zine is produced by Nature First Publishing. It integrates nature photography and natural history to tell a story about a national park as a series of lived experiences. Each issue focuses on a different national park through color as well as black-and-white photography to provide the reader with different perspectives on the geology, plant communities, and wildlife found in each park. Each issue thus tells a visual story that captures the majesty, power, and mystique of a national park. It is hoped that this will afford readers the opportunity to experience national parks in ways they may not have been able to do firsthand. In this issue, the natural history of Yellowstone's bison is explored. Bison have roamed the park's territory since the Pleistocene glaciers retreated some 10,000 years ago. Today, Yellowstone's bison are the only pure breed herd in the United States that has roamed free since prehistoric times. Generation after generation of Yellowstone's bison have traveled the park's terrain, following the migration routes established by their ancestors. Their behaviors, too, have changed little since prehistoric time. They congregate in herds and move from foraging site to foraging site. Bulls compete for cows during the rut, and cows still nurture their calves. These behaviors and others are beautifully illustrated in the photographs shown in this issue.