TAKE THE YELLOWSTONE PLEDGE

A PERSONAL PROMISE TO TAKE CARE OF THE WILD, CALLED OUR NATIONAL PARKS.

“I pledge to protect Yellowstone National Park. I will act responsibly and safely, set a good example for others, and share my love of the park and all the things that make it special.”

Yellowstone’s Top Tips to Put the Pledge into Action:

1. Give wildlife room, use a zoom. The safest way to view wildlife is through a telephoto lens, a spotting scope, or a pair of binoculars. Park animals are wild and dangerous. Bison, bears, and elk have injured and killed people. Do not approach, encircle, follow, or feed any animal. Stay 100 yards (91 m) from bears and wolves. Stay 25 yards (23 m) from all other animals.
2. Follow the beaten path. In thermal areas, boardwalks take you to amazing places, protect the park, and keep you safe. People have been severely burned and killed after leaving the boardwalk or reaching into hot water. Geysers, mud pots, and hot springs are delicate. Don’t throw anything into any hydrothermal features, touch them, or change them in any way.
3. Be bear aware. Carry bear spray and know how to use it. Be alert, make noise, hike in groups, and stay on trails. If you encounter a bear, never run.
4. Watch out for water. Use caution around rivers, lakes, and streams. They are cold and fast and people have died from hypothermia and drowning after accidentally falling into frigid water.
5. Practice safe selfies. No picture is worth hurting yourself, others, or the park. Be aware of your surroundings whether near wildlife, thermal areas, roads, or steep cliffs.
6. Enjoy the ride. Drive defensively and cautiously. This park has hazards on the road you aren’t used to at home (like 2,000-lb. bison). Follow speed limits and stay with your car if you’re stuck in a wildlife jam. When you want to take a photo or look around, use pullouts to avoid blocking traffic and damaging vegetation. Turn off your vehicle when stopped in a traffic line.
7. Leave your drone at home. Drones are not allowed in Yellowstone National Park. They disturb wildlife, interfere with park operations, and bother people trying to enjoy natural sounds.
8. Clean, Drain, Dry. Help us prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species. Clean, drain, and dry your watercraft and fishing gear before you come into the park or move from one body of water to another.
9. Stash your trash. Recycle what you can and put the rest in bear-resistant trash cans so animals can’t get to it. If a can happens to be full, find another.
10. Leave what you find. Don’t take antlers, artifacts, rocks, plants, or other objects from the park.

https://www.nps.gov/yell/planyourvisit/yellowstonepledge.htm

As a licensed guide in Yellowstone National Park it is my goal to educate visitors on how to enjoy the park in an ethical maner by following the park rules and being a good example for my clients.  During our tour we will be adhering to the following:

1. Remain 25 yards from all wildlife, except wolves and bears.
2. Remain 100 yards from wolves and bears.
3. We will not approach or chase wildlife, or behave in anyway that upsets the animal.
4. No feeding the wildlife, even the birds!
5. If an animal moves closer to us and remains to close under the law and rules, then we will move back.  
6. No stopping or parking in the road for viewing or photographs.
7. We will park legally in pullouts or along the side of the road where safe to do so.
8. No use of calls, such as howling, or bugling is permitted.
9. We will not remove any items from the park, nor pull grasses or break tree limbs.
10. We will stay on the boardwalks in thermal areas
11. We will avoid walking in areas with sensitive habitat, such as flowers or where birds are nesting on the ground.
12. While viewing wildlife, we will be quiet – no slamming of car doors or shouting, so as to not disturb the animals or other park visitors.
13. We will have a good time and enjoy Yellowstone while following the rules and ethical guidelines set out before you.  

Your guide reserves the right to end a tour, without reimbursement, if clients will not follow the directions of her or law enforcement.