Ecological Study Outpost Approved at Yellowstone

Yellowstone National Park has permitted the construction of an ecological research and monitoring site on Blacktail Deer Plateau in the northern section of the park.
The 59-foot tower will be built by the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), which intends to study the causes and effects of environmental change.
Park officials have decided the tower won’t significantly harm the environment. Construction will begin yet this year, but will be suspended during winter, then will resume in July 2018 once the annual bear management closures in the area are lifted.
NEON, which has at least 81 field sites across the US, plans to use the tower for 30 years. The site in Yellowstone will produce long-term monitoring data about the impacts of climate change, invasive species, and landscape changes. The data will be made public.