About the same time as bear populations began going locally extinct, Yellowstone National Park was established as our first national park. The model that we first used for setting aside protected areas was the concept of Yellowstone, which was primarily chosen to protect spectacular natural features and geological, geothermal features like that, although it has proven to be a vital refuge for a lot of endangered and threatened species. The same model created subsequent parks at that time, like Yosemite, which was chosen for its mountains. The Grand Canyon and Niagra Falls were also chosen with this model in mind.

So contrary to parks in the old world which were designed more or less to protect animals, the first ones that we set up here were designed to protect natural features. Later on, other parts like the Everglades and the National Wildlife Refuges were set up more or less to protect habitat or to protect water fowl. But by and large, game animals and large species; large carnivores, were not considered a focal point of protecting places for along time.

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