All language subtitles for Yellowstone.One.Fifty.S01E03.WEBRip.x264-ION10

- You know, the origin story
of Yellowstone National Park

really is the ultimate battle

between David and Goliath,

the regular guy against the
impossibly huge behemoth

that is the United
States government.

Ferdinand Hayden
spearheaded the whole thing.

The truth was,
he'd been fighting

against the odds his whole life.

He grew up destitute.

His dad was an alcoholic
who died when Hayden was 10

and his mother abandoned him.

He went to work on
his uncle's farm,

and when he turned 18, he
packed the few things he had

and walked, I mean,
actually walked,

300 miles to Oberlin
College in Ohio.

Imagine that, he just
walked to a college,

went to the president's
office and said,

"Hey, I don't have any
money, but if you enroll me,

I intend to change the
world for the better."

And they did.

And he did too.

They didn't expect
to see what they saw,

and when they saw it, they
could never forget it.

Ferdinand Hayden was
hired to lead a team

into the Northwest Territories,

and the 32 men headed west.

They weren't here to
protect Yellowstone.

They were here to tear it to
shreds in the name of progress.

Gold interests, railroad
parents, Congress.

Powerful people wanted
this land for themselves.

But something happened during
their three month journey,

and slowly but surely,
their mission changed.

So, as we celebrate
the 150th anniversary

of Yellowstone National Park,

we take a look back in
time at the events that led

to the preservation
of this magical place.

After nearly six months
under the crushing grip

of winter in Yellowstone, the
brutal conditions ease up,

temperatures rise, and
it's finally time for

Yellowstone's wildlife to
take center stage again.

Some are returning from long
journeys away from the park,

some have been taking
refuge for the winter,

and some are seeing spring
for the very first time.

This is an entirely
new Yellowstone,

transformed and filled with
vibrant burgeoning life

in every corner.

Even the Hayden Expedition

hard at work surveying
the land took note

as the newest members of each
species were put on display.

A little nicer than when
we were here last time, no?

You know, spring is
definitely on its way.

All that snow up there, that's
lifeblood of Yellowstone.

You can see a lot of
it's already melted off.

You know, the runoff
here feeds the park

with over 60,000 gallons of
fresh water every second.

It's like the alarm
clock that wakes up

all of Yellowstone,
signals of coming seasons.

Maybe life's gonna get a
little easier here for a while.

All the animals
come out to play.

This whole place
gets reborn now.

As the days get
longer and warmer,

snow and ice melt into life

giving water that
soaks the ground

and trickles into
Yellowstone Lake.

The water refreshes the lake,

and the sudden
overflow drains through

to Yellowstone River at roughly

20,000 cubic feet per second.

The longest un-dammed
river in North America,

the Yellowstone is
wild and untame.

Nothing can stop it from
doing what it wants to do.

And as it drops in elevation,
it only grows stronger

and the power of its force
goes on full display.

The lower falls feed the
Grand Canyon of Yellowstone,

where rushing water has
plowed through the earth

for 160,000 years,

leaving behind a ravine
4,000 feet across,

1,200 feet deep
and 24 miles long.

It's a testament to
the river's power

and the vastness of time.

But sometimes the river
shows off its strength

in much more destructive ways.

In 2022, higher than expected
rains in the spring combined

with the melting snow to
create an unprecedented series

of floods that
overtook the park.

The river spilled
over their banks

to never before seen heights,

causing some of the roads
and bridges to be washed away

and affected all of
Yellowstone's residents.

- Things were changing
in the matter of minutes.

- It's left us totally
severed from the outside world

- And it's utter devastation.

The park had to
evacuate over 10,000 visitors

as entire sections became
submerged in water.

The damage to the manmade
structures in the park

and gateway communities
will take years to replace.

But even though this was a
once every thousand years flood

the ecosystem will fix itself.

Flooding is just a part of the
cycle of Yellowstone's life.

Balance will be restored
without any help from mankind.

Destruction is actually
needed for the park

to maintain balance.

Sometimes it's in the form of
water, sometimes it's fire.

When the Hayden Expedition
first approached Yellowstone

150 years ago, they
took note of multiple

forest fires in the distance.

They'd arrived at the
beginning of fire season,

which runs from July
to late September.

Hayden and his men were
laying eyes on something

that affected
Yellowstone repeatedly

ever since the last great
glacial retreat 14,000 years ago.

Put simply, Yellowstone
had burned before

and it would burn again.

- In the American West,

fires continue to
crackle through thousands

of acres of brush
and timberland.

In 1988,
Yellowstone faced

its largest fire on record.

Firefighters
say they are battling

the worst fire conditions
they've ever seen

in Yellowstone National Park.

A perfect
storm developed

when several smaller fires
merged into a single raging

inferno that scorched nearly
800,000 acres of park land.

More than a third
of Yellowstone.

Firefighters
are hosing down roofs

at Mammoth Hot Springs, the
Yellowstone Park's headquarters,

directly in the
path of the fires.

It led to America's
largest firefighting effort

at the time, costing
120 million dollars

- Army soldiers are being sent

to the front lines to battle
a very stubborn enemy:

forest fires.

- But despite the money
and the manpower...

it was mother nature that
did what it always does;

restoring order through
massive rain and snowstorms.

Fire is actually a necessary
part of Yellowstone's balance.

High above, the cones of
lodgepole pine trees require

the extreme heat of
forest fires to open.

They then release their seeds

over newly charred areas...

and replant the forest.

The burn scars from 1988's
fire will take several

more decades to fully disappear.

But one thing is certain;

the forest, just like
everything else in the park,

will be reborn.

The animals in
Yellowstone also go

through periods of transition.

Each year in the spring, many
of them began their migration

from winter grounds back to
their spring and summer homes.

As many as 20,000 elk
begin an epic migration

to the higher
plateaus of the park.

There they'll be met
by fresh green grass

that will keep them fed
for the next six months.

But as the waters dash downhill

and thousands of bison
embark on a journey uphill...

it's only a matter of time
before there's a conflict.

This bison herd has been on
the move for several days.

This calf was born in April

and she's about to face
her first big test.

She finds herself on the banks

of the raging Yellowstone River

cutting clear across her path.

The entire herd must cross it
to get to greener pastures.

Bison are the largest
mammal in North America,

but even the adults struggle

against the power of
the spring runoff.

For the young,
it's trial by fire.

Or in this case, water.

The calf is especially susceptible
to the rushing current.

Mom thinks fast,
using her massive body

to break up the current,

Other members of the
herd are less lucky

and a fully grown
cow is taken under.

The calf survives her
first test in Yellowstone.

There will be another
test tomorrow.

In spring, all of Yellowstone's
animals are on the move

as they spread across the
park's 2.2 million acres.

But the rocky mountainous
terrain makes traveling

a slow and treacherous process.

The bald eagle doesn't have
to worry about the terrain,

gliding effortlessly
over the massive canyons,

building nests atop
the mighty forest

of ferns and cypress trees

and resting comfortably
near the top

of Yellowstone's food chain.

Every inch of the
park is their kingdom.

Bad news for the ground
squirrels that dot the valley.

But the bald eagles aren't
the only guns in town.

Yellowstone is also home to
an ever growing population

of golden eagles.

With a young
hatchling in her nest,

this female golden eagle will
be hunting for two this spring

which means the bald eagle
will face stiff competition.

With dive speeds of
150 miles per hour,

there's no land animal on earth

that can outrun
the golden eagle.

And she swoops in for the kill.

But the bald eagle won't
give up his meal so easily.

This chase is costing
the bald eagle

valuable calories that he could
be using to hunt other prey.

So he relents.

And the golden eagle brings
the kill back to the nest.

While many species rely on
seasonal migration to escape

the effects of winter,

some endure the
months of brutal cold

by hunkering down into
states of suspended slumber.

The Boreal chorus frogs
freeze into balls of ice.

Their hearts stop beating and
they shut down their lungs.

But when the spring thaw
brings them back from the dead

their bass-filled guttural croon

is the soundtrack
of Yellowstone.

Grizzly bears also emerged
from their winter long slumber.

This adult male has
been living off body fat

for five months and
hasn't had anything to eat

or drink since entering
his den for the winter.

It's a misconception
that grizzlies wake

up from hibernation
ravenous with hunger.

While they do immediately
begin searching for food,

they're lethargic for
the first two weeks.

It's like a state of
walking hibernation

while they wait for their
metabolism to restart.

Fortunately, for this bear,

he doesn't have to
hunt for a meal today.

This elk carcass is what's
known as winter kill,

the end result of the
incredibly harsh winter.

The meat stays fresh,
preserved by the snow.

As the snow retreats,
the easy feasts

are first come first serve.

The bear eats his fill,
but he's not alone.

The scent of the decaying flesh
has attracted a lone wolf.

He'll wait for the
grizzly to fill up,

When the wolf is done,

a pack of coyotes will
enjoy the leftovers.

And later, birds will
pick the bones clean.

One dead elk taken by the winner

has given life to several.

Thanks to Ferdinand
Hayden and his men,

the food chain is
still perfectly intact,

just like it was 150
years ago when they fought

to protect Yellowstone.

Many of the sites they saw are
the same ones we see today.

But still, I wonder
what it would've been

like laying eyes on this
land for the first time.

You know, sometimes
I wish I could jump

into a time machine and go back

and join Hayden in his Expedition
just to see what they saw.

Times like now
when I'm starving,

I'm just happy to
follow the journals.

But these guys, Congress
sent 'em back here to figure

out how to mine, how
to exploit this land.

So a lot of the men

on the expedition were
scientists, academics.

They weren't necessarily
burly mountain men.

And so after a long
day of traversing

they still had to
find something to eat.

They didn't hunt,
they didn't eat,

and they weren't used to that.

Judging by the journals,

they spent a lot of time
thinking about food.

When they did get
the occasional deer

or elk or even a black
bear, times were good.

But other times, 32 men were
sharing a couple of grouse.

I'm sure it was times
like that when they all

questioned the monumental task
that was in front of them.

You know, it's a lot easier

for David to defeat Goliath
when David's well fed.

Hot.

Much like the men on
the Hayden Expedition,

every living thing
in Yellowstone is

in constant search
for its next meal.

As the park's newest arrivals
enjoy their first spring

they grow bigger and
require more food.

This means learning new skills.

These grizzly cubs
were born in February,

After two months of
nursing and sleeping,

it's time to leave the den so

that their mother can teach
them the ways of the world.

They'll need me to
sustain their body weight,

and that means
learning how to hunt.

It may look like they're
playing because they are,

but that's not
all they're doing.

It's called play fighting,

and it's how the young
cubs learn to use

their teeth and claws.

These young mountain
lions do the same.

Harmlessly chasing and
pouncing on each other

as they practice the art
of survival in the wild.

Wolves also play fight to keep
their hunting skills sharp.

Wolves are a native
species in Yellowstone

and were abundant when
the Hayden Expedition

came through in 1871.

But shortly after the
park was established,

they were hunted
nearly to extinction.

There were no wolves in the
park for a century, but in 1995,

they were reintroduced
in Yellowstone.

The revival in the park exceeded

conservationists' expectations.

Exploding elk populations
were brought back

to sustainable level.

In turn, plants that the elk fed

on once again began to thrive,

allowing eroding riverbeds
to return to their true form.

Some scientists
believe that the wolves

have helped rebalance
the entire ecosystem.

Now, on Yellowstone's
150th anniversary,

the springtime here
looks and feels every bit

as it did when Ferdinand Hayden

and his team first
arrived in the 1870s.

As serene as the
verdant valleys are,

as playful the parade
of youth may be,

along with it comes a
dangerous undercurrent.

Spring is the first time
when the newest member

of each species learns
the ways of the world.

Yesterday, this bison calf
learned a dangerous lesson

about crossing the
Yellowstone River.

Unfortunately, she'll
learn another today.

While winter kill leaves plenty

of easy meals for the wolves,

eventually, those run out

and bison calves are
the next in line.

The bison know exactly
why the wolves are here.

The wolves use a wide range

of vocalizations to
communicate their strategy.

And that strategy is to
cut off the bison's path.

The bison can't escape,

so the females form a tight
circle around the young

in the middle and the
males form the perimeter

circling the females.

These bulls are not giving up

their offspring without a fight.

The bison have won
the standoff today.

There will be another tomorrow.

The Hayden Expedition
was dazzled

by the confluence of wolves
and bison and grizzly bears.

They wrote about it in
their journals often.

But there's another
creature that they wrote

about even more,
one that emerges

from hibernation each spring.

This beast so
terrified the pioneers

that they had to find
a defense against it

or risk their entire mission.

When the snow melts, it runs

to the lower elevation and
fuels the rivers and streams.

But it also creates
stagnant pools,

giving mosquitoes the perfect
opportunity to lay eggs.

Their onslaught is a theme
in their journal entries.

One of the geologists
even considered leaving

to protect his sanity.

That was all until they came
across some ancient knowledge.

Here's a good one.

Indigenous Americans have
been burning bison dung

for thousands of years.

It's actually a
great replacement

for wood if you need
to start a fire.

And for some reason,
mosquitoes just,

well, they just hate it.

So about halfway
through the expedition

they started smudging.

That's what they called it.

And after that, no more journal
entries about mosquitoes.

You know, if there's something
I like less than picking

up bison patties, it's being
eaten alive by mosquitoes.

You know, the funny thing is

there's so many things that
could have derailed Hayden

and his men from finishing
their mission out here,

but it wasn't the wolves,
it wasn't the grizzlies,

it wasn't even the US Congress

that almost knocked
'em off course,

it was the damn mosquitoes.

Just don't throw the bison crap

into the fire until
after you've eaten.

Hayden and his men found a cure

for the scourge
of biting insects,

but one man's wildly annoying
pest is the main attraction

for some of Yellowstone's
more colorful visitors.

Over 150 species
of birds migrate

to Yellowstone each spring to
feast on the ample insects.

For many of these birds,
where there's mosquitoes,

there's a full belly.

But that's not all.

The abundance of insects
lured fish to the surface

of lakes and rivers.

Those fish are a handsome
catch for Yellowstone's

birds of prey, including
the mighty osprey.

When these raptors hunt,
it's a sight to behold.

They use their excellent
vision to spot fish

in the river below

and dive talons first to
latch onto their meal.

The birds, the insects,

the fish, the trees,

even the rivers, they're all
part of the cycle of life

in a land that is
reborn each spring.

It's an incredible time to
see Yellowstone National Park

so full of life and color.

The vibrance is exactly
what Ferdinand Hayden

and the men who joined
him wanted to preserve.

It's exactly what
they were talking

about when they pleaded
with the US Congress,

promising that the American
people would benefit more

by just seeing this
place than they would

from any railroad or any
gold pulled from the ground.

He believed that
Yellowstone would be a place

where anyone could
come and visit,

come and be inspired by
the sight and sounds,

and he was right.

There's something about staring
out at the landscape here,

taking in the natural world
just as it was intended to be,

just gives you a little reset.

Even if it only lasts a day or
only an hour, it's priceless.

You know, sometimes I
think what I might say

if I ever got a chance to
talk to people who lived

in the past,

I think if I met
Ferdinand Hayden,

it'd probably be, probably
be just two words.

Thank you.