• Visitors stand on the boardwalk of Grand Prismatic, the park's largest hot spring which is ringed with orange, brown and yellow runoff channels.

    Yellowstone

    National Park ID,MT,WY

How your Application for a Research Permit is Processed

Flow chart of research permitting process.
 

1.) Once the application and peer reviews are received on-line they are checked for completeness and prepared for consideration by the Research Permit Office and the Research Review Team by:

  • Composing a summary of the proposal.
  • Addressing questions the Research Review Team might ask.
  • Informing the appropriate park staff.
  • Reviewing for compliance with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Wilderness Act, and other relevant regulations.
  • Evaluating the impacts to cultural and natural resources.

2.) Following project review by the Research Review Team, the proposal will be either:

  • Approved by the Research Review Team with or without stipulations or modifications such as limiting the amount of sample collections or restricting entry into closed, restricted, or sensitive areas, or denied.
  • Denied—a letter will be sent to the Principal Investigator with an explanation for denial.

3.) Once Yellowstone National Park approves a new research project and issues a research permit, an information packet is sent to the Principal Investigator, containing the following:

  • Instruction Letter
  • Permit
  • Field Ethics and Safety Brochure
  • Bear Safety Brochure
  • Dashboard Display Card
  • General Information Packet
  • Yellowstone Newspaper

Did You Know?

Bear Cubs

Even though the animals of Yellowstone seem tame they are still wild. Feeding the animals is not permitted in any way, and all visitors must keep 100 yards away from wolves and bears, and 25 yards from other animals.