BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) -- Researchers from Montana State
University say population densities around national parks
including Yellowstone and Glacier increased dramatically in
recent decades. The researchers say population densities rose
246 percent around Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks
from 1940 to 2000. Population density rose 210 percent around
Glacier National Park in that time. But MSU ecologist Andrew
Hansen says that growth is on the low end compared to some other
parks. For example, the population density around Mojave
National Preserve in California is up by almost 3,000 percent.
Hansen and co-author Cory Davis are publishing their findings in
Ecological Applications, a journal published by the Ecological
Society of America.