Abstract

This article uses a core group of three arguments to support the contention that Yellowstone National Park's thermal sites deserve special efforts to preserve them, and that this goes above and beyond the general spirit motivating the national parks. It considers arguments having to do with educational value and rarity, and an argument that relies on aesthetic constructs. For purposes of evaluating the notion of rarity, comparison is made to work on the rare saline water preserve of Mono Lake. Part and parcel of this line of debate has to do with the notion that there has been a general lack of commentary on the value of geothermal areas. The work of William J. Fritz and Robert C. Thomas, Marc Hendrix, and others is cited.