Whitebark pines -- a crucial cog in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem -- may be ailing and in danger, but the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will not extend protections to the species, saying resources are best deployed elsewhere.

A proposed overhaul of the North Entrance to Yellowstone National Park would add more entry kiosks and a road reconfiguration allowing folks in a hurry to bypass the Roosevelt Arch -- while decreasing traffic for those who want to enjoy it.

A bad economy, higher-than-normal fuel prices and a delayed spring pushed down visitation numbers in June for Yellowstone National Park, but it still ended up as the third-highest June visitation on record.

Pharmacist Brian Matayoshi, killed by a grizzly sow Wednesday, was on his fourth visit to Yellowstone National Park with his wife, Marylyn; they had never seen a bear on previous visits.