The Trump Administration Removes Climate Change Section from Yellowstone 2025 Handbook

Yellowstone’s 2025 handbook removes its entire 13-page climate change section for the first time in nearly 20 years.

The Yellowstone Resources and Issues Handbook, a key annual reference for park staff, guides, and visitors, omitted detailed climate change information once included since 2008. This structural shift marks a notable departure in how the park communicates environmental changes to the public and insiders alike.

The 2025 edition excluded three subsections on climate dynamics despite the region’s documented 2.3°F temperature rise since 1950 and a projected 2.7°F increase by 2050. The National Park Service attributed the removal to outdated data and non-park-specific content, denying administrative directives influenced the change, which preceded Interior Secretary Doug Burgum’s Order 3431. The handbook still contains some climate mentions, but the comprehensive coverage previously present is gone. Approximately 1,500 copies circulate annually among Yellowstone’s 750 employees and 330 businesses. Notably, the 2021 Greater Yellowstone Climate Assessment, reflecting recent science, remains unincorporated.

The 2026 handbook edition has yet to be released, and whether climate content returns is currently unknown.

Montana businesses and communities connected to Greater Yellowstone may find this development significant: the handbook’s omission could affect how climate risks are understood and managed locally. Given Montana’s reliance on natural tourism and environmental stability, the absence of detailed climate information might influence decision-making and economic planning across the region.

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