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In
1988, a severe drought, coupled with dry lightning storms,
sparked fires that were whipped by winds until they swept
through much of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
The press initially treated the fires as a national
disaster, creating public outrage, and the perception that
Yellowstone
National Park
was destroyed.
In
order to correct misinformation, and to protect the tourism
industry in
Wyoming
, Egret was called in
to join a team to design and create a public relations campaign.
While the fires were still burning, Egret began
production of "Yellowstone: A New Beginning"
which explained that lodgepole pine ecosystems are dependent
upon forest fires for renewal, and that the forests of
Yellowstone
had suffered under 70
years of fire suppression.
We also demonstrated that none of the
"attractions" of
Yellowstone
were damaged by the
fires - and that watchable wildlife and wildflowers would
actually increase as a result of the fires.
A
year later, we followed with "Yellowstone: A
Continuing Evolution", a production designed to
demonstrate the rapid regrowth of the forests, and to stimulate
visitor interest in learning about forest fires and forest
regeneration. Coupled
with other ongoing marketing and public relations projects we
worked on for the Wyoming Division of Tourism, the projects have
yielded dramatic results. Visitation
to
Yellowstone
rebounded
rapidly; visitor perceptions have changed dramatically in
post-production polls; and local accommodations in and around
Yellowstone
were
operated close to capacity in the years following the fires.
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