The first national park was established here in Yellowstone. Situated along much of northwestern Wyoming and parts of neighbouring Montana and Idaho, even over a hundred years ago there was a collective need to protect and preserve the abundant wildlife and many geothermal features surrounding the area. Today Yellowstone boasts of being one of the largest ecosystems in the Lower 48 to support a wide variety of animals - including many endangered species like the grizzly bear, gray wolf and American bison. Resting atop an active supervolcano, it is also home to half of the world's geothermal features.