Seminars

Harlow Seminar – July 6th, 2023, Grant Hopcraft

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Harlow Seminar – July 6th, 2023, Grant Hopcraft

The Serengeti wildebeest migration: ecology and conservation in a changing world

Speaker: Dr. Grant Hopcraft, University of Glasgow
Time: Thursday, July 6th, 5:30pm MT, talk begins at 6:30pm MT
Location: UW-NPS Research Station at the AMK Ranch, in the Berol Lodge

The talk will also be available via Zoom (The zoom link will be made available through our email list. If you are not on the list, please click here to join: https://uwnps.org/mailing-list/)

Abstract

The Serengeti is an iconic ecosystem that is best known for the epic migration of over 1.2 million wildebeest plus 250,000 zebra and 200,000 gazelle – however it is unique. Large migrations of animals were once common in many parts of the world, but they have been collapsing globally. What makes the Serengeti so special? Why do we not see Serengeti type ecosystems everywhere? In this public lecture we will explore the underlying natural history that leads to the astounding diversity and abundance of animals in this ecosystem. We will reflect on years of ecological research and management decisions that have provided insights about how ecosystems work and what lessons the Serengeti has taught us.

Bio

Dr. Hopcraft’s research concentrates on conservation ecology and management, particularly of African ecosystems. He leads the Serengeti Biodiversity Program, which includes work with wildebeests, zebras, and elands, and as well as serving as an advisor to many important conservation organizations including Tanzania National Parks, Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, and the Frankfurt Zoological Society.

Harlow Summer Seminar – June 29th, 2023, Merav Ben-David

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 Harlow Summer Seminar – June 29th, 2023, Merav Ben-David

Is protecting isolated species enough? On the role of Yellowstone National Park in the recovery of river otters in the Rocky Mountains

Speaker: Merav Ben-David, Professor, Dept. of Zoology & Physiology, UW
Time: Thursday, June 29th, 5:30pm, talk begins at 6:30pm
Location: UW-NPS Research Station at the AMK Ranch, in the Berol Lodge
The talk will also be available via Zoom (The zoom link will be made available through our email list. If you are not on the list, please click here to join: https://uwnps.org/mailing-list/)

By the early 1900’s, river otters (Lontra canadensis) were extirpated from most freshwater systems in western North America due to overharvest and pollution. Remnant populations survived in the greater Yellowstone region, largely due to the establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Despite improvement to water quality following the Clean Water Act of 1972 and limits on harvest since the mid-1950s, river otter populations showed limited recovery in the Rocky Mountain region. Reintroduction efforts in several states (Colorado, Utah, Nebraska, and South Dakota), led to the successful establishment of river otter populations. Nonetheless, otter recovery in many Wyoming watersheds has not yet occurred. In this project we conducted a formal survey of otters across the state using camera traps and non-invasive genetic sampling. Our preliminary results show that the Yellowstone population was the source of at least two independent expansion events; one into the Shoshone River and another to the Snake. From there otters colonized the Upper Wind River. We also found that river otters in the Green River are genetically distinct, and that population may be an expansion of the reintroduced animals in Utah. Similarly, otters from Colorado seem to expand into the headwaters of the Platte River. The ability of overland dispersal by otters contrast with their limited spread into the Big Horn and lower Platte Rivers. In future work we intend to model the dynamics of otter expansion and the role of barriers (e.g., dams and large reservoirs) and water flow in an effort to better understand the current distribution of otters in Wyoming.

Harlow Seminar – July 6th, 2023, Annika Walters

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 Harlow Seminar – July 6th, 2023

Cutthroat trout conservation: challenges and opportunities

Speaker: Annika Walters, USGS and the University of Wyoming
Time: Thursday, June 22nd, 5:30pm MT, talk begins at 6:30pm MT
Location: UW-NPS Research Station at the AMK Ranch, in the Berol Lodge

The talk will also be available via Zoom (The zoom link will be made available through our email list. If you are not on the list, please click here to join: https://uwnps.org/mailing-list/)

 

Cutthroat trout play key ecological and economic roles in Wyoming. Cutthroat provide food resources for aquatic, terrestrial, and avian predators and support a world-renowned recreational fishery. In many areas, cutthroat trout populations have been declining due to habitat degradation and hybridization with rainbow trout. Climate change may further threaten cutthroat trout persistence. I explore some of the challenges and opportunities in cutthroat trout conservation through examples from research conducted in the North Fork Shoshone and Upper Snake watersheds. Cutthroat trout conservation will benefit from emerging tools and partnerships, in addition to the species’ innate ability to adapt and persist.

Recording Now Available! Dr. Tarissa Spoonhunter: Tribes, Treaties and National Parks

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Tribes, Treaties and National Parks
Harlow Speaker Series Special Event with Lunch
Speaker: Dr. Tarissa Spoonhunter, University of Wyoming Haub School
Time: Wednesday, Sept 21st, noon-2 pm. Talk beginning at 12:45 pm
Location: UW-NPS Berol Lodge, and on Zoom (the link and password will be available through our email list. If you haven’t already, be sure to join our emailing list!)
Lunch available to the first 40 participants

Tarissa Spoonhunter, the new director of the High Plains American Indian Research Institute at the University of Wyoming, is the featured speaker for the Harlow Speaker Series event Wednesday, Sept. 21, at the renovated University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Station. The facility is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

The free event is from noon-2 p.m. in the Berol Lodge. Spoonhunter will present “Tribes, Treaties and National Parks” beginning at 12:45 p.m. She will speak about her research on the long-term relationships that Native American tribes have with national park lands, and how treaties and other policies have shaped those relationships since the lands were designated as parks by the U.S. government.

Spoonhunter, also an assistant professor in the UW Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, focuses her work on sharing knowledge with other races and nationalities to build relationships to increase understanding — something that resides deep in her roots growing up on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation. At age nine, her people gave her the name Medicine Beaver Woman, a name she remembers feeling came with a great deal of responsibility and underscores the dedication she brings to her work at UW.

A light lunch will be provided for the first 40 attendees. The talk also will be available via Zoom.

The event will mark the beginning of a National Science Foundation-funded workshop at the AMK involving over 20 UW faculty, that is related to the new WyACT: Wyoming Anticipating Climate Transitions project aimed at anticipating future climate and water changes. The event presents an opportunity for visitors to meet and talk with UW researchers covering a wide range of areas from ecology and hydrology to park-related social science.

The UW-NPS Research Station provides a base for university faculty members and government scientists from throughout North America to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the greater Yellowstone area. Formerly called the AMK Ranch Talk Series, the Harlow Summer Seminars program is named after retired UW Department of Zoology and Physiology Professor Hank Harlow, who helped make the UW-NPS Research Station a significant center for research and community outreach. Harlow began the popular weekly public seminars during the summer months.

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