Elk Refuge Manager to Speak at UW

The manager of the National Elk Refuge near Jackson will discuss the history and management of that refuge, as well as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, at the University of Wyoming National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Center Thursday, June 28. The center is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

Brian Glaspell has been the National Elk Refuge manager since March 2017, after serving for four years as manager of the 19.6 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. He describes the two refuges as the crown jewels of the national wildlife refuge system.

Glaspell will speak at 6:30 p.m. at the AMK Ranch, located north of Leeks Marina. A barbecue, at a cost of $5 per person, will take place at 5:30 p.m. Reservations are not required. The talk is part of the weekly Harlow Summer Seminars series.

Each refuge faces profound threats in the coming decade, Glaspell says, noting that successful management will require a continued program of sound science -- but also, perhaps, a change of attitude.

Glaspell also chairs the Greater Yellowstone Coordinating Committee, a group of federal executives that advises on planning and policy within the Yellowstone ecosystem. He has degrees from UW as well as universities in Alaska and Montana.

The UW-NPS Research Center 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 Center a significant center for research and community outreach. Harlow began the popular weekly public seminars during the summer months.

For more information about the Harlow Summer Seminars, contact Michael Dillon at (307) 314-9833 or Michael.Dillon@uwyo.edu.