UW Haub School Dean to Give Virtual Public Talk on Groundhog Day Feb. 2

John Koprowski, the dean of the University of Wyoming’s Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources and an international squirrel expert, will give a free virtual talk to discuss the importance of Groundhog Day Tuesday, Feb. 2.

Koprowski will present “Groundhog Day: Facts, Myths and a Celebration of Our Connection to Wildlife” at 4 p.m. via Zoom and Facebook Live. You can find the links by going to the Haub School’s website at www.uwyo.edu/haub/events.

The virtual event is hosted by the Haub School and will include a prize giveaway via Instagram beginning today (Wednesday) for participants interacting with the Haub School’s Groundhog Day-themed posts on social media.

During Koprowski’s talk, participants will learn about the history and significance of Groundhog Day, the biology of the groundhog and what the day says about connections to the natural world. He says participants will obtain answers to questions such as “What is a whistle pig?”; “How long will our winter last?”; and “How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?”

Koprowski has been dean of the Haub School since September. He came to UW from the University of Arizona, where he taught undergraduate courses in wildlife conservation and management, and graduate courses that deal with environmental and conservation challenges in human-dominated landscapes. His research program has focused on the ecology, conservation and management of biodiversity in the United States, Mexico, Peru, Colombia, Nepal, China, Mongolia, South Africa and numerous other international locations.

His efforts in conservation have led to his election as a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, The Wildlife Society and the Linnean Society of London.

Koprowski is among leading global experts on the ecology, conservation and management of squirrels, with more than 150 publications on this group, including the compendium “Squirrels of the World.” His research uses squirrels and other wildlife species as common indicators of the complexity of environmental and conservation challenges in human-dominated landscapes. He even has listed groundhogs in his research.

For more information, visit www.uwyo.edu/haub/events; or call Amanda Korpitz, Haub School special events coordinator, at (307) 766-6979 or email akorpitz@uwyo.edu. Follow the Haub School on Instagram for event updates.