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

man with a squirrel perched on his hand
John Koprowski, UW’s Haub School dean and an international squirrel expert, will give a free virtual talk to discuss the importance of Groundhog Day Wednesday, Feb. 2. He is pictured here studying a squirrel at Gifu Squirrel Park in Japan. (John Koprowski Photo)

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 Wednesday, 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; links for the event can be found on the Haub School’s website at www.uwyo.edu/haub/events. The virtual event is hosted by the Haub School.

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 2020. He came to UW from the University of Arizona, where he was the director of the School of Natural Resources and the Environment. He also 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. He serves the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species as the North American coordinator for small mammals and evaluates conservation status of squirrel species from around the world.

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 and for interactive Groundhog Day prediction polls.

 

 

Contact Us

Institutional Communications
Bureau of Mines Building, Room 137
Laramie, WY 82071
Phone: (307) 766-2929
Email: cbaldwin@uwyo.edu


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