Summer Harlow Seminar Series Planned at UW Research Institute at AMK Ranch

Seven weekly evening presentations on topics of local and international interest are among programs in the Harlow Summer Seminar Series at the University of Wyoming Research Institute at AMK Ranch.

The institute -- located in Grand Teton National Park -- is a cooperative effort between UW and the National Park Service (NPS) to promote research in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem. The UW-NPS Research Institute is one of only a handful of field stations in U.S. national parks and by far the oldest partnership of this kind. In 2018, the institute celebrated 65 years of cooperation with Grand Teton National Park.

The Harlow Summer Seminar Series events are every Thursday from June 26-Aug. 7, with a 5:30 p.m. barbecue followed by a 6:30 p.m. seminar in Berol Lodge at the AMK Ranch near Leeks Marina. The events are free and open to the public, although a $10 donation is suggested.

For more information and updates, visit www.uwnps.org.

The summer schedule, listed by dates, discussion topics and presenters, is:

-- June 26: “The Mountain States Bumble Bee Atlas: A Collaborative Effort to Conserve Bumble Bees Through Community Scientist Observations,” Michelle Toshack, endangered species conservation biologist for the Montana Bumblebee Atlas and Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation.

-- July 3: “Why are butterflies declining? A look at monarchs and the insect apocalypse,” Elise Zipkin, Red Cedar Distinguished Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and program director in ecology, evolution and behavior at Michigan State University.

-- July 10: “The Wonder of Water, Wildlife and Habitat in Grand Teton National Park,” Yvette Converse, chief of science and resource management for Grand Teton National Park.

-- July 17: “The Superior Deer: Learning from the longest migration in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem,” Gregory Nickerson, writer and filmmaker with the Wyoming Migration Initiative at UW.

-- July 24: “Old Faithful Anatomy: Magma Fueling Yellowstone Hydrothermal System. Earthquakes and New Images of the 2024 July Biscuit Basin Hydrothermal Explosion,” Bob Smith, distinguished professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics at the University of Utah, and Jamie Farrell, research professor at the University of Utah seismograph stations.

-- July 31: “Grand Teton Forest Dynamics Plot: Monitoring local forest health and contributing to the Smithsonian Forest Global Earth Observatory,” Sara Germain, assistant professor in the Department of Botany, and Tucker Furniss, assistant professor in the Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, both at UW.

-- Aug. 7: “The Wyoming Festival: New Music in the Mountains -- Chamber Music Concert,” presented by Anne Guzzo, director, founder and participating composer of the festival. Additional composers include Tim Hinck, Eric Lagergren, Scott Stewart, Kayla Williams and Shawna Wolf.

About the University of Wyoming-National Park Service Research Institute

The research institute, a cooperative effort between UW and the NPS for the past 71 years, provides a base for university faculty members and government scientists from around the world to conduct research in the diverse aquatic and terrestrial environments of Grand Teton National Park and the greater Yellowstone area. The research institute is located on the AMK Ranch historic district on a peninsula extending into Jackson Lake near Leeks Marina.

About the Harlow Summer Seminar Series

Formerly called the AMK Ranch Talk Series, the Harlow program is named after retired UW Department of Zoology and Physiology Professor Hank Harlow, who helped make the UW-NPS Research Institute (formerly Station) a significant center for research and community outreach. Harlow began the popular weekly public seminars during the summer months.