Former UW Professor to be Inducted into Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame

A former University of Wyoming professor who founded the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit will be inducted into the Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame this month.

The late Stanley Anderson is one of four who will join 49 past inductees during a ceremony scheduled Oct. 22 at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West, 720 Sheridan Ave., in Cody. Dinner is scheduled at 6 p.m., with the awards ceremony to follow at 7 p.m.

The Wyoming Outdoor Hall of Fame was established in 2004 by then-Gov. Dave Freudenthal to celebrate individuals who have shown leadership and vision related to conserving wildlife, habitat or the heritage of hunting and fishing. Tickets for the induction ceremony are available online at https://wgfd.wyo.gov/Get-Involved/Contests-and-Awards/Outdoor-Hall-of-Fame.

Anderson moved to Wyoming full time in 1980 to take a position as a professor in the Department of Zoology and Physiology at UW. While there, he helped launch a new endeavor -- the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit. The unit established a formal partnership among the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department and UW to conduct important, applied wildlife research.

Anderson and the students he mentored have made lasting contributions with research on conserving the endangered Wyoming toad; reintroducing the black-footed ferret; on big game migration; on how changing landscapes affect nongame birds; and on energy development’s effects on pronghorn and mule deer.

His contributions also led to changes benefiting wildlife, such as the use of markers on transmission lines to decrease bird collisions; population estimation techniques for raptors in the state; and habitat delineation.

During his career, Anderson advised or co-advised 100 graduate students, and he wrote 200 scientific articles and several books. His work appeared in journals ranging from The Auk to the Journal of Wildlife Management. He also wrote or co-wrote multiple editions of three textbooks that have been used widely in the field of wildlife management, as well as books on the prairie falcon, and forest and rangeland birds of the United States.

Anderson was one of the first avian ecologists to study bird-habitat relations using multivariate statistical techniques. Throughout his career, a special interest in habitat selection guided his research and his training of students. In his later years, he focused increasingly on endangered species and made significant contributions to solving problems confronting black-footed ferrets and greater sage grouse.

He received his doctoral and master’s degrees from Oregon State University, and his bachelor’s degree in biology from Redlands University.

Anderson led the co-op unit until his death in 2005.

For more information, call Sara DiRienzo at (307) 777-4540.