Aquatic Resource Management Topic of First UW Harlow Series Talk in Grand Teton

An expanded framework to guide aquatic resource management is the topic of the first Harlow Summer Seminar Series event at the renovated University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Station. The facility is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

William Fetzer, a UW Department of Zoology and Physiology assistant professor, will present “Big fish eat little fish: An expanded framework to guide aquatic resource management” Thursday, June 20. The event begins at 5:30 p.m. with a barbecue, followed by a 6:30 p.m. seminar. The events are free and open to the public, although a $10 donation is suggested.

Water resource and fisheries managers, policymakers and stakeholders require a clear understanding of relationships among fish, habitats and people to guide their decisions. Fetzer says changes in the environment and human decisions can have a strong influence on environmental quality and fisheries, making it difficult to balance conflicting interests.

He will present an expanded framework to link environmental conditions with fish community dynamics and productivity and discuss application of this framework to ongoing research in the Laurentian Great Lakes, a group of North American lakes, and large reservoirs in Wyoming.

Fetzer, in the UW College of Agriculture, Life Sciences and Natural Resources, focuses his research on understanding how freshwater ecosystems respond to human-driven changes, such as climate change, invasive species and nutrient loading.

His recent projects focus on understanding the importance of environmental conditions and food web structure on the productivity and stability of fisheries in Wyoming lakes and reservoirs and the Laurentian Great Lakes. The research is done in close collaboration with state, federal and tribal partners to ensure research findings inform on-the-ground management and conservation of freshwater ecosystems.

About the University of Wyoming-National Park Service Research Station

The research station, 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 station 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 Station a significant center for research and community outreach. Harlow began the popular weekly public seminars during the summer months. This summer’s weekly programs are from June 20-Aug. 8.

Further details of the evening events are available at www.uwnps.org, where those interested can join a mailing list.