JACKSON HOLE, WYO – Never before has human presence in remote backcountry wilderness been so potentially worrisome as it is today. More and more of us are getting farther and farther out there. What kind of impacts have humans had on wildlands and wildlife in recent years?
The Jackson Hole Bird & Nature Club and the Wyoming Wilderness Association will host not-to-miss speaker event entitled: The Ecological Impacts of Recreation on Wildlife & Wildlands. The presentation by Bruce S. Thompson, will take place Tuesday, March 12 from 6-8pm in the Ordway Auditorium at the Teton County Library.
Thompson will provide an overview of the available research on the interactions between recreation, wildlife and wildlands in an easy-to-follow presentation for recreationists and nature lovers alike. Some of the most prominent content areas to be discussed are:
- impacts on the diversity, abundance, behavior, health and species composition of birds and mammals;
- that such impacts are generated in various ways by virtually all human activity, most notably and to varying degrees hiking, biking, horseback riding, and camping; and
- that the public at large is appreciably uninformed as to the forms and degrees of impact their activities have upon wild landscapes and the wildlife that inhabit them.
Thompson lives in Dubois but has worked as a natural science education consultant throughout the US for over 30 years. His national and regional clients have included the California Institute for Biodiversity, Project WILD, Smithsonian Institution and The Nature Conservancy, as well as scores of state and regional schools, universities, federal agencies, museums, and conservation organizations.
Thompson is also a past faculty member and Director of Education for Teton Science Schools, and also served as Director of Education for Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City. An avid “scatologist” and animal tracker, Thompson authored the Roberts Rinehart publication, “Looking at the Wolf,” and is the designer of “Mammals of North America” guides and apparel marketed through his company, Pangraphics.
“It’s imperative that both decision-makers, as well as we among the public they serve, come to grips with the direct and indirect impacts of ever-expanding recreational activities on wildlife, and that we manage visitation in ways that minimize those impacts,” Thompson shared.
The purpose of the Jackson Hole Bird & Nature Club is to promote interest in the study of birds, wildlife and natural history in Jackson Hole and the Greater Yellowstone Area.
Wyoming Wilderness Association is a statewide, grassroots organization whose mission is to protect Wyoming public wildlands.
“The content of this presentation could not be more pertinent to our impassioned community of recreationists. This information deserves our attention as we discuss the future of our beloved public lands and sustainable access,” said Wyoming Wilderness Association’s Community Organizer, Peggie dePasquale.
