THE UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING – NATIONAL PARK
SERVICE RESEARCH CENTER
The University of Wyoming-National Park Service
(UW-NPS) Research Center is a cooperative effort between the University
of Wyoming and the National Park Service. Headquartered on the University
of Wyoming campus in Laramie, the research center was established to foster
research in National Parks in the Rocky Mountain Region. In addition, the
center operates a field research station at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton
National Park which is open from mid May through mid October.
The primary function of the Research Station is to
promote excellence in research by furnishing housing, laboratory space,
transportation, equipment and financial support to enable investigators
in the biological, physical and social sciences to access the rich and
diverse environments of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, Bridger-Teton
and Targhee National Forest and the Gros Vente and Teton Wilderness Areas.
RESEARCH
OPPORTUNITIES
Since its inception in 1946, the Research Station
has supported over 400 research projects with well over 500 peer reviewed
scientific publications which have addressed the applied and basic biological
and physical science of Grand Teton National Park and the other parks of
the Rocky Mountain Region. Projects conducted by the research center scientists
are as diverse as the parks themselves.
Recently conducted projects include:
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Monitoring migratory bird populations in Grand Teton National Park.
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Jackson Lake Archaeological Project.
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Succession following the 1988 Yellowstone fires.
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Ecology and management of Jackson Hole elk herd.
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Climatic factors, reproductive success and population dynamics in the montane
vole, Microtus montanus.
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Taxonomy and ecology of macrofungi in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
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An evaluation of earthquake hazards of the Grand Teton National Park emphasizing
Teton fault.
SERVICE ACTIVITY
The Center also performs an important service role. This
is principally through support for seminars, meetings and conferences held
at the field station. Regularly scheduled seminars create an atmosphere
for discussion of research projects and findings among scientists from
the research station.
AMK FIELD STATION FACILITIES
The UW-NPS field station at the AMK Ranch is located
on an isolated shoreline of Jackson Lake. The station is composed of 16
buildings including two lodges and seven residences. Units are heated and
equipped with beds, cooking utensils and refrigerators. All of the buildings
at the AMK ranch are on the National Historical Register and are absolutely
spectacular!
The UW-NPS Research Station’s modern equipment meets many field and
laboratory research needs. Facilities and equipment include:
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Wet and dry laboratories - sample dryers, refrigerators and freezers,
hoods, water baths and live animal holding rooms
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Boats - canoes, row boats with motors and trailers, rubber rafts
and a 19 foot MonArk research vessel suitable for use on the region’s large
lakes
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Research supplies and equipment - small mammal traps, pyronometer,
current meter, balances, H meters, glassware, centrifuges, microscopes,
Data Loggers and weather stations
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Fully Operative Darkroom
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Seminar Rooms - accommodate up to 100 people with slide and over-head
projectors
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Library Facilities - more than 1400 volumes and 14 major journals,
access to on-line catalogs of major libraries in Wyoming and Colorado,
access to inter-library loan and rapid delivery of materials from the University
of Wyoming Libraries
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Computer Facilities - word processing, data entry and manipulation,
access to main-frame computers
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Camping Supplies - tents, sleeping bags, cook stoves and packs
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SCUBA gear - wet suits and oxygen tanks
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Vehicles - one-half ton and one-ton pickup trucks.
PROPOSALS AND FUNDING
UW-NPS Research Center awards $20,000 on a competitive
basis to full time university faculty or government researchers. Requests
for Proposal packets are distributed by the last week of November to individuals
and institutions throughout the United States.
Proposals should be submitted by late February. University
research scientists and administrators at the respective parks evaluate
and rank all proposals. proposals are also submitted to outside peer review
and are evaluated by the research center’s steering committee.
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