2010-2011 Bruce Museum Science Lecture Series

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Contact: Mike Horyczun For Immediate Release Director of Public Relations September 1, 2010
(203) 413-6735

2010-2011 Bruce Museum Science Lecture Series

“Yellowstone Wolves: The Restoration of a Wildlife Legacy”

3 p.m., Sunday, September 12, 2010

Bruce Museum, 1 Museum Drive, Greenwich, CT

Wolf biologist Dan Stahlerbegins the Bruce Museum’s 2010-2011 Science Lecture Seriesat 3 p.m. on Sunday, September 12, 2010, with a lecture entitled “Yellowstone Wolves: The Restoration of a Wildlife Legacy.” The lecture will reflect on the important value of science and society in preserving our wildlife heritage for future generations. Admission is $5 at the door; free to Museum members and students with identification. The Bruce Museum is located at 1 Museum Drive, in Greenwich, CT. For reservations, call 203-869-0376, ext. 420.

The successful reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park and the western United States is an impressive accomplishment in conservation history. In his lecture, Dan Stahler will discuss the ecology, genetics, and behavior of Yellowstone wolves and the role they play on shaping ecosystem function, structure, and other species' lives.

This is the first of the Bruce Museum’s 2010-2011 Science Lecture Series: “Our National Parks, Preserves and Refuges,”a three-part series focusing on the ecology of and conservation issues in the American national parks, preserves and refuges. The series continues on Sunday, February 13, 2011, at 3 p.m. with Charles “Chipper” Wichman, Director of the National Tropical Botanical Garden, speaking on “A Dream Fulfilled: Our Nation’s Tropical Garden.” The series concludes on Sunday, March 27, 2011, with Fran Mauer, biologist, Fish and Wildlife Service, and Jeff Jones, photographer of Arctic Sanctuary, presenting the two-part lecture “The Art and Science of the Arctic” at 2 p.m.The Bruce Museum’s 2010-2011 Science Lecture Series is organized by the Bruce Museum Science Committee and supported by the Marjorie Sims Lawrence Memorial Fund and Mr. and Mrs. Fred Elser. This first lecture is also supported by a grant from the Yellowstone Park Foundation

Dan Stahler has been the Project Biologist for the Yellowstone Gray Wolf Restoration Project, National Park Service in Yellowstone National Park since 2002. He is responsible for coordinating all aspects of the Yellowstone Wolf Project's research program, which focuses on wolf population dynamics, predator-prey, social dynamics, population genetics, and ecological and behavioral interactions with other species. He focuses on integrating new technology and research tools, such as molecular genetics techniques, Global Positioning System wildlife tracking, and digital photography with traditional field biology to advance our understanding of the natural world.Mr. Stahler has produced many publications on wolf ecology, behavior, genetics, and interactions with other carnivores. He has been an advisor and consultant for film, television, books, and magazines.

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He has worked as a biologist for the Wildlife Conservation Society's Yellowstone Cougar Project, studying cougar predation, population dynamics, and interactions with other carnivores in Yellowstone. He earned a M.S. in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior from the University of Vermont studying the predator-scavenger relationship of wolves and ravens. He received his Bachelor's degree in Conservation Biology from Middlebury College in 1996. Mr. Stahler is currently finishing a PhD at the University of California, Los Angeles, in the program of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. He devotes as much time as possible immersed in wilderness, and makes his home in Gardiner, Montana, at the north entrance of Yellowstone National Park.

The Bruce Museum is located at 1 Museum Drive in Greenwich, Connecticut, USA. The Museum is located near Interstate-95, Exit 3, and a short walk from the Greenwich, CT, train station. Museum hours are: Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. to 5 p.m., and closed Mondays and major holidays. (General admission is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and students, and free for children under five and Bruce Museum members. Free admission to all on Tuesdays). Groups of eight or more require advance reservations. Museum exhibition tours are held Fridays at 12:30 p.m. Free, on-site parking is available. The Bruce Museum is accessible to individuals with disabilities. For information, call the Bruce Museum at (203) 869-0376, or visit the Bruce Museum website at

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