Great Gray Owl Focus of UW Harlow Talk Aug. 1

An iconic raptor of the greater Yellowstone ecosystem will be the focus of the weekly Harlow Summer Seminar Series at the renovated University of Wyoming-National Park Service (UW-NPS) Research Station Thursday, Aug. 1. The facility is located at the AMK Ranch in Grand Teton National Park.

Katherine Gura, a research associate at Teton Raptor Center and a research scientist at Colorado State University, will present "Effects of changing snow conditions on an iconic raptor of the GYE: the Great Gray Owl." 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.

Movement is a key mechanism by which animals respond adaptively to environmental change. However, knowledge gaps persist related to behavioral and fitness responses to climatic stressors. In particular, how changing snow conditions affect wildlife remains poorly understood, despite the key role that snow plays in ecological processes.

Gura and her research team evaluated whether variable winter snow conditions influenced the movements and reproductive performance of great gray owls in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem between 2017-2022. They hypothesized that conditions that restrict owls' access to subnivean prey prompt movement responses and negatively affect breeding. They assessed habitat selection, long-distance migratory movements and reproductive output in response to snow depths and wind and ice crusts.

"Our findings have implications for understanding vulnerability to climate change, which is occurring at unprecedented rates and scales," Gura says.

Gura's research focuses on the ecological effects of environmental change, including how wildlife respond to changing snow conditions. She has conducted research in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem since 2009, primarily on avian ecology.

She earned her Ph.D. in ecology from UW in 2023. Her dissertation focused on the factors influencing facultative movements and breeding by great gray owls in the greater Yellowstone ecosystem.

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.