UW to Host Symposium in Cody Noting Yellowstone National Parks 150th Anniversary

The University of Wyoming College of Law and the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources will host a symposium marking Yellowstone National Park’s 150th anniversary at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody May 19-20.

The two-day event is open to the public and will feature keynote talks and panel discussions to celebrate the history of the park and look to the future of the world’s first national park.

“In this special 150th anniversary year, the College of Law is pleased to be a part of this historic event led by the Wyoming Law Review and to collaborate with the Haub School and Yellowstone National Park to celebrate the importance of America’s first national park,” says Klint Alexander, the dean of the UW College of Law.

Presenters will examine how the park has met its original goals of preserving natural wonders and making those treasures accessible to visitors from around the world. Discussions also will focus on how Yellowstone National Park can adapt to modern and future values, knowledge and needs. Cam Sholly, superintendent of Yellowstone National Park, is among the keynote speakers.

“Partnership is how great things are achieved and, so, the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources is excited by this collaborative effort to recognize the sesquicentennial of Yellowstone National Park,” says John Koprowski, dean of the Haub School. “This celebratory event will enable us to learn from the past, appreciate the present and envision the future of our iconic and foundational park.”

Some of the presentation topics have emerged from articles in a forthcoming special issue of the Wyoming Law Review. The articles, which examine Yellowstone National Park’s past and future, were the impetus for creating the symposium.

Jake Vogt, a third-year UW law student from Cody, is editor-in-chief of the Wyoming Law Review and a lead organizer of the symposium. He says authors for the Wyoming Law Review are writing about such topics as natural resource and ecosystem conservation, policy within the national park and the historical and potential future relationships between Native Americans and Yellowstone National Park.

For more information, email Vogt at jvogt2@uwyo.edu or Madi Barber, a UW law student from Cheyenne, at mbarber9@uwyo.edu.