Presentation on Predators and Politics is Next Offering in Denali’s 90th Anniversary Summer Speaker Series

Date: June 13, 2007
Contact: Kris Fister, 907-683-9583

Dr. Timothy Rawson is giving a presentation titled, “Wolves and the National Park Service: The Significance of Denali” on Thursday, June 21 at 7:30 p.m. in the Denali Visitor Center, located at Mile 1.3 on the Denali Park Road. His book, “Changing Tracks: Predators and Politics in Mt. McKinley National Park” is a tightly written study of the controversy over wolf control in Mt. McKinley National Park from 1917 to 1954, when National Park Service director Conrad Wirth ordered wolf killing in the park to cease. Rawson sets the story in the context of changing, and conflicting, perceptions about wolves in the twentieth century.

Rawson is an Associate Professor of History at Alaska Pacific University. He teaches a broad range of history courses, but his specialty is environmental history, a discipline that explores the intersections between natural and human history. Prior to his academic career he was a field instructor for the National Outdoor Leadership School and has led expeditions to the top of Denali.

Rawson’s book will be available for sale and for signing by the author at the Denali Bookstore following the presentation.

This presentation is the third in the special 90th Anniversary Summer Speaker Series taking place as part of the year-long celebration of this significant milestone in Denali’s history. The schedule for the speaker series is available on the park’s website at www.nps.gov/dena, along with additional information on the park’s anniversary. The series features seven Alaskan authors who have written about Denali’s cultural heritage and natural history from a variety of viewpoints. The presentations take place in the Denali Visitor Center’s Karsten Theater approximately every two weeks and are free of charge.

General information on the park and other activities is also available on the web site, or by calling the park headquarters at [phone] from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. daily.

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