Forrest McCarthy: Dr. George Schaller

Bob Krear, George Schaller, and “Doc” MacLeod

Sheenjek Valley, Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

In July of 1956, wilderness activists Olaus and Mardy Murie organized an expedition to the upper Sheenjek River of Alaska's Brooks Range to inventory the wilderness character of one of North America’s least explored regions. This survey of northeast Alaska provided the momentum to create the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. With them was a young field biologist who volunteered for the trip named George Schaller.

Dr. George Schaller went on to become recognized as the world's preeminent field biologist. For over fifty years Schaller has been traveling to the most remote reaches of the terrestrial world to research and protect the Earth’s wildest and most majestic species. His work has included pioneering research on mountain gorilla in the Congo, snow leopards in the Himalaya, jaguars in the Amazon, giant pandas in China, tigers in India, lions in Tanzania, Chiru in Tibet, and Marco Polo Sheep in Tajikistan. And at age 79 Schaller hasn’t slowed, he will spend most of 2012 traveling throughout Asia and South America researching and advocating for the protection of a variety of large carnivores, their prey, and their habitat.

In 2006, in honor of the 50^th Anniversary of 1956 Murie Sheenjek expedition, Jonathan Waterman organized the second expedition to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for Dr. Schaller. This time I was the graduate student volunteering to go.

During the expedition I collected data for my graduate thesis: Landscape Change in Arctic Alaska: Observations Through Repeat Photography. To assess what changes a warming climate may have been having on the arctic landscape I replicated historic photographs. Comparing historic and contemporary photographs of the same landscapes I was able to detect changes in trees, shrubs, glaciers, rivers and lakes, suggesting a landscape wide response to a warming arctic.

George Schaller and Forrest McCarthy

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

photo by Tom Veltre

In 2008 I returned again to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge with George. This time it was to assist in the filming of Nature’s Greatest Defender, a National Geographic documentary about Dr. Schaller.

George Schaller and Bob Krear

The Murie Ranch

The Murie Center recently hosted Schaller and fellow 1956 Murie Expedition member Bob Krear were they were presented the Murie Spirit of Conservation Award. While George was in Jackson Hole I enjoyed several wonderful days visiting with a great friend and mentor.