Olaus Murie
Encyclopedia
Olaus Murie called the "father of modern elk management", was a naturalist, author, and wildlife biologist who did groundbreaking field research on a variety of large northern mammals. He also served as president of The Wilderness Society
, The Wildlife Society
, and as director of the Izaak Walton League
. With his wife, Mardie Murie
, he successfully campaigned to enlarge the boundaries of the Olympic National Park
, and to create the Jackson Hole National Monument
and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
.
, the child of Norwegian immigrants. Murie attended North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State University
) as a biology major. When his zoology professor moved to Pacific University
in Oregon, he offered Murie a scholarship to transfer there, where he completed studies in zoology and wildlife biology and was graduated in 1912. He did graduate work at the University of Michigan
and was granted an M.S.
in 1927. He began his career as an Oregon State conservation officer and participated in scientific explorations of Hudson Bay and Labrador, financed by the Carnegie Museum. He joined the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey (now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) in 1920 as a wildlife biologist, spending the next 6 years in the field with his brother Adolph Murie
, studying Alaskan caribou, mapping migratory routes and estimating numbers. He married Margaret Thomas
in 1924 in Anvik, Alaska
. They spent their honeymoon tracking caribou through the Koyukuk River
region.
elk herd, resulting in the classic publication "The Elk of North America." He also authored six other major publications, including "Alaska-Yukon Caribou" (North American Fauna [NAF] No. 54, 1935); "Food Habits of the Coyote in Jackson Hole, Wyoming" (1935); "Field Guide to Animal Tracks" (1954); "Fauna of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska Peninsula" (NAF No. 61, 1959); and "Jackson Hole with a Naturalist" (1963). "Wapiti Wilderness" (with his wife, Mardy Murie
) was published posthumously, in 1966.
In 1937, Murie accepted a council seat on the recently created Wilderness Society
. In this role, Murie lobbied successfully against the construction of large federal dams within Glacier National Park, Dinosaur National Monument
, Rampart Dam
on Alaska’s Yukon River
and the Narrows Dam proposed for the mouth of Snake River Canyon
.
Murie helped to enlarge existing national park boundaries and to create additional new units. Testimony on the boundaries of Olympic National Park
helped to convince President Franklin D. Roosevelt to add the temperate rain forest of the Bogachiel River
and Hoh Rain Forest in the Hoh River
valley. Lobbying for a natural boundary for the elk of the Grand Teton
area, Murie helped to create Jackson Hole National Monument
in 1943 (it was upgraded to national park status several years later, then incorporated into the Grand Teton National Park
).
In 1956, Murie began a campaign with his wife to protect what is now the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
. The couple recruited U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas
to help persuade President Dwight Eisenhower to set aside 8000000 acres (32,374.9 km²) as the Arctic National Wildlife Range.
Fulbright Scholar
in New Zealand
and conducted research in the Fiordland National Park
. In 1950, Murie became president of the Wilderness Society. He was also a president of the Wildlife Society
and a director of the Izaak Walton League
. He received the Aldo Leopold
Memorial Award Medal in 1952, the Pugsley Medal
in 1953, the Audubon Medal in 1959, and the Sierra Club John Muir Award
in 1962.
Olaus Murie died on October 21, 1963. The Murie Residence
in Moose, Wyoming
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 1990, and as part of the Murie Ranch Historic District
was designated a National Historic Landmark
in 2006. The house and grounds are the headquarters for the Murie Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation work.
The Wilderness Society (United States)
The Wilderness Society is an American organization that is dedicated to protecting America's wilderness. It was formed in 1935 and currently has over 300,000 members and supporters.-Founding:The society was incorporated on January 21, 1935...
, The Wildlife Society
The Wildlife Society
Founded in 1937, The Wildlife Society is an international non-profit scientific and educational association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education...
, and as director of the Izaak Walton League
Izaak Walton League
The Izaak Walton League is an American environmental organization founded in 1922 that promotes natural resource protection and outdoor recreation. The organization was founded in Chicago, Illinois by a group of sportsmen who wished to protect fishing opportunities for future generations...
. With his wife, Mardie Murie
Margaret Murie
Margaret Thomas "Mardy" Murie was a naturalist, author, adventurer, and conservationist. Dubbed the "Grandmother of the Conservation Movement" by both the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society, she helped in the passage of the Wilderness Act, and was instrumental in creating the Arctic...
, he successfully campaigned to enlarge the boundaries of the Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
, and to create the Jackson Hole National Monument
Jackson Hole National Monument
Jackson Hole National Monument was a wildlife reserve in Jackson Hole, the majority of which is now a part of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, United States. It was created by executive order by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1943, and met with considerable opposition from Wyoming legislators....
and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge...
.
Early life
Olaus Johan Murie was born on March 1, 1889, in Moorhead, MinnesotaMoorhead, Minnesota
Moorhead is a city in Clay County, Minnesota, United States, and the largest city in northwest Minnesota. The population was 38,065 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Clay County....
, the child of Norwegian immigrants. Murie attended North Dakota Agricultural College (now North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University
North Dakota State University of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, more commonly known as North Dakota State University , is a public university in Fargo, North Dakota. NDSU has about 14,000 students and it is the largest university in North Dakota based on full time students and land size...
) as a biology major. When his zoology professor moved to Pacific University
Pacific University
Pacific University is a private university located in Oregon, United States. The first campus began more than 160 years ago and is located about 38 km west of Portland in Forest Grove...
in Oregon, he offered Murie a scholarship to transfer there, where he completed studies in zoology and wildlife biology and was graduated in 1912. He did graduate work at the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
and was granted an M.S.
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in 1927. He began his career as an Oregon State conservation officer and participated in scientific explorations of Hudson Bay and Labrador, financed by the Carnegie Museum. He joined the U.S. Bureau of Biological Survey (now the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) in 1920 as a wildlife biologist, spending the next 6 years in the field with his brother Adolph Murie
Adolph Murie
Adolph Murie , the first scientist to study wolves in their natural habitat, was a naturalist, author, and wildlife biologist who pioneered field research on wolves, bears, and other mammals and birds in Arctic and sub-Arctic Alaska...
, studying Alaskan caribou, mapping migratory routes and estimating numbers. He married Margaret Thomas
Margaret Murie
Margaret Thomas "Mardy" Murie was a naturalist, author, adventurer, and conservationist. Dubbed the "Grandmother of the Conservation Movement" by both the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society, she helped in the passage of the Wilderness Act, and was instrumental in creating the Arctic...
in 1924 in Anvik, Alaska
Anvik, Alaska
Anvik is a city, home to the Deg Hit'an people, in the Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area, Alaska, United States. The name Anvik, which became the common usage despite multiple names at the time, may have come from early Russian explorers. The native name in the Deg Xinag language is Deloy Ges...
. They spent their honeymoon tracking caribou through the Koyukuk River
Koyukuk River
The Koyukuk River is a principal tributary of the Yukon River, approximately 500 mi long, in northern Alaska in the United States.It drains an area north of the Yukon on the southern side of the Brooks Range...
region.
Books and articles
In 1927, the Biological Survey assigned Murie to research the Jackson HoleJackson Hole
Jackson Hole, originally called Jackson's Hole, is a valley located in the U.S. state of Wyoming, near the western border with Idaho. The name "hole" derives from language used by early trappers or mountain men, who primarily entered the valley from the north and east and had to descend along...
elk herd, resulting in the classic publication "The Elk of North America." He also authored six other major publications, including "Alaska-Yukon Caribou" (North American Fauna [NAF] No. 54, 1935); "Food Habits of the Coyote in Jackson Hole, Wyoming" (1935); "Field Guide to Animal Tracks" (1954); "Fauna of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska Peninsula" (NAF No. 61, 1959); and "Jackson Hole with a Naturalist" (1963). "Wapiti Wilderness" (with his wife, Mardy Murie
Margaret Murie
Margaret Thomas "Mardy" Murie was a naturalist, author, adventurer, and conservationist. Dubbed the "Grandmother of the Conservation Movement" by both the Sierra Club and the Wilderness Society, she helped in the passage of the Wilderness Act, and was instrumental in creating the Arctic...
) was published posthumously, in 1966.
Service, research and wildlife organizations
In 1937, Murie accepted a council seat on the recently created Wilderness Society
The Wilderness Society (United States)
The Wilderness Society is an American organization that is dedicated to protecting America's wilderness. It was formed in 1935 and currently has over 300,000 members and supporters.-Founding:The society was incorporated on January 21, 1935...
. In this role, Murie lobbied successfully against the construction of large federal dams within Glacier National Park, Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaur National Monument is a National Monument located on the southeast flank of the Uinta Mountains on the border between Colorado and Utah at the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers. Although most of the monument area is in Moffat County, Colorado, the Dinosaur Quarry is located in Utah...
, Rampart Dam
Rampart Dam
The Rampart Dam or Rampart Canyon Dam was a project proposed in 1954 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to dam the Yukon River in Alaska for hydroelectric power...
on Alaska’s Yukon River
Yukon River
The Yukon River is a major watercourse of northwestern North America. The source of the river is located in British Columbia, Canada. The next portion lies in, and gives its name to Yukon Territory. The lower half of the river lies in the U.S. state of Alaska. The river is long and empties into...
and the Narrows Dam proposed for the mouth of Snake River Canyon
Snake River Canyon
Snake River Canyon may refer to the following geographical areas on the Snake River in the western United States:*Snake River Canyon , near Twin Falls*Snake River Canyon , near Jackson...
.
Murie helped to enlarge existing national park boundaries and to create additional new units. Testimony on the boundaries of Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park
Olympic National Park is located in the U.S. state of Washington, in the Olympic Peninsula. The park can be divided into four basic regions: the Pacific coastline, alpine areas, the west side temperate rainforest and the forests of the drier east side. U.S...
helped to convince President Franklin D. Roosevelt to add the temperate rain forest of the Bogachiel River
Bogachiel River
The Bogachiel River is a river of the Olympic Peninsula in the U.S. state of Washington. It originates near Bogachiel Peak, flows west through the mountains of Olympic National Park...
and Hoh Rain Forest in the Hoh River
Hoh River
The Hoh River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington, located on the Olympic Peninsula. About long, the Hoh River originates at the Hoh Glacier on Mount Olympus and flows west through the Olympic Mountains of Olympic National Park and Olympic National Forest, then through the foothills in a...
valley. Lobbying for a natural boundary for the elk of the Grand Teton
Grand Teton
Grand Teton is the highest mountain in Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, and a classic destination in American mountaineering.- Geography :...
area, Murie helped to create Jackson Hole National Monument
Jackson Hole National Monument
Jackson Hole National Monument was a wildlife reserve in Jackson Hole, the majority of which is now a part of Grand Teton National Park in Wyoming, United States. It was created by executive order by Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1943, and met with considerable opposition from Wyoming legislators....
in 1943 (it was upgraded to national park status several years later, then incorporated into the Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park
Grand Teton National Park is a United States National Park located in northwestern Wyoming, U.S. The Park consists of approximately and includes the major peaks of the long Teton Range as well as most of the northern sections of the valley known as Jackson Hole. Only south of Yellowstone...
).
In 1956, Murie began a campaign with his wife to protect what is now the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a national wildlife refuge in northeastern Alaska, United States. It consists of in the Alaska North Slope region. It is the largest National Wildlife Refuge in the country, slightly larger than the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge...
. The couple recruited U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas
William O. Douglas
William Orville Douglas was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. With a term lasting 36 years and 209 days, he is the longest-serving justice in the history of the Supreme Court...
to help persuade President Dwight Eisenhower to set aside 8000000 acres (32,374.9 km²) as the Arctic National Wildlife Range.
Awards, honors
In 1948, Murie became the first AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Fulbright Scholar
Fulbright Program
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright-Hays Program, is a program of competitive, merit-based grants for international educational exchange for students, scholars, teachers, professionals, scientists and artists, founded by United States Senator J. William Fulbright in 1946. Under the...
in New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
and conducted research in the Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park
Fiordland National Park occupies the southwest corner of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the largest of the 14 national parks in New Zealand, with an area of 12,500 km², and a major part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site...
. In 1950, Murie became president of the Wilderness Society. He was also a president of the Wildlife Society
The Wildlife Society
Founded in 1937, The Wildlife Society is an international non-profit scientific and educational association dedicated to excellence in wildlife stewardship through science and education...
and a director of the Izaak Walton League
Izaak Walton League
The Izaak Walton League is an American environmental organization founded in 1922 that promotes natural resource protection and outdoor recreation. The organization was founded in Chicago, Illinois by a group of sportsmen who wished to protect fishing opportunities for future generations...
. He received the Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold
Aldo Leopold was an American author, scientist, ecologist, forester, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his book A Sand County Almanac , which has sold over two million copies...
Memorial Award Medal in 1952, the Pugsley Medal
Pugsley Medal
The Pugsley Medal was created by Cornelius Amory Pugsley in 1928. The award honors champions of parks and conservation. Until 1952 there was a gold, silver, and bronze award, and in 1953 it was switched to national, state, and local.-Pugsley Medal winners:...
in 1953, the Audubon Medal in 1959, and the Sierra Club John Muir Award
Sierra Club John Muir Award
The Sierra Club John Muir Award is awarded annually by the Sierra Club. It is the club's highest award. According to the Sierra Club, "it honors a distinguished record of leadership in national conservation causes, such as continuing John Muir's work of preservation and establishment of parks and...
in 1962.
Olaus Murie died on October 21, 1963. The Murie Residence
Murie Residence
The Murie Residence was the home of naturalists and conservationists Olaus and Mardie Murie. Located near Moose, Wyoming in the southern end of Grand Teton National Park, the house and adjoining studio are now part of the Murie Ranch Historic District, a National Historic Landmark encompassing the...
in Moose, Wyoming
Moose, Wyoming
Moose is an unincorporated community in Teton County, Wyoming, United States, in the Jackson Hole valley. It has a US Post Office, with the zip code of 83012. The town is located within Grand Teton National Park along the banks of the Snake River...
was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1990, and as part of the Murie Ranch Historic District
Murie Ranch Historic District
The Murie Ranch Historic District, also known as the STS Dude Ranch and Stella Woodbury Summer Home is an inholding in Grand Teton National Park near Moose, Wyoming. The district is chiefly significant for its association with the conservationists Olaus Murie, his wife Margaret Murie and scientist...
was designated a National Historic Landmark
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark is a building, site, structure, object, or district, that is officially recognized by the United States government for its historical significance...
in 2006. The house and grounds are the headquarters for the Murie Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to conservation work.
Sources
- Journeys to the Far North ISBN 0910118302
- The Elk of North America ISBN 093316002X
- Alaska-Yukon Caribou (North American Fauna [NAF] No. 54, 1935) LCCN agr35000394 http://lccn.loc.gov/agr35000394
- Food Habits of the Coyote in Jackson Hole, Wyoming (1935)
- Field Guide to Animal Tracks (1954) ISBN 0395910943
- Fauna of the Aleutian Islands and Alaska Peninsula (NAF No. 61, 1959) LCCN 59062296 http://lccn.loc.gov/59062296
- Jackson Hole with a Naturalist (1963);
- Wapiti Wilderness ISBN 087081155X
- National Leaders of American Conservation Stroud, Richard H., ed. (1984); Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution Press.
- The Joys of Solitude and Nature: Naturalist finds fulfillment in Wilderness Life Magazine (1959); 47(26), December 28.
- Living Wilderness (Summer-Fall, 1963)