ALWRI Welcomes New Director

Jason Taylor, Superintendent at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, in Skagway, Alaska, has been selected as Director for the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, Rocky Mountain Research Station, in Missoula, Montana.

As Superintendent for the most visited national park unit in Alaska, Jason successfully stewarded an international protected area while introducing thousands of people to extraordinary, remote, back-country experiences.  He led short and long-term planning, guided change, integrated science into decision making, improved interdisciplinary cooperation, and built internal and external relationships and trust.  In his previous role, Jason led the National Park Service (NPS), Alaska Region, Natural Resource Science and Management Team.  This team provides technical expertise and capacity to parks and national programs, conducts and provisions science to support informed decision making, provides policy interpretations, facilitates collaboration with partners and between parks, and manages the regional wilderness program.  Jason also served as a member of the NPS Natural Resource Advisory Group, including participating in national level dialogue about wilderness matters and contributing to national review of wilderness management policy.

In the recent past, Jason was Co-Lead for the Conservation of Arctic Flora and Fauna, Circumpolar Biodiversity Monitoring Program (CBMP), an international organization that addresses Arctic biodiversity conservation, and for many years served as U.S. Lead for the CBMP terrestrial steering group.  Jason has also held several positions within the Bureau of Land Management, including as Acting Deputy Director for the North Slope Science Initiative; and served as Chief for the Division of Natural Resource Management and Science at Cape Cod National Seashore.  All told, he has nearly twenty years of combined federal and local government service.

Jason has a Ph.D. and M.S. in Natural Resources and Environment from the University of Michigan, School of Natural Resources and Environment; and has a B.S. in Biology from the University of Michigan—Flint.  He enjoys traveling, photography, fly fishing, and most of all spending time outdoors with his family, especially in majestic landscapes with a strong sense of place.