Adolph Murie

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Adolph Murie (September 6, 1899 – August 16, 1974) was an American naturalist, author, and wildlife biologist who led the way in studying wolves, bears, and other Arctic animals in Alaska. He was the first scientist to study wolves in their natural habitat and helped protect wolves from eradication while also helping preserve Denali National Park and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Born in Moorhead, Minnesota, Murie studied at Concordia College and earned a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan in 1929. In 1934 he joined the National Park Service, where he spent most of his career and earned the agency’s Distinguished Service Award.

Murie wrote Ecology of the Coyote in Yellowstone (1937), a book that challenged the then-common idea of predator control. From 1939 to 1941 he conducted fieldwork in the Mount McKinley area (Denali) and published The Wolves of Mt. McKinley, a classic work based on his detailed observations, including the finding that wolves eat mice.

His research helped end predator eradication programs in Yellowstone and Denali. Murie and his brother Olaus helped expand and protect national park lands, including involvement in the creation of the Jackson Hole National Monument (later Grand Teton National Park).

His book A Naturalist in Alaska won the John Burroughs Medal in 1963. He also wrote many articles opposing predator control and excessive human intrusion into wilderness areas, and he testified to Congress on issues related to Isle Royale, Jackson Hole, Mount McKinley, and wildlife protection, including opposition to pesticide use in Grand Teton National Park in 1966.

Murie died in 1974 from a seizure at the Murie Ranch in Moose, Wyoming. The ranch is now a National Historic Landmark, and the Murie Center and Murie Science and Learning Center in Denali continue his legacy of wildlife conservation. Stanford University’s Olaus and Adolph Murie Award honors environmental work by students, and the Murie Ranch area remains a symbol of his conservation work.