Summer Evening Speaker Series

June 30, 2026
Speaker: Lisa Stuby
Arctic grayling are one of the most beautiful freshwater fish in Alaska, with a large, sail-like dorsal fin and colorful markings. Discover how these remarkable fish survive the cold winters, brief summers, as well as the all-important spawning strategies that occur in early spring. During 2021-2023, a radiotelemetry study was conducted in Beaver Creek in the White Mountains National Recreation Area near Fairbanks to learn more about grayling seasonal movements and find spring spawning, summer feeding, and overwintering areas. The information gathered from this study can be applied to Arctic grayling in other systems, including the streams of Denali National Park and Preserve.

July 7, 2026
Speaker: Stephanie Smith
Lichens are everywhere in Denali, hanging from spruce branches, growing on rocks, and quietly shaping life in the boreal forest. Stephanie Smith, Ph.D. candidate in Biological Education at the University of Northern Colorado, will introduce what lichens are, why they matter, and how people around the world have noticed, named, and related to them. She will also share her research in Denali studying how spruce beetle disturbance is affecting epiphytic lichens, including the globally endangered boreal felt lichen, Erioderma pedicellatum.

July 14, 2026
Speaker: Trey Simmons
The waterways of Denali National Park and Preserve are not only a beautiful and varied part of the landscape, but also a key habitat. Thanks to the National Park Service Long-term Inventory and Monitoring Program, we have learned a tremendous amount about these important ecosystems, from hydrology to aquatic insects. Join Trey Simmons, Aquatic Ecologist for the Central Alaska Network, in this talk about the variety of rivers and streams found in the park, what lives in them, and how they are changing in response to a warming climate.

July 21, 2026
Speaker: Johanne Albrigtsen
What happens when trees begin moving into tundra landscapes? Johanne Albrigtsen explores what her research has revealed about how a small change – the expansion of balsam poplar in Interior Alaska – can lead to large impacts across an ecosystem. These changes may be reshaping the subarctic in ways that affect permafrost, carbon storage, wildfire risk, and the future of northern landscapes under a warming climate. Learn more from Johanne and her research which spanned 8 field seasons in Denali near the toe of the Muldrow Glacier, in both summer and winter!

July 28, 2026
Speaker: Sarah Stehn
Wildland fire is a two-sided coin—both an important part of Denali’s boreal forest ecosystem and a significant risk to the safety of visitors and communities, cultural resources, and infrastructure. In recent years, Denali staff and interagency partners have worked to reduce those risks in the front country by thinning, piling, and burning accumulated vegetation. In the process, the appearance of familiar areas has changed. Join US Wildland Fire Service Fire Ecologist Sarah Stehn to explore the science behind these actions, understand their ecological effects, and learn how ongoing monitoring and research play a crucial role in evaluating and improving this work.

August 4, 2026
Speaker: Melissa Chipman
Alaska’s lake bottoms aren’t just dark, murky places. They also hold important clues to the past, including fire history, permafrost thaw and historic climates. Dr. Melissa Chipman, Geology professor at the College of William and Mary, will share what she and her team have learned from both tundra and boreal forest areas in Alaska, and introduce the exciting new fire history project currently underway in Denali National Park and Preserve.

August 11, 2026
Speaker: Michaela Musilova
On the tops of the world’s highest peaks live extremophiles, organisms which survive at extreme altitudes. Join Dr. Michaela Musilova in this talk about her Astro Seven Summits project, where she will share her experiences performing astrobiology and climate-change related work on North America’s tallest peak.

August 18, 2026
Speaker: Louis Sass
What can a 44-mile-long river of ice tell us about the future of glaciers across the globe? The Kahiltna Glacier, the largest glacier in Denali National Park and Preserve, flows from the summit of Mount McKinley to the valley nearly four miles below. This journey spans one of the biggest elevation changes of any glacier on Earth, making the Kahiltna, and glaciers like it, a natural laboratory for understanding how glaciers respond to a changing climate.

August 25, 2026
Speaker: Ginamaria Smith
Join Ginamaria Smith and Archimedes the Great Horned Owl to discover some of the fascinating habits of owls, where they can be found in Alaska, and local owl calls.