Officials from Rocky Mountain National Park and Colorado State University Share Conservation Practices in Tatras

April 28, 2009

On April 24-25, officials from Rocky Mountain National Park and professors from Colorado State University met with counterparts in the Tatra National Park and the State Forestry Service of Slovakia to discuss park management techniques as part of the sister park arrangement signed between the two parks in 2006. Embassy Economic Officer Michael Tran accompanied the American delegation. Elements of cooperation in the agreement between the Slovak and American parks include: sharing resource management methods and techniques; electronic communication and technical information exchanges; environmental education techniques, programs, and facilities; “friends” organizations for park support; exchange of volunteer experiences and programs; recreation and ecotourism management and planning; and support and exchange of information, particularly of new technologies, to be used for the purpose of monitoring tourist traffic. Participating U.S. officials from Rocky Mountain National Park included: Vaughn Baker, Superintendent; Ben Bobowski, Chief of Resource Stewardship (Natural and Cultural Resource Management); and Judith Visty, Ecologist (Science & Research Administration). Participating U.S. professors from Colorado State University were David Cooper, Senior Research Scientist and Associate Professor Riparian and Wetland Ecology and Mark Fiege, Associate Professor of History and William E. Morgan Chair of Liberal Arts.