Harold L. Bergman papers, 1986-2023

Dr. Harold L. Bergman was a professor emeritus of Zoology and Physiology at the University of Wyoming. He earned his bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from Eastern Michigan University in 1968 and 1971, followed by a Ph.D. in Fisheries Biology from Michigan State University in 1973. He joined the University of Wyoming in 1975 and remained there until his retirement in 2016, serving in multiple leadership roles, including director of the Red Buttes Environmental Biology Laboratory (1984–1999), acting director of the Wyoming Water Research Center (1986), head of the Department of Zoology and Physiology (2011–2013), and director of the University of Wyoming–National Park Service Research Station (2013–2016). From 1998 to 2008, he was director of the William D. Ruckelshaus Institute and the Helga Otto Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources. He was named the J.E. Warren Distinguished Professor of Energy and Environment in 1995 and held that title until retirement. Dr. Bergman authored or co-authored over 100 research articles and edited four books on topics related to his principal research interests, including environmental toxicology, fish physiology, and environmental policy.

Dr. Bergman was active in both national and state-level environmental advisory work. He served on the National Research Council – National Academy of Sciences Committee on Ecological Risk Assessment (1986–1987), The Royal Society (London) Surface Water Acidification Program Review Panel (1990), and as a visiting scientist with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in Duluth (1988). In Wyoming, he was a member of the Environmental Quality Council (1983–1995) and later served on the board of the Wyoming Outdoor Council in Lander (2009–2020). His contributions were recognized through numerous honors, including the Conservation Educator of the Year award from the Wyoming Wildlife Federation (1986), a Fulbright Fellowship at the University of Nairobi, Kenya (1996–1997), and the Founder’s Award from the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (2018).