Guide to the Robert Stottlemyer Slide Collection

This finding aid describes the Robert Stottlemyer Slide Collection, part of the NPS History Collection. To search this guide for names, places, key words, or phrases enter Ctrl F on your keyboard (command key + F key on a Mac). Request an in-person research appointment or get more information by contacting the archivist.

Overlooking Mt. McKinley in Denali National Park (NPS History Collection, HFCA 3659)

Collection Overview

Collection Number: HFCA 3659

Accession Number: HFCA-02092

Creator: Stottlemyer, John Robert “Bob” (1940-2022)

Title: Robert Stottlemyer Slide Collection

Dates: 1961-2020 (bulk dates: 1970-1995)

Extent: 13.50 LF

Language of Materials: English

Digitized copies: This collection has not been digitized.

Conditions Governing Access: The collection is open for research use. Access requires at least 48 hours’ advance notice due to cold storage conditions. To avoid removing material from cold storage unnecessarily, please review the container list and request only the specific boxes needed.

Conditions Governing Use: Images created by Stottlemyer as part of his official duties are in the public domain.** **Copyright of Stottlemyer’s images not taken during official business was transferred to the NPS through the deed of gift. Images by other photographers may be within the collection and individuals are responsible for ensuring that their use complies with US copyright laws. See https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en. See also the NPS general archives copyright & restrictions information.

Provenance: Donated to the NPS History Collection by the Estate of Robert Stottlemyer in 2024.

Processing Note: This collection was processed by Mikaela Wilson in August 2026.

Rights Statements for Archival Description: This guide is in the public domain.

Preferred Citation: Robert Stottlemyer Slide Collection (HFCA 3659), NPS History Collection

Location of Repository: NPS History Collection, Harpers Ferry Center, PO Box 50, Harpers Ferry, WV 25425

Related Materials:

NPS Slide Collection (HFCA 1607), NPS History Collection

Biographical Note

John Robert “Bob” Stottlemyer was born on June 19, 1940, in Hagerstown, Maryland. He graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a degree in forestry and spent his summers fighting wildfires in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.

His National Park Service (NPS) career began in the summer of 1964 when he was hired as a seasonal ranger at Wind Cave National Park. That fall, he transitioned to a permanent role as a park naturalist with the National Capital Parks in Washington, DC. In 1968 he was appointed chief park naturalist at Hot Springs National Park. After a year, he transferred to Everglades National Park, serving first as assistant chief naturalist and later as a management assistant. In 1971 he was appointed superintendent at Biscayne National Monument (later a national park), before moving to Gateway National Recreation Area in 1973 to serve as the park’s manager.

In 1975 he earned a Ph.D. in Forest Ecology from Duke University. Following a brief stint traveling globally as a professor with the Semester at Sea program (then known as World Campus Afloat), he joined the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) as a scientific advisor.

He returned to the NPS in 1976 as the lead environmental scientist in Washington, DC, and later served as the regional chief scientist for the NPS Mid-Atlantic Region in Philadelphia. Seeking a return to field research, he relocated to Houghton, Michigan, in 1979. From 1979 to 1990, he was a research scientist for the NPS Midwest Region while simultaneously operating as an adjunct professor in biological sciences at Michigan Technological University. In 1987 he was a pivotal contributor to the early framework and development of the core NPS Inventory and Monitoring (I&M) Initiative.

In 1990 he shifted roles to become a research ecologist with the NPS Water Resources Division, focusing heavily on long-term watershed monitoring and climate impacts. That same year, he launched his landmark, multi-decade baseline climate and nutrient-cycling study in Alaska’s Noatak National Preserve (NOAT), while concurrently overhauling the long-term monitoring program for the sensitive wetlands at Isle Royale National Park (ISRO). His extensive field research and scientific contributions earned him the prestigious NPS Director’s Award for Research in 1992.

In 1993 a federal reorganization by the Department of the Interior moved the majority of NPS research scientists into a newly created independent agency, the National Biological Survey (NBS). The bureau was absorbed shortly after into the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) as the Biological Resources Division (BRD). Consequently, Dr. Stottlemyer spent the final phase of his official government career with the USGS/BRD, although his research remained focused on national parks.

Dr. Stottlemyer retired from the federal government in the early 2000s but retained his adjunct faculty position at Michigan Technological University. Committed to his research, he personally funded annual field expeditions to remote Alaskan ecosystems for almost two decades. He died on May 31, 2022, while on a research trip along the Agashashok River in northern Alaska.

Sources:

"In Memoriam." CSA News 67, no. 9 (September 2022). Accessed August 2026. https://www.sciencesocieties.org/publications/csa-news/2022/september/in-memoriam.

Frahm, Wes. "Remember Professors Beck, Mendenhall, and Stottlemyer." Alumni Blog. Michigan Technological University (blog). July 2022. Accessed August 2026. https://blogs.mtu.edu/alumni/2022/07/11/remember-professors-beck-mendenhall-and-stottlemyer/.

National Park Service. Annual Report 1990: Water Resources Division. Denver, CO: National Park Service, 1991. https://npshistory.com/publications/water/nrr-91-01.pdf.

National Park Service. “Inventory and Monitoring Program Administrative History: Appendices.”National Park Service. Last modified October 2022. Accessed August 2026. https://home.nps.gov/articles/000/imd_administrative_history-appendices.htm.

National Park Service. Natural Resources Activities: 1992. Washington, DC: National Park Service, 1992. https://npshistory.com/publications/nr-general/nra-1992.pdf.

Scope and Content Note

Color 35mm slides; medium format (120/220) positive transparencies (mounted and unmounted); large format (4”×5") positive transparencies; and 35mm negatives depicting NPS and non NPS sites. The slides were primarily taken on Kodachrome or Fujichrome film and often feature Stottlemyer’s captions noting subject, date, and location. Also included are 8" x 10" black-and-white photographic prints that correspond to and duplicate images also found among the color transparencies for Glacier National Park (GLAC), Grand Teton National Park (GRTE), and Yellowstone National Park (YELL).

Images feature flora, fauna, and scenic views documenting Stottlemyer’s work and travels before and during his NPS/USGS career and in retirement. Well represented NPS sites include NOAT and ISRO. Locations represented in the National Mall (NAMA) include the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, and the White House. The ISRO material contains notes for a USGS/BRD research proposal, a presentation from a Lake Superior study, images of vegetation plots taken in 1981 and 1982, and a few slides attributed to Rolf O. Peterson, a wildlife biologist at Michigan Tech.

Non-NPS materials document national forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, state parks, other state locations, and international sites associated with Stottlemyer’s work.

Arrangement

Arranged alphabetically by park code or other location. For a complete list of park codes, see the Historic Listing of NPS Park, Program, and Office Codes (U.S. National Park Service).

Container List

BOX 01

Folder 01: ACAD, 1970-1980, undated

Folder 02: ALPO, 1975-1976

Folder 03: ANTI, 1980-2003, undated

BOX 02

Folder 01: APIS, 1983, 1984

Folder 02: APPO, 1975, undated

Folder 03: ARCH, 1973-2003, undated [1 of 3]

BOX 03

Folder 01: ARCH, 1973-2003, undated [2 of 3]

BOX 04

Folder 01: ARCH, 1973-2003, undated [3 of 3]

Folder 02: ASIS, 1970-1979, 2013, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 05

Folder 01: ASIS, 1970-1979, 2013, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: BADL, 1987-1991, 2013-2015, undated

Folder 03: BAND, 1971-1973, 1999, undated

BOX 06

Folder 01: BEOL, undated

Folder 02: BIBE, 1996, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 07

Folder 01: BIBE, 1996, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: BICA, 2002

Folder 03: BICY, 1974, 1978, undated

Folder 04: BLCA, 1986-1995, 2007, undated

Folder 05: BLRI, 1972, 2009, undated

Folder 06: BRCA, 1987, 2019, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 08

Folder 01: BRCA, 1987, 2019, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: CACH, 1999, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 09

Folder 01: CACH, 1999, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: CACO, 1968-1976, 1990, undated

Folder 03: CAHA, 1961-1996, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 10

Folder 01: CAHA, 1961-1996, undated [2 of 2]

BOX 11

Folder 01: CAKR, 1989-1992, undated

Folder 02: CALO, 1973-1975, 1989, undated

Folder 03: CANY, 1973-1998, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 12

Folder 01: CANY, 1973-1998, undated [2 of 2]

BOX 13

Folder 01: CARE, undated

Folder 02: CATO, undated

Folder 03: CAVO, 2002

Folder 04: CEBR, 1978, 1989, undated

Folder 05: CHOH, 1974, undated

Folder 06: CODA, undated

Folder 07: COLM, 1973-1992, undated

Folder 08: COLO, 1974, 1977, undated

BOX 14

Folder 01: CRLA, 1973-1986, undated

Folder 02: CUIS, 1975

Folder 03: CURE, 1986

Folder 04: CUVA, 1987

Folder 05: DENA, 1982-2015, undated [1 of 4]

BOX 15

Folder 01: DENA, 1982-2015, undated [2 of 4]

BOX 16

Folder 01: DENA, 1982-2015, undated [3 of 4]

BOX 17

Folder 01: DENA, 1982-2015, undated [4 of 4]

Folder 02: DEPO, 1975

Folder 03: DETO, 1986, 2010, undated

Folder 04: DEVA, 1975, 1989, undated

Folder 05: DEWA, 1973-2007, undated

BOX 18

Folder 01: DINO, 1986, 2019, undated

Folder 02: EISE, undated

Folder 03: EVER, 1971-2010, undated

Folder 04: FLFO, 1988

Folder 05: FOBU, undated

Folder 06: FONE, 1976, undated

Folder 07: FOSU, 1972, undated

BOX 19

Folder 01: FOUN, 2002

Folder 02: FRSP, 1976, undated

Folder 03: GAAR, 1990

Folder 04: GETT, 1976-2019, undated

Folder 05: GEWA, 1975-1978, undated

Folder 06: GLAC, 1972-1984, 2012, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 20

Folder 01: GLAC, 1972-1984, 2012, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: GLBA, 1984-1988, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 21

Folder 01: GLBA, 1984-1988, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: GLCA, 1978-1989, undated

BOX 22

Folder 01: GOGA, 1972-1988, undated

Folder 02: GRBA, 1989

Folder 03: GRCA, 1970-2003, undated [1 of 3]

BOX 23

Folder 01: GRCA, 1970-2003, undated [2 of 3]

BOX 24

Folder 01: GRCA, 1970-2003, undated [3 of 3]

Folder 02: GRKO, undated

Folder 03: GRSA, 1985-1996, 2019, undated

Folder 04: GRSM, 1972-1999, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 25

Folder 01: GRSM, 1972-1999, undated [2 of 2]

BOX 26

Folder 01: GRTE, 1978-2016, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 27

Folder 01: GRTE, 1978-2016, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: GUIS, 1971-1998, undated

Folder 03: GUMO, 1996, undated

Folder 04: HAFE, undated

Folder 05: HALE, 1971, 1988, undated

Folder 06: HAVO, 1971-1988, undated

Folder 07: HOFR, 1978, undated

Folder 08: HOFU, 1975-1978

BOX 28

Folder 01: HOVE, 2005, 2019

Folder 02: INDE, 1970-1978, undated

Folder 03: INDU, 1970-1984, undated

Folder 04: ISRO, 1978-2019, undated [1 of 6]

BOX 29

Folder 01: ISRO, 1978-2019, undated [2 of 6]

BOX 30

Folder 01: ISRO, 1978-2019, undated [3 of 6]

BOX 31

Folder 01: ISRO, 1978-2019, undated [4 of 6]

BOX 32

Folder 01: ISRO, 1978-2019, undated [5 of 6]

BOX 33

Folder 01: ISRO, 1978-2019, undated [6 of 6]

Folder 02: ISRO, Flora, 1981

Folder 03: ISRO, Lake Superior Study Presentation, 1986, undated

Folder 04: ISRO, Vegetation Plots, 1982

Folder 05: JELA, 1974, undated

Folder 06: JOTR, 1982, undated

Folder 07: KATM, 1985, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 34

Folder 01: KATM, 1985, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: KEFJ, 1984-2013, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 35

Folder 01: KEFJ, 1984-2013, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: KOVA, 1989-1990, undated

Folder 03: LACL, 1971-1990, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 36

Folder 01: LACL, 1971-1990, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: LAKE, 1986, undated

Folder 03: LAVO, 1971, undated

Folder 04: LECL, undated

Folder 05: MEVE, 1985-2020, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 37

Folder 01: MEVE, 1985-2020, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: MOCA, 1982, undated

Folder 03: MORA, 1987, 2003, undated

Folder 04: MUWO, 1971-1988, undated

Folder 05: NABR, undated

BOX 38

Folder 01: NAMA, 1970-1978, undated

Folder 02: NOAT, 1988-2019, undated [1 of 6]

BOX 39

Folder 01: NOAT, 1988-2019, undated [2 of 6]

BOX 40

Folder 01: NOAT, 1988-2019, undated [3 of 6]

BOX 41

Folder 01: NOAT, 1988-2019, undated [4 of 6]

BOX 42

Folder 01: NOAT, 1988-2019, undated [5 of 6]

BOX 43

Folder 01: NOAT, 1988-2019, undated [6 of 6]

Folder 02: NOCA, 1973, undated

BOX 44

Folder 01: Non-NPS: Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument, 1997, undated

BOX 45

Folder 01: Non-NPS: International, 1981, 2014

Folder 02: Non-NPS: International, Tenerife and Teide National Park, 1975-1977

Folder 03: Non-NPS: Monument Valley, 1989, 1998, undated

Folder 04: Non-NPS: National Forest, Arapaho, 1988-1991, undated

Folder 05: Non-NPS: National Forest, Bridger-Teton, 2001, undated

Folder 06: Non-NPS: National Forest, Chugach, 1972-2001, undated

Folder 07: Non-NPS: National Forest, Dixie, 1987

BOX 46

Folder 01: Non-NPS: National Forest, Flathead, undated

Folder 02: Non-NPS: National Forest, Gifford Pinchot, 1987, undated

Folder 03: Non-NPS: National Forest, Gunnison, 1986, undated

Folder 04: Non-NPS: National Forest, Medicine Bow, 1986, undated

Folder 05: Non-NPS: National Forest, Okanogan-Wenatchee, undated

Folder 06: Non-NPS: National Forest, Prescott, undated

Folder 07: Non-NPS: National Forest, San Isabel, 1992-1995, undated

Folder 08: Non-NPS: National Forest, San Juan, undated

Folder 09: Non-NPS: National Forest, Tongass, 1984-1986, undated

Folder 10: Non-NPS: National Forest, Uinta-Wasatch-Cache, undated

Folder 11: Non-NPS: National Forest, White River, 1991, undated

Folder 12: Non-NPS: Natural Area, Snyder-Middleswarth, undated

Folder 13: Non-NPS: State, Alaska, 1969-2016 [1 of 5]

BOX 47

Folder 01: Non-NPS: State, Alaska, 1969-2016 [2 of 5]

BOX 48

Folder 01: Non-NPS: State, Alaska, 1969-2016 [3 of 5]

BOX 49

Folder 01: Non-NPS: State, Alaska, 1969-2016 [4 of 5]

BOX 50

Folder 01: Non-NPS: State, Alaska, 1969-2016 [5 of 5]

BOX 51

Folder 01: Non-NPS: State, Alaska, Red Dog Mine, 1991

Folder 02: Non-NPS: State, Arizona, 1986

Folder 03: Non-NPS: State, California,1988

Folder 04: Non-NPS: State, Colorado, 1986, undated

Folder 05: Non-NPS: State, Florida, undated

Folder 06: Non-NPS: State, Hawai’i, 1968, 1988, undated

Folder 07: Non-NPS: State, Maine, undated

BOX 52

Folder 01: Non-NPS: State, Maryland, 1978

Folder 02: Non-NPS: State, Michigan, 1983-1989, undated

Folder 03: Non-NPS: State, Minnesota, 1979, 1983

Folder 04: Non-NPS: State, Nevada, undated

Folder 05: Non-NPS: State, New Hampshire, undated

Folder 06: Non-NPS: State, Vermont, 1981, undated

Folder 07: Non-NPS: State, Wyoming, 1986

Folder 08: Non-NPS: State Park, Custer, 1987, undated

Folder 09: Non-NPS: State Park, Kodachrome Basin, undated

Folder 10: Non-NPS: Unidentified, 1975-1988, 2001-2009, undated

Folder 11: Non-NPS: USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park, undated

Folder 12: Non-NPS: Wildlife Refuge, Chincoteague, undated

BOX 53

Folder 01: Non-NPS: Wildlife Refuge, Selawik, 1988-1990, 2011-2016, undated

Folder 02: OLYM, 1973-1999, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 54

Folder 01: OLYM, 1973-1999, undated [2 of 2]

BOX 55

Folder 01: ORPI, 1982-1986, undated

Folder 02: OXHI, 1974, undated

Folder 03: OZAR, 1983

Folder 04: PECO, 1999, undated

Folder 05: PEFO, 1989, undated

Folder 06: PERL, undated

Folder 07: PETE, 1974-1975, undated

Folder 08: PIRO, 1977-1996, 2014, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 56

Folder 01: PIRO, 1977-1996, 2014, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: PISP, 1989

Folder 03: PORE, 1970-1988, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 57

Folder 01: PORE, 1970-1988, undated [2 of 2]

Folder 02: REDW, 1969-1975, undated

Folder 03: ROMO, 1965-2011, 2017, undated [1 of 3]

BOX 58

Folder 01: ROMO, 1965-2011, 2017, undated [2 of 3]

BOX 59

Folder 01: ROMO, 1965-2011, 2017, undated [3 of 3]

Folder 02: SAFR, undated

Folder 03: SAGU, 1970-1988, undated

Folder 04: SCBL, 1991, undated

Folder 05: SEKI, 1969-1998, undated

BOX 60

Folder 01: SHEN, 1966-2009, undated

Folder 02: SLBE, 1978, 1983-1984

Folder 03: SUCR, 1982, undated

Folder 04: THIS, 1980, undated

Folder 05: THRO, 1978-2018, undated

Folder 06: VAFO, 1977, undated

Folder 07: VAMA, undated

Folder 08: VOYA, 1983, 1985

BOX 61

Folder 01: WACA, undated

Folder 02: WHSA, 1990, 2002, undated

Folder 03: WICA, 1986-1991, undated

Folder 04: WRBR, 1978, undated

Folder 05: WRST, 1991-2015, undated

Folder 06: WUPA, 1982, undated

Folder 07: YELL, 1962-2009, undated [1 of 2]

BOX 62

Folder 01: YELL, 1962-2009, undated [2 of 2]

BOX 63

Folder 01: YOSE, 1961-1983, undated

Folder 02: ZION, 1976-1989, undated

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Where this belongs

• Arches National Park
• Denali National Park & Preserve
• Glacier National Park
• Grand Teton National Park
• Isle Royale National Park
• Noatak National Preserve

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