Dr. Nathan Varley is a well-known and award winning environmental entrepreneur and explorer in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. He’s the co-owner and co-founder of Yellowstone Wolf Tracker and Yellowstone Reports. Dr. Varley has a long history of exploring the remote peaks and corners of Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding wilderness landscape and is nearing 100 peaks climbed in Yellowstone. He grew up in Yellowstone National Park, received his master’s in Wildlife Biology at Montana State University and his PhD in Evolutionary Biology at University of Alberta.
Nathan and his partner are dedicated to the vision of growing a sustainable ecotourism industry and he’s worked tirelessly towards the protection of the environment, while emphasizing an economic benefit for local communities. In 2017, Defenders of Wildlife honored Dr. Varley Nathan and his wife, Linda Thurston, with the prestigious Spirit of Defenders Citizen's Advocacy Award and in 2022 he and his partner received the International Wolf Center’s Speak For Wolves award
As a professional guide, he specializes in the natural and cultural history of the Yellowstone National Park, wildlife observation, and wilderness travel. His defining purpose is to champion a land ethic that places the highest value on wildlife and habitat, and in so doing, forever protect the places that have provided his inspiration.
Dr. Varley gets vulnerable, raw and real while sharing his story, his explorations and his perspective—reflecting on his near-death experience and rescue while climbing a remote peak in Yellowstone’s wild Northeast Corner.
