Stephen Leek pioneered the first conservation movement in Jackson Hole. Starting as a fishing and hunting guide, he later became a passionate campaigner for the Jackson elk herd. His glass plate photographs of starving and dead elk brought national attention to the tragic effects of winter habitat loss. In 1912, Congress approved the creation of the National Elk Refuge. Its establishment marked an important change in local attitudes about land use, as homesteaders who had once opposed such action began to support government land purchases for conservation.