The Mangelsen Images of Nature Gallery in Steamboat Springs has offered locals and visitors a chance to see the world through the eyes of renowned wildlife photographer Thomas D. Mangelsen for more than two decades.

“I feel like we’re kind of a museum of wildlife and nature,” said Todd Savalox, who has owned the gallery at 730 Lincoln Ave. since December 1999. “I feel we represent the best — the best of the best — when it comes to wildlife photography and nature photography.”

But on Monday, Feb. 20, Savalox, who also owns the building, said he plans to close the long-running downtown gallery in mid-May. He said that by June 1, the new tenants will take over the space, and he plans to step back and take some time to enjoy the great things that Steamboat Springs has to offer.

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“It’s been a great gallery for me,” Savalox said. “I’ve been very fortunate to move here from Vail, where I ran (Mangelsen’s) gallery for five years before I opened my own private gallery here and raised a family. My daughter is a sophomore at (Colorado State University) and my son’s a senior (at Steamboat Springs High School) this year, so I’m kind of at that point where I can go out and do other things. So yeah, it has been a wonderful experience.”

Savalox has owned and run the gallery, which has featured Mangelsen’s top-selling images and new releases, as well as photographs from the area, for the past 24 years. Savalox was not a photographer, but studied conservation and resource use in college. He also served as an intern at Olympic National Park in Washington after college and spent three years after that working as a park ranger.

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“(Mangelsen) is a guy that has done an awful lot for the environment and has brought awareness to people about conservation and how important wild places and wild things are,” Savalox said. “That’s kind of his mission, and aside from selling the artwork, I think we’ve exposed millions of people to the importance of wildlife and wildlife conservation.”

The 2000-square-foot gallery in Steamboat Springs is the only privately owned Mangelsen gallery in the country, and it offers anyone who steps through the door a journey into the American West through the natural world.

Mangelsen, who is now 77 years old, also has galleries in La Jolla, California; Park City, Utah; and Jackson, Wyoming. Savalox said his relationship with Mangelsen will continue after the Steamboat gallery closes this spring.

“I’ll be in Steamboat, but I have family in Michigan, and I have friends all over the country, so I plan to travel a lot more,” Savalox said. “I also plan to do a handful of art shows around the country representing Tom Mangelsen. I’ll still be involved with Tom and his work, but I’ll just be doing it on the road going to the buyers instead of waiting for the buyers to come to me.”

Savalox said that over the next few months, he will be working to clear out the inventory in Steamboat Springs.

“I will try and sell most of the images that I have in the collection locally so I don’t have to ship them,” Savalox said. “I will also take customer orders at a pretty deep discount to capitalize on this event.”

Savalox said he cherishes his time as owner of the Mangelsen Images of Nature Gallery, and he is grateful for those who have supported the gallery.

“Steamboat has been wonderful to me,” Savalox said. “I’ve been very fortunate to have met so many nice people and to have had such great clients over the years, and I will definitely miss them.”

John F. Russell is the business reporter at the Steamboat Pilot & Today. To reach him, call 970-871-4209, email jrussell@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @Framp1966.