Where are you from? 
I grew up in the small town of Yampa, CO where my parents still live.

How did you get involved in conservation work? 
I participated in my high school’s environmental organization, and, thanks to a great teacher, got interested in the science behind conservation.  At CU, I joined the Wilderness Study Group and became more involved with conservation.  At the time the Forest Service had proposed several logging operations in places where I had hiked with my family growing up.  It was the personal connection that made me feel a duty to protect these wild places.    

What is your nearly completed Masters thesis about?
Prioritizing conservation efforts among species populations.  Currently, when evaluating how to recover and conserve species, scientists often recommend disregarding small populations at the edge of a species’ geographic range.  However, my research shows that these populations are often important to the long-term health of species and ecosystems.

What projects are you currently working on?
For our Energy Campaign I monitor proposed oil, gas and uranium development projects on public land, and analyze their impact on wildlife, plants and special places.  I work to stop or modify proposed projects that will have a negative impact on imperiled wildlife and plants, and encourage the Bureau of Land Management to fulfill their commitment to analyze the impact of these projects and to require energy companies to mitigate or minimize their impacts to wildlife and plants. 

In the Dolores River Basin (highlighted on the front page) and the Greater Dominguez Canyons Campaign we are working with a diverse coalition to secure protections for these unique places.  We are working to shape how these areas are managed through the BLM’s land use planning process, and to secure protective designations, including wilderness, that will help to protect their biodiversity values. I am working on nominating several Areas of Critical Environmental Concern within the Dolores and Dominguez areas.

I also act as a resource for groups and individuals who want to find out more about the biological diversity in a specific place by helping them understand what imperiled wildlife and plants are present, how proposed projects might impact these species, and how current laws can be applied to protect such places.

If you weren’t involved in conservation, what do you think you would like to do?
I would love to work as a field biologist, because I enjoy spending time outdoors, indulging in my fascination with wildlife, and adding to our understanding of how the natural world works.