Alma “Rosie” Sanchez

Alma “Rosie” Sanchez, a Conservation Nation Fellow, is the Carnivore Biologist for the Nez Perce Tribe and a Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado Boulder, where she studies under Dr. Karen Bailey and Dr. Clint Carroll. Her work lives at the intersection of Indigenous political ecology and carnivore conservation—asking what it truly means to protect and live alongside animals in political landscapes shaped by colonial histories and contemporary management conflicts. Rosie is proudly Mexican, Guatemalan, and Maya Mam, and brings over a decade of experience in wildlife conservation, from environmental education and wildlife rehabilitation to field-based research and policy advocacy. She was one of the original team members supporting the successful wolf reintroduction campaign in Colorado (Proposition 114), and later worked as the ATBC Field Liaison with the Native American Fish and Wildlife Society, helping Tribes access federal conservation funding. Now, as the Nez Perce Tribe’s full-time Carnivore Biologist, Rosie leads work on wolves (Hímiin) and other species of cultural and ecological significance. She designs and implements population monitoring methods using non-invasive techniques like camera trapping, howl surveys, and acoustic monitoring. Her work actively challenges state and federal policies that undermine Tribal treaty rights and consultation mandates. Rooted in both community and scientific rigor, Rosie’s research is collaborative and driven by Indigenous science. Her goal is not only to protect wildlife but to reinforce a future of conservation grounded in relational accountability, cultural continuity, and Tribal authority.