I’m beyond excited to join the Conservation Nation community as their newest fellow! Through this fellowship, I’ll be working alongside the Nez Perce Tribe Wildlife Division, focusing primarily on carnivore conservation—specifically wolves. The upcoming year of my fellowship will build on the work I began with the tribe in the summer of 2024, and I will lend my expertise in wildlife policy, carnivore ecology, and voracious appetite for justice.
Who is the Nez Perce Tribe?
It’s an honor to work for the Nez Perce Tribe, a recognized leader in fish and wildlife conservation. From the Tribe’s impressive salmon fisheries to their pivotal role in the reintroduction of wolves to central Idaho in 1995 alongside the reintroduction efforts in Yellowstone National Park the Nez Perce Tribe has built an extraordinary conservation legacy.
Their leadership in bringing wolves back to central Idaho stands as a powerful example of conservation in action—one rooted in tribal sovereignty, cultural responsibility to the land, and enduring resilience. The Nez Perce Tribe’s work serves as a model today, demonstrating that tribes should not only be consulted participants or advising partners in conservation efforts but sovereign leaders on the front lines of large-scale wildlife restoration. I am thrilled to be working alongside bold leaders in conservation.
Who am I?
A little about me: I hold a B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife Science from Oregon State University. After a ten-year gap before returning to school, I spent that time working in wildlife conservation nonprofits, which cemented my passion for this field. Now, I’m a second-year Ph.D. student at the University of Colorado Boulder, where my research explores the intersection of Native American and Indigenous treaty rights with natural resource management, particularly in the conservation of carnivores like wolves, grizzly bears, and wolverines.
My experience has spanned various roles, from environmental education to wildlife rehabilitation, to the historic reintroduction of wolves to Colorado and, most recently, the reintroduction of wolverines!
As someone with roots in Michoacán, Mexico, and Guatemala (Maya Mam), my work is driven by a deep commitment to justice, collaboration, and supporting Indigenous communities in their pursuit of sovereignty and wildlife protection.
With the support of Conservation Nation, I’m stoked to continue the work started with the Nez Perce Tribe. Their mission resonates deeply with me, and I’m thrilled to be part of an organization dedicated to building an inclusive conservation community to tackle the global wildlife conservation challenge.
