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Meg White

Healthy Rivers Fellow
Science and Water Programs in Colorado

Contact Information

(720) 974-7032
E-mail: meg_white@tnc.org

Brief Biography

Meg White is working as the Healthy Rivers Fellow with The Nature Conservancy’s Science and Water Programs in Colorado. Meg’s role is to devise a comprehensive, statewide assessment of environmental and recreational water needs and prioritize conservation actions to sustain and protect those freshwater resources in Colorado. Following a systematic synthesis and analysis of baseline data, Meg is also developing a framework for quantifying environmental metrics and devising a strategic plan to focus on conservation needs, policy opportunities and constraints, and identifying the tools required to achieve necessary levels of protection.

For more than 15 years, Meg has been involved with water science and policy work focused on environmental policy and freshwater ecosystems in the United States. With a B.A. focused on urban planning and policy from the University of Michigan, a Masters in landscape architecture and environmental planning from the University of California-Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in Biology from Arizona State University, Meg’s expertise is innately interdisciplinary. Her dissertation research was situated at the intersection of riparian ecology, restoration science, hydrology, landscape ecology, and environmental policy, and investigated the influence of urban water resources (i.e., treated wastewater) on riparian ecosystems in the southwestern United States.

Prior to her current position, Meg worked in environmental science, planning and geographic information systems (GIS) in both private and nonprofit sectors. She also had the unique opportunity to spend one year as a field biologist monitoring atoll ecosystems with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Most recently, Meg taught Biology and Environmental Science at Scottsdale Community College in Arizona. 

Originally from rural western Michigan, Meg’s love for freshwater ecosystems and open spaces began in her own backyard – a 100-acre nature preserve filled with wetlands, ponds and more turtles and frogs than she could count. She loves exploring Colorado’s immense landscape, escaping to the backcountry whenever possible and exploring new places while running, biking, or kayaking.

Meg White

Healthy Rivers Fellow
Science and Water Programs in Colorado

Read Meg White's Full Biography

Read Meg White's Full Biography

Read Meg White's Full Biography