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Conservation Ecologist Terri Schulz has been with The Nature Conservancy for 15 years, using her expertise to assess biodiversity across a landscape and identify current or future threats to the integrity of that land, such as encroaching development or invasive species. Her work is integral to the creation and implementation of long-term strategies for conservation protection and restoration. More simply put, “I evaluate the Conservancy’s preserves and project areas and help determine how to solve real problems on the ground,” says Terri.
Terri studied wildlife biology as an undergrad before getting her Master’s in range ecology, focusing on grasslands and shrublands. Now she helps prioritize the problems facing priority conservation regions and crafts the plan of action to tackle those problems. “I get great personal satisfaction from seeing a solution implemented and a landscape restored, like the San Miguel River. It took five years of on-the-ground work, but now vast stretches of the river are free of the invasive plant called tamarisk.”
Changing a landscape can be a challenge: “Sometimes it can be a long time coming,” laughs Terri. In addition to her science-based work, she collaborates with a diverse and wide-ranging group of partners. “Finding the common ground between differing conservation visions is something I enjoy. I’m good at facilitating between diverse interest groups and their sometimes opposing visions and extracting the commonalities.”
Her dedication and commitment have recently earned Terri a Certificate of Appreciation from the Noxious Weed Advisory Committee. Terri has also been instrumental in implementing Colorado’s current weed law that defines and prioritizes weed species, an important step toward coordinated removal of certain detrimental invasive plants, as well as public education and support of weed eradication.
In an effort to share her knowledge outside of Colorado’s borders, Terri traveled to Thailand, a country with a strong system of parks and other protected areas, but often with inadequate management strategies and priorities, to train National Park Service employees on Conservation Action Planning process. This approach uses a science-based assessment and prioritization process to determine the plan of action for necessary strategies and monitoring.
“I take the Conservancy’s motto of ‘Integrity Beyond Reproach’ to heart,” says Terri, “making a difference on the ground, teaching, bringing people and ideas together, and finding that common ground—it keeps me focused.”
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