About Marcy's Work

I have been a Switzer Fellow since 1992, and am very grateful to have received Environmental Leadership awards during 2000-2003 to support my work in conservation science for the Yellowstone to Yukon (Y2Y) Conservation Initiative. For over 30 years, I have been designing and delivering programs that integrate the fields of land conservation, environmental stewardship, landscape ecology, conservation biology, and sustainable agriculture. Within my diverse professional roles, I remain passionate about building capacity to protect habitat for species at risk by increasing our collective knowledge of conservation science and its application at local and regional landscape scales. I also enjoy engaging in research that supports landscape-scale modeling in order to conserve biodiversity hotspots and important wildlife habitat and movement corridors.

My professional skills include:

  • Bridging disciplines and synthesizing diverse knowledge that encompasses land and water stewardship, plant and wildlife ecology, impacts of climate change, and sustainable agriculture;
  • Influencing conservation policies and practices to protect species at risk and retain productive, connected, ecologically functioning landscapes;
  • Creating collaborative opportunities to share different ways of knowing, effectively build partnerships, and achieve common goals;
  • Developing and managing programs within non-profit, research, government organizational cultures;
  • Conducting applied ecological research to provide recommendations on conserving habitat, rare species, and biological diversity and ecological connectivity at multiple landscape scales.

EMPLOYMENT & AFFILIATIONS: Kootenay Conservation Program, Kootenay Connect, Slocan Lake Stewardship Society, Slocan Wetlands Assessment & Monitoring Project, Valhalla Wilderness Society, Columbia Wetlands Stewardship Partners, Columbia Basin Trust, Columbia Basin Environmental Education Network, Wildsight Know Your Watershed Program, Conservation Impact, Flathead Land Trust, Citizens for a Better Flathead, Watershed Consulting, Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, Alternative Energy Resources Organization, Craighead Wildlife/Wildlands Institute, US Forest Service, Greater Yellowstone Coalition, Vermont Natural Resources Council.