Gunnison, CO

Melanie Armstrong is the Public Lands Coordinator for the Masters of Environmental Management Program at Western State Colorado University. She teaches courses on environmental politics and policy, management skills, public lands, the politics of nature, and environmental history. Her forthcoming book, Germ Wars: The Politics of Nature and America’s Landscape of Fear, examines the politics enabled by the belief that nature—in this case microbes—can be managed through cultural practices. Her research interests include political ecology, environmental history, and science and technology studies. She worked for the National Park Service for 15 years, participating firsthand in the political actions that shape the landscapes of the American West.

2012, 2014, 2016, 2018 Participant