春水堂视频

CU Boulder ecologist Karen Bailey, who serves on the Colorado Parks & Wildlife Commission, aims to listen to advocates for predators and also ranchers and farmers

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Karen Bailey always felt a connection to both urban environments and the ocean.

鈥淏ut in an urban setting, I was not exposed to career opportunities in environmental spaces,鈥� says Bailey, assistant professor of environmental studies and member of the at the University of Colorado Boulder.

It wasn鈥檛 until a 10th-grade trip to the Teton Science Schools in Wyoming that she realized it was possible to make a career in 鈥渄oing science outside and interacting with and understanding wildlife.鈥�

During that time, she also studied at the Smithson Tropical Research Institute in Panama and did field work on the fabled 鈥溾�� of southern California, where people gathered to watch the fish mating on sandy beaches.

鈥淭he fish swim up on the beach, and it鈥檚 a great community science opportunity,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 loved doing research outdoors and engaging people in environmental spaces.鈥�

Years later, Bailey鈥檚 continuing interest in human-environmental interactions was one reason Gov. Jared Polis appointed her to a four-year term on the in 2021.

The commission 鈥渋s responsible for perpetuating the wildlife resources of the state, providing a quality state parks system and providing enjoyable and sustainable outdoor recreation opportunities that educate and inspire current and future generations to serve as active stewards of Colorado natural resources.鈥�

鈥淲e provide guidance on regulations for Colorado Parks and Wildlife,鈥� she says. 鈥淥ur work also ranges from things perceived as more mundane鈥濃�攕uch as state parks hours and swimming regulations鈥攖o more contentious issues such as predator management and implementing wolf restoration recently approved by voters.

After graduating from high school, Bailey earned a BA in ecology and evolutionary biology from Princeton University and a master鈥檚 degree in wildlife ecology and conservation from the University of Florida.

During high school, she learned from shadowing two veterinarians that she wasn鈥檛 interested in that profession. And as an undergraduate, she participated in laboratory research that involved 鈥渟trapping sparrows and finches to foam blocks,鈥� and knew that wasn鈥檛 for her, either.

鈥淚 always tell my students it鈥檚 important to learn about what you don鈥檛 like as well as what you like,鈥� she says.

At the University of Florida, she started doing traditional ecological research and field work in Eswatini (formerly Swaziland) in southern Africa. Observing how one of the worst droughts in the country鈥檚 history affected human populations catalyzed 鈥渁 big shift in my career trajectory,鈥� Bailey says.

鈥淚 saw the intersection between negative environmental outcomes and social-justice outcomes, how the interaction and degradation of those same systems led to the oppression and marginalization of different groups,鈥� she says.

She learned how to do social science and interdisciplinary research and eventually earned a PhD in interdisciplinary ecology at University of Florida. At CU Boulder, she鈥檚 been teaching introductory environmental science courses, where she takes 鈥渁 broad overview of all things environmental鈥攚aste management, biodiversity, climate, energy, human-environment interactions in sub-Saharan Africa, conflict management and collaboration.鈥�

A friend on the Colorado Oil and Gas Conservation Commission first suggested she apply for the Parks & Wildlife Commission, recognizing her interest in solving human-environment problems. She was surprised and flattered when she received a letter from Polis鈥� office encouraging her to apply.听

鈥淢y work now is really about how humans interact with the environment. Resilience and human-wildlife coexistence is probably part of the reason I was appointed,鈥� she says. 鈥淚鈥檓 also interested more broadly in justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in STEM and natural resources fields.鈥�

While her urban background and research may seem removed from issues addressed by the commission, Bailey is deeply interested in making sure that all voices are heard.

鈥淚鈥檓 happy to work with the Center and other voices for wolf restoration, but I also want to hear the voices of those most likely to be impacted and influenced鈥� such as ranchers and farmers, she says. 鈥淢y agenda, if I have one, is really understanding and supporting equitable and transparent processes.鈥�