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Why We Work
We work to bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world conservation.
Facts in brief
Habitat loss and human population growth in Colorado are driving wildlife losses. (Data from Colorado College State of the Rockies report, 2009.)
Loss of elk's range in 150 years
Loss of cougar range in 150 years
Animals killed in vehicle collisions, 2010-2024
Potential loss of current trout populations due to climate change
What We Do
Goals
- Share scientific data with those who make decisions about managing wildlife.
- Increase biodiversity by highlighting scientific information to guide decisions.
- Defend wild animals and their habitats.
Projects
- Reduce human-bear conflict by education and sharing resources to help people secure and avoid attractants that draw bears into areas of human development
- Literature review to assess the threat of diseases, e.g., avian flu and plague, (and “staggering disease” from rustrela virus) to mountain lions.
- Educate stakeholders of the benefits of wolves to ecosystems.
Where We're Heading
Short-Term
- Develop collaborations with key stakeholders in the CPW, legislature, academia, nonprofits, etc.
- Encourage people to build electric fences around landfills, compost, bee hives, chicken coops, and other attractants to bears.
- Encourage people to pick fruit from their trees or to Community Fruit Rescue to harvest their fruit trees.
- Educate journalists and other stakeholders of the benefits of carnivores, including wolves and mountain lions, which are keystone species, to ecosystems.
Mid-Term
- Support mitigation efforts of landowners who are troubled by beaver dams.
- Support non-lethal efforts of ranchers to coexist with wolves.
Long-Term
- Improve policies and statutes to support wildlife stewardship based on science, respect for animals, and ecosystem health.
- Increase the public’s understanding of CPW’s budget, especially the revenue to CPW from hunting, trapping, and fishing fees, and to what extent such fees support “conservation,” defined as protection of land from human development, and therefore protection of land for wildlife habitat.
- Increase non-consumptive revenue to reduce the influence of special interest groups on wildlife policy.
Our Team
Meet our dedicated team working passionately to protect wildlife and promote sustainable, science-based conservation in Colorado.
Melinda Marquis, Ph.D.
President and co-founder
Clint Talbott
Vice president and co-founder
Christine Capaldo
Member of the Board
Magali Lutz
Member of the Board
Denise Osmon
Member of the Board
Who We Are
Melinda Marquis, Ph.D., is president and co-founder of Science for Colorado Wildlife.
She is an inter-disciplinary environmental scientist who worked as a scientific project manager for seven years at the University of Colorado, Cooperative Institute for Research in the Environmental Sciences, National Snow and Ice Data Center. She then was deputy director for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group 1, Fourth Assessment Report, published in 2007. After that, Melinda took a position as a federal scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the Earth System Research Laboratory, where she developed and led the Atmospheric Science for Renewable Energy (ASRE) research program. She led efforts to improve the skill of the National Weather Service’s forecasts of wind speeds of turbine-height winds in the boundary layer and forecasts of surface solar irradiance, the main attenuator of which is clouds. Melinda then worked at the Department of Energy, National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), where she led integration of offshore wind power, and then worked on grid integration studies with very high amounts of renewable energy and storage, as well as enhanced transmission capacity.
Since 2021, Melinda has been working on wildlife issues, particularly those involving human factors. She is interested in working with social scientists to improve understanding of wildlife issues from the perspective of multiple groups of people.
Clint Talbott is vice president and co-founder of Science for Colorado Wildlife.
He is a veteran journalist and communications professional. He spent 24 years in newspaper journalism, serving as a reporter, columnist, editor, deputy editorial page editor and editorial page editor at the Colorado Daily and Daily Camera in Boulder. He was one of two finalists for the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for editorial writing. He left newspaper journalism in 2008 to lead the communications efforts for the CU Boulder College of Arts and Sciences, serving as communications director and assistant dean for communications, retiring in 2025.
He has volunteered for various wildlife nonprofits. Previously, he volunteered as a Court Appointed Special Advocate for children who have suffered abuse and neglect with Voices for Children, a nonprofit. He also volunteered for The Visionaria Network, a nonprofit striving to empower girls and women in Peru.
Christine Capaldo is member of the board. She obtained a Biological Sciences degree from Colorado State University, then received a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine training from Mississippi State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 2000. She competed an internship at Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital in 2001.
She has worked on the Western Slope of Colorado as a veterinarian for over 20 years and currently practices at the Animal Hospital of Telluride, which is primarily small animal medicine, emergency, and surgery, and because of our remote location surrounded by national forest, the hospital also serves to assess and treat injured, sick, or displaced wildlife before transferring to rehabilitation if necessary.
She has also received veterinary training regarding the specialized medical, nutritional, and behavioral needs of captive wildlife such as bears, big cats, and elephants at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado and Performing Animal Welfare Society in California.
In her spare time, she enjoys wildlife-watching, running, skiing, and spending time with her family.
Magali Lutz is a member of the board. She is a financial advisor with over 20 years of experience in the finance industry. As a passionate advocate for animal welfare, she brings a unique blend of expertise and enthusiasm to the team.
She has held leadership roles at Edward Jones Investments and IBM, where she has developed skills to help achieve revenue goals and assist in developing initiatives that align with charitable impacts in her community. She enjoys camping, hiking and snowboarding in the Colorado mountains and fostering animals at risk of being euthanized and helping them find their “fur”ever homes.
Her volunteer history includes work with the Colorado Community Foundation – Grant Approval Review Team and as a foster for Underdog Rescue of Colorado and Red Fern Rescue. Her charitable-giving focus has included Luvin’ Arms Animal Sanctuary, Boulder Humane Society, Colorado Wildlife Foundation, Red Fern Rescue, Underdog Rescue of Colorado and Colorado Bear Coalition.
Denise Osmon works in wildlife advocacy with a background in philosophy and environmental science. Her work centers on research, policy analysis, and the practical side of conservation, with a focus on furbearer ecology, riparian corridors, wetlands, and the regulatory frameworks that shape wildlife management in Colorado.