Biography

Joanna Lemly is the Wetland Ecology Team Leader for the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP) at Colorado State University, where she oversees CNHP’s work on wetland mapping and assessment. CNHP Wetland Team works closely with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)’s National Wetlands Inventory (NWI) to create and update geospatial data for Colorado wetlands, including functional attributes to summarize and analyze the functions provided by wetlands on a watershed basis. CNHP has developed multiple online mapping tools to view wetlands data and incorporate wetlands into watershed planning. In addition, CNHP leads the state’s efforts to assess the condition and habitat quality of Colorado’s wetlands, one river basin at a time. Joanna also partners with the Bureau of Land Management to develop and test wetland monitoring protocols for use on Federal lands. She has also been heavily involved in the development of both printed and digital educational resources for wetlands. Joanna has worked in various aspects of plant ecology for 15 years, with a particular emphasis on wetland ecology. She holds an M.S. in Ecology from Colorado State University, a Certificate in Wetland Science and Management from the University of Washington, and a B.A. in Environmental Science from the Colorado College.