Anita Antoninka is an affiliate of the Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes. She is also an assistant research professor in the School of Forestry. Anita’s area of interest is plant and soil ecology, with a current focus on dryland restoration. Mainly, she works on plant/soil interactions, with specific interest in biocrusts and mycorrhizae. She has authored or co-authored more than 30 peer-reviewed publications. Additionally, Anita has mentored 9 graduate students and numerous undergraduate students. She was awarded the School of Forestry’s Researcher of the Year for 2019.

Seth Munson is an affiliate of the Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes. Seth is an ecologist with the U.S. Geological Survey Southwest Biological Science Center in Flagstaff, Arizona. His research focuses on plant-soil interactions in dryland ecosystems and how these interactions are affected by climate and land use changes. Much of Seth’s research aims to understand the dynamics of dryland ecosystems at long temporal and broad spatial scales, and employs a multidisciplinary approach. His work seeks to improve the management of arid and semi-arid lands, including determining effective ecological restoration strategies, and is done in close collaboration with several land management agencies.

Helen Rowe is an associate research professor in the School of Earth and Sustainability at Northern Arizona University. She works with land managers, citizen scientists, research partners, and students to improve ecological restoration, invasive species management techniques, and fire adaptation in arid environments. Additionally, she works with the NAU team of the Southwest Urban Integrated Field Laboratory on CO2 emissions modeling and observations. Dr. Rowe co-chairs the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Sonoran Desert Plant Species Specialist Group. This IUCN group is responsible for assessing the extinction risk of nearly 4,000 plant species in the Sonoran Desert and developing conservation plans for the most threatened species.

Stefan Sommer is a Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes affiliate. He is also an affiliate in the Department of Biological Sciences. Stefan’s area of interest is community ecology, sustainability, climate change, and education outreach. He is a founding board member of NAU’s Sustainable Ambassadors Program and serves on the board of directors of the Northern Arizona Climate Change Alliance. He has worked with over 160 Arizona teachers to improve their science knowledge and teaching. He was a hired consultant on the development of Flagstaff’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. His public presentations on climate change and sustainability have reached tens of thousands of citizens across northern Arizona and beyond. Stefan is the executive producer of four award-winning PBS documentaries on biodiversity and habitat conservation.

Dr. Jut Wynne is an affiliate of the Center for Adaptable Western Landscapes, and an assistant research professor in NAU’s Department of Biological Sciences. Jut’s area of interest is cave ecology, with a focus on (1) modeling and understanding the biogeography, distributional patterns, and habitat selection of cave-dwelling arthropods (in particular, subterranean-restricted taxa) and bats; (2) investigating community structure and dynamics of cave-dwelling arthropods; (3) quantifying the effects of global climate change and other human-caused disturbances on cave-dwelling animal populations (in particular, short-range endemic species); and (4) understanding the mechanisms driving subterranean restriction of a broad range of taxa. Through conservation-aimed projects, Jut strives to continue to improve our understanding of cave-dwelling animal communities, their habitat requirements, and the impacts human activities have on these populations. He has authored or co-authored 35 peer-reviewed articles and over 50 other publications. Jut is also editor of the upcoming book Diversity and Speciation of Subterranean Fauna (available through John Hopkins University Press, mid-2022) and has served as a guest writer for Scientific American and Mongabay. Additionally, he has mentored 20 undergraduate students on numerous cave-related independent studies.