Cassandre Venumière-Lefebvre
[Pronounced: Cassand]
PhD Student – Wildlife Conservation
I grew up in France, between Paris and Normandie. I pursued a B.S. in Biology and Evolution at Paris Saclay University. Wanting to expose myself to novel ways to do science and think society’s interactions with wildlife, I traveled to Colorado and volunteered for the National Park Service. My work there involved measuring the ecological impacts of the removal of a large predator, wolves. It introduced me to conservation science, and I decided to pursue a master’s degree in Conservation Ecology at Paris Saclay University. During my Master’s, I came back to Colorado and joined CSU’s Center for Human-Carnivore Coexistence as an intern, where I explored definitions and metrics of
coexistence between humans and carnivores throughout the world. I graduated in 2020 and, by then feeling at home in Colorado, I stayed at CSU to continue my studies as a Ph.D. student.
My research explores human-carnivore interactions through biology, spatial ecology, social science, and policy. With the PLPG, I study policy instruments used to reduce urban conflict between people and American black bears in Colorado. I partner with city governments, non-profit organizations, and wildlife management agencies throughout the state and hope to learn from them to identify conflict-reduction strategies that can be used by other communities in Colorado.
Tyler Garnier
MS Student – Forest Sciences
I grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Natural Resources Tourism from the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University, with minors in Spanish and Business Administration. Growing up among the woods and rivers of the Northeast, and later moving to Colorado after the 2020 fires, deepened my longstanding interest in history, land stewardship and conservation, wildfire mitigation, climate adaptation, and forest policy. These experiences shaped my passion for advancing conservation, sustainability, science, and justice in natural resource work, challenging colonial conservation legacies while preparing forests and communities for climate change.
At Colorado State University, I am pursuing a Master of Science in Forest Sciences. I previously worked in the Public Lands Policy Group as an undergraduate research assistant and collaborated with the Colorado State Forest Service to develop monitoring recommendations for the Forest Restoration and Wildfire Risk Mitigation Grant Program. I now serve as a Graduate Research Assistant on a project led by Eliisa Carter, as well as a Program Assistant with the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. I am also completing the Climate Adaptation and Risk Management Certificate to strengthen my expertise in climate resilience and adaptation.
My research focuses on the relationship between human decision-making and ecological processes in mature and old-growth forests. Through case studies across diverse ecosystems, the project examines these through variations in ecological conditions, Indigenous stewardship, and climate impacts. As I am still in the early stages of my graduate studies, my research is continuing to take shape within this project, with opportunities to refine my focus as I engage more deeply with the work.
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