DIY Soil Health Workshop: Learn about your soil health

Rebecca is a soil scientist and educator who has loved helping passionate farmers and ranchers improve and monitor their soil health and crop/pasture quality since 2016. Rebecca helps producers write grants for their soil health projects, and provides guidance and practical and customized recommendations to address agricultural production challenges and reach their soil health goals. She earned her B.S. in Environmental Engineering from the University of Colorado Boulder and her M.S. in Soil Science from Iowa State University, where she researched soil health in conventional and alternative cropping systems. She works as a Project Manager for the Carbon Ranch Initiative at Quivira Coalition, and her soil health coaching and consulting business, Red Dog Soils, is based in Denver, CO. Rebecca has completed rigorous agro-ecology training through the Integrity Soils CREATE Program to improve her capacity to guide producers in addressing production challenges. When she is not talking about soil health, she is fly fishing, gardening, and hiking on the weekends.

Rebecca is a soil scientist that began her career focused on applied understanding of soil organic matter dynamics to inform sustainable soil management and contribute to climate change mitigation efforts. She became smitten with practical soil-climate solutions while working on a project studying carbon sequestration potential in agroecosystems with deep rooted crops as an undergraduate researcher. She received her B.S. in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability at Colorado State University but her fascination with soil and its larger role in the carbon cycle drove her to pursue a graduate degree, receiving her M.S. in Soil and Crop Sciences in 2022. After working more closely with farmers and ranchers, her curiosity expanded beyond soil carbon to the whole system, linking soil health indicators to overall ecosystem health and productivity, particularly in agricultural lands. She has enjoyed learning from land managers and looks forward to collaborating with them more, lending her own knowledge when able. She recognizes the importance of teamwork and welcomes diverse perspectives and backgrounds. The passion behind the work of each collaborator truly inspires her, motivating her to be a better supporter through her research. With expertise in a range of methodologies for soil sampling, processing, and health analyses, Rebecca brings relevant technical skills to any team. In her free time, she loves to nerd out over house plants and gardening, swim in high alpine lakes or sleepy rivers, and just enjoy the great outdoors generally.

Dr. Lexi Firth is a soil health scientist and educator specializing in regenerative agriculture and ecosystem resilience at Colorado State University. She holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. in soil science and has a background in both research and hands-on land management. She currently oversees research for the Colorado Soil Health Program, leads CSU’s Colorado River Basin Discovery Farms project, and contributes to various transdisciplinary initiatives aimed at transforming soil, water, and climate challenges into science-backed solutions for land stewards. Passionate about making soil health both accessible and actionable, she works to bridge the gap between theory and real-world application.

Dr. Megan Machmuller is a soil scientist who is passionate about gaining a deeper understanding of the fascinating complexity of our natural world and identifying the fundamental ecological and biogeochemical processes that underpin resilient and sustainable ecosystems. Megan is a research scientist and co-director of IN-RICHES (Integrated Rocky Mountain-region Innovation Center for Healthy Soils) at Colorado State University, which aims to advance soil health research and encourage the widespread adoption of soil health practices across the region by convening collaborations among scientists, producers, policymakers, and the public.  She has played an active role in the development and growth of the statewide soil health program, which includes coordinating transdisciplinary research to assure scientific outcomes are holistic, robust, and grounded in practical realities. Megan received her BS in Biology from Creighton University and PhD in Ecology from the Odum School of Ecology, University of Georgia and served as a USDA NIFA postdoctoral fellow prior to her current position at CSU.

Dr. Anna Clare Monlezun is a rangeland ecosystem scientist, synthesizer, and collaborative facilitator. She considers herself a life-long student of nature who thrives in interdisciplinary work environments, assisting stakeholders in the interface of ranching and conservation. She offers state-of-the-science knowledge and practical engagement in agroecology, grazing management, rangeland science, agrivoltaics, and ecosystem services valuation. A Colorado rancher herself, she contributes her unique skillset as the founder of Graze LLC and Chief Executive Officer of the Rangeland Living Laboratory Inc. Through these entities she enjoys working in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, National STAR (Saving Tomorrow’s Agricultural Resources), Kateri Environmental, the Quivira Coalition, Grazewell Regenerative Ranching, Silicon Ranch, and the U.S. Department of Energy, as well as some of the nation’s top land grant universities to develop and carry out research and paradigm-shifting programs. A published writer, musician, and poet, Anna Clare enjoys bridging the worlds of science, art, and land stewardship. She appreciates not only talking the “talk,” but walking the “walk” and being a work-in-progress example for the things she loves, believes in, and promotes. She holds a B.A. in Comparative Literature and Humanities, an M.A. in Community Counseling, an international Post-Graduate Certificate in Expressive Arts: Therapy, Consultation, and Social Change, an M.S. in Animal Sciences, and a Ph.D. in Ecosystem Science and Sustainability.