Helen Rowe is an associate research professor in the School of Earth and Sustainability, Northern Arizona University.  She engages citizen scientists, research partners, and students to improve ecological restoration and invasive species management techniques in arid environments. She also works with managers and collaborators across the Sonoran Desert to identify best practices for preventing and restoring lands post-fire. Dr. Rowe also co-chairs the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Sonoran Desert Plant Species Specialist Group. This IUCN group is responsible for assessing the extinction risk of the almost 4,000 plant species in the Sonoran Desert and initiating conservation planning for the most threatened species.