Maureen Lawry is a lifelong educator, puppeteer, and nature lover who has spent decades learning about the prairie grasslands in the West.. Based in the foothills of Boulder, Colorado, Maureen brings her Montessori training, Fulbright Puppetry experience in Hungary, and years of storytelling to her work with MSIMS.

Her book Saving Petey: A Prairie Dog’s Journey grew out of her passion for Mountain Shadows, the prairie ecosystem, and her work with scientists, students, and conservationists to protect prairie dog colonies.