Elizabeth (Liz) Carlen is interested in how Environmental Racism (the practice by which environmental policymaking deliberately targets communities of color, thereby exposing these communities to higher levels of toxins and pollutants) impacts wildlife populations. These environmental policies have profound effects on the people, wildlife, and landscape in communities. Specifically, Liz is investigating the impacts of environmental racism on Eastern Gray Squirrels in St. Louis, Missouri, a city with a long history of segregation and environmental racism. She is also investigating how squirrels are adapting to the urban environment within St. Louis city.