Marcelle Shoop is the Director of the Saline Lakes Program for the National Audubon Society. The Saline Lakes program is part of Audubon’s Western Water initiative focused on advancing balanced solutions to water use in the West to ensure birds, ecosystems, people, and economies thrive.

Marcelle is a Western native and long-time Utah resident, with a background in environmental and natural resources law, policy development, sustainability, and stakeholder relations. She has held various legal and managerial roles with Rio Tinto, where she focused on business approaches to sustainability and socially and environmentally responsible business practices. Marcelle has worked with conservation partners, including BirdLife International and The Nature Conservancy, in connection with corporate biodiversity efforts, which helped her understand the importance of community connections with birds and the environment.

Articles by Marcelle Shoop

Western Water News

Partners Across Great Basin Essential to Passage of Saline Lake Ecosystems Legislation

By Marcelle Shoop
December 20, 2022 — Continued partnerships are key to much-needed scientific attention on these unique lakes.
Western Water News

Generational Advancements in Utah Water Policies this Year (Part 2)

By Marcelle Shoop
April 11, 2022 — Major new funding and new flexibility improve the outlook for people and birds, even in drought.
Western Water News

Generational Advancements in Great Salt Lake Water Policies this Year (Part 1)

By Marcelle Shoop
March 22, 2022 — Major new funding and new flexibility improve the outlook for people and birds, even in drought.
Western Water News

Utah 2022 Legislative Session Kicks Off Today—and It Should Be a Big Year for Water Policy

By Marcelle Shoop
January 18, 2022 — First Great Salt Lake Summit brings momentum for 2022 legislative session.
An American Avocet forages in a saline wetland at Audubon’s Gillmor Sanctuary in Salt Lake County, Utah.
Western Water News

Audubon's Marcelle Shoop Submits Testimony in Support of Saline Lakes Bill

By Marcelle Shoop
November 04, 2021 — Saline Lake Ecosystems in the Great Basin States Program Act of 2021 would support birds and people in the arid West.
Eared Grebes with chicks. Wendy Crowe/Audubon Photography Awards
Western Water News

U.S. Senators Re-Introduce Science-based Program for Unique Saline (Salt) Lake Ecosystems

By Marcelle Shoop
April 29, 2021 — Audubon science makes case for federally coordinated assessment of interconnected ecosystems essential in the arid West, supporting people and birds.
Western Water News

Water Issues Rise to the Surface in Utah’s 2021 Legislature

By Marcelle Shoop
March 31, 2021 — Positive outcomes for Great Salt Lake and Navajo-Utah Water Rights Settlement.
Western Water News

UPDATE: Governor Signs Utah Water Bills

By Marcelle Shoop
February 24, 2020 — Policy priority updates for the 2020 Utah legislative session.
Western Water News

Potential Costs of Declining Water Levels at Great Salt Lake Could be in the Billions

By Marcelle Shoop
September 24, 2019 — Unlike other drying lakes, Utah has the opportunity to change course and avoid those costs.
Western Water News

Diminishing Lakes Pose Serious Consequences for Communities, Livelihoods, and Wildlife

By Marcelle Shoop
August 27, 2019 — Why we should act at Great Salt Lake before it's too late.