Amorina Lee-Martinez was born and raised in Mancos, Colorado with Afro-Cuban, Indigenous Mexican, and European heritage. She earned a PhD in Environmental Studies at CU Boulder in 2022 investigating the historical context of Dolores River management, including the history of Colorado Indigenous peoples and U.S. colonialism that shaped how water and land is managed today.

Amorina’s long-term goal is to be involved in Montezuma County efforts to sustain water resources for multiple needs, and to manage for increasingly arid conditions in the Dolores River region. Her historical investigation aims to inform how to create a sustainable future for water management in one headwaters region of the Colorado River.