Heidi Steltzer is a German-born American scientist of arctic and alpine ecology and professor at Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado teaching Biology and Environment and Sustainability.

Steltzer's team looked specifically at how warming temperatures affect the supplies of Earth's water, particularly recession of glacial ice, permafrost thaw, and changes in snow melt.

[8] Steltzer's work also examines how much water plants affected by run off are taking in and giving off into the atmosphere depending on snow melt conditions.

Through multiple transplant experiments, they found that lying in the litter of a leaf's own species accelerated the rate at which the leaves decompose, which they referred to as the home-field advantage.

[11] 2013 – The American Geophysical Union, a group aimed at facilitating scientific exploration, honored Steltzer with Sulzman Award for Excellence in Education and Mentoring.

[13] The CSAS conducts studies by connecting researchers of different backgrounds in order to obtain and analyze data that could have impacts on high mountain regions.

This opportunity gave her the chance to work with Chris Landry, the director at the time, on a project studying snow melt rates in the San Juan Mountains.

[15] She also works with the Western Alliance for Restoration Management,[16] whose goal is to protect headwaters which are under threat due to contamination from Colorado's many mines.

[19] In early 2020, Steltzer spoke on how climate change is having drastic impacts on the cryosphere before the US House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology.