Meet Joe Johnson
Director of Operations and Projects
Since relocating to Southern Appalachia, Joe has worked for New River State Park and an Ashe County based nursery and stream restoration company. He has been the Contract Supervisor for NRC’s “River Builders Program”, a program that restores native riparian vegetation along degraded streams in the New River watershed. Johnson has also presented programs for NRC at their annual Saved by a Salamander event.
His experiences living and working in Ashe County have given him a deep appreciation of the culture, rivers and public lands in the High Country. With almost 15 years of experience in science-based conservation, Joe understands how important the relationship and interactions between the land and humans are for protecting and restoring biological communities. His extensive experience in protecting biodiversity and the integrity of natural landscapes will serve NRC and the New River watershed well. “My experiences I have always been in conservation, even before college, masters in biology focusing on water ecology, dedicated to making the world a better place, even as a little kid, I really focus on that. The fact that we are losing species at an alarming rate really concerns me, I would like to do everything I can to mitigate that.” When not working, Johnson loves camping with his wife and their dog, Kava. He also enjoys fishing, hiking, floating, hunting, birding, discovering new plants, mushrooms, fish and places.
Master of Science, Biology, Missouri State University, 2014
Bachelor of Science, Wildlife Biology, Missouri State University, 2012