Senior Environmental Scientist & Conservation Planner
Jim came to Equinox in 2009 after a 30-year career as a fishery biologist with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission where he developed strong critical thinking, technical writing, and text editing skills that he applies across work groups at Equinox. He is responsible for conservation planning services and serves as its lead environmental scientist. He is an American Fisheries Society Certified Fisheries Professional whose skill set now includes watershed planning, stream restoration, and visual basic programming for Excel. Jim received the Class of 2004 Askew Best Project Award for the North Carolina Public Manager Program. Jim loves the outdoors, is an avid fisherman, and is learning to play golf.
Why I love this work
It gives me the chance to do the right thing and to do things the right way to conserve and improve natural habitats in the Southern Appalachians.
Trainings & Certifications
Certified Fisheries Professional – American Fisheries Society;
Stream Restoration Construction Training, N.C. State University, 2007;
Natural Rivers: Mechanisms, Morphology, and Management, Pilot View RC&D, Inc., 2003;
Watershed Institute; Center for Watershed Protection, September 2009;
EPA Watershed Management Training Certificate, 2012
Education
Master of Science – Zoology (Fisheries Science concentration);North Carolina State University
Bachelor of Science – Fishery Biology
University of Alaska – Fairbanks
Non-degree Study, Western Carolina University Department of Business Administration (completed 22 semester hours of undergraduate and graduate business courses)
State of North Carolina Public Manager Program; 2004
Skills
Microsoft Word - editing/formatting; Visual Basic for Excel Programming; Microfish - fish population analysis software; Center for Watershed Protection Watershed Analysis Methodology
Favorite Species
Smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) - Pound for pound it is one of the tenacious fish in mountain streams - a trait that I apply in all things I do.