0325-GCG-FoothillsConservancy_ESG25_12-18 (2) - Flipbook - Page 24
Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
Noah Johnson
Stewardship Technician
Field Re昀氀ections
My time at Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina
(FCNC) has been nothing short of transformative. When
I look back, whether it was wedging an ATV, standing
just twelve feet from a black bear deep within the forest,
or wielding a 昀氀amethrower in the name of stewardship,
I see a tapestry of moments that shaped me in ways
I could never have anticipated. I truly experienced the
full measure of an intern’s adventure.
These memories are a product of the authenticity and
wisdom of my stewardship mentors, Ryan Sparks and
Katelyn Nelsen, who taught me that to be a steward
of the land is to embrace humility in the face of
nature’s quiet resilience. Stewardship is often unseen,
its rewards revealed only by the slow passage of
seasons or the unhurried growth of a sapling. Through
management plans, tree plantings, 昀椀eld monitoring,
vegetation management, and meadow restorations,
I witnessed the devotion it demands: hours of sel昀氀ess
labor, reverence for the natural world, and a steadfast
commitment to future generations.
After graduating from UNC–Chapel Hill with a
degree in medical anthropology, I returned home to
Morganton looking for a different kind of healing—one
rooted in the earth—before dedicating myself fully to
a medical career. Joining the FCNC family revealed
many quiet parallels between caring for the land and
caring for patients.
As my internship concludes and I prepare to enter
nursing school on the path to becoming an ICU
registered nurse and, in time, a family medicine
physician, I carry with me what my time in the forest
taught me: that renewal follows decay, healing is
never immediate, and all life exists in a shared rhythm.
To everyone at FCNC, especially Ryan and Katelyn,
thank you for believing in me. It has been a
tremendous honor to learn from you both.
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