Katie Owens is the Upper Coosa River Program Director for The Nature Conservancy Georgia Chapter. She holds an undergraduate degree in Environmental Science with a concentration in Biology from Berry College and a Masters in Environmental Science with a concentration in Biology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. In her current capacity, Katie oversees all the aquatic and terrestrial projects in Northwest Georgia.
Katie has been the lead freshwater scientist for the Upper Coosa Watershed for 12 years. The Nature Conservancy has two historic river projects in the Upper Coosa: the Conasauga Watershed and the Etowah Watershed. The Conasauga Watershed is a relatively rural watershed impacted primarily by agricultural runoff. Katie’s work in the Conasauga focuses on developing working relationships with the farming community and local counties to effectively filter non-point source pollution runoff in order to limit effects on biodiversity. The Etowah Watershed skirts metro Atlanta and unsustainable development remains a major threat to the biodiversity. Katie’s work in the Etowah focuses primarily on limiting the impacts of stormwater runoff, removing fish passage barriers, restoring key subwatersheds, and protecting key tracts of land.
In addition to overseeing these two major aquatic projects, Katie oversees a stewardship project in the Chattahoochee National Forest and a montane longleaf restoration project on the southern end of the Upper Coosa Watershed. Prior to joining The Nature Conservancy Katie worked as the staff biologist for the Upper Coosa Riverkeeper. She currently sits on the Upper Coosa Riverkeeper Board and the Georgia State Adopt-A-Stream Board.
