Hello!
Although I am constantly enamored with my new home in Appalachia and the Southeast, my roots are in Western NY, where I grew up exploring the urban and natural areas of the Northeast. During my pre-med study in undergrad, I took a field ecology and population genetics class that flipped my world upside down. I was so encouraged that there was a life out of the lab that I could build a career in, I started to rethink everything. Post-graduation, I continued to work in botany and horticulture, including owning a small business, Sylvatica Shop, which focused on floral, and outreach and education.
After moving to the Midwest, I shifted my focus to gain field experience and dabbled in a little bit of everything: bird research (point count and breeding bird surveys and mist-netting), mammal research (emergence counts, mist-netting, and mammal trapping), and botany work with various agencies to conduct threatened and endangered species monitoring. I decided to return to school 8 years after completing my bachelor’s to pursue a master’s degree in the Molano-Flores lab at the University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign and Illinois Natural History Survey. This work has guided my career focus to habitat conservation and applied ecology, particularly with species of concern or rare plant species.
As a Conservation Biologist with the North American Land Trust, I am always eager to meet with individuals who want to collaborate on partnerships and conservation projects throughout my region, where I focus on partnerships throughout the Southeast and Midwest. My conservation strategies with NALT include bio-inventories, habitat and forestry management advisement, consulting on native plant habitat implementation or restoration, and assessment, planning, and protection of private lands. We also provide mapping and modeling consultation, and support with ESPA, imperiled species, and plants of concern status assessments and inventories.
Wherever I go, I love to explore the natural areas and habitats of the region. I enjoy birding, botanizing, being near the water, and kayaking. When home, gardening is my joy and I love to experiment by growing new and unique vegetables, native plants, you name it!
Education
University of Illinois: Urbana-Champaign, M.S. in NRES
2018 - 2021Niagara University, B.A. in Biology
2006 - 2010Work experience
See my LinkedIn Profile for recent updates, and my ResearchGate profile for recent publications
Publications
Johnson, S., Molano-Flores, B., & Zaya, D. (2023). Field validation as a tool for mitigating uncertainty in species distribution modeling for conservation planning. Conservation Science and Practice, e12978. https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.12978
Johnson, S.A., Coons, J., Zaya, D.N., Molano-Flores, B. (2023). Assessing the Reproductive Ecology of a Rare Mint, Macbridea alba, an Endangered Species Act Protected Species. PLANTS, 12, 1485. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12071485
Johnson S.A., and Molano-Flores B. (2023). Is the Endangered Species Act living to its full potential? The reassessment of the conservation status and recovery of Macbridea alba Chapm. as a case study. Frontiers in Conservation Science. 4:1116848. https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2023.1116848
Molano-Flores B., Johnson S.A., Marcum P.B., and Feist M.A. (2023) Utilizing herbarium specimens to assist with the listing of rare plants. Frontiers in Conservation Science. 4:1144593. Frontiers | Utilizing herbarium specimens to assist with the listing of rare plants (frontiersin.org)
Johnson, S.A., Janssen, E., Glass, N., Dickenson, P., Whelan, C., and Molano-Flores, B. (2022). The role of maternal environment on reproduction, seed morphology, and germination: a case study of Northern White Cedar, Thuja occidentalis L. Botany. 100(11): 839-847. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjb-2022-0007
Johnson, S. A., Zaya, D. N., Marcum, P. B., Ulaszek, E., Carroll-Cunningham, C. J., Spyreas, G., Janssen, E., McIntyre, S., Olnas, A., Price, E., Sivicek, V., and Molano-Flores, B. Assessment of Illinois’ North Shore Ravines flora and plant communities. Prepared for IDNR Illinois Coastal Management Program 30 June 2022. INHS 2022 (14).
Johnson, S.A., Janssen, E., Dickerson, P.A., and Molano-Flores, B. (2020). Results of 2018-2019. Assessment of Thuja Occidentalis populations at the Fox River Fen. Illinois Natural History Survey Technical Report. 2020 (4):1–15 (Restricted: no online release, threatened and endangered species locations).
Candeias, M., Johnson, S.A. (2018). A Rare Observation of the Feeding Habits of the Gila Monster, Heloderma suspectum (Lacertilia: Helodermatidae). Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research Bulletin (17-18).
Romano, W. B., Skalski, J. R., Geist, C., Townsend, R., Meekins, C., Johnson, S.A., Chapman, K., Austin, T., Kinzie, K., & Coppinger, K. (2017). Task 6 -- Turbine Field Study During BP 2. Final Report to the US Department of Energy. Issued under Grant No. DE-EE0007035.
Media and Creative Writing
Announcing my new role as a Conservation Biologist with the North American Land Trust
A Week in the Life with Me -
Graduates in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (GEEB) Blog at UIUC