Western Region Aquatic Wildlife Diversity Coordinator, NC Wildlife Resources Commission

Luke Etchison is a river conservation biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. He has been with the NCWRC since 2016 and is responsible for conservation and monitoring of mussels, crayfishes, native fishes, and aquatic snails in the New, Savannah, Little Tennessee, Hiwassee, French Broad, and Watauga watersheds in NC. Luke received a B.S. in Aquatic and Fisheries Biology, M.S. in Aquatic Biology, and a Ph.D. in Environmental Science from Ball State University, where he was involved in research on everything aquatic from insects to fishes. Luke is a co-founder of the Blue Ridge Snorkel Trail and has a passion for connecting people to rivers.