Josh Karow
Team Leader, GreenSweep (Florida Keys)
karow@regionalconservation.org

Raised by his adventurous father since the age of seven, Josh’s passion for the outdoors was fostered in the backwoods of Wisconsin and beyond. Between the completion of many transcontinental voyages with his dad and countless hours spent hunting, fishing, and hiking with friends and family, Josh knew in his youth that his growing love for nature would morph into a lifetime dedication to the field of conservation.

After graduating from a miniscule rural high school, Josh attended the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh as a declared biology major. While there, Josh worked for a local non-profit, The Experimental Aircraft Association, in their grounds maintenance department along with a winter stint helping out in the aircraft restoration division. There, he was granted the rare opportunity to twist a wrench on one of the world’s last flying WWII-era B-17’s, the Aluminum Overcast. In 2008, he completed a B.S. in Biology with an emphasis in ecology and organismal biology.

Following a post-graduation sabbatical to Belize, Josh was hired by IRC as an Exotic Strike Team Technician for the GreenSweep program in the Florida Keys. He was quickly promoted to Team Leader, and then brought on as a permanant full-time employee. While living in the Keys, his love for the flora and fauna of the region has grown exponentially, leaving Josh excited about the prospect of restoring this precious ecosystem through the fitting deaths of thousands of invasive plants.