Alumni Success Story: Laurel Smith '20

Laurel Smith (' 20) of Clayton, Georgia, is making a significant impact in fisheries conservation. In 2025, she earned her B.S. in Forestry Resources from UGA and spent recent months working with the Native Fisheries Conservation Crew at Yellowstone National Park under the National Park Service. Her work there, alongside fisheries biologists, involved collecting vital population estimates, biological samples, and environmental data to develop a comprehensive conservation management plan for the park's Westslope Cutthroat and Arctic Grayling species. 

In addition to working with native trout species, she also worked with invasive species through the lake trout suppression program at Yellowstone Lake. This suppression program is essential for restoring the Yellowstone Cutthroat, a keystone species, which has had a cascading positive effect on the overall ecosystem. She intends to return next season to continue this research and hopes to work towards a Master of Fisheries Biology degree.