Alyssa Johnson

Alyssa is a life-long resident of the Finger Lakes region, having grown up in Wayne County on a small hobby farm. Since then she’s enjoyed living on (or very close to) Keuka, Canandaigua, Seneca, and Cayuga Lakes! She obtained her college education from Finger Lakes Community College and the State University of New York at Cobleskill focusing on natural resource conservation and wildlife management. Her career has brought her to the far corners of the country in Alaska, the Florida Keys, Alabama, and of course New York for various government agencies and non-profit organizations including the US Fish and Wildlife Service, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, and the National Audubon Society. Driven by her passion for the outdoors, Alyssa takes pride in engaging anyone and everyone in learning about science and the natural world. She also highly values the intersection of diversity, equity, and inclusion with accessibility and belonging within outdoor spaces and strives to makes it a priority in her work.

On weekends, Alyssa offers private birding tours, guided hikes, and waterfall excursions throughout the Finger Lakes under the handle “The Bare Handed Naturalist” via the Airbnb Experiences platform.  When she’s not working, you’ll still find Alyssa enjoying the outdoors birding, camping, hiking with her dogs and fiancé, or just swinging in a hammock relaxing.