July 2, 2020
As a soon-to-be retired professor at the University of Tennessee where she directs and teaches in the Environmental and Soil Sciences program, Joanne Logan has been integrally involved with environmental issues both near and far. Joanne grew up in Massachusetts where she first discovered her love of the outdoors, hiking, canoeing, and camping as a Girl Scout. She was also very lucky to have a very outdoorsy high school science teacher who took his students on many field trips and organized summer projects such as surveys of river otters, birds, and beavers. This led her to an undergraduate degree in soil and water science from the University of Connecticut. Her passion for environmental protection was expanded when she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Ecuador in the late 1970s. She worked closely with farmers to reduce their chemical inputs, and with the National Forestry Service to better manage their resources. For more than a year, she was lucky to have a beautiful view from her office of Cotopaxi, a 19,000-foot, snow-covered volcano. Being that close to the wonders of nature was sure to have a life-long impact.Joanne completed her graduate work in applied climatology at the University of Nebraska, where she camped, hiked, and canoed in the famous Sandhills. Seeing (and hearing) the sandhill cranes for the first time was enthralling. She also went on several hiking trips to the Rocky Mountains.
Joanne has been a Sierra Club member since 1988. She was active in the local group while a graduate student in Nebraska, but drifted away when her hectic family and work life took over. However, since 2015, Joanne has resurfaced with a greater passion than ever to play an important role within the organization. She was elected to the Harvey Broome Group (HBG) ExCom and served as vice chair for two years, as well as delegate to the Chapter, and one year as chapter secretary. She often helps with outreach booths and activities and attends most chapter retreats. She is honored to serve as the 2020 Chair of the HBG, although she says taking over from Ron Shrieves will be a hard act to follow.
In addition to the Sierra Club, Joanne has been involved with other environmentally related organizations such as Green Drinks, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Knoxville Climate Council, Climate Voices, Climate Reality Project, River Rescue, Tennessee Climate Network, and the Water Quality Forum. She also volunteers with Young-Williams Animal Shelter and Beardsley Community Farm. She has given talks about climate change throughout the state.
Joanne is as an avid organic gardener, working on her own sustainability and developing skills for self-sufficiency. Her love of gardening led her to teach a First Year Studies class for the past 10 years to share with incoming freshman students the joys of working with soil and plants, and the important food security issues in communities both here and abroad.
Joanne can be contacted at loganj@utk.edu