Stephen Edward Moore received his B.S. degree in Biology from Western Carolina University and married his wife, Susan Elizabeth Genes in 1976. He received his M. S. in Biology from Tennessee Technological University in 1979. Steve’s M.S. project, Changes in Standing Crop of Brook Trout from Sympatric Populations Concurrent with the Removal of Exotic Trout Species, was some of the first fisheries work of this type conducted in the southeast. Steve served the Great Smoky Mountains National Park as a Fisheries Biologist from 1985 to 2000 when he became the Supervisory Fishery Biologist. He retired in 2014 after 31 1/2 years of service. During Steve’s tenure, he mentored and supervised nearly 300 seasonal fisheries technicians, student interns and graduate students who now serve in the fish and wildlife profession throughout the country. In 1998, Steve was recognized by the NC Wildlife Federation with its Governor’s Award for Wildlife Conservationist of the Year, received an EPA Bronze Medal for his role on the Pesticide Guidance Team and an EPA STAR award for authoring a manual, A Field Manual for the Use of Antimycin A for Restoration of Native Fish Populations. Recent awards include the 2009 NC Council of Trout Unlimited Friend of Wild Trout Award, 2010 Trout Unlimited National Conservation Professional Award, 2010 International Wild Trout A. Starker Leopold Award for Native Trout Conservation, 2011 International Federation of Fly Fishers Southeast Council Conservationist of the Year Award and 2014 Tennessee Chapter of American Fisheries Society Lifetime Achievement Award. Fly fishermen who love catching wild native brook trout in the Park owe a huge debt of gratitude to Steve for his leadership in restoring the Southern strain of wild brook trout to their native waters on the 9 1/2 miles of the low elevation habitat of Lynn Camp Prong and 27 miles of other streams in the park. Prior to Steve’s outstanding work, brook trout had been almost extirpated from Park headwaters. These headwaters were closed to fishing for several years to protect the populations of Southern strain wild brook trout in the park. Due to Steve and his team’s efforts brook trout were reintroduced into their native waters and these waters were reopened to angling. Steve has published fisheries management and water quality articles in journals such as North American Journal of Fisheries Management; North American Journal of Fisheries Management; Water, Soil and Air Pollution; Archives of Environmental Management and Toxicology; and USDI NPS Scientific Reports. He has served on M.S. and Ph.D. graduate student committees, sponsored several fisheries interns and cooperated with researchers working on park related research at Tennessee and Haywood Tech, as well as Tennessee, Western Carolina, Virginia Tech, Purdue, Clemson and other universities. He worked with more than 50 non-government organizations, state and federal agencies and private groups on fisheries projects throughout the country.
Stephen Edward Moore — Inducted in 2017 in the Conservation category for his years of dedication to the restoration of brook trout in the Smoky Mountains and his efforts in the discovery of the Southern strain of brook trout.