STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK
The Idaho Conservation League, which is marking its 50th anniversary, has appointed Josh Johnson as the new Central Idaho Director.
Johnson will be based in Ketchum. He replaces Betzy Mizell, who has taken a position with Sun Valley Company.
Johnson joined the ICL staff as a conservation associate in the Central Idaho field office in 2017. He has served as a senior conservation associate since 2022.
He has worked on projects involving public lands, mining, air and water quality and efforts to clean up agricultural pollution in the Snake River. He has been involved in successful lawsuits stopping mining proposals that the ICL deemed ill-advised, and he negotiated an innovative conservation partnership with a cobalt mining company operating in Idaho.
“I could not be more pleased to have Josh serve as ICL’s new central Idaho director,” said ICL Executive Director Justin Hayes. “Whether it is ensuring that mining activities don’t threaten human health, special places, or clean water, or his work to engage stakeholders on cleaning up the Snake River, Josh has been instrumental in protecting what makes Idaho special.”
Prior to joining the ICL team, Johnson worked as an interpretive park ranger at Grand Teton National Park and a mentor naturalist at the Aspen Center for Environmental Studies. He earned a B.A. in geology at Middlebury College and a M.S. in geology at the University of Colorado. As Central Idaho Director, Josh will continue his long-standing public lands and Snake River work while running the Central Idaho field office and managing its activities.
“I am honored to lead ICL’s long-standing office in the Wood River Valley, carrying on the work of many amazing environmental advocates before me. I look forward to continuing to be central Idaho’s voice for the environment,” said Johnson.
Betsy Mizell is joining Sun Valley Company’s environmental and sustainability program to help the resort reduce the footprint of its operations and accelerate action on climate change.
During her 10 years with ICL she created the Wilderness Stewards Program, which trains volunteers how to clean up illegal fire rings and perform other tasks to protect the Sawtooth National Recreation Area. She helped create the Central Idaho Dark Sky Reserve—the first of its kind in the United States. And she supported successful wilderness designation efforts in the Boulder-White Clouds north of Sun Valley in 2015.
“ICL gets work done, and I am so proud to have been part of such a phenomenal organization and community of people,” she said.