Robb Johnston has been a naturalist for most of his life, and an ecological restoration practitioner for the past 16 years. He has worked for municipal parks departments, private contractors, non-profit land conservancies, and, most recently, a multinational engineering and consulting firm.
His favorite animal is the dung beetle.

TSN Conference 2026

January 23rd, 2026 (Friday) // 10:00 am – 11:00 am // Room 104 // Slop ’em up! Lessons and Questions in Bog Restoration // Over the past few years, Stantec has been conducting ecological restoration at Bishop’s Bog Preserve in Portage, MI. The bog is a treasured, beloved jewel in the crown that is the city’s parks system. It’s a fascinating case study where the fragility and resilience of this increasingly rare natural community are on full display. In his role as restoration ecologist with Stantec, Robb Johnston has had the pleasure of trying to wrap his head around management of this precious 150-acre preserve. In his presentation, he’d like to share his thoughts, experience, lessons learned, and enduring mysteries in the hope that they might prove useful to others who would slop ’em up ‘mongst the blueberries and glossy buckthorn.