Our Team
Luke Fryar, Owner & Restorationist
A lifetime resident of the Ridge and Valley, Luke has been an avid outdoorsman and conservationist since childhood. He was a builder and carpenter for over ten years while improving game habitat and managing ponds on the side. A growing appreciation for the original, and now rare, ecosystems of the region and interest in restoring them led Luke to cofound Coosa Ecological in 2024. His construction background gives the company an edge in tackling difficult projects with efficiency and ingenuity. He also brings an eye for aesthetics that landowners and the visiting public appreciate. Luke is a Georgia certified prescribed fire manager, licensed herbicide applicator, and expert heavy equipment operator.
Dallas York, Taxonomist & Naturalist
From a young age, Dallas found a deep appreciation for the rich biodiversity of Northwest Georgia’s Ridge and Valley ecosystems. His passion for environmental conservation led Dallas to pursue a career in Ecology and Taxonomy. In the beginning of his career, Dallas worked with the U.S. Forest Service surveying the rare Georgia aster and spent a season collecting native seeds with the Southeastern Grasslands Institute. More recently, Dallas has worked with an Ecological Restoration and Native Landscaping firm while pursuing his B.S. of Environmental Science & Biology at Dalton State College. Throughout his career, Dallas has acquired an advanced ability of identifying native flora, fauna, and ecosystem types. His proficiencies in wildlife biology and ecology have helped Dallas become one of the best naturalists in Northwest Georgia.
Booker Moritz, Director of Ecological Restoration
Booker left a career in healthcare to pursue his true calling—restoring and reconstructing damaged and lost ecosystems. After obtaining a master’s degree in ecological restoration from the University of Florida, Booker worked with The Nature Conservancy, Southeastern Grasslands Institute, and as a restoration manager on a private preserve in Virginia. His restoration interests include grasslands, open woodlands, wetlands, and low-tech process-based stream restoration. He approaches restoration at a landscape scale, with each ecosystem connecting and contributing to biodiversity across the site.