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Singer began working on the reservoir crew at the hatchery 18 years ago. The crew is responsible for traveling to different lakes to assess the fish populations and health in each reservoir and guiding hatcheries, such as Normandy, where fish need to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Singer\u2019s knowledge of wildlife goes farther back than just fish. Before joining the Normandy team, he built a strong foundation in wildlife through his childhood experiences, college education, and several positions that prepared him for a role like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Singer grew up in Cheatham County, an area that is breathtaking in its natural beauty and offers everything a young and adventurous boy could want in the way of the outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019m blessed to have had the upbringing that I had and in the environment that I grew up in,\u201d said Singer. \u201cCheatham County is in the Highland Rim, which has beautiful hills, streams, creeks, and woods. I had four brothers and four sisters, and we all loved the outdoors; it was our playground. I\u2019ve always loved wildlife \u2014 from muskrats and beavers to raccoons, herons, kingfishers, and owls; they were part of my everyday life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Singer also lived next to the Tennessee Game Farm. The zoo would later become the Nashville Zoo before it was relocated to Grassmere Zoo in Nashville, where it is today known as the Nashville Zoo at Grasmere. Privately owned then, the zoo welcomed local groups and visitors from around the state. With such a treasure trove of wildlife within a short walk, Singer spent a lot of time there, which also grew his love of wildlife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After high school, he considered the Marine Corps, seminary, zoo work, and sheet-metal fabrication like his brothers. His guidance counselor, noting his passion, recommended three state wildlife programs, of which he chose the University of Tennessee at Martin. Singer thrived at the smaller college and said he was taught by dedicated professors and the school had a strong wildlife and agriculture curriculum. Today, he credits his guidance teacher with shaping his path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With his degree in hand, Singer applied for a wildlife officer position, but with 200 applicants for only 12 spots, Singer said he wasn\u2019t selected. Set on working with wildlife, he returned to zoo work before landing a yearlong U.S. Forest Service apprenticeship at Land Between the Lakes. He helped manage elk and bison herds there, conducted deer population studies, and monitored bald eagle nests aerially and on the ground. Hired full-time, he managed a horseback campground until he joined the National Park Service at Stones River Battlefield. He surveyed cedar glades, removed invasive species, and established native grasses across 100 acres, enabling prescribed burns, reducing fuel use, and improving wildlife habitat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI then spent two years as a Murfreesboro Parks and Recreation groundskeeper,\u201d explained Singer. \u201cA decade after my first TWRA wildlife officer interview, I reapplied this time with a lot of experience, hoping for a lands manager role. While no land positions were open, I was offered and gladly accepted a newly available fisheries position.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n With decades doing something he loves, he credits all those who have helped him along the way, especially his wife, Rachel, and daughter, Kylie, who he credits as his support and inspiration. He added that the work never gets old, and he still enjoys the adventure it brings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI don\u2019t think I\u2019ll ever lose interest in it,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s something new every day. The folks that I work with are great, and you meet a lot of people who are like-minded. They\u2019re passionate about Tennessee resources and wildlife. I think that\u2019s really important. I also love the biology of it \u2014 that\u2019s really interesting. Working with these fish to get them to do what you want them to do, hopefully Mother Nature cooperates. We get to see the whole process from fertilization to the fish being on the end of a hook.\u201d GN<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" THE DAYS are busy for Normandy Fish Hatchery Manager Nathan Singer. From checking water quality and temperature for optimal growth conditions, recording health metrics, coordinating fish transport, working with conservation partners, reviewing collection data, keeping up maintenance, staffing, and planning upcoming operations, he\u2019s not having to worry about filling his time. But for the lifelong […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":24449,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24447","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-stories"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/goodnewsmags.com\/tullahoma\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2025\/11\/4-1024x683.jpg\")
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