Kachemak Bay Research Reserve
We are Alaska’s National Estuarine Research Reserve. Our place-based science, education and training priorities are driven by Kachemak Bay communities while supporting the broader State of Alaska and the nation.
Focus
Team
Partners
Contact
Reserve Focus
Established in 1999, the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve is headquartered in Homer and helps to protect 372,000 acres across the Kenai Peninsula. As part of a nationwide network of 30 Reserves, we provide and interpret science to encourage stewardship of this special place.
In support of that, we explore the impacts of climate change and land use, and we monitor short-term change and long-term trends in our coastal waters and habitats. We provide a bridge between this knowledge and resource management, working with stakeholders—from children to adults— in remote villages and cities. We also engage students of all ages in the natural science and wonder of and the surrounding watershed.
Interested in working with us? Student and job opportunities are listed on the Alaska Center for Conservation Science, UAA webpage: https://accs.uaa.alaska.edu/opportunities/
Reserve Team
Katherine Schake, Manager
Katherine joined the Kachemak Bay NERR team as Reserve Manager in 2023. She brings two decades of diverse career experience working in both the private and nonprofit sectors throughout Alaska. A deep sense of stewardship has driven her work as a naturalist guide, coordinator for statewide salmon data synthesis working groups and invasive species partnerships, and as a geospatial project manager. Katherine values partnerships as an avenue for accomplishing shared conservation goals across the vast geography of Alaska and within Kachemak Bay. She holds a Masters Certificate in Remote Sensing from Penn State University, a B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Minnesota, and an A.A. Degree from Franklin College Switzerland.
kschake (at) alaska.edu | (907) 235-1593
Syverine Bentz, M.S., Coastal Training Program Coordinator
Syverine currently works in the Coastal Training Program providing workshops, trainings and technical assistance. She enjoys translating science for stakeholders and values collaborations between scientists, decision-makers and local community members. Her primary interests include landscape change, coastal processes, and ecosystem services. She grew up on Kachemak Bay and started as a science collaborative and discovery lab volunteer at KBNERR. She has a B.S. in Geology and an M.S. in Earth Sciences from Montana State University with a focus on sedimentary geology and spatial science.
syverine (at) alaska.edu | (907)235-1592
Ingrid Harrald, M.S., Education Coordinator
Ingrid joined the Research Reserve in January 2022. She first came to Alaska in 1996 and spent a large portion of her adult life on remote islands studying seabirds. She is interested in how we can build community around our environment, sense of place, citizen science, and social justice in the sciences. She hopes her work in education will help inspire the next generation of conservation biologists. She has worked as both a scientist and educator with many local organizations, including Cook Inletkeeper and USFWS. She has a degree in Biology/Psychology and a Masters in Social Work.
ieharrald (at) alaska.edu
Lauren Sutton, PhD, Research Coordinator
As Research Coordinator, Lauren’s interests include using long-term environmental monitoring data to inform about biological communities, understanding how diversity is influenced by Kachemak Bay’s dynamic climate, and collaborating across disciplines. She has a PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Alaska Fairbanks along with a BS in Environmental Science and a BA in Bio-cultural Anthropology, both from Western Washington University. Her PhD focused on the diversity of Alaskan Arctic epibenthic communities and their interactions with a changing climate.
lsutton7 (at) alaska.edu | (907) 235-1504
Leah Lamdin, M.S, Education Tech
Leah is excited to share the Reserve’s place-based science with the community, fostering connection, conservation, and stewardship. She is an outdoor and environmental educator who has spent the past twenty years leading multi-day expeditions in New Hampshire, California, and Alaska. She holds a B.A. in Global Studies from Warren Wilson College and an M.S. in Outdoor and Environmental Education and a K–8 Teaching Credential from Alaska Pacific University. She is passionate about spending extended time in wild places and cultivating inclusive learning environments that foster curiosity, care, and awe for the natural world.
llamdin (at) alaska.edu
Chris Guo, Aquatic Biologist
Currently a graduate student in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at UAF, Chris’ research focuses on topics in coastal ecology. He is interested in understanding how estuarine and nearshore habitats support their biological communities and food web linkages, particularly for juvenile fish species. He has a B.S. in marine biology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
cguo2 (at) alaska.edu
Tyelyn Brigino, NOAA Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellow
Tyelyn Brigino has a B.S. in Chemistry from the University of South Florida (USF). Currently as a graduate student in Geology at USF, her research focuses on increasing the understanding of groundwater support for ecological and human communities. Specifically, she is investigating how groundwater contributes to aquifer-to-estuary connectivity and the role groundwater plays in augmenting flows and modulating temperatures in streams.
tyelynb(at)usf.edu
Spencer Johnson, Ecology Technician
Spencer joined the Reserve in spring of 2024. His work focuses on peatlands and watershed ecology, particularly the effects of beavers. Spencer first came to the Reserve as a summer intern in 2021; he spent the intervening years doing environmental work in Washington state, including riparian restoration and European green crab monitoring. Spencer has a BS in Environmental Science (marine emphasis) and a certificate in environmental data science from Western Washington University. He’s excited to be back in Homer!
sjohnson49 (at) alaska.edu
Nannette Pierson, Admin Specialist 2
Nannette Pierson graduated from UAF with a BA in Film in 2014 and is happy to be working with the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve as of June 2024. A poet and photographer, Nannette has a deep love for art, science, and the collaborative process. She previously worked as department coordinator for Theatre and Film at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks from 2015 – 2017, and has 20 plus years of office management and front desk experience as well as several years experience working in healthcare, caregiving, teaching and education. She recently returned to Alaska from Tucson, Arizona and is excited to be part of the beautiful community of Homer, Alaska.
nnpierson (at) alaska.edu | (907)235-4799
Rosie Masui, Coastal Training Program Specialist
Prior to working at the Reserve, Rosie worked on various projects across the state of Alaska studying arctic fish migrations, interpreting marine mammal imagery, and assisting in salmon run monitoring. When last at the Reserve, she worked in the community monitoring, system wide monitoring, and coastal training programs. She is excited to jump back in and engage with our local and statewide partners. Rosie has a B.S. in Fisheries Biology with a minor in History from the University of Vermont and a M.S. in Project Management through the University of Alaska Anchorage.
rmmasui (at) alaska.edu
Jasmine Maurer, M.S., Harmful Species Lead
Jasmine has worked at the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) since 2012. As a biological technician for the watershed ecology program she contributed to the understanding of juvenile salmon habitat in the Kenai Peninsula lowlands. Now she is part of KBNERR’s Harmful Species Program, responsible for collaborating with partners on outreach, education, and the early detection of marine invasive species (MIS) in Kachemak Bay. Jasmine is grateful for the many strong partnerships within Alaska, and beyond, that work together to contribute to the understanding of invasive species impacts and response planning in Alaska. She received a B.S. in environmental science and biology from Oregon State University and a M.S. in Marine Science from Moss Landing Marine Labs, California State University.
When not at work you can find Jasmine enjoying some skiing, hiking, popcorn, or tide pooling with her family around Kachemak Bay.
jrmaurer (at) alaska.edu | (907) 235-1505
Kim Schuster, M.S., Phytoplankton Monitoring Lead
Kim moved to Homer in 2015 and started working at the Reserve in 2022. Her work currently focuses on invasive species in Alaska, managing the Alaska Non-indigenous Aquatic Species Clearinghouse and monitoring for harmful algal blooms in Kachemak Bay. Kim’s work as an ecologist also inspires her artwork, which you can find on display at Ptarmigan Arts in Homer. She received her B.S. in Marine Biology from UCSC and her M.S. from the University of Alaska Fairbanks, where she studied benthic invertebrates in the Chukchi Sea.
kkschuster (at) alaska.edu
Partners
The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) is a partnership of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Center for Conservation Science at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. NOAA provides funding and national guidance, while the Center supports the Reserve’s monitoring, research, education, stewardship, and training programs.
We also work closely with the KBNERR Community Council, a committed group of local residents and agency partners who meet quarterly to provide input on our work and programs and represent our work in communities across our region.
We also work with academic institutions, state agencies, nonprofits, and others to advance understanding and management of Kachemak Bay and the Kenai Peninsula.
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