Enhancing understanding and appreciation of the Kachemak Bay estuary and adjacent waters to ensure that these ecosystems remain healthy and productive
The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) is part of a national network of 29 reserves that are supported through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and a state partner. In the national network of National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), Kachemak Bay represents a high latitude, fjord estuary type. KBNERRs state partner is the Alaska Center for Conservation Science (ACCS) at the University of Alaska, Anchorage (UAA). We also work closely with the KBNERR Community Council, a committed group of local residents and agency partners who meet quarterly to connect with KBNERR programs.
Kachemak Bay represents a special piece of Alaska’s coastline with beautiful scenery, abundant wildlife, and a vibrant local community that draws deeply from the ecosystem for its well-being. Our work is dedicated to conducting research, monitoring, education, trainings and community engagement that bring understanding of regional ecosystems, and to assist people in making informed decisions that promote conservation and stewardship. We serve as a magnet and platform for researchers and students from the state of Alaska and around the country. Our areas of focus include coastal ecology, watershed ecology, and oceanography. We study the processes that contribute to the tremendous productivity of fish, shellfish, birds and mammals in the region, and the consequences of climate change and human activities to the resources we value. We provide a bridge between science and management, working with stakeholders, from children to adults, in remote villages, as well as cities. For more information on some of the various marine species found in the Kachemak bay area, visit our data catalog.
KBNERR Management plan: The Kachemak Bay Reserve’s 5-year Management Plan is now available.
Focal Areas
People
Coowe Walker, M.S.
Manager | Lead Watershed Ecologist | 907-235-1591 | cmwalker9 (at) alaska.edu
Coowe has worked at the Kachemak Bay NERR since the Reserve was designated in 1999. Her research interests center around landscape support of stream productivity, watershed connectivity, juvenile salmonid rearing habitats, and innovative science communication to support conservation and stewardship. She holds an A.S. in Wildlife Technology from Pennsylvania State University, a B.S. in Natural Resource Management from the University of Maryland, and a M.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Virginia.
Jacob Argueta
Research Assistant | jmarguetajacobs (at) alaska.edu
Jacob Argueta earned a B.S. in Environmental Science and Management with a minor in Geographic Information Systems from Portland State University. As a research assistant at the Research Reserve, Jacob works on a variety of watershed projects. His research interests include watershed ecology, remote sensing and change mapping, UAS applications in the natural sciences, and fish ecology.
Syverine Bentz, M.S.
Coastal Training Program Coordinator | 907-235-1592 | syverine (at) alaska.edu
Syverine Bentz 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. 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 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.
Conrad Field
Biological Technician & Education Specialist
Conrad is a biologist and naturalist residing in Homer, Alaska. He works as a seasonal botanist, collecting plant data in Kachemak Bay and Cook Inlet salt marshes for intertidal habitat projects. These projects entail identifying and habitat mapping of saltmarsh and riparian vascular plant ecosites, as well as the classification of the plant communities associated with these habitats. He is also an accomplished artist in the media of pen-and-ink and scrimshaw. Conrad wrote a guide to spineless wonders of the north, Alaska Seashore Creatures. He is also the author of Alaska Ocean ABCs, a colorful children’s book. Over the years he has produced several biological illustrations for many different institutions worldwide.
Chris Guo
Aquatic Biologist | cguo2 (at) alaska.edu
Chris has a B.S. in marine biology from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Currently a graduate student in the College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences at UAF, his 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.
Ingrid Harrald
Education Coordinator | ieharrald (at) alaska.edu
Ingrid Harrald 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 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. 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.