Katherine Kahl

Director, UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station

Co-Lead MA Salt Marsh Working Group

Extension Assistant Professor

Faculty
Katherine Kahl
Contact
Email
Email
Phone
Location
Gloucester Marine Station
932 Washington Street, PO Box 6013
Gloucester, MA 01930

Primary Interests

As Extension faculty based full time at the UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station (GMS), my work focuses on bridging university capacity and strategies at the intersection of sustainable fisheries & seafood, climate resilience, marine ecology, and blue economy. The research and implementation approaches we develop at GMS are demonstrating application opportunities for other North-of-Boston and New England geographies and at broader scales. Working with a team of faculty and stakeholders, we are re-envisioning what GMS can be for our faculty and students, and for local and regional partnerships and places.

A landscape ecologist by training, my professional experience has spanned conservation policy advocacy, local and regional green infrastructure applications and community engagement, climate change research and adaptation, and managing coastal conservation planning and implementation strategies. The common thread through these experiences has been my ability to connect people, connect project strategies to achieve meaningful outcomes, to lead teams, and and build partnerships around common goals.

 

Current Integrated Research & Extension Areas of Focus

  • North Shore Blue Economy initiative: Phase I summarized a regional socioeconomic baseline for 21 coastal North-of-Boston communities. It focused on understanding demographics, past economic strength sectors and projected future strength sectors. Phase II is focusing on how projected flooding and sea level rise will impact blue economy sectors (jobs, wages) and properties in Essex County, MA.
  • Salt Marsh Working Group: The Mass ECAN Salt Marsh Working Group is comprised of over 120 state, federal, nonprofit and university researchers and coastal natural resource managers spanning Massachusetts and with members from Rhode Island, New Hampshire and Maine. The SMWG is co-led by the UMass Amherst Gloucester Marine Station and the MA Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM)
  • UMass Center for Salt Marsh Resilience Research & Monitoring: The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has tasked a transdisciplinary UMass Amherst team with establishing a process for working with partners to develop and evaluate salt marsh condition, threats, and restoration technique efficacy in specific locations across the state. The first year of work (2024-25) will establish a framework for a long-term strategy. UMass Amherst will house and communicate salt marsh monitoring data and findings.
  • Gloucester Marine Station Resilience Research & Demonstration Area: Inspiring collaborative research and engagement, a $3million infrastructure investment from the state is a first step in enabling faculty and students to partner with regional stakeholders to test and monitor climate resilience techniques.   

 

Recent Publications and Reports