Katie Lund

Coastal Training Program Coordinator

Connecticut National Estuarine Research Reserve

Professional experience

Katie joins the Reserve from her previous position at UConn’s Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation where she led engagement activities and managed municipal and research grant projects to increase resilience of Connecticut’s communities to the growing impacts of climate change. Katie has worked for over 20 years on a variety of coastal management topics – including the Northeast Regional Ocean Council and Long Island Sound’s marine spatial plan and the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management’s special area management. She also worked at a sustainability institute at the University of Michigan where she focused on climate, water resource, and urban sustainability assessments with faculty and student research teams. Katie holds an M.S. in Marine Resource Management from Oregon State University.

What is your first memory of a CT Reserve site?

“One of my favorite memories of the Reserve is the first walk I did on Bluff Point with my kids when they were very young. I had heard about this state park after moving to CT, but had no idea how big it was. I kept pushing our little kids to walk to a point on the trail where we could get wide views of Long Island Sound, which was farther than I thought! After we’d gone a couple miles and they were ready to turn around (before the Sound views), I saw a small side trail to the right and convinced them to try it. After only a few meters, we popped out onto a beautiful beach…such a surprise – I had no idea there was such a BIG and quiet and beautiful beach as part of Bluff Point. It was completely worth the effort (and whining) to get there. Over ten years later, I now work for the NERR and this beach is part of our new reserve!”