Katherine A. McLaughlin
SUMMARY
Kate McLaughlin has over 25 years experience in the fields of wildlife biology, natural history interpretation, grant writing, administration & technical assistance, and environmental education and public outreach. Working successfully with Federal, State, Tribal and non-profit NGO’s, Kate has a complete understanding of the processes that govern each type of entity and how they can work together to accomplish environmental capacity building.
From 1999 - 2007 Kate worked for the Native Village of Chenega, which often involved networking with other tribes in the Chugach Region, and acting as a liaison between the Native Village of Chenega and State and Federal agencies, environmental organizations and other entities regarding the Tribe’s environmental issues. As the Chenega Bay Environmental Program Technician, Kate was responsible for writing the grants that ensured program continuation. From 1999 to 2007, she assisted the Native Village of Chenega in obtaining and successfully administering 9 EPA Indian General Assistance Program grants, 2 EPA special needs project grants and 2 ANHB demonstration grants, totaling over 3/4 million dollars in funding.
For the Native Village of Chenega Kate produced and developed a Tribal Environmental Agreement with EPA and the Chenega IRA Council, a Quality Assurance Project Plan for a water quality baseline assessment project and Health and Safety Ordinances. Working closely with Ray Ralonde of the UAA Marine Advisory Program, she has helped to test a paralytic shellfish poisoning rural testing kit and participated in data gathering for the 2005 vibrio bacteria study in Prince William Sound.
Kate developed and produced Environmental Education classes that are aligned to Chugach region and State of Alaska school standards and are shaped to fit the cultural needs of the community utilizing traditional ecological knowledge and a hands-on approach to environmental awareness. Kate has presented information for environmental capacity building and environmental outreach and education at workshops and conferences around the Northwest U.S. She has also developed publications for environmental awareness and outreach including newsletters, brochures and environmental education materials and curriculums, and has provided natural history and morphology classes for both children and adults utilizing live animal demonstrations and investigations with physical specimens.
Reference Contacts
Patty Schwalenburg-Brown – Exc Dir., Chugach Regional Resources Commission, Anchorage 907/562-6647
Stanley Rice, Ph.D. – NOAA Auke Bay Laboratory, Juneau 907/789-6020
Jan Straley, Ph.D. – University of Alaska Sitka 907/747-7779
Skills Summary
Kate has extensive experience in scientific research, data gathering and quality control involving both marine and terrestrial mammals, birds, amphibians and fish. She is certified in watershed inventory and stream monitoring methods in particular with macro-invertebrate and water sampling techniques using the rapid bio-assessment model. Throughout her career she has worked in vertebrate data collection methods such as: mist net surveys and visual/audio surveys for songbirds; identified, cataloged and prepared specimens for museum and research collections; and collected small mammals and insectivores with pitfall trap arrays and Sherman live traps. Kate has also worked extensively with distressed wildlife in the areas of rehabilitation and nuisance wildlife abatement; and has developed an understanding of the complexities of human/animal interactions.
Kate understands the unique issues of Alaskan Native communities, the subsistence lifestyle and the challenges of remote living especially relating to the Chugach Region Tribes of south central Alaska and Prince William Sound. She is able to effectively communicate and present technical information in an understandable, real-world way to Tribal Councils, at community meetings and with agency representatives. Kate is fluent in federal grant writing and administrative methodologies, in particular with the U.S. EPA’s IGAP grant process. She has 25 years experience in interpretive environmental education and is able to create and produce educational and interpretive documents.
Work Experience
McLaughlin Environmental Services – Independent Environmental Consultant
PO Box 8043, Chenega Bay, Alaska
October 2006 - present
Environmental Program Technician - Chenega Bay Environmental Program
Chenega IRA Council / The Native Village of Chenega, PO Box 8079, Chenega Bay, Alaska 99574
May 1999- January 2007
Fisheries Technician II – pink & chum salmon
Prince William Sound Aquaculture Corp. AFK Hatchery, AK
March 1998– May 1998 and August- September 1998
Fisheries Tech I – sockeye salmon
PWS Aquaculture Corp. Gulkana Hatchery, Paxon, AK
June 1998–July 1998
Field Research Assistant- Flagstaff, AZ - University of Georgia, Dept. of Ecology
Judy Guinan, project leader - Summer field seasons 1995–1997
Special Permit’s Assistant
GA. DNR, Game & Fish Division, Special Permit Unit Atlanta, GA
1988-1991
Education
Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Tifton, GA - 1988
Associates of Science Wildlife Biology
University of Georgia, Athens, GA - 1995
Bachelors of Science Zoology
Trainings and Certifications
2002-03 Aquatic Assessment I, II & III - Native American Fish & Wildlife Society
4/2002 NEPA – US EPA
3/2002 Environmental Laws & Regulation – GBK Environmental
2/2000 Grant Writing for the New Millennium – Alaska Funding Exchange
3/2000 Indoor Air Quality Workshop – Chugachmiut Corp & American Lung Association
9/2000 Introduction to Solid Waste Management – Northern Arizona University ITEP
11/2000 Developing a Tribal Air Program – Northern Arizona University ITEP
10/2006 Federal IGAP Grant Administration Training – US EPA Region 10
Related Courses
Emergency Trauma Technician Training/CPR certification
Ornithology Vertebrate Zoology
Mammalogy Zooarcheology
Animal Behavior Museum Preparation
Associations
National Marine Fisheries Service - Marine Mammal Stranding Network Member
Board Member - Prince William Soundkeeper