LAB DIRECTOR: Laurie Richmond
Dr. Laurie Richmond is a professor in the Department of Environmental Science & Management at Cal Poly Humboldt she also works a quarter time as an extension specialist for California Sea Grant. She worked as a social scientist for NOAA Fisheries prior to coming to Cal Poly Humboldt. Dr. Richmond also works a quarter time for California Sea Grant as an extension specialist where she seeks to connect communities and institutions on the California North Coast with the resources, expertise and partnerships needed to understand and address ocean and coastal issues of concern to them. Her research and extension relates to the human and policy dimensions of marine and coastal issues with a focus on the California North Coast region including topics such as coastal resilience and sea-level rise, fisheries and aquaculture, offshore wind, and marine and coastal management. She loves spending time on the rocky and occasionally sandy shores of the North Coast, connecting with people, seafood, waves, ecosystems, and communities.
CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS:
Clara Riggio (she/her)
is an interdisciplinary social and environmental scientist in the Environmental Science & Management Master’s program. Clara graduated from The Evergreen State College in 2022 with a Bachelor of Arts in Social Psychology. She is a former lab manager at Northeastern University’s Sustainability & Social Change Lab. Clara uses mixed-methods approaches and community-engaged research to understand human dimensions of social and environmental stressors. Her thesis work engages members of two flood-prone communities, Fields Landing and King Salmon, California, via semi-structured interviews, community-centered workshops, and a household survey. Through this work, she investigates the existing knowledge and attitudes of the community toward coastal flooding and potential sea-level rise, while also gauging interest in potential flood mitigation and adaptation strategies.
Kailin Sepp (they/them)
has a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology/Sociology from Loyola University, Chicago. They are currently a Master’s student at Cal Poly Humboldt in the Environmental Science & Management program, where they strive to support and learn from Fields Landing and King Salmon residents about their experiences with flooding, current and future sea-level rise concerns, and potential adaptation strategies. To best understand, engage, and support community members, their thesis employs community workshops, semi-structured interviews, participatory mapping, and visuals sharing methods.
UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTS:
Athena Doyle
I am a junior at Cal Poly Humboldt working toward a Policy and Planning degree in the Environmental Science & Management program. Having lived in places like San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Hilo (HI), Crescent City, Klamath and different areas along the Humboldt Bay I have become accustomed to living a coastal lifestyle. There are many people like me living along coastal communities that have no intention of losing our lifestyle to the effects of sea level rise expected to take place this century. I want to learn the best strategies for minimizing flooding from sea level rise and coastal hazards so that I can help coastal communities plan for adaptation projects that will sustain our way of life. I am working as a research assistant on the Fields Landing and King Salmon Living with Water project and am a CHARTER fellow with the Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub.
Vincent Reseigne
Vincent is an undergraduate in the Environmental Science & Management Program with a focus in Ecological Restoration. He is the research assistant for the Cal Poly Humboldt Sea Level Rise Institute where he helped with network coordination, report and publication writing, communications, and more. He helped to update the institute’s website.
LAB ALUMNI:
Jocelyn Enevoldsen (BS)
Alexandra Toyofuku (BS)
What did they do after graduating? Climate Specialist – Blue Lake Rancheria
Amelia Vergel De Dios (BS)
What did they do after graduating? Environmental Planner at NorthPoint Consulting Group
Nayré Herrera (MS)
Thesis: Incorporating equity into sea-level rise planning: Perspectives from practitioners across California
What did they do after graduating? Was a NOAA Coastal Management Fellow at SF Bay Conservation and Development District and after that accepted a position as the Climate Justice Project Manager at the Canal Alliance
Natalie Arroyo (MS)
What did they do after graduating? 4th District Supervisor for Humboldt County
Kristen Orth-Gordinier (MS)
What did they do after graduating? Environmental Planner at GHD
Sam Cook (MS)
What did they do after graduating? California Sea Grant State Fellow – NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Zane Eddy (MS)
Thesis Title: On the management of urban beavers in Martinez, CA
What did they do after graduating? Worked for a youth mentorship/support program in Oregon
Bente Jansen (BS – ESM)
What did they do after graduating? Planner at the California Coastal Commission – North Coast Office
Mikayla Kia (BS – ESM)
What did they do after graduating? Graduate program at University of Hawaii, Hilo in Heritage Management
Ciara Emery (MA)
What did they do after graduating? First: Field Representative for Congressman Jared Huffman (CA-02) in Humboldt, Del Norte, and Trinity counties; Next: Local Government and Stakeholder Engagement Managers, RWE (Offshore Wind Company); Next: Director of Strategic Initiatives and External Affairs, Blue Lake Rancheria
Kristina Kunkel (MS)
Thesis Title: Exploring community knowledge and perceptions of flooding and sea-level rise in King Salmon, California
What did they do after graduating? Deputy Controller for the Environment, California
Robert Dumouchel (MS)
Thesis Title: Fishing community capitals & regulatory ghosts: Planning for sustainability in Eureka, California
What did they do after graduating? City Manager Homer, AK
Laura Casali (MS)
Thesis Title: The role of social capital in fishing community sustainability: case of Shelter Cove, CA
What did they do after graduating? Contractor for National Marine Fisheries Service
Wyatt Smith (MA)
What did they do after graduating? Hiking from Mexico to Canada
Kelda Britton (MA)
Thesis Title: Dinjik enjit nerrzhrii (we are hunting for moose): an evaluation of tribal co-management in the Yukon flats, interior Alaska
What did they do after graduating? Principal at Round Valley School District
Kara Simpson (MA)
What did they do after graduating? Owner of a wellness business
Lucia Ordonez-Gauger (MS)
Thesis Title: Assessing Fishermen’s Perceptions of the Ecology and Management of the California North Coast Marine Protected Area Network
What did they do after graduating? First: Working as a research assistant at San Diego State University on a project collecting local ecological knowledge from commercial fishermen; Next: Fisheries Liaison for the West Coast at Vineyard Wind
Emma Lundberg (MA)
Thesis Title: Using Q methodology to examine socioecological dimensions of conflict in the Trinity Alps Wilderness, California
What did they do after graduating? PhD program at University of Rhode Island
LAB MASCOT:
Trinity
Trinity is a hound mix with a nose for food. She enjoys eating
berries and fruits off the tree, stealing other people’s lunches, running on the beach, lying the sun, and lounging by the wood stove. She is named after a local river – one of the most beautiful in the world.
Marine, Coastal, & Community Resilience Research Lab Cal Poly Humboldt 