Katherine Outhwaite

Habitat Management Plan

In my Ecology and Habitat course, I had the opportunity to develop a written adaptive habitat management plan for an endangered flower species in the Sierra Nevada region of California. The project involved a variety of tasks, including conducting environmental field work and data collection to inform the development of the management plan. These activities were critical in gathering the necessary data to make informed decisions about the management of the endangered flower species. Using the data gathered from the field work and analysis, I developed a comprehensive adaptive habitat management plan that included a variety of strategies designed to preserve critical habitat and promote the growth of the endangered flower species. These strategies included the removal of invasive species, the establishment of native plant communities, and the implementation of prescribed burns to manage vegetation. Throughout the development process, I worked to ensure that the management plan was adaptive and responsive to changing conditions in the natural area. This involved regular monitoring and evaluation of the effectiveness of the management strategies, and making adjustments as needed to ensure that the plan continued to meet its objectives.

Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan

During my time in my Soil Erosion and Water Conservation class, I was tasked with developing a mock SWPPP for a hypothetical site located in San Luis Obispo, CA. As part of this project, I conducted multiple site inspections to identify potential pollutants and developed effective BMPs to prevent or mitigate their impact on the environment. Throughout the development process, I ensured that all BMPs were in compliance with federal, state, and local environmental regulations, striving for perfect compliance to ensure that our site was as environmentally friendly as possible. Upon implementation of the BMPs, I was thrilled to discover that our hard work had paid off - there were zero environmental violations at the site. Additionally, we were able to reduce pollutant levels in stormwater runoff by 30%, thanks to the effective erosion and sediment control measures that we had put in place.

Initial Study

As part of my Environmental Impact Analysis and Management (CEQA/NEPA) course Fall 2022, I had the opportunity to conduct a mock initial study for an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) for a housing project in San Luis Obispo, CA. Throughout this project, I worked diligently to identify potential environmental impacts of the proposed project, including impacts on Geology, Soils and Seismicity, Hydrology/Water Quality, and wildlife habitat. To ensure that my analysis was as comprehensive as possible, I conducted extensive research and analysis, including literature reviews and site visits. This allowed me to gather all the information that I needed to make informed decisions about the potential environmental impacts of the project. Based on my findings, I developed a series of mitigation measures to reduce or avoid environmental impacts, including retaining walls and stream divergence. These measures were carefully designed to be as effective as possible while minimizing any negative impacts that they might have on the surrounding environment.

Ecology and Habitat Management, Human Dimensions in Natural Resources Management, Land and Resource Measurements, GIS, Environmental Life-Cycle Analysis, Engineering Surveying, Applied Statistics for Life Sciences, Soil Science, Microsoft Office, Environmental Impact Analysis and Management (CEQA/NEPA)