Cultivating and Sustaining Community Engagement at the Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve

Abstract

The Kachemak Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (KBNERR) was established in Homer, Alaska in 1999 with an overarching purpose of conducting community relevant place-based research, education, training, and outreach within our region. The need to have the Reserve reflective of community needs was also captured within KBNERR’s 2021-2026 Management Plan. As of 2024, the process for engaging the community both to share information and to inform focus areas at the Reserve is not being implemented in a unified approach. Since 2021, three-quarters of the positions at KBNERR have experienced staffing turnovers. A need to re-establish the role the community plays into the shaping of the Reserve is essential to follow the current Management Plan. This project developed recommendations for a Community Engagement Program at KBNERR to help solve these issues. A Needs Assessment was conducted engaging the Reserve’s Community Council, which is made up of local elected members and agency partners, to determine what is appropriate and needed for engagement within the community. This assessment was then used to inform a Community Engagement Program Description and the development of a position description within the University of Alaska Anchorage system.