Coastal Resilience Program Update

The tide is changing at NWF, and on this most recent current we swept up a new Senior Manager of Coastal Resilience! Allow us to introduce Kate Vogel, National Wildlife Federation’s new Mid-Atlantic Coastal Resilience Program Manager. Kate joined NWF in August of 2024, after working with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources for four years. We are excited to have Kate in the Mid-Atlantic to advance resilience initiatives ranging from on the ground implementation of nature based solutions, to capacity and coalition building in partnership with our frontline communities. Let’s see what Kate has to say.

An Introduction

My name is Kate Vogel and I am writing to you today from Baltimore, Maryland, where I live with my partner, our two turtles, and a plant collection that is seemingly growing by the minute. I enjoy morning and evening walks by Baltimore’s Inner Harbor, always making sure to check out the National Aquarium’s new Harbor Wetland installation.

Maryland has been my home for four years now, and I am grateful to live in a state so surrounded by water and incredible coastal ecosystems. Water flows through my bones, as I originally hail from the Great Lakes State (Ann Arbor, Michigan), where I received both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from the University of Michigan. I grew up with a creek that flowed through the woods behind our house, the Huron River down the street, and thousands of lakes at my fingertips.

I can’t imagine growing up any differently, which is why I am honored to get to work in a space where I get to share my passions for coastal ecosystems with others, whether it’s through restoration initiatives, relationship building, advocacy work, or education.

I studied conservation ecology and environmental policy and I had a specific interest in aquatic ecosystems, climate change, and floodplain management. Today, I use my skills to understand how climate change impacts coastal habitats and communities. I work at the local, state, and federal levels to identify adaptation strategies and initiatives that bring people together for the benefit of our coastal communities.

Prior to working at NWF, I worked at the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, first as a Coastal Management Fellow writing climate change adaptation and resilience plans, and then as a Resilience Planner, focused on helping local governments and communities plan for flooding in their areas. I’m excited to expand my experience to the entire coast of the Mid-Atlantic, and am looking forward to building new partnerships and relationships that result in enhanced and equitable coastal resilience.

Creating Community Through Resilience

Our coastal states might be defined by borders on a map, but our bays, tributaries, and oceans are not so easily tamed. That’s where our work comes in: coastal resilience crosses borders, breaks down barriers (physical and social), and brings people together. Take our upcoming Minary’s Dream Alliance (MDA) project in Chestertown, MD, for example. One of three active projects in the MARC, this project is designing a living shoreline project to restore safe access to the Chester river.

MDA is a unique organization that focuses its efforts on marginalized, underserved communities of Maryland’s Eastern Shore, with emphasis on youth at risk of disconnecting from school and community. This project will provide an important opportunity for youth to be a part of natural spaces—MDA’s goal of providing spaces to engage with nature in a safe and educational way is inherently connected to the living shoreline work. Participants in MDA programming will be able to assist in the monitoring of the site and will use the site for educational and recreational opportunities.

Continuing to bring projects like this throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast are priorities of mine in this position, and I’m hoping to work with all of you to expand our impact. Let’s work together to build partnerships, provide technical assistance, and implement more interdisciplinary projects that center community priorities to make our coastlines more resilient and protect people and wildlife in our rapidly changing world.