Q&A with Katelyn Detweiler, Restoration Project Manager

We had the pleasure to sit down with Katelyn Detweiler at our office in Ashland, Oregon, to ask her a few questions. Katelyn brings extensive botanical experience to The Freshwater Trust. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a concentration on Ecology and Conservation from Southern Oregon University. Katelyn also serves on the boards of the Siskiyou Chapter Native Plant Society of Oregon and Jackson Soil and Water Conservation District.

In two sentences tell us what you do at The Freshwater Trust.

I work within a team to design, implement and monitor streamside restoration projects in the Rogue Basin. Day to day, I spend time not only in the office, but also in the field working with stewardship contractors to adaptively manage restoration projects.

What’s the most important thing you’re working on right now?

I am currently in the middle of spring vegetation monitoring surveys, which play an important role in project management of a successful project. During spring monitoring, we visit projects to evaluate species composition and growth. This means I get to visit projects to collect data and take photopoints. When I started at TFT, the Rogue basin had four projects—now we have over 40 projects, and monitoring continues to be my absolute favorite part of the job.

What’s something that’s happening at the organization right now that you are very excited about?

I am most excited about TFT’s Water Quality Trading (WQT) programs. Projects implemented under the WQT framework are compliance-grade projects that provide the restoration sites with 20 years of stewardship. Restoration practitioners have learned long-term stewardship is essential in creating high-quality restoration projects. I also just love visiting the same sites year after year to follow their success as well as learn from their challenges.

What do you love about working for The Freshwater Trust?

What I love most about working for The Freshwater Trust is contributing to watershed health and climate resilience in my local basin. In a world where we are flooded by bad news about climate change, I feel grateful to be part of the solution.

Last book you read or movie you watched? 

The last movie I watched (old but good) was The Mask of Zorro. Being a horse lover, I especially love Zorro’s black Andalusian horse, Tornado. A book I pick up and put down is Buck Brannaman’s Groundwork. It’s a book on horse training. Maybe my mustang will be as well trained as Tornado one day, who knows?!

Last place you traveled.

Locally, Crescent City to enjoy some hikes in the Redwoods and surf at South Beach. Internationally, the small Caribbean island nation of Grenada. Grenada is dubbed the island of spice because it is a top exporter of everything from nutmeg, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, bay leaves, and even turmeric. Needless to say, the cuisine in Grenada has some great flavor!

A quote you live by?

“You are what you put your time into.”

This quote helps me consider what types of activities I spend time on each day.

Where do you see yourself in five years?

In five years, I see myself completing a backcountry horseback pack trip in the Bob Marshall Wilderness, outside Glacier National Park.

What’s the number one piece of advice you have for someone trying to get into this field? 

Pursue internship opportunities in college so you already have entry-level experience when you apply for jobs after graduation. Also, find a mentor you really look up to for continued support and guidance.