Meet our staff on the Trout Unlimited North Coast Coho Project team
Anna Halligan
North Coast Coho Project Director
I was raised in the foothills of North Carolina where as a child I frequently could be found tromping through the woods or wandering within the creek that extended behind our family’s home. I grew up catching lightening bugs in jars, camping, fishing, hiking, and horseback riding with family and friends. My passion for the outdoors and conservation led me to Asheville, NC where I attended Warren Wilson College earning my bachelors in Environmental Science. As a student I had the unique opportunity to travel to southeast Alaska, and there originated my admiration of salmon and salmon fishing. My career has led me into a lot of interesting watersheds where I’ve had the pleasure to work with lots of great people that all strive to make a difference. I’ve worked on projects that focus on restoring freshwater fisheries habitat, enhancing water quality and instream flow, addressing stormwater runoff, and managing invasive species. I have also worked closely with ranchers and farmers on projects that can improve grazing practices that minimize erosion and enahnce water quality. With all of my work I strive to find innovative ways to help communities live responsibly on the lands that sustain them.
Nicole Herrera
North Coast Coho Project Manager
Nicole was born and raised in San Jose, CA. She grew up appreciating nature by taking summer trips to Yosemite or traveling across the county to different National Parks. She attended Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Studies and a minor in Biology. In 2015, she moved to northern coastal California and started her love for salmonids while serving as an AmeriCorps member for the Watershed Stewards Program which aims to conserve, restore, and enhance anadromous watersheds for future generations. She worked as a fisheries technician conducting salmonid monitoring and habitat restoration for various agencies, including the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, and the Bureau of Land Management. In addition to her knowledge of salmonids, she has experience planning and implementing botanical and wildlife surveys. Her wildlife experience includes northern spotted owl, Point Arena mountain beaver, Behren’s silverspot butterfly, Sonoma tree vole, and special status amphibian surveys.
Katie Robbins
North Coast Coho & CA Water Project Manager
Katie grew up in Sonoma County exploring the coastlines, rivers, lakes, and streams of Northern California. She earned a degree in Biology with a concentration in Ecology and Evolutionary from Sonoma State University gaining experience with marine mammals, marine invertebrate ecology, and terrestrial wildlife. In the fisheries field, Katie was lured into a career in salmonid conservation through her work in salmonid field biology and hatchery work. Inspired to improve the survival of juvenile salmonids in their freshwater environments, she then began managing projects on the watershed process scale specializing in cooperative relationships to develop realistic solutions beneficial to both working landscapes and salmonid conservation through instream flow enhancement and habitat restoration efforts. She is a passionate angler locally and in her travels; in her remaining free time, you can find Katie exploring nature by camping and hiking with her dog and volunteering to rehabilitate sick and injured marine mammals for release back to the wild.
Marisa Parish Hanson
North Coast Coho Project Manager
Marisa comes to us with years of restoration and monitoring experience working at the NOAA Restoration Center as a Habitat Resources Specialist, CA State Parks North Coast Redwood District as the aquatic program lead, and the Smith River Alliance as the Restoration Program Director. Marisa conducted her master’s research on Beaver bank lodge use, distribution, and influence on salmonid rearing habitats in the Smith River. In her off time, Marisa enjoys bike riding, gardening, camping, and generally getting outside with her family.
The majority of Marisa’s portfolio will focus on Humboldt County, particularly in the Eel River, Humboldt Bay, and Mad River watersheds. Marisa is excited to help TU improve stream health and recover salmonid populations on California’s North Coast!
Karen Jamgochian
North Coast Coho Project Manager
Karen grew up all over Northern California, from the mountains to the valley to the coast. Her early years were spent hiking, camping, and fishing the Sierra Nevada and the northern California coast with her family. She attended Cal Poly Humboldt and earned a B.S. degree in Environmental Resources Engineering, focusing on water resources. Her first engineering jobs out of college were focused on drinking water, first with the government on the regulatory side and then at an engineering firm on the design side. During this time, she became licensed as a registered professional civil engineer in the State of California.
Missing the natural world and wanting to pursue a career in restoration, she switched gears from drinking water to work for an ecological restoration firm in the Bay Area as an engineer producing plans and reports for large wood jams, floodplain reconnections, and groundwater recharge projects. Looking for something more local, Karen joined Trout Unlimited’s North Coast Coho Project team. When she’s not exploring streams, you can find her hiking with her dog or traveling to cool places.