Welcoming Kate Morse as CRWP’s New Executive Director!
We are excited to announce the appointment of Kate Morse as CRWP’s Executive Director!
Kate has been an integral part of CRWP since 2008, when she began as a part-time staff member after earning her master’s in public administration and non-profit management from the University of Oregon, with a focus on managing watershed landscapes.
Her case study on the Copper River watershed led to a pivotal connection with Kristin Carpenter, CRWP’s founding Executive Director, who connected Kate with communities and partners throughout the watershed. Kate then helped secure funding to evolve her position into a full-time role, where she significantly expanded CRWP’s programs.
Under Kate’s stewardship as Program Director, CRWP achieved notable milestones, including the Little Tonsina Bridge Project — opening up 70 miles of critical upstream habitat in the Copper Basin and becoming the Nation’s first Bipartisan Infrastructure Law-funded fish passage project to break ground.
A driving force behind CRWP’s youth engagement efforts, Kate expanded opportunities for the next generation of environmental stewards through Watershed Education with programs like Salmon in the Classroom, which get kids into waders and out into the watershed, learning about the lifecycle of salmon and the habitats required for their survival.
In addition to her work with fish passage and youth education, Kate helped expand the Freshwater Temperature Monitoring and Invasive Plant Management Programs, which are also connected to fish passage and the overall health and sustainability of the watershed.
Tenley Nelson, a Copper Basin Board Member, said, “As an upriver board member, I am pleased to embrace Kate Morse as our new Executive Director. While we will miss seeing her at the programs she has run for over a decade in person, it is that experience and knowledge of the Copper Basin that leads me to believe she will competently advocate for salmon health and habitat in the entire Copper River Watershed. Welcome, Kate!”
Kate is taking on the Executive Director role during a period of significant growth for our organization. With sixteen dedicated years working in the watershed, her deep understanding of the region’s challenges and opportunities will help lead CRWP into its next chapter.
Reflecting on her new role, Kate shared, “I am excited to help support this team of staff and our network of partners to continue to work in sustaining the health of this region. We have the momentum to do things differently here, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”
Kate enjoys hiking, boating, camping, harvesting wild foods, and living a subsistence lifestyle with her husband, twin daughters, and family dog Waylon. She is always out doing something in the watershed!
We’re excited to welcome Kate as our new Executive Director!
Q&A with CRWP’s New and Founding Executive Directors
