2024-2026 NOAA Coastal Management Fellows Announced

Two California graduate students have been selected for the prestigious NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship. Managed by the NOAA Office for Coastal Management, the fellowship matches students who are focused on coastal resource management and policy with state and jurisdictional coastal zone programs to work on select projects chosen by NOAA. Nationally, seven fellowships were awarded.

The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship was established in 1996 to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities for postgraduate students. The related NOAA Digital Coast Fellowship was established in 2012, with a focus on technical assistance to help advance the goals of the Digital Coast, a website supplying coastal data, and its partner organizations. California Sea Grant recruits and nominates students attending California universities, who apply together to both programs.

Meet the 2024-2026 California Sea Grant Coastal Management Fellows

Nayre Herrera, CalPoly Humboldt

Nayre started to develop a close relationship with the ocean in high school, when she and her family would visit the coast. These trips were not only therapeutic, but offered a way to escape the heat, pollution and city noise. Being a first-generation Xicana of P’urhépechan descent, Nayre has also always been grounded in P’urhépecha values of respect and responsibility to care for the land and waters that nurture us. This is one of the reasons she decided to get her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management at Humboldt State University. 

While working towards her master's degree at Cal Poly Humboldt, Nayre was inspired by a project she worked on with her mentor, Laurie Richmond, on sea level rise. During this project, she explored avenues for better incorporating an equity lens into sea-level rise planning across Wigi (Wigi is the Wiyot name for Humboldt Bay). After receiving her masters in May of 2024, she will now be pursuing her goal of working on environmental justice and equity at the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission. As a fellow, she will be working to ensure that environmental justice principles are implemented into the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission’s permitting process, reducing the probability of future harm to disadvantaged communities.  

Robyn Norman, CalPoly Humboldt

Robyn's graduate studies at Cal Poly Humboldt have been marked by a deep commitment to gray whale research and a strong engagement with the local community. Her research has encompassed a large-scale, multi-year field study, incorporating complex statistical and spatial analyses. Through her involvement with the Marine Mammal Education and Research Program (MMERP), Robyn has mentored undergraduate students and collaborated with organizations such as  the Trinidad Rancheria and the Sequoia Park Zoo.

During the Coastal Management Fellowship, Robyn will be working with the Washington Department of Ecology Shorelands and Environmental Assistance Program. She will be developing resources and tools for Washington that support the use, preservation, and expansion of shoreline public access, with a focus on increasing equity and environmental justice. With her unique combination of marine science expertise, community connections and conservation experience, she plans to broaden her understanding of the relationship between marine science and coastal management.