Katherine is a PhD candidate in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources and a Research Social Scientist for Ducks Unlimited in the Great Plains Region. She earned a B.A. in Political Science from Pittsburg State University and a M.S. in Applied Ecology from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Katherine’s dissertation focuses on understanding how Kansas, Nebraska, and South Dakota residents experience the outdoors, outdoor recreation, and wetland conservation. The overall goal of this project is to collect information that can be used to empower widespread connection with the outdoors, participation in outdoor recreation, and the adoption of wetland conservation actions.