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MBNMS Resource Protection Staff

picture of Karen GrimmerKaren F. Grimmer

Resource Protection Coordinator
(831) 647–4253
karen.grimmer@noaa.gov

Karen has led the MBNMS Resource Protection team for the past ten years, which includes marine policy, emergency response, permitting, regulatory changes, and enforcement coordination. Prior, she served as Deputy Superintendent from 2007 to 2012. She has over twenty five years of experience in marine resource management, and oversees the site's marine policy activities including whale conservation (entanglement and vessel speed reduction), fisheries related actions (essential fish habitat), and offshore wind energy, as well as environmental review for construction activities. Karen led a team to establish Sanctuary Ecologically Significant Areas within the Sanctuary, and served on the California State led Marine Protected Area Leadership Team for five years.

Karen grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and served as the Director of Education for the nonprofit Marine Science Institute in Redwood City, CA. Prior to MSI, Karen worked as an aquarist at Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco, CA. Karen received her Bachelor of Science in Biology from San Francisco State University and her Master of Science in Education from California State University, Hayward.

 



Kacy Cooper

Permit Coordinator and GIS Specialist
(831) 647–1286
kacy.cooper@noaa.gov

 



picture of Bridget HooverBridget Hoover

Water Quality Protection Program Director
(831) 647–4217
bridget.hoover@noaa.gov

In March 2007 Bridget Hoover joined the Resource Protection Team as Director of the Water Quality Protection Program. In this capacity she is responsible for implementation of the six WQPP Action Plans related to monitoring, urban runoff, agriculture, beach closures, marinas, and wetlands. Prior to this position, Bridget was employed by the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Foundation from January 1999 thru March 2007 as Coordinator of the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Citizen Watershed Monitoring Network where she provided water quality expertise to a wide range of school programs, watershed groups and government agencies. She has a Bachelor of Science in Earth Systems Science and Policy and extensive experience in water quality monitoring. Prior to her position with the Sanctuary, Bridget spent four years working for the Department of Ecology in Bellevue, WA as an Environmental Planner/Spill Response and seven years in the United States Coast Guard.



picture of Pam KronePam Krone

Water Quality Program Manager, Urban and Rural Watersheds
(831) 647–4238
pam.krone@noaa.gov

Pam coordinates research, education and implementation efforts between the Sanctuary and partner organizations toward the goal of reducing pollution entering the Monterey Bay from agricultural runoff. Our efforts are directed toward helping growers conserve irrigation water used on crops and reduce the amount of agricultural pollutants (e.g. nutrients, pesticides and pathogens) that enter local streams and rivers that eventually empty into the ocean. She coordinates the Agricultural Water Quality Alliance (AWQA), a partnership effort between industry groups, resource conservation agencies, researchers and environmental organizations, with the aim of sustaining the beauty, viability, and productivity of our local farmlands while improving the water quality needed to restore and preserve the integrity of marine and stream ecosystems.

Pam earned her Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and then worked in the chemical and paper industries before becoming an organization effectiveness consultant. She received her Master of Science in Coastal and Watershed Science and Policy from California State University, Monterey Bay where she worked on several projects related to agricultural sustainability, food safety, greenhouse gas production on lettuce fields, and the use of satellite technology in forecasting evapotranspiration. Her thesis topic related to the removal of soluble pesticides from water through wetland processes.



picture of Jazmine Mejia-MunozJazmine Mejia-Muñoz

Agriculture Water Quality Program Coordinator
(831) 583–8847
jazmine.mejia-munoz@noaa.gov

Jazmine Mejia-Muñoz is the Research, Education, & Outreach Associate at the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) and the Water Quality Protection Program at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). There she helps implement innovative solutions to critical issues affecting the interface of land and marine resources, through stakeholder engagement and education. Ms. Mejia-Muñoz is collaborating with the NOAA Marine Debris Program to assess the scope and scale of marine debris in MBNMS. As part of her interdisciplinary approach, she participates in rangeland restoration efforts, through Healthy Soils Program. Here she works to demonstrate that land-based practices can improve ocean health by reducing atmospheric carbon and diminishing the rate of ocean acidification and warming. Ms. Mejia-Muñoz is working with local growers, the University of California Cooperative Extension, Washington State University, and California Polytechnic State University to conduct trials of biodegradable mulch (BDM). Together, the team is researching BDMs as an alternative to non-degradable mulch used vastly in agriculture fields within the MBNMS watersheds. Additionally, with support from The Nature Conservancy and key stakeholders, Ms. Mejia-Muñoz is also working on identifying and communicating ways to increase the recycling rate of drip irrigation tape used in agricultural fields in Monterey Bay.

Ms. Mejia-Muñoz holds a Bachelor’s degree in Biology from California State University, Bakersfield and a Master of Science Degree in Environmental Science from the California State University, Monterey Bay. Ms. Mejia-Muñoz is passionate about workforce diversity and is proud to be bilingual in English and Spanish.



Jenny Pensky

Agriculture Water Quality Coordinator
(831) 583–8972
jennifer.pensky@noaa.gov

 

 

 

 



picture of Lindsay BrownLindsay Brown

Urban Water Quality Program Coordinator
(831) 583–8733
lindsay.brown@noaa.gov

Lindsay Brown is the Water Quality Program Coordinator for the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) and the Water Quality Protection Program at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary (MBNMS). Lindsay coordinates the volunteer water quality monitoring programs: First Flush, Urban Watch, Snapshot Day, and the Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination (IDDE) monitoring. She also provides monitoring, data management, and technical expertise for local municipalities to better understand pollutants in urban runoff and their water quality objectives for stormwater management. Through both of these avenues, she hopes to help inspire others and to improve the water quality of urban stormwater entering MBNMS. She's open to new partnerships and collaborating on projects to increase understanding of water quality issues.

Lindsay has a Master of Advanced Studies (MAS) degree in marine biodiversity and conservation from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography through the University of California - San Diego. During the MAS program, she completed a capstone project with the Environmental Protection Agency to assess mercury contamination impacts for dredged sediments. Before that, she received her Bachelor of Science degree in biology and environmental science from Iowa State University. She's worked for a private environmental laboratory, a city, and a county conservation district in Minnesota and is continuing her interest and passion for water quality into the state of California to benefit MBNMS.



picture of Keegan AngererKeegan Angerer

Resource Protection Specialist
(831) 647–4251
keegan.angerer@noaa.gov

Keegan joined MBNMS as a resource protection specialist in September of 2022. He assists in emergency response for resource damage resulting from events like vessel groundings and pollutant spills. He also supports MBNMS small boat and dive operations including golf ball debris assessments and White Shark acoustic receiver maintenance. He coordinates the Motorized Personal Watercraft Buoy (MPWC) program which restricts MPWC use to designated zones in order to limit impacts to sensitive habitats and wildlife. Keegan is updating the MBNMS oil spill response plan to prepare sanctuary staff to quickly react to a sudden environmental catastrophe and to serve as local resource experts to support a multi–agency spill response. Keegan has extensive scientific diving experience, and has performed dive assisted research in Cuba, Honduras and Texas. He is passionate about ocean conservation and is thrilled to use his knowledge to support the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Keegan has a bachelor of science degree in Natural Resource Management from Grand Valley State University and recently completed a masters of science degree in Ocean, Coastal, and Earth Sciences from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His thesis involved characterizing reef fish assemblages associated with high- and low-profile concrete artificial reefs by performing multidirectional video surveys using a remotely operated vehicle in the Northwest Gulf of Mexico.

Reviewed: September 08, 2023
Web Site Owner: National Ocean Service

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