Katti Renik is joining Trout Unlimited’s Great Lakes team as a project coordinator in Northwest Wisconsin.
Katti will be working with partners in the Lake Superior watershed on projects to reconnect fragmented habitat, implement natural flood management strategies, and further our understanding of coaster brook trout life-history and habitat restoration opportunities.
Growing up on a trout hatchery in Western Nebraska sparked Katti’s interest in biology while working alongside her dad. She began as a dance major at the University of Wyoming but ultimately traded in her pointe shoes for a pair of waders and a degree in fisheries.
“After graduation, I worked with salmon on a small island in Alaska, where I met my husband and kindred angler, Joe. I later obtained my graduate degree at Bemidji State University, which investigated the effect of beaver on brook trout habitat in North Shore, Lake Superior tributaries,” Renik shared.
For the past 5 years, Katti worked as a fisheries research scientist at Escanaba Lake Research Station where she contributed to producing applicable science to help inform Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources fisheries management decisions.
In her free time, you can find Katti outdoors with her husband, daughter, and their dogs, Leinie and Kugel.
“As an avid outdoorswoman who cherishes time spent with family and friends fishing, I am excited to be part of TU’s team contributing to the mission of conserving and restoring the coldwater fisheries in the Great Lakes area.”