"She saw a great opportunity to come down and be part of an exciting research program," Thompson said of Doroff.

Fisheries biologist Ori Badajos also joins KBRR in a permanent position as a fisheries biologist. She had worked earlier as a part-time employee.

Other research reserve employees include Amy Alderfer, office manager; Steve Baird, research analyst; Catie Bursch, marine educator and illustrator; Kim Donohue, administrative support; Carmen Field, marine educator; Joel Marks, fisheries biologist; Ingrid Harrald, marine educator, and Coowe Walker, watershed specialist.

"It's just an amazing group of people," Thompson said.

One of 27 reserves in the National Estuarine Research Reserve system, Kachemak Bay Research Reserve spans 365,000 acres from Anchor Point to Point Pogibshi, and is the only research reserve in Alaska. Formed in 1999, KBRR is part of the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Sport Fish Division, with a goal of doing ecosystem based research to foster better understanding of the coastal environment by people of all ages.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration gives about $500,000 in funding to KBRR, about half its $1.3 million budget. Support also comes from grants and local support.

Thompson said KBRR has become more visible with its move into the Islands and Ocean Visitor Center, where it shares the building with the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Educators like Bursch, Field and Harrald run the Discovery Lab series, one of the educational programs available to the public. KBRR also presents programs for school children.

"We get kids coming down consistently from the Mat-Su south. We're getting a lot of use by formal and informal classes, including homeschool," Thompson said.

One notable recent research project was Baird's coastal erosion study program, in which he used geographic information systems, or GIS, techniques to map Kachemak Bay coastal erosion using historic aerial photographs. Baird is working on a similar study of changes in local glaciers. Baird's pioneering erosion study was the first of its kind in Alaska, and he went on to do a similar study of the Cook Inlet coast north of Anchor Point.

"That's one of the cool things about this group here," Thompson said. "That enthusiasm boils over to the point where everybody's working above and beyond. There are just so many questions to answer and investigate."

As a biologist, Doroff brings a different perspective than that of the previous research coordinators, all oceanographers. Oceanographers have to expand their views to include the biological sciences.

"I'm the reverse," Doroff said. "I am climbing a very steep learning curve on all the oceanographic equipment. It's fun. I get to learn."

With her background, Doroff can look at how the study of the bay's physical characteristics correlate to its biological characteristics.

"What I'm really most excited about is connecting the two," she said. "We haven't really brought it back to the biological realm, the ecological realm."

Doroff said she's also excited to use her study of sea otters -- animals at the top of the food chain -- as a way to look at the ecosystem.

"It's nice to have that background, looking at this habitat from a top-level predator perspective, which is vastly different from others who held this position," she said.

Thompson grew up in Idaho, where he received a bachelor of science in wildland recreation management from the University of Idaho, Moscow. He worked as an emergency medical technician and firefighter in Hailey, Idaho, and managed the MK Nature Center in Boise, Idaho. He came to Alaska in 2001, first running a bed and breakfast in Kenai, and moved to Homer when he became education coordinator.

Doroff's master of science is from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. She studied sea otters in Prince William Sound before going to graduate school, and moved here in 1989 after the Exxon Valdez oil spill to do spill studies. For her work in the marine mammal management program she has done sea otter population assessment work in Russia, Japan, southeast Alaska and the Aleutians.

Moving to Homer allows her a rare perspective for a wildlife biologist: living year round and close to the marine system she studies.

"That's one of the sweet things about being here," she said. "It's a long shutter."

Two positions remain vacant at KBRR, Thompson's old job as education coordinator, and the coastal training program position held by Rick Foster. Thompson said he hopes to fill those positions soon.

Next spring, the KBRR celebrates its 10th anniversary during the fifth annual Kachemak Bay Science Conference, to be held March 6-7.

"We're always interested in knowing what the community needs to know more about," Thompson said. "We'll continue to strengthen our programs, particularly on the science side."

For more information on KBRR, visit its Web site at www.habitat.adfg.state.ak.us/geninfo/kbrr/index.html.

Michael Armstrong can be reached at michaelarmstrong.@homernews.com.