Katie Callahan

Director, CU Center for Watershed Excellence
Extension Associate, Adjunct Faculty
Forestry and Environmental Conservation Department, Public Service Activities

Office: 509 Westinghouse Road, Pendleton, SC 29670
Phone: 864-646-2158
Email: kgiacal@clemson.edu
Personal Website: http://www.clemson.edu/watershed

 

 Educational Background

M.S. Environmental Science
Rutgers University 2006

B.S. Chemical/Physical Oceanography
Richard Stockton College of New Jersey 1999

 Profile

Katie has held multiple positions and roles at Clemson University since 2008, all related to water resources outreach and education, program development and implementation, and team building. She holds an B.S. in Marine Science – Chemical and Physical Oceanography and an M.S. in Environmental Science. She has more than 10 years of experience in surface water monitoring, monitoring plan development, and watershed assessment. She has co-authored numerous watershed management plans, has utilized microbial source tracking to prioritize watershed best management practices, directs environmental education programming and communication methods, and leads the collection of environmental attitudes and knowledge surveys in the state. 

Her current projects focus on building stakeholder resources and tools for improved water resources management. Primarily, this is being achieved through the co-coordination of the state's first adopted citizen water quality monitoring program, SC Adopt-a-Stream! Phase I of this effort includes tools and protocols for consistent, quality freshwater monitoring data, being stored in a secure and mobile-friendly database. More outreach efforts and research opportunities will develop under this ongoing project!

 Research Interests

Katie is keenly interested in how stakeholders affect resource management, from application to policy. These interests include motivations and messaging that affect sustained changes in behavior that affects water quality and quantity. She is also interested in developing and furthering microbial source tracking resources in the state to assist communities in solving bacteria waterway issues. Finally, she is interested in land conservation practices and planning that protect wildlife, streams, and watersheds.

 Extension and Outreach

Katie lead Carolina Clear for eight years with the Clemson Extension Service. Carolina Clear is the national award winning program offered at Clemson that works alongside MS4 communities to conduct planning, reporting, stormwater outreach implementation, and public involvement programming. In this role as director, she developed the SC WaterWays fact sheet series identifying solutions to urban and suburban water resource concerns.

Katie also co-authored and directed the 4-H2O Exploring Watersheds Science Camp Curriculum and directed in-service trainings and program management.

Additionally, Katie lead a team of agents and faculty in rebuilding the Carolina Yards program, revising this workbook and outreach program to build specific tools, such as a SC Carolina Yards Plant Database to help inform yard scale watershed management decisions.

The Center also worked with the Extension Service and its agents to launch water-focused hybrid courses for continuing education using Canvas Online. These courses include Master Pond Manager and Post-Construction BMP Inspector.

 Publications

Buckley, K.A. and C.B. Sawyer, 2017, Centers of Excellence for Watershed Management 2016 Annual Report. Submitted to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, Atlanta, GA.

Buckley, K.A., A.E. Scaroni, M. Weathers, C.G. Wallover, and A. Neal (2015) The Development of a Communication Strategy Towards Improved Stormwater Pond Awareness and Maintenance in South Carolina. October 26, 2015. Clemson University, Clemson, SC.

Buckley, K.A. and C.B. Sawyer, 2015, Centers of Excellence for Watershed Management 2014 Annual Report. Submitted to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, Atlanta, GA.

Buckley, K.A. and C.B. Sawyer, 2014, Centers of Excellence for Watershed Management 2013 Annual Report. Submitted to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 4, Atlanta, GA.

Orscheln, N. and K. Giacalone, 2013, Resident Canada Geese: Management Options. Clemson University, SC. Available at http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/water/resources_stormwater/resident_canada_geese_management_options.html.

Orscheln, N. and K. Giacalone, 2013, Resident Canada Geese: Along the Waterfront. Clemson University, SC. Available at http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/water/resources_stormwater/resident_canada_geese_along_the_waterfront.html.

Giacalone, K., 2011, Rainwater Harvesting for Homeowners. Clemson University, Clemson, SC. Available at www.clemson.edu/carolinaclear.

Obropta, C., S. Yergeau, and K. Giacalone, 2011, Training Organizations in Use of a Modified Stream Visual Assessment Protocol. J. of Extension Vol. 49, No. 5.

Giacalone, K., C. Mobley, C. Sawyer, J. Witte and G. Eidson, 2010, Survey Says: Implications of a Public Perception Survey on Stormwater Education Programming. J. of Contemporary Water Research and Education Issue 146: 92-102.

Giacalone, K., C. Sawyer, C. Mobley, J. Witte and G. Eidson, 2010, Is Stormwater Treated? A Survey of Awareness and Behaviors That May Impact Nonpoint Source Education. Proceedings of the 2010 South Carolina Water Resources Conference, Columbia, SC.

Giacalone, K., C. Sawyer, and W. Blackston, 2009, Rain Gardens: A Rain Garden Manual for South Carolina. Clemson University, Clemson, SC. Available at www.clemson.edu/carolinaclear.

 Links

CU Center for Watershed Excellence
SC Adopt-a-Stream
Survey Says! Article (2010)
Clemson Carolina Clear