Meet the Owner
Meet the Owner
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Kari Bigham is a licensed river engineer with 15 years of experience in fluvial geomorphology, streambank stabilization and stream restoration design and monitoring. While trained in traditional river engineering approaches, Kari advocates for more ecologically sound, nature-based designs that incorporate fluvial geomorphology, riparian enhancement, and native materials. Kari’s graduate studies (Master’s, PhD) focused on monitoring and managing Great Plains rivers in this way.
In addition, Kari, her husband, Dan, and their two kids own and operate a corn and soybean farm and angus cattle ranch near Topeka, Kansas in the Kansas River Valley. Kari plans to spend the remainder of her career attempting to understand and, hopefully, improve the streams found across the Great Plains and Midwestern region of the US.
Work experience
Work experience
2023 - 2025
USACE KC District, River Engineering & Restoration Section
Civil Engineer (Hydraulics)
Technical lead on streambank erosion and management studies and designs along rivers of the Missouri River basin, including the Missouri and Gasconade rivers, as well as first and second-order streams of the basin.
2015 - 2023
Kansas State University, Biological & Agricultural Engineering
Teaching Assistant Professor (2022-2023), Instructor (2020-2022), Water Resources Research Technician (2015-2019)
Taught five courses in the Agricultural Technology Management (ATM) degree program during the academic year. Worked on streambank stabilization and restoration research and monitoring in the summer.
2018- 2020
Stantec
Water Resources Engineer (part-time)
Aided in the design and development of CAD drawings for streambank stabilization and stream restoration in Iowa and Colorado.
2012-2018
Wildhorse Riverworks, Inc
Water Resources Engineer (EIT)
Aided in design and development of CAD drawings for streambank stabilization and stream and lake restoration in Kansas and Missouri.
Education
Education
2022
Ph.D., Biological & Agricultural Engineering, Certificate in Applied Statistics from Kansas State University
Dissertation: Streambank erosion downstream of a flood control dam: processes, rates, and management
2016
M.S., Biological & Agricultural Engineering from Kansas State University
2011
B.S., Biological Systems Engineering & Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, Business Minor
Licensure and Training
Licensure and Training
Professional engineer (KS 35366)
Wildland Hydrology (Rosgen) Level I-IV Short Courses
Dave Derrick Streambank Stabilization Workshop
Utah State Low-Tech Process-Based Restoration Workshop
Skills
Skills
RTK & total station surveying
ArcGIS Pro, QGIS, AutoCAD Civil 3D, HEC-RAS
Stream monitoring and research, Technical writing, Teaching/education
Cropland management
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