A love of people, places and data have drawn me down the path of a digital storytelling geographer. I’ve been using geospatial tools for over a decade to meld these interests together and help tell the stories of organizations that are doing good in the world.
Storytellers
Geographers
Blue Water GIS is a small, family owned firm that was born out of a passion for understanding and conserving our natural world. The powerful geospatial programs and data visualization software available today allow us to interpret our physical surroundings like never before, and that is what we offer you:
We clarify data into captivating stories.
We are based out of Bellingham, WA, but being explorers at heart, we always look for opportunities to map new terrain, meet new people and discover new projects around the globe.
Have drone, will travel...

Hello there....
Katie Gaut
Data Nerd and Map Guru
Exploration and curiosity are inherent in my nature and serve me well in my work. This work has taken me across the globe, from the estuaries of Alaska, to the jungles of Hawai’i, and to the seas of British Columbia. And while adventure fuels the soul, numbers and maps fuel my spirit. Few things make me happier than guiding good people through the creative process of telling the story of meaningful work.

- 15 years tinkering with ArcGIS products
- 10 years crunching data and making it shine
- 12 years experience in water rights analysis
- University of Hawai’i, MS – Conservation Biology
- Southern Oregon University, BS – Computer Science & Biology
- FAA Section 107 Drone Pilot License
- US Coast Guard 100 Ton Master Captain’s License
- Professional sailing captain for 10+ years
- Freediving and spearfishing in tropical waters
- Milking our small herd of dairy goats daily
Mark Thompson
Writer, Editor, Naturalist
Since Blue Water’s inception, I have provided various talents as both copy editor and graphic designer. While my main focus is the written word, I also take lead on data visualization, cartographic design and photography.
Underlying all my crafts, both at work and at play, is a desire to explore. If I’m out collecting plants, as I’m prone to do, my map may be a dichotomous key. If I’m in the mountains, a topo, at sea, a nautical chart. Different journeys require different sets of information as a guide, but all good maps share the trait that they inspire you to explore further. This is our goal as well in all that we do.

- 12 years of project management related to natural resources
- Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
- Vegetation mapping
- Lifetime of creative and technical writing
- 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture
- University of Montana, BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies
- Plant propagation
- Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology
Our Partners
Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers
While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional. Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others.
If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends. Similarly, if your organization has overlapping or complimentary skills, we are happy to work alongside your team to make the best product possible

Our Partners
Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers
While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional. Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others. If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends.

- 12 years of project management related to natural resources
- Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
- Vegetation mapping
- Lifetime of creative and technical writing
- 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture
- University of Montana, BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies
- Plant propagation
- Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology
Our Partners
Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers
While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional. Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others. If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends.

- 12 years of project management related to natural resources
- Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
- Vegetation mapping
- Lifetime of creative and technical writing
- 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture
- University of Montana, BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies
- Plant propagation
- Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology
Our Partners
Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers
While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional. Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others. If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends.

- 12 years of project management related to natural resources
- Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
- Vegetation mapping
- Lifetime of creative and technical writing
- 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture
- University of Montana, BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies
- Plant propagation
- Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology
Our Partners
Website Designers, Marketing, Custom Programmers
While we typically handle projects entirely in house, there are times when an outside partner brings a particular skill to the table that makes the end product even more exceptional. Over the past five years we have cultivated relationships with professionals in the fields of web design, coding, marketing, logo design and others. If our skills don’t quite cut it, we’re not too proud to call on a little help from our friends.

- 12 years of project management related to natural resources
- Mgmt of large scale wetland revegetation projects
- Vegetation mapping
- Lifetime of creative and technical writing
- 4 years working in plant production and small scale agriculture
- University of Montana, BS – Liberal / Wilderness Studies
- Plant propagation
- Natural history – ornithology, tracking, plant ecology