Northeast Aquatic Research (NEAR) is a professional limnological research and lake management company with over thirty years of experience studying lake systems. Our mission is to provide objective scientific evaluation of lake condition for long-term understanding and management. We work directly with homeowners, lake associations, municipalities, and state agencies to develop management strategies for each individual lake we study. We oversee ongoing water quality monitoring and aquatic plant management efforts in lakes across Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, and Rhode Island.
Meet Our Team
George Knoecklein
Limnologist, Certified Lake Manager
Ph.D. Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (Limnology), University of Connecticut
M.S. Natural Resources, Michigan State University
B.S. Biology, Southern Connecticut State University
Dr. George Knoecklein received his Ph.D. in Limnology in 1997. Dr. Knoecklein’s academic lineage is just one generation from Dr. Robert Wetzel, who is considered one of the world’s greatest lake scientists and is the primary author of the most widely referenced textbook of limnology. Since 1997, George has been the owner and principal lake scientist for Northeast Aquatic Research, LLC. Though prior to starting his own company, George worked as a lake consultant in Connecticut since 1985, focusing on methods to overcome internal phosphorus loading and taste and odor issues in CT reservoirs. Combined, George has over 40 years of experience studying lake systems in both Michigan and the New England region. George is a Certified Lake Manager and board member for the New England Chapter of the North American Lake Management Society. He is a past President of the Connecticut Federation of Lakes, and is an expert in rare and endangered aquatic plant identification, as well as phytoplankton and zooplankton enumeration. George has authored hundreds of lake management reports and has been the primary data analyst on numerous federal, state, and municipal lake diagnostic/feasibility studies in New England.
Hillary Kenyon
Research Scientist, Certified Lake Manager
M.S. Plant and Soil Sciences, UMASS Amherst
B.S. Environmental Science, UCONN
Hillary received a B.S. degree in Environmental Science from the University of Connecticut and a M.S. degree in Plant and Soil Science at the University of Massachusetts. Hillary joined Northeast Aquatic Research in 2013 as a field scientist and has been a Certified Lake Manager since 2017. She serves as project manager for a number of lake management projects in CT, NY, and MA. She is a skilled data analyst and has over ten years of GIS mapping, modeling, and data management experience. Hillary’s graduate research focused on internal loading of phosphorus from benthic lake sediments, as well as the role of lake sediment types and particle size distribution in overall water quality. Hillary is a qualified CT Soil Scientist with specific interests in advanced onsite wastewater treatment and nitrogen-reduction technologies, and she is knowledgeable in the realm of watershed improvements and Low Impact Development (LID). Aquatic plant identification and surveying is also a large part of her work with NEAR, which keeps her happily in the field for many long summer days.
Hannah Moore
Financial & Administrative Manager
B.A. Environmental Studies, Mount Holyoke College
Hannah Moore has a B.A. in Environmental Studies from Mount Holyoke College and has been a GIS analyst and research scientist for Northeast Aquatic Research since 2016. She brings a unique set of data analysis, coding, and mapping skills, and she has substantial experience conducting aquatic plant surveys, water quality monitoring, and watershed investigations. She is the project manager for several projects in Connecticut and Massachusetts. Hannah is also NEAR’s financial and administrative manager, conducting much of the behind-the-scenes work. Prior to coming to work for NEAR, she was a GIS technician for the CT Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Forestry Division.
Kendra Kilson
Research Scientist
M.S. Lake Management, SUNY Oneonta
B.S. Natural Resources, University of Connecticut
Kendra Kilson joined NEAR as a seasonal intern in 2017 and re-joined the company full-time in the summer of 2019. Kendra has a B.S. in Natural Resources from the University of Connecticut, and received her M.S. in Lake Management from SUNY Oneonta in 2019. Kendra grew up on Lake Lillinonah, the second largest lake in Connecticut, and has over eight years of volunteer experience with the Lillinonah Friends of the Lake, an organization that strives to protect the lake from eutrophication and aquatic invasive species. Kendra is experienced in water quality monitoring and aquatic plant surveying.