Kat Topaz
Kat Topaz moved from NYC to the Pacific Northwest after a road trip in 1992. She had never seen so many birds of prey in one place, nor had she lived in a city that was so accessible to nature. After moving here, she lived on a Chinese Junk on the Columbia River until the flood of 1996 destroyed the marina. An avid kayaker, Kat spent much of her free time exploring the Oregon rivers when she wasn’t working as a graphic and then digital designer. Kat and her husband, Jim Abeles, moved back to the water and lived on a floating home on the Multnomah Channel before deciding to “retire” from their careers and purchase a farm on Sauvie Island, where they farm regeneratively.
Topaz is a board member of the Sauvie Island Community Association, is active at the Sauvie Island Grange, and has opened her farm to multiple nonprofits that share the space, including the Portland All Nationals Canoe Family, the Sauvie Island Center, and the Bird Alliance of Oregon.