Katie Gavenus grew up in Homer Alaska, and was two years old at the time of the 1989 Exxon Valdez Oil Spill. Katie, her family, and her community were deeply impacted by the oil spill. Feeling that the impacts of such an event on children were not recognized enough, Katie established Children of the Spill, a digital oral history project featuring young people affected by the Exxon Valdez and 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spills.