Sustainability Leadership Fellowship Cohort: 2011-2012

Ph.D. Student, Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources

Research Summary: Most of my research takes place in national parks. These protected areas are perhaps our most pristine, relatively untrammeled places on earth. However, escalating visitation and associated depreciative behaviors increase pressures upon the ecological and social aspects of our national treasures. My research explores educational methodologies that encourage environmental ethics, such as those prescribed by the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. Positively influencing visitor behaviors ensures the overall sustainability of our national parks by sustaining or improving existing resource conditions.