Robert E. Manning is Professor of Natural Resources and Director of the Park Studies
Laboratory. Bob teaches courses on the history, philosophy, and management of national
parks, wilderness, and related areas and conducts a program of research for the
U.S. National Park Service and other agencies. He has spent four year-long sabbatical
leaves with the National Park Service, at Grand Canyon National Park, Yosemite
National Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and the Washington Office.
He is the author of Studies in
Outdoor Recreation (2nd Edition), published by Oregon State University
Press, Parks and Carrying Capacity: Commons
Without Tragedy, published by Island Press, co-editor (with Ben Minteer)
of Reconstructing Conservation: Finding
Common Ground, published by Island Press, and, Parks and People, published by the University Press of New England. Bob and his wife, Martha enjoy hiking long-distance trails in many parts of the world.
Dr. Manning's CV
William Valliere is a member of the research staff in the Rubenstein School of Environment
and Natural Resources. Bill has worked in the Park Studies Laboratory since 1994
when he completed his masters degree in Natural Resources Planning at the University
of Vermont . He oversees and coordinates day to day operations in the lab and
data collection during field seasons. Bill is an author on many of the publications
the Park Studies Laboratory has produced and frequently participates in national
and regional and National Park Service sponsored meetings, presenting research
findings. Bill is a 5th Degree Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do. Email William Valliere
Marcie Newland is a member of the Administrative staff in the Rubenstein School of
Environment and Natural Resources. She began working with the Park Studies Laboratory
in Autumn of 2006.
Email Marcie Newland
Laura Anderson joined the Park Studies Lab as a postdoctoral associate in August
2007. She came to UVM from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where she
completed her PhD in Human Dimensions of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems unit within
the Department of Natural Resources Conservation. Her dissertation research examined
the relationship between scuba diver specialization level and norms for underwater
behaviors, resource conditions, and crowding at coral reefs in the Florida Keys.
A Wooster, Ohio native, Laura earned her bachelor's in biology at Wittenberg University
and master's in natural resources at the Ohio State University. Laura likes to run marathons with Rebecca and sometimes Pete.
Email Laura Anderson
Rebecca Stanfield McCown is a doctoral student in the Park Studies Lab. Rebecca earned
her M.S. in 2006 from UVM in Natural Resource Planning as a member of the Park
Studies Lab. She earned a B.S. in 2004 from Colorado State University in Natural
Resources Recreation and Tourism. Her master's research focused on explanations
for racial/ethnic minority underrepresentation in national parks. Rebecca currently
is the Conservation Study Institute Fellow and working with the National Park
Service to examine programs within parks designed to reach diverse audiences. Rebecca likes to run marathons with Laura and sometimes Pete.
Email Rebecca Stanfield McCown
Peter Pettengill is a doctoral student in the Park Studies Laboratory. He earned a BS in Environmental and Resource Economics from the University of New Hampshire in 2003 and received a Master of Studies in Environmental Law from Vermont Law School in 2006. He has worked at Grand Canyon's Backcountry Office for the National Park Service and as a Land Law Examiner for the Bureau of Land Management's Colorado State Office. His current research focus is sustainable transportation for tourism. After roaming America's West for nearly a decade he is happy to be back in the Green Mountain State where he grew up. Pete sometimes likes to run marathons with Laura and Rebecca.
Email Peter Pettengill
Nathan Reigner is a doctoral student in the Park Studies Laboratory. Nathan earned his M.S. in Forestry within the Natural Resources Recreation program at Virginia Tech in 2008. He earned a B.A. in 2001 from Gettysburg College in Anthropology and Sociology. His master's research applied the Theory of Planned Behavior to understand and influence depreciative visitor use at the 'Ohe'o Pools in Haleakala National Park. Nathan's research interests encompass outdoor recreation motivations, the relationships that individuals form with nature through their recreation experiences, and how those relationships influence natural resource decision-making in protected areas and communities. Nathan is an avid mountain biker, hiker, skier, and chronic second-place chili cook.
Email Nathan Reigner
Kelly Goonan earned a master's degree at the Rubenstein School of Environment and
Natural Resources at the University of Vermont. She has a wide range of interests
related to parks and protected areas. Her research focused on the ecological
effects of recreation on mountain summits in the Northeast and promoting sustainable
recreation in this region. Kelly received her BA from St. Lawrence University
in May 2007 with dual degrees in Environmental Studies and Spanish.
Email Kelly Goonan
Carena J. van Riper earned a Master's degree in the Park Studies Laboratory. Carena is interested in the human dimensions of natural resources, parks and protected area management, and conservation policy. Her thesis research used stated choice modeling to understand visitor perceptions of social, ecological, and managerial conditions on three mountain summits in the northeast. She holds an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in Biology and Outdoor Recreation Management from Arizona State University. Outside of academia, Carena enjoys snowboarding, distance running, and statistics.
Email Carena van Riper
Dan Abbe completed a master's degree in Natural Resources at the University of Vermont,
studying with Professor Robert Manning. Prior to coming to the University of Vermont
his work experience involved a 15-plus year association with the National Park
Service starting as a Youth Conservation Corps crew leader and culminating as
a sub-district ranger. Dan also worked for 11 protected areas in 2 countries and
8 states. His expertise is visitor services and resource protection based in both
frontcountry and backcountry settings from Alaska to Honduras. Dan currently works
as a wilderness planner in Yosemite National Park.
Email Dan Abbe
James Bacon completed his master's degree in Natural Resource Planning
with an emphasis in Outdoor Recreation Management. He has assisted in research
projects in Denali National Park, the Appalachian National Scenic Trail, and Acadia
National Park. Prior to attending graduate school, Jim served as a recreation
supervisor at the Croton-on-Hudson Recreation and Parks Department in Westchester
County, New York. Previous experience also includes experiential and outdoor education
at summer camps in Colorado and New York. Jim served two years in the Peace Corps
in Guatemala after completing his master's degree and is now employed as an outdoor
recreation planner at Yosemite National Park.
Megha Budruk completed a PhD with Dr. Robert Manning at the Park Studies Laboratory,
University of Vermont. She is now Assistant Professor in the School of Community
Resource and Development at Arizona State University. She has an educational background
in biology, environmental sciences and outdoor recreation management from the
University of Poona, India and Arizona State University. Her professional interests
include recreation carrying capacity and its relationship with interpretation
and education in parks and application of carrying capacity to urban parks and
frontcountry areas. She has assisted in research at Boston Harbor Islands National
Park Area. Prior to moving the U.S., Megha worked with an envrionmental networking
agency in India and served on a variety of projects at the Sanjay Gandhi National
Park, India and with the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India.
Originally from India, she has traveled extensively around the world and enjoys
experiencing new places and people.
Jeffrey C. Hallo completed a PhD with Dr. Robert Manning at the Park Studies
Laboratory, Univeristy of Vermont. Jeffrey is currently an Assistant Professor
in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at Clemson University.
His research and teaching interests focus on understanding, planning for, and
managing recreational visitor use in parks, forests, and other protected areas.
More specifically, his research has examined transportation in national parks,
scenic driving/motorized recreation (e.g., off-highway vehicles, all-terrain vehicles,
and motorboat use), crowding/carrying capacity, spatial distributions of visitors/tourists,
and modeling of recreational use.
Email Jeff Hallo
Steve Lawson completed a Ph.D. in Natural Resources at the University of Vermont,
studying with Professor Robert Manning. He was Associate Professor in the Department
of Forestry at Virginia Tech Unversity and recently became a Senior Associate with Resource Systems Group, Inc. He conducts a program of research for
the National Park Service, applying normative theory and quantitative and qualitative
methods to address issues related to visitor use in national parks. Steve has
designed and/or participated in research at several national park areas including
Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Arches, Denali, Acadia, Alcatraz Island, Statue of Liberty,
Isle Royale, and Boston Harbor Islands.
Daniel Laven completed his M.S. in Natural Resources Planning in 2003 and his doctorate
in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources in 2006. Daniel
received a B.A. from the University of Wisconsin/Madison in 1995, and has since
worked for a variety of management agencies including the U.S. National Park Service
and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Daniel now works for the National Park
Service at the Conservation Study Institute and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National
Historical Park in Woodstock, Vermont.
Email Daniel Laven
Peter Newman earned a Ph.D in Natural Resources in the summer of 2002 studying with
Professor Robert Manning at the University of Vermont. His research focused on
integrating resource and social issues in carrying capacity decision making in
National Parks. Peter came to the Park Studies Lab from Yosemite National Park
where he worked as a naturalist for the Yosemite Institute and as a National Park
Service Ranger. Peter has designed and/or participated in studies in several parks
including Yosemite, Mesa Verde, Acadia, the Appalachian Trail, and the Adirondacks.
He conducted a study in Yosemite National Park wilderness that will help to inform
social carrying capacity decision-making. Peter is now Associate Professor of
Parks and Protected Areas at Colorado State University and Associate Dean of the Warner College of Natural Resources.
Logan Park received his undergraduate degree from Furman University, receiving his
B.S. in Environmental Chemistry. As a Master's student in the Park Studies Laboratory,
his research bridged resource impacts and social aspects of recreation and also
used 3D computer technology in the establishment of social norms. Logan recently earned a Ph.D. at Virginia Tech University and is now Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University.
Email Logan Park
MaryJane (MJ) Anderson is a first-year undergraduate student in the Rubenstein School. MJ is majoring in Environmental Studies and Nutrition and Food Sciences. When she's not busy finishing lab reports, she enjoys running for UVM's cross country and track teams.
Lecia Babeu is a third year Environmental Science major with a concentration in water resources. This is her third year working for the Park Studies Laboratory. Lecia spent a summer at Lake Umbagog administering visitor use surveys for the laboratory. Lecia loves to canoe and camp in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area in NE Minnesota.
Kaylee Pollander is a first year student from Jeffersonville, Vermont. She is in the Rubenstein School studying Environmental Sciences. One day she hopes to do research in a national park out west. Kaylee loves animals, especially horses and has a horse with a blue eye.Last modified November 17 2009 01:12 PM
