Bob Manning is working with UVM professor of sociology Dan Krymkowski as co-editors of the International Journal of Sociology on the application of social science to parks and protected areas.
Carena Van Riper completed her Masters degree at UVM and accepted a Graduate Research Fellowship at Texas A&M University where she will work on a Ph.D. with Professor Gerard Kyle.
Kelly Goonan completed her Masters degree at UVM and accepted a Graduate Research Fellowship at Utah State University where she will work on a Ph.D. with Professor Chris Monz.
Park Studies Lab alumnus Logan Park completed a Ph.D. degree at Virginia Tech University and has accepted a position as Assistant Professor at Southern Illinois University.
Dr. Peter Newman, who earned a Ph.D. degree from the Park Studies Laboratory, was appointed as Academic Assoicate Dean for the Warner College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University.
Nathan Reigner joined the Park Studies Laboratory in January, 2009. Nathan completed a Master's degree at Virginia Tech University where his adivsor was Dr. Steve Lawson, a Park Studies Laboratory alum. Nathan will be conducting research on transportation-related issues in parks and outdoor recreation.
Bob Manning is working with Peter Newman of Colorado State University on a special issue of the journal Park Science. This issue of the journal will focus on research and management related to soundscapes in the national parks.
The National Park Foundation hosted a special screening of Ken Burn's upcoming documentary entitled The National Parks: America's Best Idea at the National Conservation Training Center. Rebecca Stanfield McCown gave a presentation at the screening on what tools parks need to successfully engage diverse audiences. The documentary will be airing in September 2008 on PBS.
Bob Manning attended the Fourth International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas (MMV4). The conference was held in Tuscany, Italy. Bob serves on the International Steering Committee for this series of conferences.
Bob Manning was an invited participant in a two-day workshop on Human Response to Aviation Noise in Protected Natural Areas. The workshop was held in Boston in October 2008 and was organized by the Federal Aviation Administration, the National Park Service, and the Volpe National Transportation Systems Center.
Ph.D. student Rebecca Stanfield McCown traveled to Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area to conduct the first phase of her doctoral research. She has been working closely with NPS managers to indentify key steps for addressing diversity and the underrepresentation of communities of color.
The Park Studies Laboratory members all ran the annual half-marathon at Acadia National Park on September 20, 2008. The half-marathon begins and ends in Bar Harbor, Maine, but most of the race is on the park's historic carriage roads, the site of some of the first Lab studies in the early 1990s.
The Burlington Free Press interviewed Bob Manning about the Laboratory's research at Camel's Hump State Park. The Northern Forest research project was featured on the front page of the newspaper. Additionally, a reporter hiked to Camel's Hump to take pictures and talk with Carena van Riper and Kelly Goonan about their field research.
Peter Pettengill joined the Park Studies Laboratory as a Ph.D. student. Pete received a Master of Studies in Environmental Law from the Vermont Law School. He spent the last several years working for the National Park Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
Kelly Goonan, Carena van Riper, and Bob Manning gave a presentation in July 2008 to the interpretive staff at Acadia National Park about their research in the park.
Carena van Riper was selected as a Lucille and Derby Dustin Future Scholar. This award, sponsored by the Academy of Leisure Sciences and the Society of Park and Recreation Educators (SPRE), was designed for Master's students interested in pursuing a doctorate in leisure related fields.
Bob Manning presented an invited lecture at the Transportation Research Board (TRB) Summer Meeting in Denver in July 2008. The lecture addressed the concept of indicators and standards of quality in park and outdoor recreation and how this concept might be applied to managing transportation in national parks and related areas.
Master's student Carena van Riper was appointed as co-chair on the International Association for Society and Natural Resources Student Affairs Committee.
With extensive involvement of the Park Studies Laboratory, the University of Vermont hosted the 14th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM). Nearly 700 people from 30 countries participated in the four-day meeting in June 2008. Bob Manning served on the three-person Executive Committee, Laura Anderson was Symposium Coordinator, and Carena van Riper organized the Student Forum and the first Student Quiz Bowl.
Bob Manning presented an invited lecture at the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University in April 2008. The subject of the lecture was Bob's new book, "Parks and Carrying Capacity: Commons Without Tragedy."
Bob Manning presented an invited lecture at the Department of Park, Recreation, and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University in April 2008. The lecture addressed the past, present, and future of managing outdoor recreation, including an emerging set of management principles.
Bob Manning was appointed to the Editorial Board of Park Practices, a new journal sponsored by the Academy of Park and Recreation Administration in partnership with Clemson University, the National Recreation and Park Association, and Sagamore Publishing. The journal is designed to address emerging concepts, trends and standards in park and recreation design, maintenance, planning, and management.
Daniel Laven was appointed as a member of the UVM graduate faculty.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown was awarded the ALANA (African, Latino/a, Asian, and Native American) Outstanding Graduate Student Award in April 2008.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown presented with former Director of the National Park Service Robert Stanton at the SCA EarthVisions Summit in Washington DC in March 2008.
Bob Manning consulted with the Queensland government of Australia in March 2008. The Queensland Parks Agency is developing a framework and process for addressing carrying capacity and outdoor recreation management and asked Bob to review their work. Bob traveled to Australia in March to present his report and visit several sites where related field work has been conducted.
Bob Manning and Jerry Vaske of Colorado State University guest edited a special issue of the journal Leisure Sciences (30:2) 2008. This special issue addresses analysis of multiple data sets and represents the continuing maturity of the field of park and outdoor recreation research.
Several current and past Park Studies Laboratory personnel participated in the Yosemite National Park User Capacity Symposium in February 2008. Former Park Studies Lab member, Jim Bacon, helped to organize the Symposium. Bob Manning delivered the opening address, which traced the history of carrying capacity. Peter Newman and Steve Lawson, who both earned Ph.D.s in the Park Studies Laboratory, also participated in the conference.
Bob Manning gave the keynote address at the 30th annual Southeastern Recreation Research Symposium (SERR) in Savannah, Georgia in February 2008.
Kelly Goonan and several other members of the Park Studies Laboratory had a research note published in the Journal of Adirondack Studies.
Master's student Carena van Riper received a mini-grant from the Graduate Student Senate to attend the Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium at Lake George, NY and received a registration scholarship.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown was appointed as the first student member on the George Wright Society Board. Rebecca and her colleagues are planning the 2009 Biennial George Wright Society Conference in Portland, OR. She helped organized the George Wright Society Park Break session at four National Park units and attended a session on civic engagement at Acadia National Park.
Laboratory member, Carena van Riper was selected as a Park Break Fellow and attended a session on conservation policy at the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown gave a presentation at the US Forest Service office in Rutland Vermont entitled "Relevancy in the 21st Century: Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Parks and Protected Areas" in October of 2007.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown gave a presentation for the Howard E. Woodin ES Colloquium Series at Middlebury College entitled "Relevancy in the 21st Century: Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the National Parks" in September of 2007.
Bob Manning spoke at three international conferences over the summer of 2007. He attended the International Union of Game Biologists in Uppsala, Sweden, the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management held in Park City, UT, and presented a keynote address at the Fifth Brazilian Congress of Protected Areas held at Iguacu National Park.
Laura Anderson joined the Park Studies Laboratory in August 2007 as a Postdoctoral Fellow. Laura completed her doctoral program at the University of Massachusetts. She will work on several Park Studies projects and help with planning and administration of the 14th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management to be hosted by the University of Vermont in June 2008.
The work of the Park Studies Laboratory was featured in the 2007 National Park Service publication, Natural Resources Year in Review. The title of the article was "Commons without Tragedy: Measuring and Managing Carrying Capacity in the National Parks."
Carena Van Riper enrolled in a Master's degree program with the Park Studies Laboratory in August 2007. Carena completed a B.A. degree at Arizona State University where she worked with Dr. Megha Budruk, formerly of the Park Studies Laboratory.
Kelly Goonan enrolled in a Master's degree program with the Park Studies Laboratory in August 2007. Kelly completed a B.S. degree at St. Lawrence University, working with Dr. Chris Monz, a collaborator with the Laboratory.
Jeff Hallo completed his doctoral program in July 2007 and accepted a position as Assistant Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management at Clemson University.
Bob Manning was appointed in the spring of 2007 to the National Steering Committee for Outdoor Recreation Research and Education for the 21st Century. The primary objective of this effort is to work collaboratively across agency interests (including the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, and Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service) to craft a bold vision for outdoor recreation research and education that addresses significant societal needs.
Bob Manning published "Parks and Carrying Capacity: Commons Without Tragedy" in March, 2007. The book describes the Park Studies Laboratory program of research on carrying capacity in the U.S. national park system. The book was published by Island Press.
Bob Manning was invited to present the keynote address at the annual meeting of the Outdoor Recreation Association of Taiwan in January 2007. While in Taiwan, he visited several of the country's national parks. Bob's visit was hosted by Professor Chun-Yen Chang of the National Taiwan University along with faculty and graduate students at several other universities. Bob also visited Thailand as the guest of Professor Dachanee Emphandhu of Kasetsart University. He presented a seminar at the university and visited Mu Ko Chang National Park where Professor Emphandhu is conducting research.
Dan Abbe accepted the position of Wilderness Manager at Yosemite National Park.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown was awarded the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Graduate Program Outstanding Service Award in May 2006.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown completed her master's degree in the summer of 2006 and entered the Rubenstein School's doctoral program. Rebecca was awarded the School's Conservation Study Institute Doctoral Fellowship.
Daniel Laven completed his doctoral program in July 2006 and accepted a position as Management Assistant with the U.S. National Park Service. Daniel works in Woodstock, Vermont with Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Historical Park and the Conservation Study Institute.
Daniel Laven was appointed as an adjunct faculty member in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont.
Logan Park completed his Master's degree in the summer 2006. He is now enrolled in a doctoral program at Virginia Tech University where he works with Dr. Steve Lawson, formerly of the Park Studies Laboratory, and Dr. Jeff Marion, a frequent collaborator with the Laboratory.
Bob Manning contributed to a report on computer simulation modeling. Computer-based simulation modeling can contribute to park and wilderness planning/management in several ways, including documenting visitor use patterns, monitoring the condition of indicator variables, estimating social carrying capacity, and testing the effectiveness of alternative management practices. Bob Manning and colleagues David Cole (Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute), Randy Gimblett (University of Arizona), and Steve Lawson (Virginia Tech University) were awarded research grants from the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service to assess the use of computer simulation modeling and prepare a report on its status and future directions. The citation for this report is: Cole, D. (Compiler). 2005. Computer Simulation Modeling of Recreation Use: Current Status, Case Studies, and Future Directions. USDA Forest Service General Technical Report RMRS-GTR-143.
Daniel Laven earned the Graduate Student Award for Outstanding Service (Rubenstein School of Environment & Natural Resources, University of Vermont) at the completion of the 2004-2005 academic year.
Bob Manning served on the Scientific Advisory Committee for the 11th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management in Ostersund, Sweden on June 16-19, 2005. The Committee assisted with review of papers and organization of the scientific sessions.
Dan Abbe accepted a position as Wilderness Specialist with the Bureau of Land Management in Needles, CA. Dan completed his Master's degree at UVM.
Jim Bacon accepted a position as Outdoor Recreation Planner at Yosemite National Park. Jim completed a Master's degree at UVM in 2003 and served two years with the Peace Corps in Guatemala.
Bob Manning was appointed to the scientific panel to review the interagency program of monitoring and research on the Colorado River. This program of monitoring and research is designed to study the influences of the Glen Canyon Dam on the river and associated recreation.
Bob Manning was appointed to the International Steering Committee for Exploring the Nature of Management: The Third International Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas. The conference was held on September 13-17 in Rapperswil, Switzerland.
Logan Park was honored on March 6, 2005 by the Graduate College in a reception and celebration for Graduate Teaching Fellows who have demonstrated unusual excellence and creativity in their teaching and their commitment to student learning. Logan was nominated by the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources based on his work this year in NR 1 and 2.
Jeff Hallo and Daniel Laven were awarded scholarships to participate in the 11th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. The symposium was held June 16-19 in Ostersund, Sweden. Jeff presented a paper on the application of computer simulation modeling to traffic management at Acadia National Park, and Daniel presented a paper on his study of the National Park Service's National Heritage Areas program. The scholarships included travel funds and registration.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown, Master's student, received the George Wright Student Travel Scholarship for the George Melendez Wright Society Conference in Philadelphia in March, 2005. Rebecca and Bob Manning presented their paper "Racial Discrimination in the National Parks: An Empirical Study."
Megha Budruk completed her doctoral program in the Rubenstein School at the end of the summer of 2004 and accepted a position as Assistant Professor with the School of Community Resources and Development at Arizona State University.
Steve Lawson joined the faculty in the Department of Forestry at Virginia Tech University at the beginning of the 2004-2005 academic year.
Rebecca Stanfield McCown joins the Park Studies Laboratory. She graduated in 2004 from Colorado State University with a Bachelor's Degree in Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism, Parks and Protected Area Management. She is interested in visitor diversity and discrimination in park and recreation areas.
Logan Park joins Park Studies Laboratory. A 2003 graduate of Furman University's Environmental Chemistry program, Logan hails from Cincinnati, Ohio and is interested in the interface of foot trail impact management with visitor satisfaction research. An avid hiker, he completed the Appalachian Trail in the 2004 season.
Jeff Hallo joins Park Studies Laboratory. Jeff is pursuing a Doctoral degree investigating the use of current technologies in the establishment of crowding-related norms for national parks.
Dan Abbe joins Park Studies Laboratory. Dan is in his second year of pursuing a Master’s degree that will focus on National Park Service wilderness manager's perceptions of day use.
April Burke joins the Rubenstein School. April Burke joined the Rubenstein School in November of 2004 as Secretary and Administrative Assistant. April replaces Lori Fitzgerald who left to pursue family and related interests. April will serve as secretary to the Park Studies Laboratory.
Kevin Jordan wins UVM Kidder Award. Kevin Jordan graduated from the Recreation Management Program at UVM in the spring of 2004. Kevin worked for the Park Studies Laboratory for two summers in studies at Mesa Verde, Acadia, and Zion National Parks. At the University graduation ceremony, Kevin was presented with the Kidder Award, one of the most prestigious awards given by the university.
Steve Lawson appointed Assistant Professor at West Virginia University. Steve Lawson joined the faculty in the College of Forestry at West Virginia University in the fall of 2003. Steve completed his doctoral degree in the School of Natural Resources in the summer of 2002 and spent the following year as a Postdoctoral Associate with the Park Studies Laboratory.
Daniel Laven receives Conservation Study Institute Fellowship. The National Park Service Conservation Study Institute has joined with the School of Natural Resources to create a doctoral fellowship program. The inaugural fellowship has been awarded to Daniel Laven who completed his Master's degree in the spring of 2003 and is beginning a doctoral program in the School of Natural Resources.
Ben Minteer and Bob Manning published "Reconstructing Conservation: Finding Common Ground." This book is the product of an invited symposium on conservation history, thought and practice held in 2001 at UVM and Woodstock, Vermont. The symposium was sponsored by the Woodstock Foundation, the Conservation Study Institute, the School of Natural Resources, and the Trust for Public Land. The book is published by Island Press.
Lori Fitzgerald joins the Park Studies Laboratory. The Park Studies Lab was sorry to lose our secretary, Joanne Choinniere, to the lure of California, but we are pleased to welcome Lori Fitzgerald. Lori is from Milton, Vermont and previously worked at UVM's Career Development Center.
Bob Manning and Steve Lawson participated in a workshop in March of 2003 on computer simulation modeling in park and wilderness management. The workshop was part of a larger project on this topic cosponsored by the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute and the National Park Service. The workshop explored the potential applications of simulation modeling to park and wilderness management and considered a case study application of simulation modeling to Humphrey's Basin, a Forest Service wilderness area in California. The case study was developed by the Park Studies Laboratory and a corresponding team of researchers from the University of Arizona. The workshop was held in Tucson and will result in a Forest Service report on the application of computer simulation modeling to park and wilderness management.
Peter Newman joined the faculty at Colorado State University in the fall of 2002 as Assistant Professor of Parks and Protected Areas. Peter completed his doctoral program in the summer of 2002.
The Society of Park and Recreation Educators and the Academy of Leisure Sciences recently recognized Master's candidate Daniel Laven as a "Future Scholar." Daniel was one of four graduate students nationwide to receive this award, and he received travel expenses to attend the 2002 National Recreation and Park Association Congress in Tampa, Florida.
Park Studies Laboratory develops cooperative relationship with Earthwatch Institute. Earthwatch Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides volunteers for research projects around the world. Earthwatch has agreed to fund Park Studies Laboratory studies in the national parks each summer. Teams of Earthwatch volunteers worked on Park Studies Laboratory studies in Yosemite National Park and Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area in the summer of 2001 and staffed a Park Studies Laboratory study at Acadia National Park in the summer of 2002.
Park Studies Laboratory is a partner in two new cooperative ecosystems studies units. The University of Vermont is a partner institution in two cooperative ecosystems studies units (CESUs) recently established by the federal government. The Park Studies Laboratory was instrumental in establishing these relationships. The two new CESU's are the Pacific Northwest CESU (hosted at the University of Washington) and the Great Lakes/Northern Forest CESU (hosted at the University of Minnesota). As a partner institution, the Park Studies Laboratory enjoys collaborative relationships with other partner institutions and strong research and administrative linkages with federal natural resource and environmental management agencies.
Bob Manning, Professor in the School of Natural Resources and Director of the Park Studies Laboratory, was recently honored with the Louis F. Twardzik Distinguished Alumni Award of the Department of Park and Recreation Resources at Michigan State University. Bob traveled to East Lansing on April 11 and 12, 2002 to receive the award and present a seminar on his research on carrying capacity of national parks.
Ben Wang, former graduate student in the School of Natural Resources, recently returned to the Park Studies Laboratory on a part-time basis. Ben worked as a staff member of the Lab for several years before embarking on a year of personal and professional travel through Asia. Ben is working on several computer simulation modeling projects.
Steve Lawson and Bob Manning present papers at conference in Vienna, Austria. Steve Lawson, Post Doctoral Associate in the School of Natural Resources, presented two papers at the Conference on Monitoring and Management of Visitor Flows in Recreational and Protected Areas in Vienna, Austria in January, 2002. The papers addressed simulation modeling of visitor use in parks and protected areas, and stated choice modeling as a technique to measure tradeoffs inherent in park and wilderness management. Bob Manning, Director of the Park Studies Laboratory, gave one of the keynote addresses at the conference addressing carrying capacity assessment in parks and protected areas.
Megha Budruk, doctoral student in the School of Natural Resources, was selected to teach NR 105, Environmental Problem Analysis, in the spring semester, 2002. This course is part of the undergraduate core curriculum in the School of Natural Resources.
Jim Bacon defended his thesis on March 26, 2002. His thesis addressed the stability of crowding norms at Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska. Jim's defense included a public presentation of his research. After graduation, Jim accepted a two-year position in the Peace Corps in Guatamala.
Daniel Laven, a graduate student in the School of Natural Resources, has taken a part time position with the Conservation Study Institute of the U.S. National Park Service. Daniel will be staffing the Institute's office in the Aiken Center and working on series of special projects.
Faculty, staff and students of the Park Studies Laboratory organized a special session of the biennial 2001 George Wright Society Conference. Papers from this session were edited into a special issue of The George Wright Forum published in the fall of 2001 (Volume 18, Number 3). All of the papers address different dimensions of the conference theme, "crossing boundaries in park management." A listing of papers included in the issue is as follows:
Bob Manning joined John Heywood of Ohio State University and Jerry Vaske of Colorado State University in co-editing a special issue of Leisure Sciences focusing on normative research in parks and outdoor recreation. Park Studies faculty, staff, and graduate students published two papers in this special issue.
Bill Valliere was named Staff of the Year at the University of Vermont for 2001. This award was based on Bill's exceptional record of accomplishment at UVM and his involvement with the larger community outside of UVM, including his church and the Good News Garage. Congratulations, Bill!
Last modified September 08 2009 11:25 AM
