I am an Assistant Professor in Recreation Management and Policy at the University of New Hampshire. Broadly speaking, I design, manage, and analyze human dimensions of natural resources research in parks and protected areas (PPAs) around the world. Specifically, my research models outdoor recreation visitor behaviors, decision-making, and experiences in PPA settings. My primary area of research focuses on outdoor recreation visitor use management within PPAs. My interlinked sub-areas of research focus on the extent to which three specific factors influence visitor behaviors, decision-making, and experiences within PPAs: 1) social impacts (e.g., crowding, conflict), 2) situational impacts (e.g., parking, traffic, energy development), and 3) ecological impacts (e.g., water quality, water levels, snowpack).
Resource managers, elected officials, the outdoor industry, and the general public are growing increasingly concerned regarding the influence of exponential PPA visitation growth upon the visitor experience, the protection of natural resources, and the viability of the outdoor economic sector. To ensure that current and future generations continue to benefit from PPAs, the goal of my research is to provide these stakeholders with scientifically grounded and legally defensible research to inform policies and strategies which sustainably manage increasing visitation in these priceless PPAs. Research collaborators include the USDA Forest Service, National Park Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Sea Grant, Appalachian Trail Conservancy, NH State Parks, and other various federal, state, local, and private organizations.
A second aspect of my career involves educating and mentoring undergraduate and graduate level university students. I teach courses such as recreation resource management, human dimension of natural environments, recreation facility design and management, marketing the recreation experience, and the history of outdoor recreation. My teaching is modeled within a constructivist approach where I include applied, experiential, and group-based learning techniques which emphasize the development of applicable problem-solving skills. Throughout all of my courses I include elements of my own research to provide students with real-world situations and resulting trade-offs to better prepare them as they emerge as outdoor recreation professionals.
I am also the founder of the Applied Recreation Research Collaborative (ARRC) laboratory at the University of New Hampshire. For more information, please visit: https://www.unharrc.com/
