Positions

Research Areas research areas

Overview

  • I am a social scientist and an expert in recreation management and policy, specializing in visitor use management within parks and protected areas (PPAs). My work aims to enhance visitor experiences, protect natural and cultural resources, and promote economic opportunities in and around PPA settings. In collaboration with land managers, elected officials, and the outdoor industry, I conduct scientifically rigorous research to support informed decision-making and policy development in and around PPAs.

    My expertise encompasses a wide range of areas including visitor use management, carrying capacity, managed access, visitor education, needs assessments, program and facility evaluations, economic impact, workforce development, ecological impacts, energy development, and climate change.

    For additional information, please refer to the Applied Recreation Research Collaborative (ARRC) lab's website at www.unharrc.org
  • Selected Publications

    Academic Article

    Year Title
    2024 Cultivating commitment: how cultural ecosystem services affect visitor loyalty attitudes and intention-to-return in parks and protected areasEcosystems and People.  20. 2024
    2024 The role of health and wellbeing in shaping local park experiences during the COVID-19 pandemicJournal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.  46:100739-100739. 2024
    2023 The nature of the pandemic: Exploring the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic upon recreation visitor behaviors and experiences in parks and protected areas.Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.  41:100498. 2023
    2022 Expanding the viewshed: Insights and implications for examining visitor use management across scales and modalities in an Iconic National ForestJournal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.  40:100570-100570. 2022
    2022 The Outdoor Renaissance: Assessing the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic upon Outdoor Recreation Visitation, Behaviors, and Decision-Making in New England's National ForestsSociety and Natural Resources.  35:1063-1082. 2022
    2022 Love thy neighbor (or not): Regionalism and support for the use of offshore wind energy by othersEnergy Research and Social Science.  90:102599-102599. 2022
    2022 Whether They Return: Modeling Outdoor Recreation Behaviors, Decision Making, and Intention-to-Return in Congressionally Designated WildernessForests.  13:1018-1018. 2022
    2022 Seeing the forest for the trees: A social-ecological systems approach to managing outdoor recreation visitation in parks and protected areasJournal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.  38:100473-100473. 2022
    2021 Uncharted waters: Exploring coastal recreation impacts, coping behaviors, and attitudes towards offshore wind energy development in the United StatesEnergy Research and Social Science.  75:102029-102029. 2021
    2020 What do outdoor recreationists think of fracking? Politics, ideology, and perceptions of shale gas energy development in Pennsylvania State ForestsEnergy Research and Social Science.  62:101384-101384. 2020
    2020 Developing visitor thresholds of sound from shale natural gas compressors for motorized and non-motorized recreation users in Pennsylvania State ForestsApplied Acoustics.  157:107012-107012. 2020
    2019 The Impacts of Shale Natural Gas Energy Development on Outdoor Recreation: A Statewide Assessment of PennsylvaniansJournal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism.  27:1-10. 2019
    2019 The Association of Constraints, Negotiations, and Social Influences with Recreation Specialization among Recreational Baseball ParticipantsJournal of Park and Recreation Administration.  37:40-58. 2019
    2019 Winds of change - Predicting water-based recreationists' support and opposition for offshore wind energy development in the Great LakesJournal of Great Lakes Research: devoted to research on large lakes of the world.  45:187-195. 2019
    2018 Innovations in Outdoor Recreation Visitor Use Management: Applying Market Segmentation at the Timberline Lodge Recreation ComplexInternational Leisure Review.  7:108-131. 2018
    2018 Coping with Climate Change: A Study of Great Lakes Water-Based RecreationistsJournal of Park and Recreation Administration.  36:52-74. 2018

    Article

    Year Title
    2024 From a Shorter Winter Season to More Storm Damage: New Hampshire Outdoor Recreation Providers Feel Climate Impacts Far More than Visitors 2024

    Principal Investigator On

  • USFS NVUM '25  awarded by US DA, United States Forest Service 2024 - 2028
  • Statewide Outdoor Recreation  awarded by US DA, United States Forest Service 2022 - 2027
  • Community Needs Assessment and  awarded by Town Of Durham 2023 - 2025
  • RMP Forest Service Internships  awarded by US DA, United States Forest Service 2023 - 2024
  • Green Mountain National Forest  awarded by US DA, United States Forest Service 2019 - 2024
  • US Forest Service: Green Mountain National Forest-National Visitor Use Monitoring Program  awarded by US DA, United States Forest Service 2019 - 2022
  • National Visitor Use Monitoring (NVUM)  awarded by US DA, United States Forest Service 2019 - 2020
  • National Vistor Use Monitoring  awarded by US DA, United States Forest Service 2019 - 2020
  • Assessing Recreationists’ Perceptions of Offshore Wind Energy Development in New Hampshire (*Linked to NH Sea Grant 2018-2021 Omnibus*)  awarded by New Hampshire Sea Grant 2019 - 2020
  • National Visitor Use Monitoring Program-White Mountain, Green Mountain, and Finger Lakes National Forests  awarded by USDA Forest Service 2024 -
  • Community Needs Assessment and Visitor Use Management Study for the Town of Durham New Hampshire Parks and Recreation  awarded by Durham Parks and Recreation 2023 -
  • New Hampshire Visitor Use Management Working Group  awarded by USDA Forest Service 2022 -
  • Proactively Assessing Green Mountain National Forest Visitors’ Attitudes, Perceptions, Behaviors, Decision-Making, and Management Preferences  awarded by USDA Forest Service 2022 -
  • USDA Forest Service and University of New Hampshire- Public Lands Corp Prog  awarded by USDA Forest Service 2022 -
  • Teaching Activities

  • Recreation Resource Management Taught course
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course
  • Recreation Resource Management Taught course 2024
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2024
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2024
  • Hist Outdoor Pursuits North Am Taught course 2023
  • Independent Study Taught course 2023
  • Rec Admin & Organization Behav Taught course 2023
  • Teaching Practicum Taught course 2023
  • Independent Study Taught course 2022
  • Recreation Resource Management Taught course 2022
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2022
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2022
  • Hist Outdoor Pursuits North Am Taught course 2022
  • Independent Study Taught course 2022
  • Mktg Recreation Taught course 2022
  • Independent Study Taught course 2021
  • Recreation Resource Management Taught course 2021
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2021
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2021
  • Hist Outdoor Pursuits North Am Taught course 2021
  • Independent Study Taught course 2021
  • Rec Admin & Organization Behav Taught course 2021
  • Independent Study Taught course 2020
  • Program and Event Marketing Taught course 2020
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2020
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2020
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2020
  • Venue Mgmt Design & Operations Taught course 2020
  • Hist Outdoor Pursuits North Am Taught course 2020
  • Independent Study Taught course 2020
  • Program and Event Marketing Taught course 2020
  • Independent Study Taught course 2019
  • Mgt & Design Recreation & Park Taught course 2019
  • Recreation Resource Management Taught course 2019
  • Hist Outdoor Pursuits North Am Taught course 2019
  • Rec Admin & Organization Behav Taught course 2019
  • Mgt & Design Recreation & Park Taught course 2018
  • Mgt & Design Recreation & Park Taught course 2018
  • Program and Event Marketing Taught course 2018
  • Teaching Practicum Taught course 2018
  • Hist Outdoor Pursuits North Am Taught course 2018
  • Mgt & Design Recreation & Park Taught course 2018
  • Mgt & Design Recreation & Park Taught course 2018
  • Program and Event Marketing Taught course 2017
  • Recreation Resource Management Taught course 2017
  • Full Name

  • Michael Ferguson