RESEARCH

I am a broadly trained social scientist interested in human dimensions of natural resources, including issues related to the planning and management of public land, recreation planning, recreation management, environmental justice, and environmental education. From 2018 to 2022, I was a faculty member in the Center for Earth and Environmental Science at SUNY Plattsburgh. I joined the faculty in the Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources at the University of Vermont in 2023. Over the course of my career, I have worked to build a research agenda that focuses largely on the geographic areas of the Northern Forest Region and the Lake Champlain Basin, although not all my work fits neatly into the boundaries of these two regions. I seek to pursue research that is useful for both practitioners and scholars alike, and frequently collaborate with partners from state and federal agencies, as well as local land managers and regional non-profits. Several examples of my research projects are below. I am always looking for student researchers, so please get in touch if you're curious about pursing undergraduate student research or a graduate degree!
"Investigating Interventions to Increase Environmental Literacy among K-12 Teachers and BIPOC Students"
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This project is a collaboration with Dr. Leon Walls (University of Vermont) and is funded by Lake Champlain Sea Grant. The goal is to conduct empirical research on factors that support environmental literacy among teachers and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students participating in Upward Bound summer courses at the University of Vermont (UVM) and SUNY Plattsburgh. Project partners include Upward Bound at both SUNY Plattsburgh and University of Vermont, as well as the Watershed Alliance.
"Trail forks and merges: Exploring Social Impacts from Recreational Mountain Biking in Northern Forest Communities"

This is a project funded by the Northeastern State Research Cooperative and seeks to understand the range of social impacts associated with the recent growth of mountain biking. Project partners include Dr. Jessica Leahy (University of Maine), Dr. Bess Perry (Michigan State), Dr. Sonya Sachdeva (US Forest Service), Maura Adams (Northern Forest Center), Abby Long (Kingdom Trails), Katheryn Wriggley (Vermont Forest Parks and Recreation), Joshua Tauses (Town of Carrabassett Valley, Maine), and Carolann Ouellette (Maine Office of Outdoor Recreation).
"Assessing the Impact of Private Roads on Aquatic Habitat Connectivity in the Missisquoi and Chazy Basins"

Led by Dr. Tim Mihuc, this project addresses the lack of existing data on private road-stream crossings in the Lake Champlain Basin. Dr. Mihuc (SUNY Plattsburgh), Dr. Liz Doran (University of Vermont), and I are collaborating to 1) use remote sensing protocols to identify road-stream crossings on private land, 2) seek landowner permission to assess the degree to which identified crossings act as barriers to aquatic connectivity, and 3) conduct interviews to understand landowner perspectives on culvert management. 

Research Webinar Examples