National Parks, Forgotten Resources, and Growing Wisely
On August 11, 2020, we hosted our first-ever virtual USU Research Landscapes, featuring Utah State University researchers Zach Miller (College of Natural Resources, park and trail management), Jordan Smith (College of Natural Resources, park use in Utah), and Jessica Schad (College of Humanities and Social Sciences, community growth around recreation areas) and their research efforts, the trends they’ve seen recently, and the decisions that will help Utah grow wisely and preserve our communities and natural spaces.
That presentation, as well as the question and answer session, can be viewed below.
Main Presentation
Post-event Q&A
Featured Presenters on INSTEAD
In addition to watching those videos, we recommend you check out the INSTEAD podcast, which highlights the latest discoveries at Utah State University; you can listen to the podcast on Apple, Google, and Spotify, or on the INSTEAD website. Our three presenters were each featured in recent episodes of the podcast.
Zach Miller
Jessica Schad
Jordan Smith
Related USU Researchers
There are also a number of other researchers at USU whose work relates to national parks, forgotten spaces, and smart growth; we’ve compiled those researchers here for you to easily view.
National Parks
Paul Jakus
Decisions about how public lands are managed can have a measurable impact on the economics of the local area and the state as a whole.
Nate Trauntvein
Understanding alternative funding and resource management of public park and recreation, and non-profit organizations.
Jacob Freeman
The diversity of a group can impact its ability to solve problems. Understanding this relationship is valuable when tackling modern resource problems, from water quantity to grazing lands to national parks.
Man-Keun Kim
Look into the research of economic impact of wildfire on public land in Utah using national parks visitation.
Mark Brunson
Human activities affect the environment, and understanding how people respond to those changes is crucial to mitigating the levels of those effects.
Forgotten Resources
Dennis Newell
Examining rock-water-biosphere interactions to understand past reactions to similar future problems.
Kelly Kopp
Searching for water-efficient and sustainable landscapes that don't sacrifice functionality or aesthetics.
Patrick Belmont
Assessing the damage of wildfires to reservoirs & fish to find where proactive actions can be taken.
Charles Hawkins
How do changes to the environment impact surrounding fresh water ecosystems?
Karen Mock
Environmental DNA can be used to more effectively find out what wildlife lives in our bodies of water.
Johan Du Toit
Understanding how large and small mammals interact with each other and impact their ecosystem will guide future decision-making to preserve ecosystem functions across Utah's landscapes.
Tal Avgar
Develop understanding of wildlife movement behavior across ecological landscapes, and use data to interpret and predict patterns of wildlife abundance and distribution across space and time.
Paul Rogers
Human impacts on natural forest systems such as "Pando," Utah's giant aspen grove, which is 'a forest of one tree' thought to be the largest living organism on earth.
Growing Wisely
Jeff Horsburgh
In order to sustainably track water consumption and preserve water for Utah's future needs we need further water-cyber infrastructure.
Roslynn McCann
As Utah continues to grow, increasing awareness about clean air begins in the public school system.
Antje Graul
The sharing economy could be a component of responsibly managing growth, and is rapidly growing across the world. Consumer psychology is essential in understanding what people are willing to share.
Jake Powell
The Landscape and Environmental Planning Department seeks design solutions to many of Utah's pressing problems, including water conservation and strategic community development.
David Anderson
The Landscape and Environmental Planning Department seeks design solutions to many of Utah's pressing problems, including water conservation and strategic community development.
Nancy Mesner
How effective are the water quality management practices in Utah?
Sarah Null
In an uncertain future, research to identify promising river restoration and water resources management strategies is much needed.
Joanna Endter-Wada
Water banking could help Utah meet its various future water needs fairly, efficiently, and feasibly.
Ruijie Zeng
Solar power could be the solution to Utah's future water, energy, and food insecurities.
Benjamin George
Virtual reality has the potential to provide designers with improved knowledge and understanding of how design decisions shape our land and communities.