Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Supply, Demand, And Fiscal Sustainability Of Outdoor Recreation In Utah, Jordan W. Smith, Chris Monz

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Because Utah's outdoor recreation destinations are managed by several different federal and state agencies, there is no comprehensive and consistent information on the amount and types of outdoor recreation resources available within the state. Additionally, there has been no research to date on how state programs whose revenues are dependent on outdoor recreation activity, are likely to fare in the coming years. This report begins to address these limitations by: 1) compiling and synthesizing data that characterize the amount and location of outdoor recreation resources throughout the state; and 2) presenting the results of a suite of econometric forecasting models …

Collaborative Development Of Utah's Outdoor Recreation Strategic Plan: Process And Findings From 14 Regional Workshops, Jordan W. Smith, Jake Powell, Casey Trout, Nate Trauntvein, Rachel Hall, Wayne Freimund

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Outdoor recreation within Utah is managed and provided through a patchwork of federal and state agencies as well as county and municipal governments. Each of these entities manages outdoor recreation following different mandates and internal objectives. Rarely has there been an opportunity for representatives from federal, state, county, and local governments to sit down, discuss the long-standing and emerging challenges they face, and collectively develop ideas about how to work towards less-disparate and more aligned outdoor recreation management systems. In late 2022 and early 2023, we convened hundreds of land managers, outdoor recreation and tourism professionals, and elected officials across …

Allocation Of U.S. Biomass Production To Food, Feed, Fiber, Fuel And Exports, Christopher L. Lant, Suman Paudel, Kaeli Mueller, Grace Larson, Gustavo A. Ovando-Montejo, Jennifer E. Givens

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This paper analyzes the end uses—food, feed, fiber, fuel, and exports—of biomass production in the U.S. in 1997, 2002, 2007, and 2012. They are also analyzed at the state level in 2012. Biomass production is measured as human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP), an ecological footprint measured as carbon fixed through photosynthesis, derived from data on crop, timber and grazing yields. HANPP was allocated to end uses using publicly available sources from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and internet-based sources publishing data on agricultural trade. HANPP was 717–834 megatons (MT) of carbon per year, which comprised 515–615 MT of …

Characteristics Of Anglers And Angling Preferences In Utah: Results From The 2021-2022 Utah Angler Survey, Jordan Smith, Chase C. Lamborn, Will Rempel, Zachary D. Miller

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In the face of a diminishing resource base and increased demand from anglers, the state of Utah is looking for biologically feasible, economical, and publicly supported solutions to address the angling supply and demand mismatch. Using data from an extensive year-long survey effort, the report details information about the characteristics, behaviors, and preferences of Utah’s licensed. The report also details the types of motivations that are fundamental to the Utah fishing experience. The findings show anglers can be classified by their motivations into five relatively distinct groups – Explorers, Social Anglers, Catch Focused Anglers, Ambivalent Anglers, …

An Overview Of State Funding For Outdoor Recreation And Tourism In Utah, Jordan W. Smith, Casey Trout

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The state of Utah supports outdoor recreation and tourism through legislative appropriations, revenue generating mechanisms, taxes, and federal programs that are administered by the state. This review provides an overview of the various programs and funding mechanisms that currently exist within Utah, describes how and to what extent they are funded, outlines how they support outdoor recreation and tourism, and highlights opportunities where the state can strategically refine or build upon them.

An Assessment Of The Location Of The Bears Ears National Monument Cultural Center, Jordan W. Smith, Eunjung Yang, Anna B. Miller

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

A cultural center at Bears Ears National Monument, if well planned, could serve as an anchor destination through which visitors could learn about, experience, and appreciate the cultures, histories, and landscapes that define southeastern Utah. A cultural center also holds the potential to bolster the regional economy, by signaling a long-term investment in the sustainability of the region’s outdoor recreation and tourism industry. Our intent with this analysis is to establish a foundational understanding of potential locations for a cultural center. We develop and analyze a set of cultural, environmental, and economic metrics that can be used to shape ongoing …

Management Innovations For Resilient Public Rangelands: Adoption Constraints And Considerations For Interagency Diffusion, Gwendŵr R. Meredith, Mark W. Brunson, Stuart P. Hardegree

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Maintaining healthy rangeland ecosystems requires adaptive co-management at the landscape scale. Because the majority of western rangelands are publicly owned, it is critical that federal land management agencies work together in generating and sharing information. Promotion and communication of rangeland management innovations among agencies is one means of sharing information. Two rangeland management innovations, the Weather-Centric Restoration Tool and Interpreting Indicators of Rangeland Health, were studied in order to better understand agency adoption decisions and barriers to diffusion of the innovations across agencies. Using a mixed qualitative methodology, we interviewed land managers across the floristic Great Basin and in southeastern …

Use Of Prescribed Fire In Rangeland Management: A Training Manual, Eric Lamalfa, D. Layne Coppock

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Course Outcomes

• Learn about the role of fire in rangeland ecosystems.
• Learn how to plan and implement a prescribed fire.
• Learn how to monitor fire effects to assist management decision-making.
• Make progress towards conceptualizing a community-based, fire management program on the Borana Plateau.