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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons™
Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
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- Mitchell Center (6)
- Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions (6)
- Senator George J. Mitchell Center (6)
- Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions (5)
- Sustainability (2)
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- Adaptive governance (1)
- Circulation/ Dynamics; Buoyancy; Density currents; Entrainment; Mixing; Atm/Ocean Structure/ Phenomena; Freshwater; Models and modeling; Ocean models (1)
- Citizen science (1)
- Collaboration (1)
- Communication (1)
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- Environment (1)
- Innovation (1)
- Interest group (1)
- Leadership (1)
- Learning across decision contexts (1)
- Learning across disciplines (1)
- Learning across scales (1)
- Materials management (1)
- Municipality (1)
- Natural resource policy (1)
- Participation preferences (1)
- Philosophy of science (1)
- Policy adoption (1)
- Political market (1)
- Public choice (1)
- Public policy (1)
- Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions Citizen science; Power of place; Place-based citizen science; Integrated citizen science; Social-ecological systems; Conservation decision making; Open science; GIS; Open data (1)
- Social choice (1)
- Social psychological variables (1)
Articles 1 - 9 of 9
Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences
Leveraging The Power Of Place In Citizen Science For Effective Conservation Decision Making, Gregory Newman, M. Chandler, M. Clyde, B. Mcgreavy, M. Haklay, H. Ballard, S. Gray, R. Scarpino, D. Mellor, J. Gallo
Leveraging The Power Of Place In Citizen Science For Effective Conservation Decision Making, Gregory Newman, M. Chandler, M. Clyde, B. Mcgreavy, M. Haklay, H. Ballard, S. Gray, R. Scarpino, D. Mellor, J. Gallo
Publications
Many citizen science projects are place-based - built on in-person participation and motivated by local conservation. When done thoughtfully, this approach to citizen science can transform humans and their environment. Despite such possibilities, many projects struggle to meet decision-maker needs, generate useful data to inform decisions, and improve social-ecological resilience. Here, we define leveraging the ‘power of place’ in citizen science, and posit that doing this improves conservation decision making, increases participation, and improves community resilience. First, we explore ‘place’ and identify five place dimensions: social-ecological, narrative and name-based, knowledge-based, emotional and affective, and performative. We then thematically analyze 134 …
Planning For Sustainability In Small Municipalities: The Influence Of Interest Groups, Growth Patterns, And Institutional Characteristics, Vanessa R. Levesque, Kathleen P. Bell, Aram J K Calhoun
Planning For Sustainability In Small Municipalities: The Influence Of Interest Groups, Growth Patterns, And Institutional Characteristics, Vanessa R. Levesque, Kathleen P. Bell, Aram J K Calhoun
Publications
How and why small municipalities promote sustainability through planning efforts is poorly understood. We analyzed ordinances in 451 Maine municipalities and tested theories of policy adoption using regression analysis.We found that smaller communities do adopt programs that contribute to sustainability relevant to their scale and context. In line with the political market theory, we found that municipalities with strong environmental interests, higher growth, and more formal governments were more likely to adopt these policies. Consideration of context and capacity in planning for sustainability will help planners better identify and benefit from collaboration, training, and outreach opportunities.
Citizen Science And Natural Resource Governance: Applying A Resilience Framework To Vernal Pool Policy Innovation, Bridie Mcgreavy, Aram J K Calhoun, Jessica Spelke Jansujwicz, Vanessa Levesque
Citizen Science And Natural Resource Governance: Applying A Resilience Framework To Vernal Pool Policy Innovation, Bridie Mcgreavy, Aram J K Calhoun, Jessica Spelke Jansujwicz, Vanessa Levesque
Publications
Effective natural resource policy depends on knowing what is needed to sustain a resource and building the capacity to identify, develop, and implement flexible policies. This retrospective case study applies resilience concepts to a 16-year citizen science program and vernal pool regulatory development process in Maine, USA. We describe how citizen science improved adaptive capacities for innovative and effective policies to regulate vernal pools. We identified two core program elements that allowed people to act within narrow windows of opportunity for policy transformation, including (1) the simultaneous generation of useful, credible scientific knowledge and construction of networks among diverse institutions, …
Whose Values Count: Is A Theory Of Social Choice For Sustainability Science Possible?, Mark W. Anderson, Mario F. Teisl, Caroline L. Noblet
Whose Values Count: Is A Theory Of Social Choice For Sustainability Science Possible?, Mark W. Anderson, Mario F. Teisl, Caroline L. Noblet
Publications
If sustainability science is to mature as a discipline, it will be important for practitioners to discuss and eventually agree upon the fundamentals of the paradigm on which the new discipline is based. Since sustainability is fundamentally a normative assertion about tradeoffs among values, how society chooses the specifics among these tradeoffs is central to the sustainability problem. Whose values should count in making social decisions and how should the multiplicity of values that exist be known and used in that decision process? Given the vast spatial domains and temporal domains at work in the sustainability problem, we need some …
The Effects Of Rotation And River Discharge On Net Mixing In Small-Mouth Kelvin Plumes, Kelly Cole, Robert D. Hetland
The Effects Of Rotation And River Discharge On Net Mixing In Small-Mouth Kelvin Plumes, Kelly Cole, Robert D. Hetland
Publications
Small-mouth Kelvin number plumes, or plumes with a source width smaller than the deformation radius, are characterized by near-field plume regions of rapid lateral expansion and strong vertical mixing. Net plume mixing, or the dilution of a plume by ocean water between the estuary mouth and the far-field plume, is examined using idealized numerical experiments with the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS). The density anomaly of plume water entering the far field is determined from isohaline analysis of the modeled salinity field. The experiments indicate that when estuarine discharge increases, net plume mixing decreases in a rotating environment but increases …
Transdisciplinary Research Partnerships In Sustainability Science: An Examination Of Stakeholder Participation Preferences, Karen H. Beiluch, Kathleen P. Bell, Mario F. Teisl, Laura Lindenfeld, Jessica Leahy, Linda Silka
Transdisciplinary Research Partnerships In Sustainability Science: An Examination Of Stakeholder Participation Preferences, Karen H. Beiluch, Kathleen P. Bell, Mario F. Teisl, Laura Lindenfeld, Jessica Leahy, Linda Silka
Publications
Sustaining coupled natural and human systems requires multiple forms of knowledge, experiences, values, and resources be brought into conversation to address sustainability challenges. Transdisciplinary research partnerships provide the opportunity to meet this requirement by bringing together interdisciplinary scientists with stakeholders in some or all stages of the knowledge production process. However, building partnerships to produce sustainability outcomes is a complex process requiring an understanding of the social psychological and contextual variables impacting partnerships. Here, we explore local government officials’ (LGOs’) preferences for participation in these partnerships. Using data from a statewide survey, we develop a theoretically and empirically derived model …
Why Rhetoric Matters For Ecology, Caroline Druschke, Bridie Mcgreavy
Why Rhetoric Matters For Ecology, Caroline Druschke, Bridie Mcgreavy
Publications
Increasingly, scientists and funding agencies such as the US National Science Foundation are recognizing the need for better science communication and more effective broader impacts activities. Compelled to make research more relevant to public stakeholders and policy makers, researchers look for ways to gain the necessary skillset to move their science from the field and laboratory into public forums. We suggest that the ancient discipline of rhetoric provides a useful – and underutilized – path forward. Building from the fundamental connections between ecology and rhetoric and drawing from practical examples at the intersection of these two fields, we demonstrate how …
Moving Up The Waste Hierarchy In Maine: Learning From “Best Practice” State-Level Policy For Waste Reduction And Recovery, Cindy Isenhour, Travis Blackmer, Travis Wagner, Linda Silka, John Peckenham
Moving Up The Waste Hierarchy In Maine: Learning From “Best Practice” State-Level Policy For Waste Reduction And Recovery, Cindy Isenhour, Travis Blackmer, Travis Wagner, Linda Silka, John Peckenham
Publications
As Maine residents look toward the future, it is increasingly clear that more sustainable waste and materials management solutions will be necessary. A recent stakeholder engagement process involving nearly 200 industry professionals, municipal representatives and citizen groups confirmed this point. As we move together toward a more sustainable waste management system, participants in the engagement process identified an outstanding need to learn more about policies options. This article responds to that need with a review of state level policies designed to reduce waste generation and increase material recovery rates. We find there are a wide variety of state-level policy tools …
Health, The Environment, And Sustainability: Emergent Communication Lessons Across Highly Diverse Public Participation Activities, David Hart, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy
Health, The Environment, And Sustainability: Emergent Communication Lessons Across Highly Diverse Public Participation Activities, David Hart, Linda Silka, Bridie Mcgreavy
Publications
Most lessons about public participation are gleaned from very specific domains, yet innovative ideas often emerge when lessons across very different domains are brought together. Our public engagement efforts span health, the environment, and sustainability in rural and urban settings with long term residents as well as new immigrants. We have worked with hundreds of faculty and stakeholders in Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire on topics as varied as immigrant fishing in contaminated water, shared governance of shellfish areas, remediation of lead contamination in urban areas, and shared decision making on dam removal. The diversity of these efforts offers lessons …