Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Utah Outdoor Recreation Asset Database: Purpose, Structure, And Development, Jordan W. Smith

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

To help inform the development of Utah's firsts strategic plan, the state's Outdoor Adventure Commission was tasked by the Legislature to develop a database that capable of quantifying the amount and location of outdoor recreation assets throughout the state. This brief describes the purpose, structure, and development of the Utah Outdoor Recreation Asset Database.

Integrating Moral Norms And Stewardship Identity Into The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand Altruistic Conservation Behavior Among Hunters In Southwestern Utah (Usa), Jacob C. Richards, Zachary D. Miller, Russell Norvell, Jordan W. Smith

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

We integrate moral norms and stewardship identity into the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to predict the use of non-lead ammunition in the California condor recovery zone of southwestern Utah. Data were collected from licensed hunters via an online survey. Structural equation models of the TPB without and with the moral norms and stewardship identity constructs were compared to evaluate the utility of integrating these constructs into the TPB. Moral norms did have a significant direct influence on hunters’ behavioral intentions. Both moral norms and stewardship identity had significant indirect influences on behavioral intentions via the core constructs of the …

2023 Utah Farmers Market Data, Chandler Rosenberg, Steven Price, Roslynn Mccann

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In 2023, the Utah Farmers Market Network collected customer, vendor, and manager data from three Utah markets. This data is shared for public use in an infographic style for ease of interpretation.

Utah Farmers Market Manager Handbook, Gwen Crist

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Welcome to the Utah Farmers Market Manager Handbook, designed by the Utah Farmers Market Network for market managers like you! We’re thrilled to support you in your job as a market manager by providing this Handbook of information and tools you’ll need to start a market from scratch or to grow your market, along with helpful links and resources, tips, and best practices for running a successful market.

Exploring Social Hierarchy Computationally To Further Our Understanding Of Social Organizations Within Their Environments, Stanley L. Rhodes Jr.

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Hierarchy is ever-present across countless human societies, a seemingly inescapable reality of small organizations and national governments. However, there is a lot about hierarchy we don’t understand, and if we want to make better organizations and better society, it is crucial we learn more about it. This dissertation investigates three questions: 1) “What is hierarchy?” 2) “How is hierarchy useful?” 3) “How does hierarchy vary?” I find that social scientists do not all mean the same thing by hierarchy, even within the same fields; yet, they do consistently write of hierarchy as control (like boss-employee relations), hierarchy as rank (like …

Navigating Roadblocks In Utah's Path Towards Curbing Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Emily K. Fletcher

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

In places where discussions about climate change have become highly political and divided, community groups have attempted to connect rival political parties by focusing on improving air quality. This topic is often less politically charged. The effects of climate change have been disproportionately felt by marginalized communities around the world. In the west side of the Salt Lake Valley, many communities are more likely to experience the negative consequences of a drying lake, a problem that Utah and other regions are currently facing, compared to others in the valley. This research focuses on the individuals who have signed the Utah …

Environmental Conditions And The Fertility Intentions Of Utahns, Mufti Nadimul Quamar Ahmed, Jennifer E. Givens

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

One of the most important decisions a person may make in their lifetime is whether to have children. Many factors shape fertility intentions and outcomes. A better understanding of individual reproductive intentions can shed light on current fertility patterns, enable more accurate population projections^1-2 and planning efforts, and improve our ability to address environmental drivers and implications.

Connectedness And Wellbeing: Investigating Community And Nature-Based Connection In The Context Of Utah's Rapid Growth, Sarah E. Wilson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Research suggests that feeling connected to the natural world and feeling socially connected to your community positively influence wellbeing. However, significant demographic shifts within communities may reduce the amount of social and nature-based connectedness enjoyed by residents. As one of the fastest growing states, data from within Utah likely provides important insights related to how population growth impacts connectedness and wellbeing. Considering this, the present research investigated the relationships between personal wellbeing, community connection, and connection with nature in the context of Utah's rapid population growth by utilizing quantitative survey data from the Utah Wellbeing Project and demographic information from …

The Intersections Of Payments For Ecosystem Services, Gender, And Conditionality In A Bolivian Case Study, Alicia Potter

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) have gained traction since the 1990s and are designed to provide cash or in-kind incentives to natural resource managers who alter land management behavior to protect ecosystem services. Conservation programs generally are known to interact with household and community gender dynamics. For other types of cash transfers, recent literature has noted that presence of conditionality (a key aspect of PES) may create or reinforce gender inequalities, which often manifest in household divisions of labor and decision-making where women may be obligated to complete more unpaid work or experience less control over resources.

Based on a …

Public Perceptions And Attitudes Toward Domestic Climate Migrants And Migration In The U.S., Brittany Shae Harris

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Increasing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events due to global climate change have an important effect on human migration and relocation. Short-term extreme weather events like floods and wildfires are likely to continue to displace people. Long-term environmental changes like droughts and increasing temperatures may also contribute to increased human migration. This research aimed to better understand how people in the U.S. perceive domestic climate migrants, and what drives these perceptions. First, I investigated the relationship between public climate change risk perceptions and attitudes and perceptions about domestic climate migrants and migration. I found that people tend to rely …

Co-Creating Culturally Inclusive Climate Change Programming: A Qualitative Study With Indigenous Populations In Southeast Utah, Bayli R. Hanson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study explores the impact of climate change on underrepresented communities, particularly Indigenous populations in the Colorado Plateau region, and the negative effects on their cultural identities and traditional practices. Despite their knowledge and connection to the land, Indigenous communities are experiencing climate change at a more extreme rate due to their geographical location and the lasting impacts of settler colonialism. The study aims to better understand Indigenous perspectives of climate change, co-create a climate change curriculum with Indigenous populations in southeastern Utah, and apply it to an Indigenous-centric field experience. By incorporating traditional ecological knowledge and Western science practices, …

Centering Indigenous Knowledge: Reimagining Research Methods, Pedagogies, And Sustainability With Niitsitapi Awaaáhsskataiksi (Blackfoot Elders), Sandra Bartlett Atwood

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

My research sought to better engage with Indigenous ways of knowing and being (IWKB). Specifically, I collaborated with Blackfoot Elders (and Hawaiian Kupuna) to better understand 1) their perspectives towards land, 2) what factors instigate and perpetuate these perspectives, 3) how these perspectives play out in terms of identity; well being; daily life; education; environmental concern, behavior, and stewardship, and 4) ways that these perspectives towards land can inform and transform Western perspectives on land and perhaps lead to better and more equitable social-ecological outcomes. I approached this from three angles. First, I described a method for braiding Indigenous and …

Is Ownership Of Or Proximity To Residential Solar Installations Associated With Environmental Opinions And Civic Engagement?, Jace Colby

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Since 2019, solar energy has represented the largest portion of new electricity generating capacity in the United States. Previous research on who is likely to have installed solar panels on their homes has found some traits, such as political ideology and income, are associated with solar installations but conclusions are inconsistent. This research takes a novel approach by examining how the presence of solar panels, both at the individual and neighborhood level can correlate with an individual’s civic engagement and other characteristics - such as opinions about climate change and energy policies. I analyze multiple waves, or iterations, of large …

Increasing The Impact Of Utah State University's Extension Water Check Program With 5-Second Metering, Mahmud Aveek, David E. Rosenberg, Camilo Bastidas, Jeffery S. Horsburgh, Belize A. Lane, Kelly Kopp, Peter Mayer, Joe Fazio

Reports

Study Goal – Increase the volume of water saved by the Utah State University (USU) Extension landscape Water Check program because outdoor water use is the largest component of residential use with the largest opportunity to reduce use. We used 5-second water use data collected with Flume Smart Home Water Monitoring devices (Figure 1) at residential homes before and after a Water Check (Box 1; Figure 2) to answer four questions:

1. How much water did households save?
2. Which Water Check recommendations did participants implement?
3. Why did participants implement some recommendations and not others?
4. How to further reduce landscape water use?

Rhaphiolepis Indica Fruit Extracts For Control Fusarium Solani And Rhizoctonia Solani, The Causal Agents Of Bean Root Rot, Ahmed A. Heflish, Said I. Behiry, Abdulaziz A. Al-Askar, Yiming Su, Ahmed Abdelkhalek, Mohamed K. Gaber

Civil and Environmental Engineering Faculty Publications

Numerous strategies have been suggested to reduce dependence on synthetic products, such as physical, microbial, and natural methods. Among the natural remedies, plant extracts have emerged as a popular option owing to their eco-friendly character, ease of degradation, and harmless nature to humans. In our study, we used the acetone and hexane extracts of Rhaphiolepis indica fruit to combat two fungal pathogens that were isolated from infected bean plants and showed root rot symptoms. The two pathogens were confirmed to be pathogenic by pathogenicity assays conducted in vivo. The morphological and molecular identification by ITS-region sequencing revealed that the two …

Níksókowaawák As Axiom: The Indispensability Of Comprehensive Relational Animacy In Blackfoot Ways Of Knowing, Being, And Doing, Sandra Bartlett Atwood, Ninna Piiksii (Chief Bird) Mike Bruised Head, Mark W. Brunson, Aahsaopi (State Of Being) Laverne First Rider, Tim Frandy, James Maffie, Aakaomo'tsstaki (Many Victories) Michelle Provost, Miiniipokaa (Berry Child) Peter Weasel Moccasin, Itsiipootsikimskai

Environment and Society Student Research

This paper outlines a proposal, based on Blackfoot worldview, for a collective method to stand alongside Western qualitative and quantitative methods and highlights the value of collective methods in collaborative social-ecological research. Neither qualitative nor quantitative methods are adequate to disclose a world where all things are alive, where “objects” are subjects—agentive beings in their own right. Most Indigenous cultures understand and experience the world as a network of living beings, a collective, with whom they are interrelated/connected and therefore, any efforts to collaborate with Indigenous peoples must acknowledge comprehensive relational animacy. Applying coproduction principles in concert with Blackfoot ways …

Habituated, Tolerant, Or Salt-Conditioned Mountain Goats And Human Safety, Richard B. Harris, Kurt Aluzas, Laura Balyx, Jami Belt, Joel Berger, Mark Biel, Tonya Chilton-Radandt, Steeve D. Côté, Julie Cunningham, Adam Ford, Patti Happe, Chad P. Lehman, Kim Poole, Clifford G. Rice, Kirk Safford, Wesley Sarmento, Laura Wolf

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Interactions between humans and wildlife include a number of consumptive and non-consumptive forms. In some cases, the increased demand for wildlife viewing can precipitate new human–wildlife conflicts. Mountain goats (Oreamnos americanus; goats) are native to a number of North American mountain ranges from southeastern Alaska to southwestern Montana, USA. Goat habitat typically consists of steep terrain and cold weather habitats, which has left them particularly vulnerable to climate change. Their alpine environments also make them vulnerable to disturbance by aircraft and land-based motorized human activity. We reviewed and characterized situations in which goats in close proximity to humans …

Do Trap-Neuter-Return (Tnr) Practices Contribute To Human–Coyote Conflicts In Southern California?, Danielle M. Bucklin, Jennifer M. Shedden, Niamh M. Quinn, Robert Cummings, Paul Stapp

Human–Wildlife Interactions

One possible contributor to the unusually high number of conflicts between coyotes (Canis latrans) and people in urban southern California, USA, may be the abundance of free-roaming domestic cats (Felis catus; cats) subsidized by feeding and augmented by trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs. To determine if coyotes regularly prey on and consume cats, we combined visual and molecular-genetic approaches to identify prey items in stomachs of 311 coyotes from Los Angeles County and Orange County, provided to the South Coast Research and Extension Center, in Irvine, California, between June 2015 and December 2018. We detected cat remains in …

Human Appropriation Of Net Primary Production Through Crops, Grazing, And Forestry In The U.S. From 1997 To 2012, Suman Paudel

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This dissertation conducts a county-level analysis of human appropriation of net primary production (HANPP) harvested from crops, timber and grazing in the conterminous United States in the years 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012. This study consists of three manuscripts (Chapters 2, 3, and 4). The first study quantifies net primary production in US counties in 1997, 2002, 2007 and 2012. The detailed HANPP study conducted concludes that HANPP is a valuable footprint tool for analyzing land use intensity and agricultural ecosystems. The second manuscript shows how HANPP is an improved or modernized ecological footprint and is a sustainable indicator as …

Examining Geographic Variations In Disaster Preparedness Across The United States And Puerto Rico, Forest Kane Cook

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Disaster events, such as floods, wildfires, and earthquakes increasingly cause damage to livelihoods, the economy, and the environment. Preparing for these events to occur is an important part of increasing resilience, however studies have found that households are generally not prepared for these events to happen. When it comes to identifying where these households are, there is typically no related tool or series of maps that can indicate location. In order to fill this gap, we use public survey data from FEMA to create estimates of household preparedness across a number of actions, such as developing an evacuation plan or …

Orange County Parks Trail Use Designation Pilot Project, Christopher Monz, Noah Creany

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

This report provides an analysis and summary of the survey research findings from the Orange County (OC) Parks Trail Use Designation Pilot Project conducted during the summer of 2021. Repeat ecological monitoring flights were completed in May 2022 and the analysis and findings of the ecological effects of the Trail Use Designation Pilot Project will be delivered in a forthcoming addendum to this report.

A Dynamic Relationship With Wilderness: Comparing Day And Multi-Day Visitors' Indicators Of Quality In Wilderness Settings, Caleb Meyer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The length of stay in wilderness areas is declining and, in many areas, day visitors comprise most of all use. Most prior research exploring this trend took place in the 1990s and few studies of wilderness visitation account for the increase in outdoor recreation participation over the last decade. Lack of understanding surrounding this trend raises questions about managerial and philosophical approaches to the recreation-wilderness relationship. This study explored these topics within visitor use management approaches used by the National Park Service, which manages the proposed Glen Canyon Wilderness, near Escalante, Utah, where this research took place.

Results of this …

Stewards And Conservationists: Merging Moral Norms And The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand Altruistic Conservation Behavior Among Hunters In Southwestern Utah, Jacob C. Richards

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The leading cause of mortality in California Condors (condors) is lead poisoning, which occurs when condors ingest lead-based ammunition left in carcasses. As a critically endangered species with approximately 115 individuals remaining in the American southwest, increasing the adoption of non-lead ammunition is essential to the recovery of the species. In Utah, the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) uses communication with hunters as the primary tool for increasing the adoption of non-lead ammunition in southwestern Utah. In this research, we use social science theory and data collected from a survey of hunters throughout the region to develop a strategic communication …

A Social-Ecological Approach To Understanding The Structure, Function, And Challenges Faced By Fisheries, Chase C. Lamborn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fisheries throughout the world play many important roles, and they are also subject to many pressures. The tension between roles and pressures is increasing, and as a result, many fisheries are being utilized to, or over their capacity, which ultimately threatens their sustainability. To address these challenges, this dissertation provides insights and tools to help us better understand fisheries and the challenges they face. The first study explores the impacts of an earlier spring runoff in Montana. Earlier runoff has resulted in lower and warmer summer flows, which is stressing coldwater species like trout. This stress is affecting fishing quality, …

Community Solar Dehydrator Plans, Kate Weigel, Roslynn Mccann

All Current Publications

As interest in home gardening and self sufficiency surged during the pandemic, many are looking for ways to preserve foods from their newfound harvests. This fact sheet provides an overview of how to build a community solar food dehydrator for food preservation, based on our experience doing so for the community of Moab, Utah. A list of needed building materials, tools, and specific plans are included.

Stakeholder Acceptance Of Wild Equid Fertility Control Mirrors Global Shifts In Attitudes To Wildlife Management, Giovanna Massei, Stephanie L. Boyles Griffin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wild equid (horses [Equus ferus] and burros [E. asinus]) populations have increased on public lands in the United States since the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act of 1971. As of March 1, 2022, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) estimated that wild equid populations on designated herd management areas (HMAs) may exceed 82,000 animals. In 2020, the total population of wild equids in the United States was estimated to exceed 300,000 animals. The BLM sets an appropriate management level (AML) for wild horse and burro herds on each HMA and removes animals …

The Impact Of Covid-19 On Wildlife Strike Rates In The United States, Dan Parsons, Michael Malouf, Wayne Martin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Shortly after the COVID-19 pandemic impacted air traffic, industry bodies warned of the potential increase in wildlife strike risk. Prior to the pandemic, wildlife strikes were already a concern to the industry. We sought to evaluate industry warnings using interrupted time series analysis of wildlife strike trends in the United States. Using pre-pandemic wildlife strike trends, we compared a forecast of the expected monthly strike rates through the COVID-19 impact period (March 2020 to December 2020) to the actual wildlife strike rates for the same period. Our results showed an increase in wildlife strike rates in 5 out of the …

Texas Stakeholders’ Knowledge And Perceptions Of Chronic Wasting Disease Risks: Implications For Wildlife Agency Communications, Elena C. Rubino, Christopher Serenari

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a fatal neurological disease impacting cervids. The disease can move swiftly through populations, making CWD management a priority for wildlife agencies across the United States. Stakeholder perceptions of CWD may shape behaviors that can negatively impact wildlife agencies. Thus, agencies need comprehensive assessments of stakeholder risk perceptions and enhanced understandings of how perceptions are formed to improve communications. Using a mail- and online-based questionnaire to collect data from September 2020 through January 2021, we surveyed 503 hunters throughout the state of Texas, USA, and 481 Texas landowners who owned property in CWD-affected counties to better …

Machine Learning As A Tool For Wildlife Management And Research: The Case Of Wild Pig-Related Content On Twitter, Lauren M. Jaebker, Hailey E. Mclean, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Keith M. Carlisle, Tara L. Teel, Alan D. Bright, Aaron M. Anderson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a non-native, invasive species that cause considerable damage and transmit a variety of diseases to livestock, people, and wildlife. We explored Twitter, the most popular social media micro-blogging platform, to demonstrate how social media data can be leveraged to investigate social identity and sentiment toward wild pigs. In doing so, we employed a sophisticated machine learning approach to investigate: (1) the overall sentiment associated with the dataset, (2) online identities via user profile descriptions, and (3) the extent to which sentiment varied by online identity. Results indicated that the largest groups of online …

Public Perception Of Uas And Vertiports In The Wastach Front Survey Results, Brent C. Chamberlain, Katelynn Hall, Keunhyun Park

Browse all Datasets

This project aims to further understand the current public perception of UAS and their integration into residential areas for package delivery through the development of vertiports The survey also aims to identify evidence of NIMBY (not in my backyard) in these perceptions. The survey specifically asked participants about demographics, familiarity with UAV, perceptions of UAV, and perceptions of vertiports through 6 different potential vertiport placements in residential of community center focused areas.