Sociology Commons^™

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships -- Interagency Volunteer Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Volunteer database increased 8% over last quarter. Database now contains 2,923 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 51,568 hits per month, with an average of 4,985 pages viewed per month (12.4% increase in pages viewed).
• Team charter approved and signed by federal managers and IVP team.
• Volunteer orientation and training in 11 subject areas delivered to 80 volunteers.
• Recognition Banquet and Awards Ceremony recognized 180 volunteers.
• Volunteer event list revised for 2007.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Don’t Trash Nevada roll-out event held on October 12, 2006.

• Program website launched.

• 74 people have taken the on-line anti-litter and dumping pledge.

• Public-private partnership with Republic Services of Southern Nevada generated $11,917.97 in donations to Don’t Trash Nevada.

• Conducted 3 volunteer and 1 alternative workforce clean-ups this quarter.

• Fulfilled deliverable of 12 clean-ups for 2006 (9 volunteer / 3 alternative workforce).

• 16 volunteer clean-ups scheduled for 2007. • Two tons of agency-generated paper recycled this quarter, saving 14,000 gallons of water, 34 trees, and almost 8 cubic yards of landfill space.

• …

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships: Cultural Site Stewardship Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Cultural Site Stewardship Program

• The Cultural Site Stewardship Program now has 249 enrolled site stewards, an increase of 732% since program inception in 2004.

• Four training classes were held in 2006, adding 72 new stewards.

• Site Stewards reported 55 significant impacts during the 12-month period compared to 25 impacts during the same period last year.

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Cate Weeks, Shane Bevell, Mamie Peers, Lori Bachand

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Connecting A Disconnected Youth To The Outdoor World, Daphne Sewing, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (DM)

• Understand the components of an effective program that connects youth to the natural world.
• Develop ideas for integrating these components into your existing programs.
• Program effectiveness.
• What we can do as environmental educators.

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships - Interagency Volunteer Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Volunteer database increased 9.5% over last quarter. Database now contains 2,698 records.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 42,488 hits per month, with an average of 4,435 pages viewed per month (3.6% decrease in pages viewed).
• Volunteer recognition ceremony scheduled for November 4 at the Renaissance Hotel, Las Vegas.
• Fall 2006 volunteer training schedule finalized.
• National Public Lands Day volunteer projects successfully executed at Red Rock Canyon NCA and Lake Mead NRA, with a total of 232 community volunteers contributing more than 1,000 hours toward clean-up and restoration of Southern Nevada’s public lands.
• Team charter presented to the federal …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Team members have been meeting regularly with other interagency teams to plan for the upcoming messaging campaign roll-out event, set for October 12, 2006.

• The Interagency Anti-Litter Team recycled over a ton of paper this quarter.

• A task order modification request was completed, submitted, and approved this quarter. The request will make more funds available for the messaging campaign.

• A multi-pronged media buy for the messaging campaign has been planned this quarter and will be initiated in October.

• The Anti-Litter Team worked with the Nevada Division of Forestry to complete Phase Two of a clean-up …

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships: Cultural Site Stewardship Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Cultural Site Stewardship Program

• The Cultural Site Stewardship Program maintained 230 active site stewards, an increase of 674% since program inception.

• One optional training class was held this quarter focusing on GPS use and navigation.

• Site Stewards reported 51 significant impacts during the 12-month period compared to 25 impacts during the same period last year.

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships - Interagency Volunteer Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending June 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Volunteer database increased 12% over last quarter. Database now contains 2,471 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 52,987 hits per month, with an average of 4,596 pages viewed per month (28% increase in pages viewed).
• Spring training sessions were delivered to 180 community volunteers.
• 1,400 public lands volunteers were recognized during National Volunteer Week.
• Volunteer events were successfully executed in Red Rock Canyon NCA and the Spring Mountains NRA, with 189 community volunteers contributing more than 1,000 hours.

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships: Cultural Site Stewardship Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending June 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Cultural Site Stewardship Program

• The Cultural Site Stewardship Program now has 229 enrolled site stewards, a 6% increase this quarter and an increase of 674% since program inception.
• One training class was held this quarter and generated 13 new site stewards.
• Seventeen significant cultural site impacts were reported during the quarter. Site Stewards reported 49 significant impacts during the 9 month period compared to 18 impacts during the same period last year.
• Two sets of Volunteer Regional Coordinators were appointed, for a total of 4 teams to cover Clark County.
• Thirty-nine new site stewards were assigned this quarter, and a total of 148 critical …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, Carol C. Harter, Lori Bachand, Cate Weeks, Mamie Peers

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Symbolic Interaction Theory And Architecture, Ronald W. Smith, Valerie Bugni

Sociology Faculty Research

Architectural sociology is receiving renewed attention but still remains a neglected area of investigation. As a major theoretical perspective within sociology, symbolic interaction helps us understand how the designed physical environment and the self are intertwined, with one potentially influencing and finding expression in the other; how architecture contains and communicates our shared symbols; and how we assign agency to some of our designed physical environment, which then invites in a different kind of self-reflection. This article discusses numerous instances of symbolic interaction theory–architecture connections, with applied examples showing how symbolic interactionists and architects can collaborate on projects to the …

Clarifying The Role Of Self-Efficacy And Metacognition As Indicators Of Learning: Construct Development And Test, Trevor T. Moores, Jerry Cha-Jan Chang, Deborah K. Smith

Management, Entrepreneurship and Technology Faculty Research

We propose extending our understanding of self-efficacy by comparing self-efficacy with a related construct called metacognition. Metacognition involves the monitoring and control of one's thought processes and is often related, as is self-efficacy, to performance on a task. We develop an instrument that attempts to measure both self-efficacy and metacognition with respect to one's performance on a test covering declarative and procedural knowledge (knowing that, and knowing how) of DFDs and ERDs. With data collected from a sample of 124 students, we use partial least squares (PLS) to show that self-efficacy and metacognition are distinct yet related constructs. While self-efficacy …

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships -- Interagency Volunteer Program & Cooperative Conservation Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Interagency volunteer database now contains 2,211 records, reflecting 404 new volunteer records this quarter, a 22% increase over last quarter.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 35,798 hits per month, with an average of 3,337 pages viewed per month.
• Volunteer events were successfully executed in Sloan Canyon NCA, Spring Mountains NRA, and Lake Mead NRA.
• Interagency training was delivered to 70 volunteers.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• A community-based roundtable met three times this quarter to suggest goals and objectives for the anti-litter strategic plan.

• Project Manager Doug Joslin is representing the public lands on a Clark County Recycling Advisory Committee, which met twice this quarter.

• Four public service announcements were produced by UNLV students, with one selected by the team for use in the Southern Nevada messaging campaign.

• The Clint Eastwood Take Pride in America PSA aired 74 times in January 2006 and was viewed by 116,802 people.

• The interagency team has begun arrangements for paper recycling in partnership with the …

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships: Cultural Site Stewardship Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Cultural Site Stewardship Program

• Active stewards in the program now total 210, an increase of 22% over last quarter and 618% since program inception.
• Nine additional cultural site impacts resulting in measurable damages were reported this quarter. Site stewards reported 25 cultural site impacts for 6 months beginning 10/1/05 compared with 25 impacts reported for 12 months ending 9/30/05.
• Monitoring program for Red Rock Canyon NCA adopted and implemented.
• Two site steward training classes presented this quarter, producing 41 new stewards.
• Optional training class on Archaeological Record of Southern Nevada presented to 28 site stewards.

Inside Unlv, Cate Weeks, Shane Bevell, Carol C. Harter, Tony Allen, Diane Russell, Mamie Peers

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Addiction And Substance Abuse In Nevada, An-Pyng Sun, Larry Ashley

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Substance abuse is known to cause a host of problems for individual users, their communities, and society as a whole. Its cost is staggering, as measured by lost productivity, medical illness, serious injuries, and premature death, as well as by resources required to run criminal justice system and special education programs (Meara & Frank, 2005). The substance abuse problem is global in scope. Consider these figures released by the United Nations’ 2005 World Drug Report[WDR] (United Nations, Office on Drug and Crime, 2005),

• In 2003-2004, about 200 million people, or 5% of the world’s population age 15-64, had used illicit …

Economic Trends And Forecasts For Nevada, Bengte Evenson, R. Keith Schwer, William Cope

Social Health of Nevada Reports

With the exception of some difficulties following the events of September 11, 2001 , the economy of the state of Nevada has been doing very well since the mid-1980’s. Employment has increased dramatically, outpacing job growth anywhere else in the country. This has drawn workers to Nevada, leading to record in-migration, especially recently. With robust growth in both employment and population, spending as measured by GSP is healthy. The economic forecast for Nevada predicts continued positive growth in the short run, after which growth will decline to a more normal rate.

Taxation Burden And Fairness In Nevada, Bernard Malamud, Marc Hechter

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Nevada has long been a low-tax state. In a 1968 study, The Amount and Source of State Taxes in Nevada, Robert Rieke reported taxes on Nevada residents were considerably below the national average as a fraction of income. These taxes were regressive, falling more heavily on low income Nevadans than on high income Nevadans.

Income Distribution And Poverty In Nevada, David R. Dickens Jr., Christina Morales

Social Health of Nevada Reports

In his famous visit to the U.S. early in the nineteenth century, the French observer Alexis de Tocqueville was surprised by what he saw as “an equality of condition” in his travels around the country. Although he commented on the existence of wealth in the new nation, he was impressed by what he saw as its relative lack of concentration (de Tocqueville 1969). Recent studies by social historians, however, suggest that de Tocqueville was mistaken. In their examination of tax forms, old census documents, and probate records, these scholars document a high degree of inequality, particularly wealth inequality (Hurst 2004). …

Employment And Labor Relations In Nevada, Anastasia H. Prokos

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Nevada generally gets high marks for its labor market conditions, sustained economic growth, and high standards of living. Compared to the employment situation in many other regions, Nevada does indeed post impressive numbers. Yet, a closer look at the local employment and occupation structure reveals a complex pattern requiring a nuanced assessment. While some workers in Nevada have high earnings, median wages for year-round workers are no higher than the national average. Nevada has low unemployment rates and a robust union movement, but many jobs in the state are in the service sector that offers relatively low salaries and few …

Housing Availability And Homelessness In Nevada, Kurt Borchard

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Housing availability is a crucial issue for most citizens, and it serves as a basic indicator of quality of life in a region. The United States has a long history of programs encouraging access to housing. The Homesteading Act of 1862 helped develop the Western United States, and it continues today. The act originally allowed 160 acres of land to be given to a citizen through a lottery, provided that he or she make improvements to the property, including clearing a portion of the land, building a house, and paying land tax. The G.I. Bill of Rights, signed in …

Aging Trends And Challenges In Nevada, Jennifer Reid Keene, Kathryn Mcclain

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Societal aging is one of the most important social trends of the 21 st century. It affects our political, social, and economic institutions and also the nature of our interpersonal and family relationships (Quadagno 2005). In the coming decades, both as individuals and as a society, we will have to make important decisions regarding the consequences of our aging population. Policy makers, families, businesses, local, state, and federal governments, health care providers will all be faced with the challenges of meeting the needs of the growing older population in the U.S. and in Nevada.

Nonprofits And Philanthropy In Nevada, Jessica Word

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Nevada is a study in contrasts: the rural North and the urban jungle of Las Vegas, the wealth of millionaires gambling in high end casinos contrasting with the plight of those struggling to make ends meet, the beauty and majesty of the Nevada landscape versus the over-the-top sparkle of neon on the “Strip.” Deep contrasts for which Nevada is famous permeate its nonprofit sector. While it is growing rapidly and achieving tangible results, this sector faces serious problems that threaten to undermine the quality of life in the Silver State. Nevada urgently needs to augment its nonprofit sector resources, streamline …

Sex Industry And Sex Workers In Nevada, Kate Hausbeck, Barbara G. Brents, Crystal Jackson

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Timeworn but true, it is undeniable that “sex sells” and perhaps nowhere is this more evident than in Las Vegas, the symbolic center of the commercial sex industry and America’s own “Sin City.” To understand the commercial sex industry in Las Vegas and the Nevada sex industry more generally, we need to understand how local patterns reflect the larger trends in the nation and the world.

Art And Cultural Participation In Nevada, Robert Tracy

Social Health of Nevada Reports

On October 31, 1864 the Nevada Territory entered the Union as the 36 th state. Because this official designation or recognition took place during the height of the American Civil War, it seemed appropriate to officials that the state motto “Battle Born” be adopted. Over the years the area of land known as Nevada has been called by such interesting and divergent names as Sierra Nevada Territory; Washoe Territory; Carson Territory; Eastern Slope Territory; Humboldt Territory; Esmeralda Territory; Sierra Plata Territory; Oro Plata; and Bullion. Shortly after becoming a state, Nevada adopted two nicknames: the Silver State and …

Religious And Denominational Problems In Nevada, Noel Tiano

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Ever since the earliest civilizations, humans have sought to make sense of their relationship with other beings, the universe, and the unknown through religious beliefs and practices. Shamans and healers interpreted phenomena for their followers, nuns cared for the sick and dying, ministers spearheaded anti-slavery movements, and religious activists joined campaigns for prison reform, worked for charitable organizations, and promoted novel educational institutions. Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr., the Dalai Lama and other world leaders with strong religious convictions have shown us what love in action means

Conclusion: Social Capital And The Quality Of Life In Nevada, Craig Walton

Social Health of Nevada Reports

Our contributors have presented data and analyses which bring up questions Nevadans need to raise when they talk about the kind of home we want Nevada to be. We must take seriously their findings, their recommendations, and their pleas for help. These social indicators must be re-visited periodically. We make a beginning today, but we need to sustain public discussion of these problems of poor social capital in our home town and home state. Aristotle mentioned that a large number of people in one place does not make a community – practices, customs, institutions, and a shared moral culture change …

Immigration And Ethnic Diversity In Nevada, Thomas C. Wright

Social Health of Nevada Reports

In a few decades, non-Hispanic whites will constitute a bare majority in the United States. If current demographic trends continue,

• By 2050, the Hispanic population will more than double, the Asian population will double, and the African-American population will grow at a faster pace than non-Hispanic whites.

These developments promise to bring profound changes in the country’s ethnic and racial landscape. Many of these demographic trends are on display in the Silver State.