Risk Perceptions of Tick-Borne Diseases in Maine (Current)
This study utilizes social science methodologies and spatial mapping to assess the risk perceptions of disease of visitors and residents in highly frequented recreation hotspots in Maine, including Acadia National Park. The goal of this project is to better understand how Maine recreationists perceive the risk related to various tick-borne diseases in order to better inform future preventive campaigns and intervention strategies. Funding for this project has been provided by the University of Maine RRF Interdisciplinary Undergraduate Research Collaboratives grant, USDA McIntire-Stennis, and USDA-SOAR.
Mountain Livelihood Strategies in a Time of Change: A Case Study of Upper Mustang in Nepal (Completed)
The goal of this study is to gain an in-depth insight into local people's livelihoods and to identify drivers of change, vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies to overcome shocks in the context of global change. The School of Forest Resources has provided funding for this project.
Fostering Coastal Community Resilience in Maine: Understanding Climate Change Risks and Behaviors (Current)
The goal of this project is to increase destination resilience in the face of climate change by understanding stakeholder risk perceptions of climate change and resulting behavioral intentions. This work is in collaboration with Acadia National Park and the communities of Machias, Mount Desert Island, and Camden, Maine. Funding has been provided by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
Managing for Bird Biodiversity in Maine’s Changing Forests (Completed)
Forest birds face many challenges, including habitat fragmentation, climate change, development, and chemical contamination. The Maine woods, which provides critical nesting area for more than 90 species of birds, can play an important role in reversing species decline and protecting birds into the future. We are currently in the early stages of developing a project to learn more about landowner motivations and strategies to manage forests in ways that benefit Maine’s birds.
Fostering Climate Change Resilience: A Socio-Ecological Forest Systems Approach (Current)
The goal of this project is to assess vulnerability and enhance forest socio-ecological resilience to climate change by integrating forest stakeholder risk perceptions with biophysical and social indicators of vulnerability to identify best management strategies to adapt to climate change. This work is supported by UMaine’s Cooperative Forestry Research Unit (CFRU). The AVANGRID Foundation and the United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture Climate and Land Use Program (USDA-NIFA) has provided the funding to make this research possible