Exploring Perspectives on Public Land Management in Rural Montana and Idaho

2020 ◽  
pp. 193672442098041
Author(s):  
Rebecca Rasch

This exploratory analysis focuses on current perspectives of rural publics on public land management and posits that demographic shifts in the rural West may be reshaping relationships between rural publics and land managers. Focusing on rural residents in Montana and Idaho (i.e., those living outside of metropolitan or micropolitan counties), this work finds that younger generations and newer residents hold more favorable views of public land managers, compared with the views of older and long-time residents. Interestingly, both support for increasing environmental protections and a history of exposure to vegetation management projects positively predict more favorable views of public land managers. Even for those who favor more preservation of designated Wilderness, exposure to timber harvesting does not negatively affect their views of public land managers, suggesting that rural individuals in the West may now embody a mosaic of values, combining elements of a spiritual preservationist ethic with a pragmatic conservationist approach. This blend of values should provide hope for more fruitful collaborative land management approaches in the future.

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 293
Author(s):  
Sara Souther ◽  
Vincent Randall ◽  
Nanebah Lyndon

Federal land management agencies in the US are tasked with maintaining the ecological integrity of over 2 million km2 of land for myriad public uses. Citizen science, operating at the nexus of science, education, and outreach, offers unique benefits to address socio-ecological questions and problems, and thus may offer novel opportunities to support the complex mission of public land managers. Here, we use a case study of an iNaturalist program, the Tribal Nations Botanical Research Collaborative (TNBRC), to examine the use of citizen science programs in public land management. The TNBRC collected 2030 observations of 34 plant species across the project area, while offering learning opportunities for participants. Using occurrence data, we examined observational trends through time and identified five species with 50 or fewer digital observations to investigate as species of possible conservation concern. We compared predictive outcomes of habitat suitability models built using citizen science data and Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data. Models exhibited high agreement, identifying the same underlying predictors of species occurrence and, 95% of the time, identifying the same pixels as suitable habitat. Actions such as staff training on data use and interpretation could enhance integration of citizen science in Federal land management.


2016 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-87
Author(s):  
Mahendra Sapkota

In many countries of the developing world, the dominant development discourse is being contested by the emergence of different kinds of social movements and the land rights movements in agrarian socieites is not an exception. Despite having a long historical background, critics suggest that the land governance is largely based on state-centric epistemology and less on the pro-poor discourse of movement and struggle. Building on this critique, this paper highlights different issues, challenges and opportunities of the land-based movements particularly in context of western Tarai region of Nepal. The central proposition of the paper is that there are some significant implications and research gaps to be analyzed under the emerging discourse of “land movement” in Nepal. It therefore argues that ‘public land management’ and ‘public land movement’ are two mutually contested phenomena with contradicting actors, strategies, policy gaps, empirical dilemmas and shifting of power dynamics.  


2019 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 357-375
Author(s):  
Alexey A. Tishkin ◽  
Nikolay N. Seregin

Abstract Metal mirrors are important indicators when reconstructing the history of the ancient peoples of Altai on the basis of archaeological materials. Among the latter there are imported products, recorded in the mounds of the Xiongnu time (2nd century BC – 1st century AD). The article gives an overview of the results of a comprehensive study of the mirrors. Only one mirror was found intact, and the rest are represented by fragments. This collection of 19 archaeological items is divided into two groups, reflecting the direction of contacts of the Altai population in this period. The first demonstrates Chinese products that could have entered the region indirectly from the Xiongnu who dominated Inner Asia. Some of them were made in the previous period, but were used for a long time. The analyses of metal alloys from the Yaloman-II site supplements the conclusions made during the visual examination. The second group, through its origin, is associated with the cultures of the so-called Sarmatian circle, whose sites were located to the west of the Altai. A separate section of the article is devoted to a discussion of reconstruction of some aspects of the social history of the nomads and their world.


2020 ◽  
Vol 118 (5) ◽  
pp. 534-547
Author(s):  
Monika M Derrien ◽  
Lee K Cerveny ◽  
David G Havlick

Abstract Many veterans returning from military deployment experience stress- or trauma-related symptoms that make reintegration with civilian society difficult. Nature exposure and outdoor recreation can be important parts of alternative and complementary approaches to reduce symptoms and build on veterans’ pre-existing strengths. Multiple outdoor programs now exist for veterans; many of these occur on federal public lands and present a variety of needs, opportunities, and challenges. This paper relies on interviews (n = 36) with public land managers, program providers and participants, health professionals, and veterans to enhance understanding about outdoor programs for veterans (OPVs). We develop a typology of OPVs to help land managers understand current and potential programs, and then describe programs’ varying dimensions. We examine opportunities and challenges for land managers in their interactions with OPVs. Results inform policymakers and public officials interested in developing more effective institutional partnerships and programs that engage and serve veterans and their communities. Study Implications: With growing scientific evidence of the benefits of nature-based therapy, nature exposure, and outdoor recreation for veterans, programming for veterans on public lands has proliferated. Public land-management agencies vary in the extent to which they have systematically organized to provide opportunities for veterans, developed partnerships to support veterans’ health, and explicitly acknowledged agency roles in serving veterans. We describe seven types of outdoor programs for veterans (OPVs) that currently serve this population: supported outdoor activity; guided outdoor activity; retreat; outdoor job training; stewardship or service; horticulture, farming or gardening; and animal-assisted therapy. Each OPV type has different needs for infrastructure, outdoor spaces, and administrative or programmatic engagement. OPVs occurring on public lands typically involve one or more partner organizations, such as commercial outfitters and guides, health providers, veterans’ associations, foundations, corporations, and research institutions. There is potential for public land-management agencies to expand their role as institutional leaders in support of veterans’ health by facilitating the use of public lands as therapeutic landscapes. By enhancing new and existing relations with OPV providers, health providers, and other government agencies, public land agencies could expand benefits to veterans and spur broader societal benefits.


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