Brett L. Bruyere

Identifying the motivations of environmental volunteers

Abstract The natural environment benefits greatly from the work of volunteers. However, little is known as to why people are willing to volunteer their time to such programs. The study participants were 401 volunteers from six natural resource organizations. The study identified and assessed motivations of volunteers within the conservation and natural resources arena. The results suggest that there are many volunteer motivations, although ‘helping the environment’ clearly emerged as most important. Second-tier motivations included ‘improving areas that volunteers use for their own recreation’, ‘expressing their values’, ‘learning about the natural environment’ and ‘socializing with people with similar interests’. Managers need to consider these motivations, developing programs in order to provide volunteers with an experience that meets their motivations. By developing programs with volunteer motivations in mind, managers will better be able to recruit and retain volunteers within their organizations.

Enhancing Importance-Performance Analysis Through Segmentation

Abstract This article demonstrates how importance-performance analysis (IPA) and segmentation can be effectively used as a tool to measure user satisfaction with the recreational opportunities in a parks and recreation district of a gateway community. Data were obtained from three different segments of the gateway population-year-round residents, seasonal residents, and tourists. Results indicated that importance-performance evaluations varied among the three segments. Segmentation was found to be a necessary component of IPA in order to identify differences between distinct user groups that allow for more accurate planning and decision making. Additionally this article examines how the adjustment of importance and performance crosshairs can enhance IPA beyond more traditional approaches.

Differences in perceptions of communication, tourism benefits, and management issues in a protected area of rural Kenya.

With record-breaking tourist visits in Kenya in 2005–2006, communities near the country’s renowned protected areas must undertake or revisit planning efforts to conserve and enhance the region’s natural, social, and economic resources. This article examines the differences between two stakeholder groups in the Samburu region of central Kenya: (1) protected area leadership and staff; and (2) members of the communities adjacent to the protected areas. Based on the results and analysis of 30 in-depth interviews, the authors identify differences between protected area staff and their community members regarding perceptions about communication between the two groups, and the economic benefits of tourism. The different stakeholders agreed, however, about challenges related to equitable distribution of tourism-based employment and revenue. The results indicate a need to reach consensus about what constitutes sufficient communication between national reserves and their community, and to what extent tourism-related revenue and employment should be distributed within the region. A discussion of the potential role of indicators and standards to make such decisions is presented.

Strategies for Communicating About Climate Change Impacts on Public Lands

Natural resource agencies in the United States have a huge responsibility to protect and manage public lands as well as effectively communicate with diverse publics about land management issues. One of these issues is how best to deal with the impacts of climate change on our nation’s treasured landscapes. Fortunately, a recent surge of research and theorizing in the social sciences on communication about climate change can inform natural resource communication efforts. What insights can scholars share with communication practitioners and public land managers? What communication principles will help them create effective strategies for communicating about climate change? How can scholars best communicate the complexity of climate change impacts and nuances of changes at landscape scales? To begin to address these questions, Colorado State University researchers, in partnership with the Office of the Governor of the State of Colorado, hosted a 3-day workshop on the challenges and opportunities associated with communicating about climate change on public lands in the western United States. This commentary summarizes ideas generated from workshop discussions, including 9 key messages and 10 key principles for effective climate change communication in a land management context.

Appropriate Benefits for Outdoor Programs Targeting Juvenile Male Offenders.

This article identifies the appropriate benefits upon which outdoor programs serving juvenile male offenders should be based. Recommendations are based on a multi-disciplinary review of more than 50 articles, texts and related literature published in the fields of social work, criminal justice, psychology and outdoor recreation. Drawing from research and theories that address why youth engage in delinquent behavior, as well as theories regarding the developmental needs of adolescent males, suggestions are presented regarding appropriate and realistic outcomes on which to base the design of outdoor programs. Additionally, a review of research concerning youth development and delinquency intervention is used as a basis for advocating specific intangible components that outdoor programs should include.

Service-Learning and Natural Resource Leadership

This paper reports on a study conducted in a service-learning protected-areas management class at Colorado State University, Warner College of Natural Resources. The research questions addressed for this paper were “What are the leadership skills needed in todays culture of protected-area management?” and “Can service-learning nurture such leadership characteristics for protected area management undergraduate students?” The researchers investigated and identified the characteristics of effective leadership in the context of natural resource management through a literature review and a brief student survey and, secondly, determined how a service-learning component of a protected-area management course could prepare university students for their future leadership responsibilities. The study identifies indicators of good leadership and suggests that service and reflection serve as a way to learn essential qualities of leadership.

Predicting Participation in Environmental Education by Teachers in Coastal Regions of Tanzania

Theories of responsible environmental behavior (REB) have most often been applied in developed countries and to direct forms of REB such as recycling and conserving water. This study applied a model of REB to a developing country setting in Tanzania based in part on variables from a Hungerford and Volk (1990) model and targeting an indirect form of behavior: teaching environmental education (EE) to youth. A quantitative survey was developed and administered to 397 teachers from schools in coastal regions of the country. Regression analyses revealed a sequential model in which entry level variables predicted ownership variables, and ownership variables predicted empowerment variables. In addition, cognitive variables were particularly strong in predicting behavioral intent compared to affective variables.

Assessing the Development of Environmental Virtue in 7th and 8th Grade Students in an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound School.

This study attempted to assess the development of environmental virtue in 7th and 8th grade students in an Expeditionary Learning Outward Bound (ELOB) school using an instrument developed for this study—the Childrens Environmental Virtue Scale (CEVS). Data for this study were obtained by administering the CEVS survey (pretest and posttest) to students in an ELOB school (n = 45) that included a 10-week expeditionary learning unit. The internal consistency of the survey instrument was determined using Cronbachs alpha reliability coefficients. Mean environmental virtue scores were compared using paired samples t-tests. Significant results indicated a decrease in the mean environmental virtue scores for students who participated in the expeditionary learning unit. Limitations of the study are presented.

Legitimizing Local Perspectives in Conservation through Community-Based Research: A Photovoice Study in Samburu, Kenya

In the remote region of Samburu East District in north-central Kenya, applied community-based participatory action research (CBPAR) may provide a way forward for realizing conservation goals. Past evaluations of community-based approaches have yielded mixed results, and no standardized method has emerged for how to best conduct such research with marginalized populations living in and around conservation areas. In this article, photovoice is evaluated as a strategy for realizing community-based research goals by addressing three core criteria: community-centered control, reciprocal knowledge production, and outcome-oriented results. Results indicated that the Samburu photovoice project legitimized local perspectives on conservation by involving park rangers and scouts, local teachers, researchers, and youth in a creative strategy to identify viable resource management options in their community. The photovoice method was determined as meeting the three criteria of successful CBPAR strategies. Implications for use as a methodology in Kenya and in other conservation contexts are discussed.

Youth Experiences with Wildlife During a Period of Significant Cultural Change in Laikipia, Kenya

In Laikipia, Kenya, youth are increasingly likely to attend school and less likely to spend time in the landscape as pastoralists when compared with preceding generations. A possible unintended outcome of this transition is a change in how youth experience and relate to wildlife. This article addressed the research question: How do youth in Laikipia experience wildlife? When asked to share an essay about a personal experience with wildlife, most of the respondents recalled negative direct experiences that involved human–wildlife conflict. Negative emotions were expressed more often than positive emotions. Since these experiences may contribute to an overall attitude about wildlife, the result is potentially troubling. This paradoxical outcome of greater access to education and less time spent in the landscape may lead to a future generation of decision-makers with an ambivalent or negative attitude toward wildlife.