Matthew T.J. Brownlee, Ph.D.
|
Name, academic degree: |
Matthew T.J. Brownlee, Ph.D. |
|
Academic title: |
Assistant Professor Coordinator of the Natural Resources Recreation Planning and Management emphasis area |
|
Affiliation: |
University of Utah, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism |
|
E-mail: |
|
|
Link to CV: |
|
Research Interests/Activities in the Winter project:
His inter-disciplinary research links outdoor recreation and resource management, and provides information to help park and protected area managers plan for, monitor, and evaluate visitor experiences. Dr. Brownlee uses visitor surveys (internet and on-site sampling methods) and photographic methods to help managers evaluate visitors’ 1) on-site behaviors, motivations and benefits, 2) perceptions of environmental conditions, and 3) park crowding and carrying capacities. He also examines how nature-based recreationists’ interactions and attachments to climate-sensitive and impacted environments influence their 1) attitudes towards sustainability initiatives, 2) visitation and recreation behavior, and 3) opinions about global climate change. During the Winter project, Dr. Brownlee and colleagues will address questions related to hard and soft winter adventures, sense of place, and seasonal attributes at Yellowstone National Park. In Phase 1, the University of Utah team will examine hard and soft adventures through a review of park policies, on-site assessments, and interviews with park professionals, guides, tour operators, and winter recreationists. Next they will use results from Phase 1 as a foundation to investigate the relationships between place attachment, specialization, and preferences for management actions through an on-site and follow up survey of winter recreationists (Phase 2). Finally in Phase 3, the researchers will examine winter recreationists’ perceptions and preferences for weather conditions, seasonal attributes, and climatic considerations through on-site |
|
Dr. Brownlee specializes in linking stakeholders’ perspectives about natural resource issues, conditions, and settings with management applications. His research involves work with multiple land management agencies, including U.S. National Park Service units in Alaska, California, the Carolinas, and Georgia. Dr. Brownlee presents frequently at international and regional conferences and publishes his research results in natural resource oriented journals.