Date: Wednesday, October 28th from 1-2 pm (MDT)
Hosted by: Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, Utah State University

Visitation to many national parks reaches record levels every year. Many national forests are struggling to maintain trails and campgrounds under the weight of more intense and diverse use. And long lines at the entrances to popular state parks are not uncommon. Undoubtedly, outdoor recreation is booming. With the population of the American West growing, and becoming increasingly diverse, land managers face a daunting challenge of providing the outdoor recreation opportunities the public demand, while conserving natural environments. This panel discussion provides a prospective for how public land managers are developing and implementing solutions to keeping our parks and public lands from “being loved to death.” Panelists will be discussing the diverse tools that managers are exploring to maintain outdoor recreation experiences and the environments upon which they depend.

Panelists:

Jeff Mow, Glacier National Park, National Park Service

Jeff Mow became the 22nd Superintendent of Glacier National Park in August 2013. A 31-year veteran of the National Park Service, Mow served 21 of those years in Alaska at various parks including Kenai Fjords, Denali, Glacier Bay, and Gates of the Arctic. Mow studied environmental education at Carleton College and geology at the University of Michigan. He has served as Rotary Club President, Mayor of Alaska’s smallest incorporated city, and community EMT and volunteer firefighter. Mow and his family enjoy a variety of winter activities and in the “off-season” they appreciate the hiking, biking, and paddling opportunities Montana offers.

Michiko Martin, Recreation, Heritage & Volunteer Resources, USDA Forest Service

Michiko Martin is the Director of Recreation, Heritage & Volunteer Resources for the USDA Forest Service and leads efforts to connect people to the outdoors through our Nation’s forests and grasslands and to inspire the next generation of conservation leaders. Michiko Martin joined the USDA Forest Service in 2014 as the Director of Conservation Education, State & Private Forestry, Washington Office. A native of the Ryukyuan Islands, Michiko earned a Bachelor of Science, Physical Oceanography at the United States Naval Academy. She later earned post-graduate degrees, including a Master’s of Science degree in oceanographic engineering jointly conferred by Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute; and, a Master’s degree in educational leadership at Troy State University.

Lewis Ledford, National Association of State Park Directors

Lewis Ledford serves as the Executive Director of the National Association of State Park Directors. The NASPD is the non-profit organization whose membership represents America’s State Parks that encompass 6,792 areas, including parks, recreation areas, natural areas, historic and scientific sites comprising more than 18 million acres with visitation exceeding more than 813 million visitors annually. Lewis has given multiple testimonies in Congress advocating for parks, conservation, and the Land and Water Conservation Fund. He recently completed six years of service on the National Recreation and Parks Association Board of Directors and chaired the Public Policy Committee. He currently chairs the NC State College of Natural Resources Foundation; chairs the Federal Advisory Board, RRAC, for the US Forest Service 13-state southern region; serves on the North Carolina Parks and Recreation Authority (trust fund), and is active with other national and state associations and charitable organizations. 

Chris Monz, Utah State University

Chris Monz a Professor of Recreation Resources Management in the Department of Environment and Society at Utah State University. He has also served as a Professor of Environmental Studies at St. Lawrence University in New York, the Academic Dean of Sterling College in Vermont and the Research Director for the National Outdoor Leadership School in Wyoming. His PhD is in Recreation Resources from Colorado State University, and he also holds an MS in ecology and BA in biology. He teaches courses in wildland recreation management, ecological impacts of recreation, public lands planning and conservation, nature-based tourism, and interpretation. He has conducted research on the ecological aspects of recreation throughout the US and internationally in Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Australia, and was a Fulbright Scholar in Norway for the 2013-14 academic year. He has authored three textbooks including Wildland Recreation: Ecology and Management. 

Moderator:

Jordan Smith, Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, Utah State University

Jordan is the Director of the Institute of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism at Utah State University. Jordan's work focuses on understanding of how outdoor recreation is changing across the American West. His goal is to provide natural resource professionals, elected officials, private industry, and the general public with a scientifically grounded understanding of how to best manage outdoor recreation.