The Lab

Will is Assistant Professor of Outdoor Recreation and Wildland Management in the Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Program and Department of Society and Conservation at the University of Montana. His research seeks to provide wildland recreation managers with social science to improve the experiences of all visitors while preserving the ecosystems that support those experiences. This agenda focuses broadly on improving measurement and management of demand for recreational ecosystem services (e.g., physical, mental, and social wellbeing) in parks and protected areas. More specifically, he's interested in the personal and social outcomes demanded by wildland recreationists and developing innovative tools and measures that can be used by public land managers to ensure the sustainable attainment of these outcomes. 

Will's research has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, National Geographic, NPR's Science Friday and Planet Money, USA Today, and other international outlets. He has served as an invited lecturer in the National Academy of Sciences Distinctive Voices lecture series and represented the outdoor recreation research community as an invited witness providing testimony in a 2022 congressional hearing on visitor use management in U.S. national parks.

Will previously served as a Directorate Fellow with the Alaska region of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and as a trail crew member and ranger with the National Park Service in Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Cape Cod, the Missouri River, and Grand Canyon. In 2015, he became Clemson University's first recipient of the Udall Scholarship.

Learn more about Will's work here.

Miranda is a graduate of Scripps College with a Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Analysis, and an emphasis on geology and environmental justice. It was during her time in Southern California that she realized the value of the interface between hard natural science and socially-focused environmental justice studies in fostering environmental advocacy. She is excited to join the lab as a student researcher in her hometown and take the next steps toward a career in public service that combines science and her passion for natural resource preservation.

Miranda joins the Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab as an M.S. Candidate in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management.

Born and raised in Virginia’s Shenandoah Valley, Hayley has developed a deep sense of comfort and belonging in the outdoors. After earning a B.S. in Natural Resources Conservation from Virginia Tech in 2020, she moved to Washington state to gain experience in leadership, community engagement, and environmental education through two service positions with AmeriCorps. In her most recent term as an AmeriCorps Interpretive Naturalist at Deception Pass State Park, she grew curious to learn more about who is (and who isn’t) visiting parks, and she is interested in researching the barriers to overall participation in outdoor recreation. Other research interests include improving equity, accessibility, and inclusivity in recreation, all while being sustainable on impacted resources. Hayley enjoys hiking, backpacking, and calling birds and trees by name, and she looks forward to exploring her new home in Montana. 

Hayley joins the Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab as an M.S. Candidate in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management.

Originally from New Hampshire, Julia completed her B.A. in Environmental Studies and Anthropology at Amherst College. Following seasons in the backcountry of Ontario, New England, Washington State, and Alaska, Julia settled at Yellowstone National Park for the last few years. There she worked for the National Park Service as the Youth Conservation Corps Director, as an Education Technician, and as an Interpretive Ranger. She has also worked as a field educator for the park’s nonprofit partner, Yellowstone Forever; on the Yellowstone Wolf and Cougar Project’s winter predation study; and on the American Canid Project, a study of habituation and behavioral adaptations to a human-dominated landscape in North America. Julia is passionate about outdoor access and education as tools to foster kinship and stewardship. She is eager to bring together a background of social and biological sciences to study the impacts of recreational soundscapes on animals. In her free time, Julia can be found backpacking, skiing, climbing, and volunteering for SAR and EMS teams. 

Julia joins the Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab as an M.S. Candidate in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management.

Lolo was born in Browning, Montana. She eventually found herself in Missoula and joined ranks with the Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab. Her primary research interests lie in micro-timber mechanics and transportation, predictive modeling of food-to-bowl delivery systems, and the restorative properties of abdominal massage. In her free time, Lolo enjoys hiking, eating, sunbathing, and napping—preferably in that order. Lolo obtained the title of B.A.R.K. Ranger from Curecanti National Recreation Area and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park in 2022 and 2023, respectively, in recognition of her tireless commitment to Leave No Trace.

She is a very good girl.