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 research concerning visitor use management in parks and protected areas. More specifically, he's interested in guiding innovation across conservation communication, wilderness management, recreation allocation, and the nexus of visitor use and health. 

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 bipartisan 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.

Abi's lifelong passion has been to create spaces for others to grow in the community outdoors. She discovered this passion growing up along the coast and in the deserts of California and affirmed it while studying at Brevard College in North Carolina. Upon graduation, Abi worked as a summer camp director before returning to school to study experiential education and complete a thesis focused on the career impact of graduating from an undergraduate outdoor academic program. A study related to higher education suited her because while she earned her M.S., Abi was the Executive Assistant to the Vice President of Academic Affairs at Brevard College. Academically, she is interested in the social and ecological impacts of adventure sports on public lands and undergraduate outdoor academic programs, while personally, she is interested in sending and receiving mail and mountain biking.

Abi joins the Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab as an Ph.D. student in Forest and Conservation Sciences.

Growing up in Colorado, Adalyn developed a passion for the conservation of the land, water, and wildlife we all depend on. At the University of Wyoming, she received her B.S. in Wildlife and Fisheries Biology and Management as well as a B.S in Environment and Natural Resources with an emphasis in Environmental Justice. After her undergrad, she made her way up to Glacier National Park where she worked as a fisheries technician, assisting on projects for the conservation of native trout species of Montana. It was here that Adalyn discovered she wanted to apply her biology background to the human dimensions of fisheries in not only her Montana community but across the national parks. Her major research interests include how we can create equal fisheries accessibility to all demographics, reduce angler and wildlife conflicts, understand how invasive species and human pressures are impacting native fish populations, and overall increase recreator’s fisheries education and value for conservation. In her free time, Adalyn likes to fly fish, snowboard, cook with her partner and play frisbee with her dog named Otter.

Adalyn joins the Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab as an Ph.D. student in Forest and Conservation Sciences.

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.

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.

Originally from Beaverton, Oregon, Trevor's background is in park maintenance operations and information technology. Trevor's career interest has been to find a blend between technology and park operations. He earned an Associate of General Studies degree from Lane Community College and then spent a year at Oregon State University studying Natural Resources. He has worked for three different municipal park agencies as a Maintenance Worker, as well as being an IT Support Technician at both of his academic institutions.

Trevor is eager to get involved with park operations management utilizing geographic information systems. He joins the lab to undertake research relative to GIS analysis for visitor use management. He enjoys working with his hands, skiing, and camping.

Trevor joins the Wildland and Recreation Management Research Lab as a B.S. student 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.