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My Research |
| For the past ten years, I have continued my initial academic interest in environmental problems and solutions, but I have also pursued three other avenues of inquiry. Disability policy has been of personal interest to me because of my mother’s polio and the experiences of my dissertation advisor at Berkeley, Sandy Muir. Although I am no longer as deeply involved in this topic as I was a few years ago, I continue to track court cases and legislation related to the rights of persons with disabilities.
Thanks to the encouragement of Hanna Cortner, a former University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University professor, I have begun to focus my environmental policy interests in three areas: forests, natural resources, and national parks. Hanna and I co-authored one book on the Healthy Forests Restoration Act, and we are continuing to work under contract with the U.S. Forest Service in an evaluation of the National Environmental Policy Act. Most recently, I have been fascinated by the subject of natural and human-caused disasters. After Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005, I began to investigate some of the responses of government agencies and non-governmental organizations to this event. As I continue my research, I am examining this event and others through the lens of policy development and change, and I am incorporating this knowledge into new courses. My next major research project will be a study of the U.S. national park system and the various sources of funding for the park units. I will be examining historic trends in park funding, the role of user fees and visitor passes, efforts to privatize park operations and concessionaires, and affiliate groups that support specific parks. |
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