Visitor Perceptions of Climate Change on Public Lands
The National Park Service (NPS) and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) protect places, resources, and experiences of importance to the American public. Both bureaus administer high-quality programs of interpretation and education, foster greater site appreciation, and promote shared stewardship. But high-profile, climate-related events now regularly impact public resources, recreational access, visitor experience, and public safety. With even more significant impacts projected for the future, protecting both resources and the public will require effective dialogue about climate change with our visitors.
Overview
Public communication on climate-related topics is a goal for both the NPS and the FWS. Thus, the NPS and FWS seek to better understand visitor perceptions and concerns about climate change to guide on-site communication and engagement efforts of both bureaus. A visitor survey team led by Dr. Jes Thompson (NMU) and Dr. Shawn Davis (Slippery Rock University) gathered important visitor information to help NPS and FWS managers and interpreters prepare climate change educational materials for the public at national parks and national wildlife refuges.
Dr. Thompson and Dr. Davis hired graduate and undergraduate research assistants to survey visitors at national parks and wildlife refuges across the country. This project is a replication and extension of the work that Dr. Thompson and Dr. Davis conducted in 2011 (see: Schweizer, Davis & Thompson, 2013) . The results have been used by NPS and FWS staff for more than a decade and were part of Dr. Thompson's TEDx presentation in 2017.
Site Reports
Visitor Perceptions of Climate Change: National Park System
Visitor Perceptions of Climate Change: National Wildlife Refuge System
Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge
Assateague Island National Seashore
Biscayne National Park
Canaveral National Seashore
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Death Valley National Park
Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge
Everglades National Park
Fort Vancouver National Historic Site
Glacier National Park
Golden Gate National Recreation Area
Grand Teton National Park
Harpers Ferry National Historic Park
Joshua Tree National Park
Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Arthur R. Marshall Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge
Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge
Minnesota Valley National Wildlife Refuge
Mount Rainier National Park
National Elk Refuge
Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Olympic National Park
Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge
Patuxent Research Refuge
Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge
Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Rocky Mountain National Park
Valley Forge National Historical Park
Yosemite National Park
Zion National Park
TEDx Presentation
The impacts of a rapidly changing climate are everywhere, yet we haven’t figured out how to talk about climate change with our friends and neighbors. Since the 1980s public conversations about climate change have been dominated by the language of science and politics. Our own fears of scientific inaccuracy and uncertainty – or political disagreement – have censored us from talking about how to live on a changing planet.
This talk presents a new frame for conversations about climate change – place – places that matter. We can change the conversation about climate change by connecting the issues to the places and people we love.
The Slippery Rock Team came prepared at Cuyahoga Valley National Park
The NMU team is ready to collect surveys at Mariposa Grove
Participants completing the survey in Muir Woods
The team even made some stops along the way!
This team is ready to collect more surveys!
SRU is ready to take on Glacier National Park
Checking out the sites
Sunshine and surveys in the Everglades
Unfortunately the elks weren't able to take surveys this time
Meet the Northern Michigan University Team
Dr. Jessica Thompson
Co-Principal Investigator
Mackenzie Geary
Research Assistant
Sam Kearney
Research Assistant
Rosie Mousseau
Graduate Research Assistant
Carson Piette
Research Assistant
Meet the Slippery Rock University Team
Dr. Shawn Davis
Co-Principal Investigator
Kelly Carbone
Research Assistant
Pierce Landis
Research Assistant
Elena Lucas
Research Assistant
Alex Witmer
Research Assistant
Maya Yost
Research Assistant