Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting

Brief Summary of Minutes of Annual Meeting January 30, 2014: Meeting called to order approx. 9:10. E. Seekamp welcomed group and gave overview of agenda. After introductions from participants, Leaders from each working group (Community Vibrancy and Resilience, Environmental Literacy, and Health) provided brief overview of recent events and distributed “Objectives, Opportunities, and Outlook” (available upon request) Brief discussion ensued. F. Servello provided overview of Hatch Act funding, and discussed strategies for securing travel funding through Extension, departments, etc. E. Nyland discussed NIFA and areas of relevance to NE1962. Q+A ensued. Breakout sessions then organized for each working group. Discussion commenced with agency Representatives. T. Smith (NRPA) described the Proragis Database – operations management data with 3000 members providing opportunities for surveys and benchmark data. D. Berrigan (National Cancer Institute) discussed risk factors of diet, obesity. D. McGranahan (ERS) gave overview of ERS/ARS, and described overall condition of rural areas. T. Fish (NPS) gave an overview of his organization and described the CESU (Cooperative Ecosystem Services Unit). M. Ivy (FERC) described how organization can be partner for outdoor recreation. P. Gobster / D. English (USFS Northern Research Station) discussed land management, the relationship between monitoring and research, and the National Recreation Strategy. M. Walls (Resources for the Future) described think-tank research. W. Chang (US Army Corps of Engineers) described agency’s role in recreation, and role in national economic development. Breakout sessions were organized for each working group, and agency representatives rotated through working groups. January 31, 2014: Meeting called to order approx. 8:15 by E. Seekamp, and began with updates from three work group areas. General discussion with B. Ratcliffe and others, focusing on project alignment in areas of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, changing visitation patters across parks and forests, strategies for sharing of various projects/findings, facilitating partnerships between research and funders in the private sector. Breakout sessions were organized for each working group. Group discussion of next steps / action items, group logistics, and future meetings. Annual Meeting adjourned.

Objective 1: Demonstrate and expand the evidence for the role of park and outdoor recreation services in promoting physical activity and associated preventative health benefits, particularly among youth, as well as constraints to this activity. Proposal developed to study the importance of human-nature interactions n outdoor recreation and restoration activities among returning war veterans, especially women and those disabled in combat, to account for how these interactions relate to individual, community, and social-ecological resilience. (K. Tidball). Focus group and survey methodology is in development for a study assessing health and social outcomes to residents of Fairbanks that result from recreation taking place in the Fairbanks North Star Borough. An additional goal of this research is to understand barriers to participation among those not currently using public facilities and engage the business community to identify ways in which they can better facilitate recreation. (P. Fix) Seven visitor counters were installed to provide an accurate estimate of visitors to the Florida National Scenic Trail (FNST), develop profiles on the diversity of visitors to the FNST, and provide the US Forest Service and managing agencies suggestions on appropriate management strategies that integrates FNST visitors with resource management goals. (T. Stein) Objective 2: Demonstrate and expand the evidence for the role of park and outdoor recreation services in promoting environmental literacy among youth, and document the long-term influences of early lifespan connections with nature. Data collected to investigate student use of campus spaces to explore the perceived effects of campus space experiences on students’ environmental sensitivity, their health and well being, and their academic learning. (K. Scholl) A research presentation, published article, undergraduate honors thesis, and master's thesis were all accomplishments of a research project designed to obtain greater understanding of the linkages between childhood experiences in nature and environmental attitudes and behaviors in later life, particularly young adulthood. (K. Lekies) A survey was developed to obtain greater understanding of the opportunities that childcare centers in Ohio provide to preschool-age children to learn about and interact with nature (i.e., outdoor settings, soil, plants, and animals), as well as barriers to outdoor play. (K. Lekies) Key members identified to participate in a collaborative of youth-serving organizations to promote North Country (NH) youth engagement in outdoor activities. (J. Seaman & E. Sharp) Over 250 6th and 7th grade students participated in multi-day outdoor science learning projects in the Hogtown Creek Watershed (Gainsville, FL). This project improved students’ enthusiasm and motivation to participate in outdoor recreation in their local environment. (T. Stein) Objective 3: Demonstrate and expand the evidence for the role of park and outdoor recreation services in promoting community vibrancy and resilience. Surveys of visitors and volunteers to two state parks in Central New York were completed to identify the factors that encourage the participation of these individuals in stewardship programs (a pro-environmental behavior) in the two parks. (D. Kuehn) Data is currently being collected at 15 state parks to document the contribution of state parks to local economies (sales, employment and household income) in relation to state investments (operating budgets). (E. Seekamp) Data collection is underway to investigate the criteria birders use when making travel-related decisions. The data generated and collected from this study will be used in the redesign of a NC Cooperative Extension Service training program for rural entrepreneurs to market and cater to birders. (E. Seekamp) Project developed to estimate the economic impact of bicycling in Minnesota, including bicycling industry, events, and the economic value of the health benefits associated with bike commuting. The project will also systematically estimate the bicycling infrastructure in Minnesota, while understanding the health effects of bike commuting. (Q. Xian)

None during the reporting period