Mackenzie Thomas
Staff Writer
In a state like Wyoming where outdoor recreation contributes heavily to the economy, it is important to protect the places where tourists and Wyomingites commonly use for recreation.
National parks and national forests make up a large portion of the state, and with that comes the need to protect and manage the environment in those areas.
Abby Sisneros-Kidd, an assistant professor for Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management within the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources, focuses her research on doing exactly that. By researching visitor behavior and its impacts on the environment, Sisneros-Kidd works to help protect outdoor recreational areas.
“To date, a lot of my research looks at what factors influence visitors’ spatial behavior patterns. That’s basically where people go on a landscape where they are recreating,” said Sisneros-Kidd. “Are there places people go more or less than other places?”
Her research focuses heavily on the interactions between people and their environment, specifically where people seek recreation. Sisneros-Kidd focuses on how mountain biking, climbing, hiking and other forms of recreation can impact the management of natural resources within heavily recreated areas.
“Recreation ecology is a real thing, it’s the study of interactions that occur between people and the environment when people recreate outdoors. The interactions we look at include both when and how people impact natural resources like water, soil and wildlife as well as how the quality or lack of quality of those resources impacts people’s experiences when recreating,” Sisneros-Kidd said.
Through her research, Sisneros-Kidd works to look at how human interactions impact the environment. Part of her background includes research on this that has taken her from coast to coast in order to see how recreation impacts the environment in multiple different settings. She has worked in several national parks, including Rocky Mountain National Park and Grand Tetons National Park.
Though research has taken her across the nation, Sisneros-Kidd has focused her research on visitor behavior within the west, including Wyoming.
“Recreation tourism is the second largest industry in the state of Wyoming…As we think on how to promote and grow this industry, we look at how each of these aspects impacts recreation and tourism management,” said Sisneros-Kidd.
Sisneros-Kidd became interested in recreation ecology as an undergraduate student, where she volunteered on trail maintenance projects. After, she began to pursue opportunities to research within the field.
Sisneros-Kidd is also an assistant professor with the University of Wyoming Outdoor Tourism and Recreation Management (OTRM) Program. This program launched in 2018 as a new degree program in the Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources.
“I’m a new assistant professor brought on as part of the new OTRM program, and we are just getting our feet on the ground. The more folks we can expose to the field, the better,” said Sisneros-Kidd.
Sisneros-Kidd encouraged students interested in research within the field of recreation ecology to come talk to her.
“Let’s talk! I’m pretty biased, but I think this field is pretty awesome. As a researcher, it’s fun to get out in the field in beautiful places like national parks to see how recreation impacts natural resources, and to know that I get to help protect those resources for people recreating to enjoy and cherish.”
As Sisneros-Kidd continues her research within recreation ecology, she aims to focus on social aspects that can influence the behavior of visitors in hopes to better inform visitor management within recreational areas like National Parks.
“To sum it up in one phrase, my goal would be to inform people of sustainable management of recreation so we can provide valuable experiences while protecting the environment and natural resources,” Sisneros-Kidd said.
