Justice and Nature Topics
Community Parks and Recreation
Public parks and recreation spaces play a vital role in community health and wellbeing by providing free or low-cost outlets for physical activity, social connection, and enjoyment of nature. Investing in these shared spaces and ensuring access fosters healthy communities.
- Community Health in Recreation and Parks (CHRP)
Health Through Recreation
Workplace recreational initiatives reduce employee stress and disease while improving wellbeing; implementing outdoor fitness incentives and opportunities leads to a healthier, more productive workforce.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Racial Justice
Discrimination has hindered outdoor recreation among diverse groups. Promoting inclusive camping initiatives like Camping in Color can foster nature connections while advancing diversity, equity, inclusion and racial justice in public lands.
Homelessness
A study on environmental extremes found higher rates of illness and death among the homeless during severe heat and cold. Salt Lake City has since increased efforts to clear encampments ahead of extreme weather events.
- Homelessness and Environmental Extremes Study
- Salt Lake City Homeless Encampment Abatements
Wasatch Community Gardens
Our research has been working with people experiencing homelessness to better understand their lived experiences and how they navigate various systems that are often designed against them. Much of this work focuses on unsheltered homelessness, where people are living in parks, stream corridors, and various public spaces across the urban-wildland spectrum. We are grateful to work with hundreds of folks who have shared their time and expertise with us, as well as community organizations, faculty colleagues, and graduate student researchers who are similarly committed to ending homelessness.
Visitor Use Management
A study of the George Washington Memorial Parkway Mount Vernon Trail examined recreation impacts on natural resources and visitor experience. Smoke on the Water research in Idaho assessed the impacts of wildfire smoke on lake recreation and related economic consequences.
- George Washington Memorial Parkway - Mount Vernon Trail Study
- Idaho Smoke on the Water Study
Jordan River Urban Rangers
The Wasatch Front Urban Ranger Program is a volunteer trail ambassador program coordinated by the University of Utah in partnership with the National Park Service. Wasatch Front Urban Rangers provide community outreach along trails like the Bonneville Shoreline Trail and the Jordan River Trail. Their goal is to provide environmental interpretation and public land management education to trail users, and to assist trail managers by reporting trail hazards and picking up litter.