Given my experiences as a young conservation advocate, I saw a need to teach students the importance of interconnectedness, cultural awareness and systems-thinking skills through a spatial lens. I believe these skills are required for holistic, equitable and sustainable conservation decision-making in local and international contexts. This thesis uses geospatial tools to teach conservation ecology vocabulary and concepts from high school environmental science curriculum in two online resources. The purpose of my lesson plan is to show students how conservationists address complex conservation and land-use challenges using the Jane Goodall Institute’s community-centered conservation approach as a case-study. My hope is that these lessons empower students to become change-agents in their communities.

O objetivo dessa pesquisa foi conhecer e analisar o papel que os Fóruns de educação infantil têm desempenhado na defesa dos direitos das crianças e na proposição de políticas públicas para a área. Para tanto, buscou-se compreender quem são os sujeitos que compõem os Fóruns, como se organizam, como atuam e estabelecem relação com o Estado e com outros movimentos sociais. Dentre os referenciais teóricos deste trabalho destacam-se as teorias que discorrem sobre as consequências dos movimentos sociais nas políticas públicas (AMENTA, MEYER, SNOW, GIUNI, MELUCCI, SKOCPOL). Nesse estudo, enfoca-se a rede do Movimento Interfóruns de Educação Infantil do Brasil - MIEIB, no âmbito de seus Fóruns estaduais e do movimento nacional. O desenho de pesquisa combinou pesquisa documental, entrevista em profundidade e survey de questionário semiestruturado. Os Fóruns de educação infantil são movimentos sociais híbridos que emergiram após o período de transição do regime autoritário para o democrático. São movimentos autônomos, com diferentes formas organizacionais e interações com o Estado a depender do contexto em que estão inseridos, mas que tem priorizado a inserção em instituições participativas como uma aposta na incidência nas políticas públicas. Sua atuação tem se dado a partir de três frentes: 1. Propositiva: proposição e acompanhamento das políticas públicas; 2. Mobilizadora: articulação de parcerias, criação e fortalecimento de Fóruns; 3. Informativa: divulgação de pesquisas e formação de público. Em âmbito nacional, o MIEIB teve um importante papel no avanço das políticas públicas de educação infantil. O movimento com 19 anos de duração, teve a maior parte de sua trajetória de atuação durante os governos do Presidente Lula da Silva (2003-2011) e da Presidenta Dilma Rousseff (2012 2016), com os quais estabeleceu interações cooperativas, ainda que houvessem momentos pontuais de conflito. O MIEIB obteve um conjunto de pontos de acesso em tais governos e foi por eles legitimado como importante ator social na proposição de políticas da área. Após o impeachment da Presidenta Dilma Rousseff, constatou-se um desencaixe (nos termos de Skocpol) na relação com o Estado e o fortalecimento de alianças do MIEIB com outras entidades e movimentos sociais. Concluiu-se que as possibilidades de incidência dos movimentos sociais nas políticas são marcadas pelas relações socioestatais estabelecidas, que são variáveis a depender da conjunção de combinações entre os objetivos e capacidades de ação tanto do Estado quanto do movimento social. No caso do fechamento ou limitação dos pontos de acesso à participação, os movimentos sociais precisam buscar outras alternativas para amplificar sua incidência. / The purpose of this research was to know and to analyze the role that the Early Childhood Education Forums have played in the defense of children\'s rights and in the proposal of public policies for the area. Therefore, it was sought to understand who the subjects that compose the forums are, how they organize themselves, how they act and establish relationships with the State and with other social movements. Among the theoretical references of this work are the social movement theories that discuss the consequences of these movements in public politics (AMENTA, MEYER, SNOW, GIUNI, MELUCCI, SKOCPOL). This research focus on the Movimento Interfóruns de Educação Infantil do Brasil MIEIB, within the scope of its state forums and the national movement. The research design combined documentary research, indepth interview and semi-structured questionnaire survey. The Early Childhood Education Forums are hybrid social movements that emerged after the period of transition from authoritarian to democratic in Brazil. They are autonomous movements, with different organizational forms and interactions with the State depending on the context in which they are inserted, but which has prioritized the insertion in participatory institutions as a way to the incidence in public policies. Its strategies have taken place on three fronts: 1. Propositional: proposition and monitoring of public policies; 2. Mobilizer: Articulation of partnerships, creation, and strengthening of forums; 3. Informative: Publicizing research and training of the public. At the national level, MIEIB played an important role in the advancement of public policies for early childhood education. The 19-year-old movement played a major role in the Lula da Silva\'s (2003-2011) and Dilma Rousseff\'s (2012-2016) federal government administrations, with which it established cooperative interactions, even though there were occasional moments of conflict. The MIEIB obtained a set of access points in such governments and it was legitimated by them as a important social actor in proposing the area\'s policies. After the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, there was a breakdown in the relationship with the State and the strengthening of alliances of MIEIB with other entities and social movements. It was concluded that the incidence of social movements in politics are marked by established socio-state relations, which are variable depending on the combination of the objectives and capacities of action of both the state and the social movement. In the case of closing or limiting the access points to participation, social movements need to seek other alternatives to amplify their incidence.

The condition of water resources in the rural Andean community of Berlin, Colombia, was explored for the purpose of future development in the area. Through investigation of water acquisition techniques, use, and water discharge methods, combined with analysis of chemical water quality tests, the overall pattern of water resources in the study area was revealed. Although the methods of acquiring water were not found to be especially damaging to water quality, the use, and more importantly, the methods of discharging waste water suggested a water resource base harboring certain questionable qualities. The quality of surface waters, as revealed through analysis of water quality tests, showed low levels of dissolved oxygen and high levels of carbon dioxide in given areas of the paramo. Water was also judged to be unfit for human consumption throughout the study area. As a result of the above mentioned shortcomings concerning water quality, several recommendations were proposed.

The fresh-water mussel industry of the Tennessee River is nearing an end. Overharvesting, habitat alterations, and pollution are the major contributors to the depletion of the mussel resource, upon which the shell industry is based. A history of unconcern by shell harvesters and weak conservation enforcement by governmental agencies, has left the major waterways of the United States nearly void of commercial clams. The lower Tennessee River presently supplies the mussel industry with nearly all the important species of mollusks. If this industry is to be maintained in the United States, ways to preserve and propagate the mussel population must be sought. A number of recommendations have been submitted in this work that could aid in the protection of the mussel fauna. Limitations or harvesting methods, more stringent enforcement of existing laws, and extended research on propagation possibilities are suggested as aids in the preservation of this valuable natural resource.

The purpose of this study is to examine the logging industry found along, the upper Cumberland River from the 1870s to the 1930s. Because the industry was very much a part of the economic lifeblood of the people of the region, the study will focus upon the loggers and raftsmen who worked with the timber. Any attempt to describe the lumber business alone would be futile due to the nature of the industry. It is impossible to separate the logging industry of the Cumberland from the general folk life of the area, because of the involvement of the people in the business. This study then is as much a description of the folk life of the Cumberland River Valley as it is a consideration of the logging industry.

Climate changes brought on by global warming are expected to have a significant affect on the Pacific Northwest hydrology during the 21st Century. Current research anticipates higher mean annual temperatures and an intensification of the hydrological cycle. This is of particular concern for highly urbanized basins, which are considered more vulnerable to changes in climate. Because the majority of previous studies have addressed the influences of either climate or urban land cover changes on runoff, there is a lack of research investigating the combined effect of these factors. The Rock Creek basin (RCB), located in the Portland, OR, metropolitan area, has been experiencing rapid urban growth throughout the last 30 years, making it an ideal study area for assessing the affect of climate and land cover changes on runoff. Methods for this assessment include using a combination of climate change and land cover change scenarios for 2040 with the semi distributed AVSWAT-X (Arc View Soil and Water Assessment Tool) hydrological model to determine changes in mean runoff depths at the monthly, seasonal, and annual scales. Statistically downscaled climate change results from the ECHAM5 general circulation model (GCM) found that the region would experience an increase of 1.2°C in the average annual temperature and a 6% increase in average annual precipitation between 2030 and 2059. The model results revealed an amplification of runoff from either climate or urbanization. Projected climate change plus low-density, sprawled urban development for 2040 produced the greatest change to mean annual runoff depth (+5.5%), while climate change plus higher-density urban development for 2040 resulted in the smallest change (+5.3%), when compared to the climate and land cover of 2001. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the combination of both climate change and urbanization would amplify the runoff from the RCB during the 21st Century. This has significant implications for water resource managers attempting to implement adaptive water resource policies to future changes resulting from climate and urbanization.

Road-kill of wildlife is common on Portland, Oregon's suburban fringe where development has increased road densities and traffic volume in rural areas. I identify the spatial and temporal patterns of black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) deer-vehicle accidents (DVA) at the suburban/rural interface of developing northwest Clackamas County using deer carcass pickup reports for county maintained roads for 1997-2004 and Oregon Department of Transportation deer-vehicle accident reports for 1996-2004. No black-tailed deer DVA models exist in the literature. DVA increased 121% from 1997 to 1999 followed by a 26% decline by 2004. The initial DVA increase appears related to population growth and development into rural areas, an increase in the average daily vehicle-trip distance, and deer immigration from public lands. The subsequent decline appears related to DVA-induced decreases in deer populations, year-around hunting permits, growing predator populations, and fawning habitat loss. Temporal OVA patterns for black-tailed deer show a minor peak in June-July and a major peak in October-November. Forty-two percent of DVA occur during the rut/hunt months of September, October, and November. This pattern corresponds to the black-tail's annual cycle and resembles patterns reported for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus). Weekly DVA increased from a low on Sunday to a high on Friday and Saturday. DVA showed two daily peaks at 0500-0700 and 1800-2200, corresponding to dawn and dusk when deer activity is highest. I identified 19 DVA hotspots with 16-27 DVA using CrimeStat III statistical clustering software. Hotspots occurring in rut/hunt months were separate from hotspots occurring in nonrut/nonhunt months. Similar to white-tailed and mule deer, black-tailed DVA hotspots commonly occurred where roads intersect or parallel water features, large forest blocks, and other areas of cover, or separate food sources from cover. Sixty-five percent of DVA occurred outside of hotspots with ≥ 10 DVA. Deer-vehicle accidents have important ecological and economic costs and are frequent on northwest Clackamas County roads. Additional research supported by multi-agency carcass pickup repo1ting and the acquisition of precise DV A locations using a Global Positioning System (GPS) is needed to better identify wildlife movement corridors.

This study examines how regional cuisine is being self-consciously constructed in the Pacific Northwest and discusses the ways in which it contributes to identity in the region. I identify the characteristics-foods, dishes, and culinary practices-of this "new" Northwest cuisine, as well as social and cultural values associated with it, and explore how together they create a sense of regional distinctiveness and loyalty. Because this type of regional cuisine is closely associated with the professional cooking community, I look to restaurants in Portland, Oregon that self-identity as representative of the Pacific Northwest and to regional cookbooks, in order to pinpoint the characteristics of Northwest cuisine and explore their regional associations. I draw on a number of qualitative methods: an analysis of regional cookbooks, a restaurateur survey, interviews with restaurateurs, and a restaurant menu analysis. The use of the region's many specialty agricultural products-berries, orchard fruits, hazelnuts, and mushrooms-in meat, game, fish and seafood dishes, as well as salads, are defining aspects of Northwest cuisine. Salmon, more so than any other foodstuff, is the quintessential Northwest food. It is historically significant and has reached iconic status in the Pacific Northwest. Because of their association with the region's agricultural history and in some cases its cultural history, regional foodstuffs and the dishes they are used in help satisfy a growing hunger for regional identity and a sense of place among Northwesters. The past these foodstuffs are associated with is idealized and based on the same "Eden" metaphor that brought many settlers to the region during the mid-nineteenth century. By emphasizing the use of regional foodstuffs rather than a shared culinary history, Northwest cuisine embraces new residents from diverse backgrounds as well as "natives."

The dissertation research examines the socio-economic and political effects of community-based conservation initiatives within the Bagmara buffer zone community forests of Chitwan National Park, Nepal. In particular, the study investigates the role of buffer zones creation in structuring the way rural property rights have been defined, negotiated, and contested, in reinforcing or reducing patterns of ethnic dominance and exclusion, and in influencing how cultural identities are constituted and renegotiated. Using a political ecology framework with a specific focus on theoretical concepts of environmentality and territorialization, I conducted 12 months ethnographic and quantitative survey field research in the buffer zone communities of Chitwan National Park. I focused on documenting socioeconomic conditions and livelihood practices, and interpreting the meanings of residents’ lived experiences. In addition, I critically examined state and non-state conservation and development practices to understand how they work to produce identities, livelihoods, and landscapes in the park’s buffer zone. The ethnographic study documented diverse impacts of community-based conservation initiatives. One of the major effects is the distribution of costs and benefits, specifically elite capture of community forest and tourism benefits. Second is the existing conflict and potential conflict over the control of access, benefits, and territory based on social and cultural identities. Third is the reproduction of caste, ethnic, and class hierarchies. Fourth is the militarization of communities in and around the buffer zone and community forest. Fifth is the production of environmental and non-environmental subjects such as illegals and poachers. Finally, the sixth is the commodification of conservation spaces and subsequent ecological impacts. The research concludes that the discursive representation of humans and non-humans and the discourses and practices of economic development and biodiversity conservation produced and reproduced a number of negative social, political, and ecological consequences in the buffer zone of CNP. This dissertation concluded that the conservation and development practices are territorial projects to govern people and nature.

This thesis analyzes how social and environmental inequalities have interacted throughout Washington, D.C.’s urban and environmental history to shape the Anacostia River and its Near Southeast waterfront into urbanized and industrialized landscapes. Drawing on the principles of environmental justice, urban political ecology, and environmental history, I examine the construction of urban rivers and waterfront space over time. I link the ecological and social decline of the Anacostia River and Near Southeast neighborhood to a broader national pattern of environmental degradation and social inequality along urban rivers that resulted from urban industrialization and federal water management. Finally, I discuss the recent national trend in redevelopment of formerly industrial urban waterfronts. In particular, I focus on two brownfield redevelopment projects in Near Southeast: the Washington National’s baseball stadium at Nationals Park, completed in 2008, and the ongoing construction of The Yards mixed-use development complex. The Anacostia River has served as a touchstone throughout Near Southeast’s shifting neighborhood identity and land use. This thesis uses the river as a starting point at which to begin an exploration of a long history of social and environmental inequality in waterfront Washington, D.C.