The uprooting of trees due to high winds, or blowdown, is a common occurrence throughout the world. Rare, large scale blowdown events have the ability to drastically alter forest landscapes on a timescale of hours. Alone or when combined with other forest disturbances such as fires and insect outbreaks, blowdowns have the potential to modify existing watershed characteristics. Little information is known about how large-scale blowdowns affect the physical environment in general and watershed-wide sediment yield and deposition rates in particular. The few studies that have taken place have yielded inconclusive or somewhat contradictory results. Given the large scale of some events and the potential impact of such events it is important that the geomorphological effects of blowdowns be better understood, not only from a basic process but also from an applied perspective. Lakes receive and store a significant fraction of the disturbed sediment formerly found in the soil column and lake sediments have proven to be reliable and accurate records of sedimentation characteristics within their catchments. For the purpose of this study, it was hypothesized that areas subjected to blowdown will have increased erosion rates. It was also hypothesized, that lakes within blowdown areas will be subjected to accelerated sedimentation rates following events. In order to test these hypotheses and isolate the effects of a blowdown on sedimentation rate three small mountain lakes in the Mt. Zirkel Wilderness Area, Colorado were cored. The lakes selected consist of a control lake with no known recent history of blowdown in its watershed and two lakes that receive direct runoff from watersheds and slopes that were affected by a major blowdown event in 1997, the Routt-Divide Blowdown. One core was dated using the 210Pb method and multiple cores were analyzed for organic and inorganic matter concentrations to determine if changes in sedimentation rates and/or sediment compositions occurred following the event. In the case of the two lakes studied that had catchment slopes affected by blowdown, somewhat surprisingly, no significant change was observed with respect to sedimentation rates or sediment composition. In fact, sedimentation rates obtained from the dated core exhibited a decreasing trend that began decades prior to and continued through the blowdown event. This suggests that in the area affected by the Routt-Divide Blowdown it is likely that long-term changes in climate and the effect these changes have on the amount and type of vegetation present are the dominant influence on sedimentation rates, and that the Routt-Divide Blowdown of 1997 did not increase the rates. Based on further evaluation of the sites and the event it appears that slope characteristics and treefall orientation may be significant factors controlling the amount and type of disturbed sediment that moves downslope. In the case of future large-scale blowdowns, where their effect on water quality or sedimentation rates is in question, dominant treefall orientation with respect to slope should be an integral part of initial assessment, especially in remote area, and be considered when interpreting data from any similar study.

Magister Artium - MA / The Cederberg is increasingly associated with wildlife and ecotourism. Long-established rural communities practising subsistence farming reside in the Cederberg, some on the very boundary of the Cederberg Wilderness Area. Land uses related to tourism and conservation are currently reframing the Cederberg as a leisure landscape; a development that is not always compatible with sustaining the livelihoods of local inhabitants. Humans often occupy spaces to create a ‘civilised’ place of belonging for themselves and their domestic animals, and may regard certain indigenous wildlife species (such as baboons and leopards) as intrusive vermin. Livestock-keeping communities in the Cederberg are affected in particular by leopard conservation efforts. Livestock (sheep and donkeys in particular) is important to these farmers but often in danger of becoming prey to wild predators. In the Cederberg, the endangered Cape Mountain Leopard moves freely between the protected and inhabited spaces and often comes into contact with livestock owned by local subsistence farmers. This dissertation is rooted in the emerging sub-discipline of ‘animal geographies’. It explores divergent views of the term ‘wilderness’ as well as the treatment of ‘wild’ animals within the areas occupied by local people. It focusses on the community involvement in conservation practices and human-wildlife conflict issues, exploring community responses to their changing context and especially current conservation practices of CapeNature and the Cape Leopard Trust (the provincial conservation authority and an NGO respectively). Interviews with local people about current and historical leopard encounters are drawn upon in the analysis. The study is concerned to understand how conservation is impacting on local communities, and their responses to these shifts. Results suggest that there is substantial gap in the relationship with the communities and conservation authorities, especially regarding leopard conservation and livestock preservation. The communities of Wupperthal continue to suffer significant losses due to leopard predation. As it is now illegal to trap or kill leopards, residents have few strategies to protect their livestock. While some communities have a better relationship with CapeNature regarding the tourism activities within their community and other conservation initiatives, their considerable frustration was evident. The study explores the complex land issues in the region, and suggests possibilities for improvement in the relationship between local subsistence farmers and conservation authorities.

This thesis discusses key conflicts in the Oostvaardersplassen. These conflicts include the contestation of the Oostvaardersplassen as wilderness, the debate on grazer mortality, and the debate on culling. Through Actor Network Theory, the actors involved in the Oostvaardersplassen are discussed. A number of documents are selected for the different actors to do a qualitative analysis of communication on the Oostvaardersplassen. The Oostvaardersplassen is a unique area, claimed from the sea and fully manmade, with a management philosophy with aspects from rewilding theories. Recurring themes in the actor documents are studied, such as the definitions of the terms ‘nature’ ‘wilderness’ and the use of interventions. In addition, the documents are analysed on their use of rhetoric tools and the way they discuss the general public in the Oostvaardersplassen debates. The nature of the Oostvaardersplassen as an experiment, the strong presence of emotions in the debates and the unclear definition of goals and purposes lead to a more fractured stage for the actors and the debate. While the Oostvaardersplassen is successful as an area for experimentation, learning, and as a nature reserve in the midst of the Netherlands, these concluding issues are an important consideration in making the Oostvaardersplassen’s debate less volatile.

Background: Mental health issues and harmful substance use are problems that affect many Canadian youth. Wilderness therapy (WT) is a residential adventure-based therapy modality shown to have some success in treating these issues. Further research is needed regarding the ways that participants change, and if there are certain individuals that benefit more from this treatment than others. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to explore the changes in presenting problems and trait emotional intelligence of participants at one WT organization in Ontario, Canada. The working alliance - shown to have a positive impact on therapeutic treatment - along with sex and age, were examined to determine if these elements moderate outcomes. Methodology: Two separate samples were created from archival data provided by the participating organization. The first sample includes pre and post Youth Outcome Questionnaires (N=30, 14 to 18 year olds). The second sample includes pre and post Trait-Emotional Intelligence Questionnaires (N=68 youth, 16 to 20 year olds). All participants in both groups completed one Working Alliance Inventory post-WT. Descriptive statistics were calculated, paired t-tests were run, and Pearson correlation matrices and visualizations were created. Findings/Conclusions: Findings indicate that older male individuals report greater reductions in presenting problems as a result of their participation in WT. Trait emotional intelligence did not seem to change, and the working alliance did not seem to moderate any of these outcomes. / Graduate

This study investigates outdoor educators’ spiritual experiences in wilderness from a retrospective point of view. The aim is to understand their meaning-making and the role of such experiences in their life and career as well as to draw out possible implications for outdoor education (OE) with special regards to a sustainable future of our planet. For that purpose, qualitative, semi-structured interviews were held with six American OE professionals aged 28 to 53, and analyzed in the manner of Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The paper examines the concepts of wilderness, nature-based spirituality and OE, describes a number of relevant studies, and dedicates a critical chapter to the philosophical foundations of IPA. Due to participants’ varying comfort levels with spirituality, the paper suggests to refer to awe-inspiring experiences rather than spiritual experiences. The interviews show the significance of such experiences for the individual, and stress the importance of understanding them as part of a personal story, set in a framework in which participants make meaning. The paper identifies a number of elements that foster the awe- inspiring experiences reported in this study, and presents five ways they inspire the beholder on an intra-, inter- and extrapersonal level. In regards to OE, the paper emphasizes the crucial role awe-inspiring experiences may play in a perpetuating positive cycle towards environmental care and stewardship.

Questionnaires which assessed attitudes toward wilderness policies and behavioral norms were distributed to individuals at the Irish Wilderness, in the surrounding communities, and to conservation groups. Questions were designed to describe general wilderness policies and also those policies specific to the Irish Wilderness. The Irish Wilderness, located in southeastern Missouri, was designated as a national wilderness area in 1984. Prior to this 1986 study, no previous studies had been conducted in the area to describe visitor characteristics and attitudes toward wilderness management policies. A comparison was also made between the attitudes of the Irish Wilderness visitor and of Pacific Northwest wilderness visitors (Hendee et al., 1968). Three hypotheses were tested: (1) differences exist between experienced and nonexperienced individuals in their perception of what constitutes wilderness norms as defined by the 1964 Wilderness Act, (2) differences do not exist between western and midwestern wilderness visitors and their attitudes toward proper wilderness behavior and norms, and (3) individuals with prior Irish Wilderness visits will exhibit a more purist attitude toward administrative goals set for the Irish Wilderness than those individuals with less wilderness experience. The findings of this study show that visitors with the most wilderness experience respond more favorably to statements which reflect the ideals and goals of the 1964 Wilderness Act. This corresponds with information provided in Young's (1982) study which stated that the experienced visitor would exhibit a more purist attitude in regards to wilderness behavior. Also, respondents from the Irish Wilderness study differed from the respondents in the Pacific Northwest study in their attitudes toward acceptable wilderness norms and behaviors. In most cases, Irish Wilderness respondents were more favorable to statements which reflected the goals of the 1964 Wilderness Act, although the amount of time which had elapsed between the two studies (15 years) should be taken into consideration. Previous experience in the Irish Wilderness appeared to play a role in the individual's concurrence and compliance with the administrative policies of the area. This may also coincide with the fact that particular needs of the individual are being met within the wilderness area. Successful management of wilderness areas may be enhanced by recognizing the needs of the individual and seeing that those needs mesh with the area's entire realm of wilderness attributes, of which recreational activities are a small part.

Upper Triassic metavolcanic and metasedimentary strata in the study area are intruded by the Hurricane Divide and Craig Mountain Plutons of the Late Jurassic-Cretaceous Wallowa Batholith. The Clover Creek Greenstone is overlain by the Martin Bridge Limestone, which is in tum overlain by the Hurwal Argillite; although the sequence is in normal stratigraphic order, contacts are generally tectonic. Concurrent with Early-Middle Jurassic regional deformation, during intermediate to mafic dikes, emplacement of the plutons of the Wallowa Batholith began. The plutons intruded vertically through the greenstone and limestone and then horizontally above the greenstone. This resulted in intense penetrative plastic deformation particularly of the Martin Bridge Limestone. Emplacement of the Hurricane Divide Pluton followed a northeast axis, and resulted in isoclinal folding and the formation of northerly trending synformal anticlines in the Martin Bridge atop a zone of uncoupling between the plastic limestone and the more rigid underlying Clover Creek metavolcanic basement. Subsequent final emplacement of the Craig Mountain Pluton caused cross folding of these anticlinal structures. Granitic plutonism was followed by regional uplift with associated faulting and erosion. Miocene Columbia River Basalt flood lavas were injected along many of the more northerly trending of these faults. This magmatism was concurrent with or followed by block uplift on the order of 1800 m of the Wallowa Mountains along the Wallowa Fault.

No description available.

No description available.

Wild Sky, a proposed wilderness in Washington State, has been a source of local contention since its inception. Drawing on the theories of political ecology, international conservation, and actor-based politics, this research seeks to understand the process of public participation in wilderness designation, the arguments both for and against Wild Sky, and how the wilderness proposal process could be improved. The paper begins with an outline of local and public participation in Wild Sky legislation, a discussion of “community,” and an account of how the 1964 Wilderness Act has been applied nationally and locally. This is followed by an analysis of interviews conducted with Forest Service employees and many of Wild Sky’s proponents and opponents. Advocates hope Wild Sky will boost the local economy, rehabilitate salmon runs, provide increased recreational access, and preserve an ecosystem typically excluded from wilderness – lowland forests and streams. Opponents see the proposal as an elite land grab that would exclude motorized recreation and prohibit the resource extraction historically important in the area. They argue that the land, logged a century ago, does not qualify as wilderness. Ultimately, the Forest Service will be charged with managing the land, but the Wild Sky legislation creates management expectations that will be difficult to achieve due to recent budget cuts and environmental regulations. My research demonstrates that the lead actors in the wilderness debate have changed, with the voice of the timber industry replaced by more diverse opposition from motorized recreation. Although the Washington Congressional delegation strove to accommodate these various interests through public meetings and negotiations, the process could have been improved. Currently, the 1964 Wilderness Act does not outline a format for public involvement regarding Congressional additions to the National Wilderness Preservation System. However, this legislation should offer specific opportunities for public and local participation. Most importantly, in collaboration with the Forest Service and local communities, wilderness advocates and the federal government must be prepared to offer long-term support for wilderness through budget allocations and volunteer hours in order to ensure that Wild Sky’s long-term ecological and economic benefits are achieved.