Professor in Geography, Environment, and Planning

My long-term research agenda is to explore the history of protected landscapes to bolster their long-term sustainability in terms of both natural and cultural systems.  In contrast to most land policy research, I use landscape as a tool for understanding the complex interactions between people and their environments, tracking historical changes in protected areas as indicators of shifting social dynamics and structures.  A firm grounding in property theory contributes to my interest in the interplay between public and private ownership in protecting rural landscapes.  Much of my research work has been done at Point Reyes National Seashore, examining the impacts of National Park Service management on the local ranching landscape.  Prior to coming to SSU, I worked as an environmental consultant in San Francisco for four years with EDAW, Inc., specializing in writing resource management plans for the Bureau of Land Management, as well as historic landscape analyses for a variety of government agencies. Outside of school I am an avid photographer and sailor.

Location

Sonoma County, CA

Disciplines

• History
• History of Science and Medicine
• Geography
• Environmental Studies and Forestry

Affiliation

Sonoma State University