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Personal Summary

I am a social scientist in the broad field of human dimensions of natural resources. I apply theories and methods from a variety of psychology- and sociology-related disciplines to understand and address natural resource issues while also advancing theory. I use qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods, including spatial (GIS) techniques, to understand relationships between humans and the environment, and the consequences of conservation behaviors across scales. I am particularly interested in (1) using theories of social-ecological system dynamics to inform management toward desired outcomes; (2) understanding the factors which drive individual private landowner conservation decisions and behaviors (including cross-boundary realities of many natural resources) to better encourage stewardship; (3) improving the use and measurement of attitudes, beliefs, and values to inform agency and NGO decisions; and (4) helping ensure people and communities are fairly and meaningfully engaged in dialogue around natural resource decisions. I orient my research toward a variety of natural resource contexts and issues, including forest management, private land conservation, fire policy and management, invasive species control, and human-wildlife interaction.

Education

Ph.D., Forest Resources & Human Dimensions of Natural Resources; The Pennsylvania State University, 2010

M.S., Forest Resources; The Pennsylvania State University, 2006

B.S., Environmental Science; Juniata College, 2001

Courses Taught

NRSM 121 - Nature of Montana

NRSM 379 – Collaboration in Natural Resource Decisions

NRSM 398/498 - Resource Conservation Internships

NRSM 574 - Human Dimensions of Natural Resources Theory

NRSM 595 - Survey Data Analysis

Teaching Experience

UNIVERSITY OF MONTANA

NRSM 379 (3cr) Collaboration in Natural Resource Decisions

NRSM 121 (3cr) Nature of Montana

NRSM 214 (1 cr) Field studies in conservation (field based)

PTRM/NRSM 574 (3cr) Human dimensions of natural resources

FORS 130 (2cr) Forestry Field Skills (field based)

NRSMS 191 (1cr)

Natural Resource Field Techniques (field based)

FORS 391 (3cr) Field Forestry Skills at LEF (field based)

NRSM 595 (2cr) Human Dimensions of Wildlife

NRSM 298/398/498 (1-6cr) Natural Resource Internships

PENN STATE UNIVERSITY

FOR/WFS 497 (3cr) Facilitating Natural Resource Decisions

FOR 203 (3cr) Dendrology (w/Lab)

FOR 366 (4cr) Forest Mensuration (w/Lab)

JUNIATA COLLEGE

ESS 100 (3cr) Earth and Environmental Science

EES/RFS 330 (3cr) Geographic Information Systems (w/Lab)

Research Interests

I am a social scientist investigating the human dimensions of natural resources and the environment. I apply theories and methods from psychology and sociology-related disciplines to understand and address natural resource issues while advancing theory. I use qualitative, quantitative, mixed, and novel methods to study relationships between humans and the environment and the environmental consequences of human behaviors across scales. I am particularly interested in applying social-ecological systems theory to inform management toward desired outcomes; understanding drivers behind conservation behaviors (including cross-boundary realities of many natural resources) to encourage better stewardship; improving the measurement and use of attitudes, beliefs, and values to inform agency and NGO decisions; and helping ensure people and communities are fairly and meaningfully engaged in dialogue around natural resource decisions. I orient my research toward diverse contexts and issues, including forest management, private land conservation, wildfire, invasive species control, and human-wildlife coexistence. 

Please visit out our for more information about our research, current projects and Ñý¼§Ö±²¥, and courses we teach:

Keywords: private land management and conservation; natural resources extension and outreach; collaboration; social ecological systems; resilience; fire wildfire; forest and river restoration; human-wildlife conflict; invasive species; social-psychology; sociology; psychology; spatial analysis; GIS; multivariate statistics; sampling and estimation; survey research; mixed methods; phenomenology; qualitative quantitative; market analysis; communication; systematic conservation planning; land use planning; conservation triage; conservation marketing; spatial planning

Projects

My current research projects include:

1. Behavioral science and microtargeting for conservation agriculture. Funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
2. Human dimensions of Grizzly Bear management, funded by the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Parks
3. Increasing homeowner participation in wildfire risk assessments, funded by the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station
4. Social and ecological resilience to wildfire, funded by the Joint Fire Science Program and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Institute
5. Elk management and hunter access in the northern Sapphire Mountains, funded by MPG Ranch
6. Social monitoring for the Southwest Crown of the Continent Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Project, funded by the USDA Forest Service.
7. Human dimensions of working wet meadows conservation, funded by the Intermountain West Joint Venture
8. Collective action in private lands conservation, funded by the Montana Natural Resources Collaborative Working Group

Publications

In press

19. *Lubeck, A., Metcalf, A.L., Beckman, C., Yung, L., & Angle, J. (2019). Collective factors drive individual invasive species control behaviors: Evidence from private lands in Montana, USA. Manuscript in press at Ecology & Society.

18. McWethy, D., Schoennagel, T., Higuera, P.E., Krawchuk, M., Harvey, B.J., Metcalf, E.C., Schultz, C., Miller, C., Metcalf, A.L., Buma, B., Virapongse, A., Kulig, J.C., Stedman, R.C., Ratajczak, Z., & Nelson, C. (2019). Wildfire in the west: Learning to live in increasingly fire-prone landscapes. Manuscript in press at Nature Sustainability.

17. Blascovich, G., & Metcalf, A.L. (2019). Improving non-hunters’ attitudes toward hunting. Manuscript in press at Human Dimensions of Wildlife 24(5).

16. Metcalf, A.L., Phelan, C.N., Pallai, C., Norton, M., Yuhas, B., Finley, J.C., & Muth, B.A. (2019). Microtargeting for conservation. Manuscript in press at Conservation Biology.

Published

15. Higuera, P.E., Metcalf, A.L., Miller, C., Buma, B., Metcalf, E.C., McWethy, D., Ratajczak, Z., Nelson, C., Chaffin, B., Stedman, R., McCaffrey, S., Schoennagel, T., Harvey, B., Hood, S., Schultz, C., Black, A., Campbell, D., Haggerty, J., Keane, R., Krawchuk, M., Kulig, J., Rafferty, R., & Virapongse, A. (In Press). The value in resilience: Integrating subjective and objective dimensions of resilience in fire-prone landscapes. BioScience 69(5), 379-388.  (Note: Selected as "Editor’s Choice" for Volume 69, Issue 5)

14. Bagavathiannan, M., Graham, S., Ma, Z., Barney, J., Coutts, S., Caicedo, A., De Clerck-Floate, West, N., R., Blank, L., Metcalf, A.L., Lacoste, M., Evans, J., Moreno, C., Burke, I., & Beckie, H., (2019). Addressing weed management social dilemmas: A novel approach to bridge individual & collective interests. Nature Plants 5, 343-351.

13. Metcalf, A.L., Angle, J.W., Phelan, C.N., Muth, B.A., & Finley, J.C. (2019). More “bank” for the buck: Microtargeting and normative appeals to increase social marketing efficiency. Social Marketing Quarterly 25(1), 26-39.

12. Graham, S., Metcalf, A.L., Gill, N., Moreno, C., Bach, T. Ikutegbe, V., Hallstrom, L. Ma, Z, & Lubeck, A. (2019). Opportunities for better use of collective action theory in research and governance for invasive species management. Conservation Biology 33(2), 275-287.

11. *McIver, C., Metcalf, A.L., & Berg, E. (2018). Procurement contracting and forest communities: Factors affecting local business utilization in the inland Northwest. Journal of Forestry 116(5), 412-419.

10. *Repke, M.A., Berry, M.S., Conway III, L.G., Metcalf, A.L., Hansen, R, & Phelan, C. (2018). How does nature exposure make people healthier?: Experimental and non-experimental evidence for the role of impulsivity. PLoS ONE 13(8), e0202246.

9. *Lauer, F.I., Metcalf, A.L., Metcalf, E.C., & Mohr, J.J. (2018). Public engagement in social-ecological systems management: An application of social justice theory. Society and Natural Resources, 31(1), 4-20. (Note: Received the “Rabel J. Burdge & Donald R. Field Outstanding Article Award” for best general research article published in SNR Volume 31).

8. Metcalf, A.L., Metcalf, E.C., Khumalo, K., Kujala, Q., Gude, J., & Lewis, M. (2017). Managing public wildlife on private lands: Reciprocity, species status, and stakeholders’ normative beliefs. Human Dimensions of Wildlife, 22(6), 564-582.

7. Duvall, A., Metcalf, A.L., & Coates, P.N. (2016). Conserving the Greater Sage-grouse: A social-ecological systems case study from the California-Nevada region. Rangeland Ecology & Management, 70(1), 129-140.

6. Gruver, J.B., Metcalf, A.L., Muth, B.A., Finley, J.C., & Luloff, A.E. (2016). Making decisions about forestland succession: Perspectives from Pennsylvania’s private forest landowners. Society and Natural Resources, 30(1), 47-62.

5. *Ver Planck, N.R., Metcalf, A.L., Finley, A.O., & Finley, J.C. (2016). Evaluation of National Woodland Owner Survey estimators of private forest area and landowners: A case study of Montana. Forest Science, 62(5), 525-534.

4. Metcalf, A.L., Gruver, J.B., Finley, J.C., & Luloff, A.E. (2016). Segmentation to focus outreach: Behavioral intentions of private forest landowners in Pennsylvania. Journal of Forestry, 114(4), 466-473.

3. Metcalf, A.L., Finley, J.C., Luloff, A.E., Shumway, D.L., & Stedman, R.C. (2014). Progress in private forest landowner estimation. Journal of Forestry, 112(3), 312-315.

2. Metcalf, A.L., Finley, J.C., Luloff, A.E., Shumway, D.L., & Stedman, R.C. (2012). Private forest landowners: Estimating population parameters. Journal of Forestry, 110(7), 362-370.

1. Luloff, A.E., Finley, J.C., Myers, W.L., Metcalf, A.L., Matarrita, D.C., Gruver, J.B., Gordon, J., & Raboanarialina, C. (2011). What do stakeholders add to identification of conservation lands? Society and Natural Resources, 24(12), 1345-1353.

Other publications

Book chapters

1. Metcalf, E.C., Metcalf, A.L., and Mohr, J.J. (2017). “Building social capacity toward restoration success.” In, S. Allison & S.D. Murphy (Eds.), Routledge Handbook of Ecological and Environmental Restoration. Routledge.

Affiliations

• Environmental Science and Sustainability, degree program
• Resource Conservation, degree program
• Wildlife Biology, interdepartmental , , and degree programs
• Systems Ecology, interdepartmental  and degree programs
• Forestry and Conservation Sciences, program

, Affiliate Faculty

Professional Experience