Browsing by Author "Leisz, Stephen J., committee member"

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Open Access
A Sustainable livelihoods approach to volunteer tourism: the roles of the host community and an alternative break program in Achiote, Panama
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Eddins, Emily A., author; Cottrell, Stuart P., advisor; Thompson, Jessica, committee member; Davies, Timothy, committee member; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member
Using a sustainable livelihoods framework as a conceptual and interpretive lens, the purpose of this qualitative study is to understand and explain a long-term, cross-cultural collaborative partnership involved in operationalizing volunteer tourism projects for ecotourism development in rural Panama. There is a call to better represent and understand the roles and perspectives of host communities in order to optimize benefits of volunteer tourism projects in the daily lives of local populations where the projects occur. This study uses a sustainable livelihoods approach to explore a) livelihood context and trends, b) livelihood resources and volunteer tourism's previous impact on those resources, c) institutional and organizational processes, d) livelihood strategies and volunteer tourism's future impact and potential in the realization of those strategies, and e) sustainable livelihood outcomes. Integrating perspectives of community residents in Achiote, Panama and other volunteer tourism stakeholders aids in assessing the extent to which volunteer tourism projects address their livelihoods' sustainability. The key aspect of volunteer tourism in the context of sustainable livelihoods that separates it from other types of tourism is the potential for volunteer tourism to add to and enhance livelihood diversification through project work. Collaborative processes among stakeholders in volunteer tourism are not well understood (Lamoureux, 2009), particularly regarding perspectives of and by the host community (Sin, 2009, 2010). However, even if local populations are involved in the decision making process, the planning, project execution, and operational processes involve multi-scale, cross-cultural engagement of various stakeholders. Stakeholders include residents of the host community, host partner organizations, volunteer tourism sending organizations or operators, leaders or staff for the sending organizations on the ground, the volunteer tourists themselves, among others. In this study, I examine the collaborative processes among residents of a rural Panamanian community, a locally-based ecotourism group, a Panamanian non-governmental organization, a university Alternative Break Program in the United States, and faculty and student leaders of the groups. A further goal was to explore the interrelationship between volunteer tourism and sustainable livelihoods by providing context and voice to the diverse perspectives in the partnership about how volunteer tourism affects the sustainable livelihoods of the host community. By exploring existing issues in volunteer tourism and giving voices to each part of the partnership, this study aims to provide insight to the stakeholders' dialogue to better identify, implement, and manage projects that maximize benefits of volunteer projects in host communities. When I began this study, I set out to better understand volunteer tourism in the context of a sustainable livelihood approach and its associated cross-cultural collaborative processes. What I found was a region of the world with great respect for themselves, each other, and their land and in the face of potential massive livelihood change and infrastructure development. By presenting the story of this research using narrative writing, I strive to provide a voice and bring attention to a changing rural Panamanian culture. This research fills a theoretical and practical gap in volunteer tourism. The sustainable livelihoods approach helps understand how volunteer tourism can complement local livelihoods and integrated into the greater processes of the community. Further, exploration of the institutional collaborative relationships involved in implementing volunteer tourism in a community helps understand decision making processes and structure of volunteer tourism in research and practice. This study brings attention to the visions and nature of the partnership and the people that comprise it, but most importantly the visions and nature of the people of Achiote.
Open Access
Cascading effects of changing climate and land use on alpine ecosystems and pastoral livelihoods in central Tibet
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Hopping, Kelly A., author; Klein, Julia A., advisor; Galvin, Kathleen A., committee member; Knapp, Alan K., committee member; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member
Changing climate and land use practices are re-shaping the dynamics of social-ecological systems globally, with alpine regions and subsistence-based communities likely to be among the most vulnerable to the impacts of these changes. The Tibetan Plateau exemplifies a system in which climate warming and projected increases in snowfall, coupled with natural resource management policies that reduce livestock herd sizes and mobility, will have cascading effects not only on the livelihoods of local pastoralists, but also on other globally important ecosystem services that Tibet’s alpine meadows provide. To improve our understanding of the impacts of altered climate and grazing restrictions in central Tibet, I conducted interviews with local herders about their knowledge of environmental changes and the ways in which this knowledge is produced and transmitted within the community, performed a 5-year climate change and yak grazing experiment, and carried out observational measurements in plant communities around the landscape. I found that herders are well attuned to the changes that are the most threatening to their livelihoods, and they transfer this knowledge of environmental change within their village primarily as a means for seeking adaptive solutions, rather than for learning from others. Results from the experiment and landscape observations corroborate much of the herders’ understandings of the factors driving undesirable changes in the alpine meadows. From the experiment, I found positive feedbacks between yaks, vegetation, and nitrogen cycling, indicating that these meadows are well adapted to moderate grazing under ambient climate conditions. However, they are particularly sensitive to warming-induced reductions in soil moisture. Although decreased plant production and ecosystem CO₂ fluxes with warming were partially mitigated by additional snow before the start of the growing season, results from the landscape observations suggest that in the longer term, climate warming will likely decrease the quantity and quality of forage available to livestock and wildlife, while also reducing the carbon sink strength of alpine meadows in central Tibet. Therefore, my results indicate that instead of continuing to mandate livestock removals, which will do little to reverse undesirable ecological trends, more consideration needs to be given to climate change adaptation strategies for pastoral social-ecological systems in Tibet.
Open Access
Develop a multistage stochastic program with recourse for scheduling prescribed burning based fuel treatments with consideration of future wildland fires and fire suppressions
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2015) Nguyen, Dung Tuan, author; Wei, Yu, advisor; Rideout, Douglas B., committee member; Reich, Robin M., committee member; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member
In this study, I present a multistage stochastic linear program with recourse for scheduling prescribed burning based fuel treatments under the influences of random future windland fires and fire suppressions across multiple planning periods. Prescribed burning decreases future wildfire’s spread rate and intensity. Future wildfire uncertainties are characterized by sequences of independent and identical (i.i.d.) fire samples across the entire planning horizon. Each simulated sample fire ignites at a random location and spreads for a random duration under the influence of a randomly selected wind direction and speed. This stochastic program explicitly addresses the spatial and temporal relationships between fire behavior, prescribed burning, and suppression in multiple fire-planning periods. It uses sample average approximation and minimizes the sum of average discounted management cost plus average discounted fire loss across a planning horizon. Test cases are designed to examine fire-and-management situations on an artificial forested landscape, and are focused on selecting good quality first period prescribed burning locations. Results provide a wide range of optimal solutions for allocating the first period prescribed burning to handle risks from future wildfires.
Open Access
Distributed seasonal and annual mass balance measurements of Wolverine Glacier, Alaska, using geodetic surveys and emergence velocities
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Zeller, Lucas R., author; McGrath, Daniel, advisor; Aster, Richard C., committee member; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member
Glaciers are key components of human-environmental systems worldwide. They are a source of fresh water for human consumption, crop irrigation, and hydroelectric power even during times of drought. Glaciers promote environmental and ecological heterogeneity by modulating stream temperatures and providing key nutrient, geochemical, and sediment fluxes, are popular tourism destinations, and introduce risks from natural hazards such as glacier-lake outburst floods. Glaciers have undergone dramatic retreat and thinning over the past 50 years, and these trends are predicted to accelerate through the 21st century. Short term (seasonal to annual) measurements of glacier mass balance provide valuable insight on how glaciers respond to climatological forcings and the processes that drive those changes. However, in-situ measurements are prohibitively time consuming, logistically difficult, and prone to uncertainty, rendering them insufficient for global-scale analyses. The increasing availability of high-resolution geodetic products offers promising opportunities for measuring mass balance from a remote platform if the confounding effects of ice emergence velocities and firn compaction on surface elevation can be correctly constrained. In this study, I present spatially and temporally distributed measurements of emergence velocities on Wolverine Glacier, Alaska, derived from three methods: 1) repeat Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements of mass balance stakes, 2) modelled from annual mass balance measurements and glacier thinning rates, and 3) a novel approach of differencing geodetic surveys and snow depths derived from ground penetrating radar surveys. These emergence velocities, in conjunction with estimates of firn compaction, were used to measure distributed mass balances of Wolverine Glacier over three winter seasons, one summer season, and two annual time periods via geodetic surveys. The three approaches to measuring emergence velocity showed overall agreement but had important spatiotemporal differences. Comparison of geodetic mass balances with in-situ point and glacier-wide average mass balances had root mean square errors of 0.42 and 0.46 meters water equivalent. These results indicate that if emergence velocities and firn compaction are carefully considered, geodetic methods can provide accurate measurements of distributed mass balances over seasonal and annual time frames, yielding an improved understanding of glacier response and trend over these time scales. Such an understanding will facilitate improvements in model physics and parameterizations, thus improving projections for the magnitude and timing of future glacier losses and their effects on downstream communities and ecosystems.
Open Access
Dwelling in the districts: the participation and perspectives of mapping traditional communities on Pine Ridge
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2013) Steinbuck, Mark Robert, author; Pickering Sherman, Kathleen, advisor; Galvin, Kathleen A., committee member; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member; Cottrell, Stuart P., committee member
This thesis discusses the process and results of research gathered from a field season on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation of South Dakota. By engaging in a community mapping project with Oglala Lakota elders, I show the benefits and reason behind the theory of participation. The project intends to "map" the indigenous tiospaye groups in the Porcupine District, and ends up gathering narrative representations of place rather than explicitly cartographic ones, a reification of the theorized "dwelling space." A discussion of the mapping project leads to a wider explication of the general practice of mapping indigenous lands throughout history. How indigenous perceptions of place and landscape are represented through acts of cartography is discussed to show the potential for empowerment or disempowerment of indigenous worldviews. The thesis concludes that a divestment of power to local communities is necessary for truly sustainable development, and further that the knowledge and perceptions of the traditional Lakota elders needs to be validated on their own terms in order to decolonize the relationship between their tiospayes and the tribal government.
Open Access
Ethiopian socio-hydrology: geographies of development and change in the water tower of Africa
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2017) Chignell, Stephen M., author; Laituri, Melinda J., advisor; Evangelista, Paul H., committee member; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member
Water access, sanitation, and security remain key foci of international aid and development initiatives. However, the increasing interconnectedness of hydrologic and social systems can cause such initiatives to have unexpected and cascading effects across geographic scales. This presents new challenges for meeting ever-growing demand, as distant and complex socioeconomic and environmental relationships, or "telecouplings," may significantly influence the outcomes and sustainability of development projects. Predicting future water scenarios thus requires both integrative and basic research into the structure and function of socio-hydrological systems. I explored these emerging concepts in Ethiopia, which is the source of water for much of the Horn of Africa and receives over half of its annual budget from foreign development aid. I analyzed the geography of water in Ethiopia from two perspectives. First, I used examples from the literature to identify water development initiatives in rural and urban settings and at local and national scales. I then situated these initiatives within the telecoupling framework to reveal underlying socio-hydrological relationships. My results indicate that water development is linking Ethiopia's hydrology with geographically distant communities and markets and creating new and often unexpected flows of people, material, and capital. This is resulting in cross-scale feedbacks among urbanization, geopolitics, and the food-energy-water nexus in Ethiopia. Second, I conducted basic research into alpine wetland dynamics in the Bale Mountains, which provide the only perennial source of water to highland communities and 12 million downstream water users in East Africa. I found that wetlands more than double in extent between dry and wet seasons, and that just 4% of the alpine zone is saturated year-round. I found evidence of a hydrological continuum based on geologic and glacial legacies, which suggests that geology is a principal control on alpine wetland hydrology in Bale. I used this to develop a typology of wetland function, which provides a baseline for future research into climate change impacts and surface-groundwater connectivity.
Open Access
Metals export to streams during base flow and storm events in the 416 Fire, southwest Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2021) Pulver, Bryce A., author; Kampf, Stephanie K., advisor; Ross, Matthew R. V., committee member; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member
With approximately two thirds of the Western U.S. relying on fresh water from forested areas, it is vital to understand how wildfires can affect the release of metals into soil water and streams. Moderate to high intensity fires can alter the physical and chemical properties of soil, allowing elevated release of sediment, organic matter, and nutrients to streams. While many studies have focused on how fires affect sediment loading, nutrient export, and organic matter; less research has been conducted on how wildfire impacts the export of metals. This study examines metals export from the 2018 416 fire near Durango, CO during baseflow and storm events. Six tributaries (3.88-38.8 km2) and five sites on Hermosa Creek (152-435 km2) were sampled and analyzed for metal concentrations. We examine how metal concentrations relate to burn severity and watershed characteristics under different flow conditions using both univariate correlation analysis and multivariate models. Metal concentrations were significantly greater in burned baseflow samples compared to unburned locations for As, Ca, K, Mg, Mo, Si, Sr, and Zn. Concentrations of As in baseflow exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA's) primary drinking water maximum contaminant level (MCL). Metal concentrations in baseflow were positively correlated with percentage of watershed burned, burn severity, and basin slope, and negatively correlated with basin elevation, drainage area, and average annual precipitation. Metal concentrations increased significantly (mean factor change = 20.6) in storm samples compared to pre-storm samples for Al, As, Ba, Ca, Cr, Fe, K, Li, Mg, Mn, Si, and Zn with Al, As, Ba, Be, Cd, Cr, Fe, Mn, Ni, and Pb being above an EPA or World Health Organization (WHO) MCL. Although storm samples were limited, metal concentrations were correlated with watershed burn severity (r ~ 0.8), indicating elevated metal concentrations likely came from burned areas. Overall, this study demonstrated that wildfires cause elevated metal concentrations in both baseflow and stormflow, but with the exception of As, only the stormflow metal concentrations posed water quality concerns, with 10 metals exceeding both EPA and WHO MCL's for drinking water.
Open Access
Remote sensing assessments of consumptive use of agricultural water in Western Slope of Colorado
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2016) Vashisht, Amandeep, author; Chávez, José L., advisor; Cabot, Perry E., advisor; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member
The Western Slope of Colorado is drained by Colorado River and its tributaries, which are facing increased pressure on their water resources due to prolonged droughts and increasing demands. While water is a limited resource, agriculture uses more than half of the total diverted water in the area. In such a scenario, agricultural water can be a likely supply for water conservation and sharing. The quantification of precise amount of water consumed by agricultural crops, or, consumptive use, is crucial for water sharing under temporary water sharing arrangements like water banks. Remote Sensing is considered as the most feasible method to determine spatial actual crop water use over large areas. A preliminary performance evaluation of ReSET model for daily consumptive water use estimates under energy limiting and water limiting conditions was done. Conserved Consumptive Use estimates from plots replicating historical (full irrigation) and operational water bank (reduced irrigation) conditions were made on a monthly basis. In addition, crop growth stage information for grass and alfalfa pastures of the Western Slope was determined using Landsat and Sentinel satellites. An empirical relation between vegetation index (VI) and crop coefficient (Kc) was developed for use with reflectance-based crop coefficient approach. Lastly, reflectance-based approach for grass and alfalfa pastures was evaluated with ReSET-derived daily estimates of crop consumptive use.
Open Access
Working for the Lakota: the theory of participation
(Colorado State University. Libraries, 2012) Brydge, Michael, author; Sherman, Kathleen Pickering, advisor; Leisz, Stephen J., committee member; Ishiwata, Eric, committee member
This study is about a community and a process. It conveys the importance of participatory approaches to engage locally initiated, community development. Community members and outsiders alike have a place in development through entering the process as participants, focused on locally driven processes. After discussing colonial modes of development, a 2011 youth building initiative, from the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota, is discussed as a mode of decolonization by Lakota communities. Participatory development processes, from the initiative, provide examples of how participation is useful, both for development in the 'here and now', and to test and improve the theory of participation.