Emerging Trail Leader Scholarship Recipient

Emily Wilkins

Fort Collins, Colorado, United States

I am currently as a social scientist in human dimensions of natural resources and a part-time PhD student studying outdoor recreation and protected areas. In May 2016, I received my M.S. studying the economic impact of climate change and weather on nature-based tourism to Maine, USA. I decided to pursue this career path after spending two seasons on trail crew – one in Arapahoe National Forest and one as an assistant crew leader in Rocky Mountain National Park. These experiences made me realize how valuable trails are and how the greatest thing we can do for the environment is to get people connected to nature so they will want to respect and protect it. Therefore, for my PhD dissertation I also want to research the interaction between people and the environment, specifically on parks and trails. I am unsure the exact topic I want to research yet, which is why attending this conference will be an invaluable opportunity. All of my research is very applied as has direct implications for park managers, so I want to hear all about trails from around the world before settling on a topic. Additionally, I would love for my research to have an international component, and this would be a great opportunity to network with people from other countries and see what is needed and talk about how trails might be different in different parts of the world.