Department of Environmental & Natural Resource Sciences
Steve Martin

Dr. Steven R. Martin

Professor, Natural Resources Recreation
Department Chair, ENRS Department

Contact Information
Office: Natural Resources (NR) Building, Rm. 200B
Phone: (707) 826-5637
e-mail: steven.martin@humboldt.edu
Web Site: www.humboldt.edu/~srm1

Personal Statement:

What I like about HSU is the sense of community and shared ideals and the feeling that people are here because they want to make things better . . . the environment, their communities. When I teach a class it’s my favorite part of the day. I look forward to going into the classroom because I enjoy having that discussion, that intellectual give and take, about a topic in which we all share an interest.

My teaching and professional interests include park and wilderness planning and management, particularly planning for and managing recreational uses of parks, wilderness, and similar public lands. My personal interests and hobbies include whitewater kayaking and rafting, hiking and backpacking, cross-country skiing, and visiting our great public lands. My favorite landscapes to visit are the Colorado Plateau deserts of southern Utah and the high mountain lakes and forests of western Montana and the high Sierra. The two books that have most influenced me are A Sand County Almanac, by Aldo Leopold, and Desert Solitaire, by Edward Abbey.

Courses Taught

  • NRPI 105 – Natural Resources Conservation
  • NRPI 215 – Natural Resources Recreation
  • NRPI 415 – Recreation Planning
  • NRPI 440 – Recreation Visitor Behavior and Management
  • Forestry 374 – Wilderness Area Management

Education/degrees

  • B.S. in both Biology and Environmental Studies, 1982, Principia College, Illinois
  • M.S. in Wildland Recreation Management, 1987, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana
  • Ph.D. in Forestry (recreation), 1994, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana

Research Interests

My research focuses on visitor use of recreation settings and managing recreational use of natural resource areas, particularly parks, wilderness areas and similar public lands. As such, my research is best characterized as “human dimensions of natural resources” and involves quite a bit of social science, though in a natural resources context.

Publications:

McCurdy, Kate and Steven Martin. 2007. An assessment of bear-resistant food canister use in Yosemite National Park. Final report submitted to the National Park Service.

Martin, Steven, Kate McCurdy and Steve Thompson. 2006. Backcountry food storage: How not to share your dinner with a bear. Research poster presented at 11th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Vancouver, B.C. June 2006.

Martin, Steven, Kate McCurdy and Tori Seher. 2005. Food storage regulations in the Yosemite Wilderness: implications for bears and backpackers. Research poster presented at the 8th World Wilderness Congress, Anchorage, Alaska. October 2005.

Martin, Steven and Emily Harris. 2004. Campsite solitude: A contingent valuation study. Research poster presented at 10 th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Keystone, Colorado. June 2004.

Martin, Steven and Jeff Marsolais. 2004. Visitor perceptions of management actions across the recreation opportunity spectrum. Research poster presented at 10 th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Keystone, Colorado. June 2004.

Martin, Steven and Emily Harris. 2004. Research Report for Lost Coast Trail Backcountry Visitor Study. Report submitted to Bureau of Land Management, King Range National Conservation Area.

Martin, Steven, John Stuart, Portia Halbert, and Mark Rizzardi. 2004. Effect of 70 years of recreational car camping on vigor of old-growth coast redwood and Douglas-fir. Research report submitted to Big Basin Redwoods State Park, and research poster presented at Redwood Region Forestry Science Symposium, March 2004. Rohnert Park, CA.

Martin, Steven and Emily Harris. 2004. Are bear-proof food storage canisters being used effectively on the Lost Coast Trail? Research poster presented at 4th Social Aspects and Recreation Research Symposium, February 4-6, 2004. San Francisco, CA.

Duncan, Garrett and Steven Martin. 2002. Comparing the effectiveness of interpretive and sanction messages for influencing wilderness visitors' intended behavior. International Journal of Wilderness 8(2): 20-25.

Martin, Steven and Carolyn Widner. 2000. Research Report for Headwaters Forest Reserve Visitor Study. Report submitted to Bureau of Land Management, Arcata Resource Area.

Martin, Steven. 2000. Donations as an alternative to wilderness user fees - The case of the Desolation Wilderness. In: Cole, McCool, Borrie, and O'Laughlin (compilers). Wilderness Science in a Time of Change Conference Proceedings, Volume Four, pp. 142-147. Dept. of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station.

Martin, Steven. 1999. A policy implementation analysis of the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program: Convergence of public sentiment, agency programs, and policy principles? Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 17(3): 15-34.

Martin, Steven. 1999. A Wilderness Within: The Life of Sigurd F. Olson (Reviewed). Leisure Sciences 21(2): 167-169.

Martin, Steven. 1997. Specialization and differences in setting preferences among wildlife viewers. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 2(1): 1-18.