Wild Pacific salmon populations are declining throughout California. To strengthen applied salmonid restoration ecology, increased watershed-based understandings of socio-cultural issues thwarting recovery efforts are needed. This study explored perce . . .

In this thesis, the FERC’s hydroelectric relicensing process is examined from a historical perspective. It finds that strong federal control to ensure a comprehensive plan for private capital development of hydropower was necessary in the early develo . . .

The role of the museum throughout its history has been to serve its community, through the education and entertainment of the public (Starn, 2005; Skramstad, 1999). An institution, where education intersects with entertainment, creates a space where p . . .

In this study I explore the revolution in food consciousness currently progressing in the United States, with an emphasis on the important role farmers’ markets play in supporting access to healthful, nutritious fresh produce, rural economies, and com . . .

How can school districts, food service workers, parents and communities address childhood food insecurity and obesity? Limited nutrition and environmental education programs in schools also perpetuate problems of inactivity, poor nutrition among youth . . .

Over the past several decades, the research and analysis of archaeological textiles has become of ever increasing importance in gender, trade and production studies. When analyzing archaeological textiles, researchers must take into consideration the . . .

This project is a study of the Integrated Regional Water Management Plan in Humboldt County, focusing on how the processes of plan development, integration and stakeholder coordination affect prosperity. The State of California is promoting the develo . . .

Food advertisements represent complex and constant conversations about race, class, gender, and modernity within an American context. Inherently visual, food advertisements suffer from a lack of research that analyzes them in their entirety. By taking . . .

In an age of the ever-increasing scale and mega-corporatization of the means of daily existence through such entities as Wal-Mart, Costco, Starbucks and Home Depot, are we losing the places and spaces that we, as people, need in order to stay psycholo . . .

Religious freedom is necessarily a broad concept since it must apply to a wide range of religions. Yet, religious freedom in the United States is rooted in the First Amendment, which was created for a limited set of religions (i.e., Protestant Christi . . .

Dog-walking is gaining recognition as a way of combating sedentary lifestyles. Dog owners who walk their dogs are more likely to meet physical activity standards recommended by the Center for Disease Control, and studies have shown positive benefits r . . .

The Karuk Tribe of California, with an ancestral home on the Klamath and Salmon Rivers, was once one of the wealthiest tribes in California. Access to abundant salmon and Pacific lamprey fisheries allowed the Karuk to develop a highly specialized subs . . .

The United States is currently confronting a critical need to invest in, and update, its water delivery and treatment systems. Historically, the United States government provided communities with most of their water systems funding through federal gra . . .

Watersheds throughout the arid western United States are experiencing rapid development. Urban, suburban, and resort developments are expanding onto previously irrigated agricultural lands, particularly in locations that also contain natural amenities . . .

The stories we tell ourselves about the world are very powerful things. Although these narratives are often invisible to us, cultural and personal worldviews influence perception and shape everything that people think, say, and do. Recognizing the tra . . .

Access to healthy foods is increasingly impaired by socio-economic and environmental influences. Providing a region with an adequate supply of food and access are basic tenets of a sustainable foodshed. This thesis highlights food access in Humboldt C . . .

Gardening has been known to reduce stress and increase relaxation in people with emotional disturbances, developmental delays, mental illness, sensory integration challenges, and the average gardener alike. Gardening has also been seen at times as a l . . .

The wildland urban interface (WUI) is the zone where private development and public lands meet. The WUI has been growing drastically in the western United States, and losses from wildfires in this zone have been increasing as well. Federal land manage . . .

Food policy councils (FPC) are springing up in communities all across the United States. These groups allow communities and regions to assess their local food systems and determine how they can be improved. FPCs can either be government-appointed or a . . .

This thesis examines gender dynamics and labor division in California’s Humboldt County marijuana cultivation industry. The research and findings primarily focus on women's roles from an economic and domestic perspective and the dynamics of families w . . .

City and local governments across the United States are beginning to implement urban agriculture and edible landscaping policies and planning procedures to address social and environmental sustainability goals. From the Portland City Hall garden to pu . . .

This thesis interrogates grassroots community formation in Humboldt County, California by examining overlapping political, cultural, and knowledge practices pursued by a local activist community. Specifically, I examine three inter-related collective . . .

This thesis examines conventional approaches to addressing breast cancer within the United States, as they are reinforced by breast cancer awareness campaigns. Through these campaigns, companies and organizations emphasize the importance of making peo . . .

Sea levels are rising due to anthropogenic causes. As the oceans rise coastal areas and inhabitants become progressively more vulnerable. Research done within and about communities grappling with sea-level rise that incorporates vulnerability and resi . . .

Groundwater is a classic commons, in which historic laissez-faire water rights support the competitive extraction of a shared resource. In the American West, unregulated groundwater use has caused tremendous environmental and social consequences due t . . .

Critical evaluation of the proposed expansion of the Arizona Snowbowl ski area will provide knowledge towards developing sustainable land-use policy. The San Francisco Peaks region in Arizona has endured numerous conflicts since the United States Fore . . .

At the time when young adults are receptive to making successful transitions from secondary education into the adult world of productive employment, I argue significant benefits can accrue to those taking jobs in public service conservation work (PSCW . . .

Human beings have inhabited North America for centuries. From the beginning they told stories - stories of creation, values, consequences of one’s actions, and respect for all living things. Due to European colonization many tribes were displaced and . . .

This research explores the collaborative potential of Ecosystem-Based Management through a case study of the Humboldt Bay Initiative. Understanding the collaborative elements of an Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) process is important in light of the . . .

This thesis examines the redevelopment of the Georgia-Pacific mill-site in Fort Bragg California, a case involving a long-term planning process with multiple layers that encompasses a host of complex and intricate issues. The three central issues addr . . .

Current research indicates that Hispanics in the United States, especially those who work in the agriculture, timber and natural resource industry, face many issues of economic, social and environmental justice. Such is the case in California, where H . . .

At the time of European contact, the southern California mainland coast and Channel Islands were occupied by a variety of Native groups that were socially complex and steeped in rich cultural traditions. Archaeological evidence found on San Nicolas Is . . .

The focus in this thesis is on female entrepreneurs and their experiences as business owners in rural Mendocino County. The purpose is to shed light on women’s experiences as entrepreneurs and to explore whether or not their experiences differ from ma . . .

The current state of the public education system in the United States is not conducive to engendering students with the knowledge, skills and values they require to make informed decisions regarding the effects of human activities on ecological sustai . . .

Through this project, I developed and compiled teacher resources to supplement the Bay to Dunes field trip program coordinated by Friends of the Dunes in Manila, California. Bay to Dunes is an all-day field trip where 3rd -6th graders learn about the . . .

This thesis explores the role of special places—forts, dens, and hideouts— during middle childhood (ages 6-12). Natural settings have traditionally been children’s special places. Research has demonstrated the importance of outdoor special places in c . . .

Forest offset projects under the California cap-and-trade market offer the potential for landowners to engage in a new, non-traditional forest resource commodification, by monetizing the carbon sequestration of managed forests. Using frameworks of env . . .

This study takes a focused look at the methodology of the Peoples Movement Assembly (PMA) and its specific use through the Southern Freedom Movement Assembly (SFMA). In particular, I examine the history, politics, process, and practice of the PMA as a . . .

A fundamental tension pervades land use planning in New York. As a strong home rule state, New York delegates to each town, village or city the authority to approve, disapprove or modify land use planning and zoning projects. Yet under state law, coun . . .

Jamaica’s Blue Mountains are heralded as one of the world’s premier coffee growing regions. Previous ecological research in Jamaica has demonstrated that shade-grown coffee practices provide beneficial ecosystem services for farmers, yet most coffee f . . .

There is an ongoing debate concerning the ethics and efficacy of different conservation strategies and the role of community participation and development in rainforest conservation. While conservation is important, there is growing recognition that t . . .

Through this project, I developed and assembled resources to assist high school educators with garden based learning. For the duration of one school year I served as the garden coordinator at the McKinleyville High School Garden. I gained instrumental . . .

Many natural resource conflicts are characterized by intractability and resistance to resolution. The fields of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and collaborative-based resource management (CBRM) prescribe applicable conflict resolution practices . . .

The California Gold Rush was instrumental in the growth and creation of the American West. The sudden influx of settlers and the myriad of impacts of mining and settler community formation on the environment and Indigenous peoples drastically changed . . .

The interconnectedness of humans and nature exists within a social-ecological system, the resilience of which depends on the ability of humans and environment to respond and adapt to inevitable changes across scales. Rural communities are often natura . . .

It can be established that problems of community service exist. To address the possibility that a service program might unintentionally foster such problems, a study was conducted to determine the appropriate contents of an educational tool that could . . .

With the recovery of gray wolves (Canis lupus) to the Northern Rocky Mountains, wolf depredations on domestic cattle are an ongoing concern for all stakeholders in wolf management. Because these events can occur in clusters, one ranch or a group of ra . . .

Feminist scholars and activists critique oppressive ideologies that construct the female criminal as “other” and many call for the abolition of the prison industrial complex. I argue abolition is only possible if practiced in solidarity with people in . . .

Humanity is on a trajectory in which environmental crises are worsening. There are many efforts directed at resolving the multitude of environmental problems, but the environmental movement as a whole remains unsuccessful in stopping the rate of ecolo . . .

In the United States, an increasing number of community-based food projects are emerging as people attempt to reclaim food sovereignty by modeling just and sustainable alternatives to the dominant, industrialized food system. Despite good intentions, . . .

Myths of meritocracy and upward mobility, not to mention myths that “blame the victim” (among many others), help maintain the American capitalist economic system and obscure the existence of the tremendous structural barriers that work to prevent the . . .

This thesis focuses on the debate over the private provision of water services. One billion people worldwide lack access to clean water, which results in millions of illnesses and deaths every year. The international financial institutions have blamed . . .

Intersectional Feminists are deeply informed by the interlocking systems and ideologies of power, privilege, and oppression foundational to both dominant U.S. social institutions and U.S. society. It is my assertion that the use of shame, blame, and s . . .

The modern environmental movement in the United States is at a crossroads; following its current path, represented by mainstream national environmental organizations that struggle to gain the support of racial and ethnic minorities, it may lose the mo . . .

Hemp is an ancient crop that has supported civilizations for millennia. Industrial hemp refers to the non-psychotropic varieties of Cannabis sativa L. This crop is used in numerous goods and industrial applications, such as nutritional food and oil, b . . .

San Diego County, CA has had an increasing number of wildfires in the wildland urban interface, resulting in loss of lives, property and habitat for sensitive and endemic species (San Diego 2008). As San Diego’s population continues to grow and expand . . .

This project is a case study of the Mid Van Duzen River watershed focusing on processes of collaboration and stakeholder involvement affecting watershed management and environmental stewardship practices. Through theory drawn from fields of alternativ . . .

Through this thesis, I explore the effects of government policy regarding agriculture and the opinions of those who are affected by agricultural policy in Wright County, Iowa. The exploration is in response to the movement toward industrialization and . . .

In the last decade, we have become very aware of tsunami and the danger they pose for coastal communities. My research revealed a rich oral history of tsunami from the Yurok, Chetco and Tolowa tribes who still reside along the northwest coasts of Cali . . .

As a response to global climate change, policies have increasingly incorporated forest carbon offset projects into mitigation efforts. To this end, California has implemented the first US forest carbon offset program within a compliance cap-and-trade . . .

Many structurally marginalized social groups in the U.S. commonly experience restricted access to healthcare. Barriers to accessing quality resources for health, wellness, and illness prevention stem from and reinforce systemic inequalities. Navigatin . . .

This thesis is a qualitative analysis of techniques and theories for creating a more sustainable mode of production of live theater. In-depth, one-on-one interviewing is the primary research tool employed. Groups that interviewees have been drawn from . . .

The northwest coast of the United States is dominated by a sparsely populated landscape of steep, faulted and forested terrain. Naturally prone to earthquakes, tsunami, mudslides, fires, torrential storms and floods, this vast landscape poses signific . . .

The following is a comparative study of two villages at different points along a continuum of reliance on the subsistence and cash economies. Of specific interest are the cultural implications and distributional effects associated with this profound d . . .

Cultural landscapes are a recognized type of historical resource and also an interdisciplinary category of analysis that can help to illuminate the relationship of people to their environments- how people interpret space. Cultural landscapes reflect t . . .

In recent years, the San Joaquin Valley of central California has been considered the most unhealthy air basin in the United States of America. Extraordinary levels of ambient ozone and particulate matter are responsible for the diagnosis of asthma in . . .

The deaths of thousands of salmon have been a large part of the Klamath Watershed Conflict. Salmon were once abundant in the Klamath, and its various tributaries, but populations are now far below historic levels. The intersections of people’s lives w . . .

Since the post war period, small-scale subsistence practices have been steadily disappearing as a way of life for families across the United States. Spaces traditionally used for home gardens have been replaced with the modern American lawn. However, . . .

The practice of painting on walls and communicating through art on walls is a rich tradition in Distrito Federal, Mexico. This research investigates contemporary wall inscriptions throughout the regional landscape of Mexico City, seeking social, place . . .

The focus of this thesis is a Geographic Information System (GIS) based predictive modeling process with results as applied to the Wiyot Cultural Area in Humboldt County, California. Predictive models aim to identify patterns that demonstrate a range . . .

In 1579 the first modern day corporation made contact with the area now known as Humboldt County. During the time period examined, corporations played a major role in the region’s politics, economy, and living conditions, and resistance to corporate d . . .

All over the United States, sprawling growth is consuming farmland and open space. In California—the most populous and the most urban state in the nation—the situation is particularly acute. The negative impacts of farmland conversions are widely ackn . . .

Evidence of the impacts of global warming is accumulating and becoming more specific. Its effects on people, particularly the poor, minorities, indigenous peoples and others living in circumpolar regions, high altitudes, low-lying areas and other vuln . . .

As the limitations of ‘organics’ manifest and sustainability continues to elude California, the subsidies that demarcate the scope of sustainable agriculture need to be examined. This case study looks at research and development in sustainable agricul . . .

Though the need for prescribed fire in forests and rangelands is widely recognized, its use remains subject to a range of constraints, from operational to social. Efforts have been made to identify these constraints, as their characterization may be c . . .

Anti-violence movements in the United States have demanded that the state, institutions, and communities take steps to respond seriously to domestic violence and sexual assault. In the past 35 years, state and federal laws have been passed mandating c . . .

This thesis examines the change in Earth First! praxis elaborated by North Coast Earth First! (in Northern California) from 1985-1990 in order to identify how Judi Bari’s theory of “revolutionary ecology” emerged as political force from within a movem . . .

Libraries used to be quiet reflective places where people went to find information and read and study. Even university libraries expected students to only talk in hushed voices and most of the space was taken up by book stacks. Today university librar . . .

Community gardens are one of the many kinds of urban agricultural green spaces that exist in the cities and suburbs across the United States. Current research credits them with producing a wide array of human and environmental. Especially touted are i . . .

Privately held resource lands provide ecosystem services including water quality and wildlife habitat across the United States. These lands hold significant conservation values, but their contiguity is threatened by the pressure of subdivision from re . . .

Population discourse has been woven throughout the Sierra Club rhetoric and evolved into an internal, yet public debate over the Sierra’s Club’s immigration policy. This debate generated moments that reproduce systems of power as well as spurred anti- . . .

In a time of change and dwindling resources, how decisions are made for managing private lands is critical for the future resilience of ecosystems. Theories in ecology and natural resource sciences are moving away from a past emphasis on steady-state . . .

This project focuses on an affordable housing model aimed at ending the homelessness of individuals who experience mental illness in rural Humboldt County, California. Although a range of human services and temporary housing programs are available, th . . .

This thesis explores the role of community capacity in sustainable rural community development. Community development in the United States has typically followed an economic model founded on the assumption that economic growth will positively affect o . . .

Numerous dams in Sierra Nevada watersheds are due for relicensing, now and in the upcoming years. The relicensing process is an opportunity to assess the impacts and values of individual reservoirs and water projects. The Federal Energy Regulatory Com . . .

Exurban migration and “back-to-the-land” movements bring lots of new people into rural places. This often creates social conflicts with the established residents as well as generating adverse environmental impacts. The Upper Redwood Creek watershed in . . .

The issue of language revitalization is central to the viability of Alaska Native communities. In order to resist language loss and ensure that languages are transmitted to younger generations, immense social efforts are required. Immersion schools ha . . .

This project analyzes the local barriers and solutions to producing affordable housing in Humboldt County, focusing on the cities of Eureka and Arcata, as well as the Humboldt County level. Interviews with representatives and employees of local govern . . .

This thesis explores the use of Place-based education (PBE) in K-12 public schools. Specifically, I focused on the perceptions teachers have of PBE and the factors influencing the use of these approaches in K-12 schools. Place-based education is a cro . . .

Since Humboldt County is a somewhat isolated region, community members may feel limited by their ability to access available modes of transportation, which can be restricted by high gasoline prices and fixed annual incomes. During the last several yea . . .

This is a project to gather and tell the story of food, people, and the land that connects them. It is a work of creative nonfiction: one that combines narrative, participatory research, and scholarly reflection to trace the efforts of the Humboldt Co . . .

Research has demonstrated children and young adults benefit from attending summer camps, especially when exposed to challenging activities in an outdoor environment. Researchers have identified several benefits derived from attending outdoor camps, su . . .

Bicycle commuting decreases traffic congestion, decreases dependency on oil consumption, and mitigates critical health conditions like heart disease and obesity. Yet, it is a challenge for non-profits, governmental and community organizations to incre . . .

For over a century, salmonids have been stocked in historically fishless, montane lakes for the sole purpose of creating recreational fishing opportunities. Salmonid introductions have had transformative impacts on historically fishless systems where . . .