Dr. Abby Sisneros-Kidd

Assistant Professor

Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management

Haub School of Environment and Natural Resources

(307) 766-5080 ext. 5078 | asisner3@uwyo.edu | CV | Kendall House, Rm 105

Visit the website of Dr. Abby Sisneros-Kidd 

 

Education

Ph.D., Environment and Society, Utah State University

Dissertation: Why Do They Do That? Understanding Factors Influencing Visitor Spatial Behavior in Parks and Protected Areas

MEd, Teaching and Learning, DePaul University

B.A., Environmental Science (Summa cum Laude), Carthage College

Minors: Geography, Spanish

Thesis: Vegetation analysis of native versus non-native species in a disturbed wooded riparian area. (Presented at National Conference for Undergraduate Research, April 2006)

 

Background and expertise

My research and educational background is in the field of recreation ecology.  What exactly is recreation ecology, you ask? Recreation ecology is the study of the interactions that occur between humans and the environment when people recreate. These interactions include both how humans impact natural resources like water, soil, vegetation, wildlife, and natural soundscapes, as well as how these resources impact the human experience. Specifically, my work examines various aspects of visitor spatial behavior in parks and protected areas—from the effects of education on visitor off-trail travel to behavior of visitors during wildlife jam (traffic jams caused by wildlife) events. My research has taken me from coast to coast, with projects from Maine to California. However, much of my research to date has focused on visitor behavior and recreation management issues in Wyoming and the Intermountain West, including research conducted at Grand Teton National Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. I am particularly interested in better understanding the social-psychological factors influencing visitor spatial behavior to better inform visitor management and minimize resource impacts as well as impacts to the visitor experience.

Prior to becoming a recreation ecologist, I received my Master’s degree and teaching certificate in Teaching and Learning (grades 6-12) from DePaul University in Chicago, IL and worked for five years as a middle school and high school science teacher as well as a soccer and cross country coach in northern Illinois and southeastern Wisconsin. Teaching is an important part of the work I do to promote sustainable use and management of parks and protected areas now and for future generations. In addition to researching and teaching about outdoor recreation, I also enjoy being a participant. I am an avid trail runner and backcountry skier, and I also enjoy climbing, mountain biking, bike touring, backpacking, hiking, fly fishing and most anything that allows me to get out and enjoy our public lands.

 

Teaching

ORTM 3050 – Operations, Management, and Environmental Stewardship

ORTM 4901 – Human Dimensions of ORTM (Professional Semester)

ORTM 4970 - Internship

 

Selected publications

Sisneros-Kidd, A., Monz, C., Hausner, V., Schmidt, J., & Clark, D. (2019). Nature-based tourism, resource dependence, and resilience of Arctic communities. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 27(8), 1259-1276.

Fuentes, A., Heaslip, K., Sisneros-Kidd, A., & D’Antonio, A. (2019). Evaluating national park entrance station queues: A case study in Grand Teton National Park. Case Studies on Transport Policy. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cstp.2019.03.003

Fuentes, A., Heaslip, K., Sisneros-Kidd, A. M., D’Antonio, A., Kelarestaghi, K. B. (2019). A decision tree approach to predicting vehicle stopping from GPS tracks in a national park scenic corridor. Transportation Research Record. DOI: 10.1177/0361198119835515

Kidd, A. M., D’Antonio, A., Monz, C., Heaslip, K., Taff, D., Newman, P. (2018). A GPS-based classification of visitors’ vehicular behavior in a protected area setting. Journal of Parks and Recreation Administration, 36, 72-92.

Kidd, A. M., Monz, C., D’Antonio, A., Reigner, N., Manning, R., Goonan, K., & Jacobi, C. (2015). The effect of minimum impact education on visitor spatial behavior in parks and protected areas: An experimental investigation using GPS-based tracking. Journal of Environmental Management, 162, 53-62.

 

Technical Reports

Graham, R. Monz, C., & Sisneros-Kidd, A. (2018). An Assessment of Visitor Created Impacts in Riparian Areas in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. Project Summary Report. Submitted to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Graham, R., Monz, C., & Kidd, A. (2017). An assessment of informal trails and visitor spatial behavior on the Twin Sisters trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO. Project Summary Report. Submitted to Rocky Mountain National Park.

Kidd, A. M., & Monz, C. (2017). Understanding and managing wildlife jams in National Parks: An evaluation in Grand Teton National Park. University of Wyoming National Park Service Research Center Annual Report, 40.

Kidd, A., Graham, R., & Monz, C. (2016). Visitor use on Longs Peak: A preliminary assessment in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. Report of Findings. Submitted to Rocky Mountain National Park.