Short Bio:
Carena J. van Riper is pursuing a master's degree at the University of Vermont under Dr. Robert Manning.  She joined the Park Studies Lab from Arizona State University where she received an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in Biology and Outdoor Recreation Management.  Her social science research experience has taken place in Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona; Mollala River Recreation Corridor, Oregon; Yosemite National Park, California; and several sites in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, California.  Carena hopes to expand her knowledge of the human dimensions of natural resources in the east, specifically, she is researching how visitors perceive and are affected by social impacts to our parks and protected areas.

• Carena’s research focuses on the human dimensions in natural resource management and specifically, the social and ecological impacts of outdoor recreation.  

• Carena currently works in the Park Studies Lab at the University of Vermont. Her research in this position focuses on the social carrying capacity of protected areas. As an undergraduate at Arizona State University, she assisted with a number of visitor use studies, and conducted ecological field research in the western US. 

Peer-Reviewed Articles:

• Burdruk, M., White, D., Wodrich, J., van Riper, C.J. (2008). Connecting visitors to people and place: Visitors' perceptions of authenticity at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona. Journal of Heritage Tourism, 3(3), 1-18. 

• van Riper, C.J., Healy, N. (2008). Connecting students with conferences: Perceptions of the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management Student Forum. Society and Natural Resources. (In Review).

• White, D., Virden, R.J., van Riper, C.J. (2007). Effect of experience-use-history and place attachment on visitors’ perceptions of recreation impacts at Molalla River Recreation Area and Table Rock Wilderness, Oregon. The Journal of Environmental Management. (In Review).

Technical Reports

• White, D., van Riper, C.J, Wodrich, J., Aquino, J., McKinney, C. (2007). Canyon de Chelly National Monument Visitor Study Final Technical Report. (Prepared for the National Park Service). Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State University.

• White, D.D., Virden, R.J., Waskey, T., McKinney, C., Masterson, K., van Riper, C.J. (2007). Molalla River Recreation Corridor and Table Rock Wilderness Visitor Survey Final Technical Report. (Prepared for the Bureau of Land Management). Phoenix, AZ: Arizona State University.

Conference Proceedings:

• van Riper, C.J., White, D. (2007). Bridging the gap: Managers’ perceptions of visitor experiences at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona. Weber, S., and D. Harmon, eds. 2008. Rethinking Protected Areas in a Changing World: Proceedings of the 2007 George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Public Lands, and Cultural Sites. Hancock, MI: The George Wright Society.

• van Riper C. III, Paxton, K.L., van Riper C.J., van Riper, K.A., McGrath, L., Fontaine J.J. (2007). The role of protected areas as bird stop-over habitat: Ecology and habitat utilization by migrating land birds within Colorado River riparian forests of southwestern North America. Weber, S., and D. Harmon, eds. 2008. Rethinking Protected Areas in a Changing World: Proceedings of the 2007 George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Public Lands, and Cultural Sites. Hancock, MI: The George Wright Society.

Other Publications:

• van Riper, C.J., van Riper, K., Sommer B., Johnson, M., Knight, C., Costello, J., Milosevic, H. (2007). A bird field guide to the Rio Salado Renovation Site, Arizona. Published by Beyond the Sidewalks, with cooperation from Arizona State University, Lowell Elementary School, and the City of Phoenix, AZ.

• van Riper, C.J., Healy, N. (2008). Connecting Students with Conferences: Perceptions of the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management Student Forum. Accepted for presentation at the Northeastern Recreation Research Symposium.

• van Riper, C.J., White, D., Leslie, E. (2007). Bridging the gap: Managers’ perceptions of visitor experiences at Canyon de Chelly National Monument, Arizona. Presented at the George Wright Society Biennial Conference.

•  van Riper, C.J., White, D., Virden, R. (2007). Determinants of visitor perceptions of recreation impacts at Molalla River Recreation Area, Oregon. Presented at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management.

• Carena is interested in a number of outdoor activities including snowboarding, running, hiking, and camping.  She enjoys traveling, playing the flute, and performing live electronic music.  

• van Riper CV