Howie Harshaw, PhD

Area of Study / Keywords

Outdoor Recreation Human Dimensions Conservation

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About

I examine the human dimensions of natural resources. I am really curious about people's relationships with nature. I wonder about how we could provide more opportunities for people to have meaningful interactions in and with nature.

I integrate social science into the planning and management of natural resources, and have worked regularly in interdisciplinary teams to provide theoretically-based empirical research contributions to broader landscape-based projects examining conservation issues. Throughout the course of my research, I have worked with communities, municipal, provincial, state, and federal governments, and industry to better represent the views and attitudes of the public in policy and operational decisions. Working with these same groups, I have helped to raise the profile of outdoor recreation issues and concerns with regard to broader land-use planning initiatives and strategies.

I am currently involved with a number of groups/organizations, including:

• UofA Sustainability Council Member & Associate Director for the Certificate in Sustainability.
• UofA Research Ethics Board (2) reviewer.
• North American Waterfowl Management Plan (NAWMP) Human Dimensions Working Group.
• Journal of Outdoor Recreation & Tourism Editorial Board member.
• Associated Faculty, Department of Forest Resources Management, Faculty of Forestry, UBC.

I have earned degrees from these institutions:

• Ph.D. – Forestry – University of British Columbia (2006).
• H.B.O.R. – Outdoor Recreation, Parks & Tourism – Lakehead University (1995).
• B.A. – Geography – Lakehead University (1995).

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Research

For many people, outdoor recreation provides one of the main opportunities to experience, interact with, and learn about natural landscapes. I believe that understanding this interface is important in addressing growing public concerns with, and expectations of, natural resource management.

I am interested in public outdoor recreation on Crown lands – outside of parks and protected areas, and my research framed in terms of sustainable resource management and natural resources conservation. As outdoor recreationists are not the sole users of natural landscapes, their needs and interests must be coordinated with other stakeholders. Outdoor recreation participation in Canada is ubiquitous; the satisfaction of outdoor recreationists ought, therefore, to be an important consideration among natural resource and land-use managers and planners.

Current Research

• Wildlife Habitat Canada & Ducks Unlimited Canada (2024): Documenting Canadian Joint Venture human dimensions research to support wetland and waterfowl conservation: Knowledge mobilization and decision-making support. Awarded February, 2024.
• SSHRC Partnership Development Grant (2023-2026): Is Conservation Always Ethical? The Socio-Cultural Dimensions of Woodland Caribou Conservation in Western Canada. Awarded March, 2023.
• Prairie Habitat Joint Venture (2022 - 2027): Building human dimensions capacity in the Western Canadian Joint Ventures. Awarded June, 2022.

KSR 582 - Graduate Seminar: A Seminar in Current Factors, Problems and Issues

Note: Credit will be granted for only one of KSR 582, KRLS 582 or PERLS 582.

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RLS 210 - Recreation and Leisure Scholarship

This course will examine systematic processes of recreation and leisure scholarship. Topics may include the nature of inquiry, paradigmatic questions, quantitative and qualitative methodologies, evaluation and applied research, and other topics as relevant to the areas of recreation and leisure. Prerequisite: RLS 100.

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RLS 465 - Natural Area Tourism

This course examines the different types of tourism that can occur in natural areas (e.g. adventure, nature based, wildlife, ecotourism) from the perspective of tourists, trip organizers and guides, planners and managers, local residents, and indigenous people. Prerequisite: RLS 263.

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Browse more courses taught by Howie Harshaw

Dehui Christina Geng, Howard W. Harshaw, Christopher Gaston, Wanli Wu, Guangyu Wang

Forests. 2025 June; 10.3390/f16060970

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Dehui Christina Geng, Mingze Chen, Harry Seely, Howie W. Harshaw, Christopher Gaston, Wanli Wu, Guangyu Wang

Trees, Forests and People. 2025 June; 10.1016/j.tfp.2025.100874

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Gabrielle Lajeunesse, Howard W. Harshaw, Colleen Cassady St. Clair

PLOS ONE. 2025 April; 10.1371/journal.pone.0318127

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K.A. Sainsbury, H.W. Harshaw, P.W. Schuhmann, D. Smith

FACETS. 2025 January; 10.1139/facets-2024-0164

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Nicholas W. Cole, Emily J. Wilkins, Kaylin R. Clements, Rudy M. Schuster, Ashley A. Dayer, H.W. Harshaw, David C. Fulton, Jennifer N. Duberstein, Andrew H. Raedeke

Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. 2024 March; 10.1016/j.jort.2023.100712

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Matthew P. Gruntorad, Mark P. Vrtisksa, Christopher J. Chizinski, Jennifer N. Duberstein, David C. Fulton, Howard W. Harshaw, Andrew H. Raedeke, Jason Spaeth

Wildlife Society Bulletin. 2024 March; 10.1002/wsb.1505

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Katherine A. Sainsbury, Howard W. Harshaw, David C. Fulton, Nicholas W. Cole, Ashley A. Dayer, Jennie N. Duberstein, Andrew H. Raedeke, Rudy M. Schuster, Mark P. Vrtiska

Wetlands. 2024 March; 10.1007/s13157-023-01744-w

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Gabrielle Lajeunesse, Eric W. Smith, Howard W. Harshaw, Colleen Cassady St. Clair

Ecosphere. 2023 October; 10.1002/ecs2.4676

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Connor J Rosenblatt, Ashley A Dayer, Jennifer N Duberstein, Tina B Phillips, Howard W Harshaw, David C Fulton, Nicholas W Cole, Andrew H Raedeke, Jonathan D Rutter, Christopher L Wood

Ornithological Applications. 2022 May; 10.1093/ornithapp/duac008

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H. W. Harshaw, Nicholas W. Cole, Ashley A. Dayer, Jonathan D. Rutter, David C. Fulton, Andrew H. Raedeke, Rudy M. Schuster, Jennifer N. Duberstein

Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 2021 September; 10.1080/10871209.2020.1843741

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Jonathan D. Rutter, Ashley A. Dayer, Howard W. Harshaw, Nicholas W. Cole, Jennifer N. Duberstein, David C. Fulton, Andrew H. Raedeke, Rudy M. Schuster

Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. 2021 September; 10.1016/j.jort.2021.100400

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Gui, J., Harshaw, H.W., Walker, G.J., and Lui, H.

Leisure Sciences. 2020 January; 45 (4):368-387 10.1080/01490400.2020.1836535

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Journal of Ecotourism. 2020 January; 10.1080/14724049.2019.1621881

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Sociology of Development. 2020 January; 10.1525/sod.2020.6.3.338

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Emily J. Wilkins, Nicholas W. Cole, Holly M. Miller, Rudy M. Schuster, Ashley A. Dayer, Jennifer N. Duberstein, David C. Fulton, Howard. W. Harshaw, Andrew H. Raedeke

Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 2019 November; 10.1080/10871209.2019.1661046

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Ramón-Hidalgo, A-E., Kozak, R.A., Harshaw, H.W., and Tindall, D.B.

Society and Natural Resources. 2018 January; 31 (1):57-73 10.1080/08941920.2017.1364454

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Hilsendager, K., Harshaw, H., and Kozak, R.

Leisure/ Loisir. 2017 January; 41 (2):205-230 10.1080/14927713.2017.1353437

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Zhao, M., Harshaw, H.W., Dong, W., Ye, W., Liu, J., and Su, T.

Journal of Interpretation Research. 2016 January; 20 (1):59-65 10.1177/109258721502000104

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Hilsendager, K.W., Harshaw, H.W., and Kozak, R.A.

Forestry Chronicle. 2016 January; 92 (1):101-111 10.5558/tfc2016-022

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Furness, E., Harshaw, H., and Nelson, H.

Forest Policy and Economics. 2015 January; 58 10.1016/j.forpol.2014.12.005

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Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 2013 January; 10.1080/10871209.2012.694014

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Forests. 2013 January; 10.3390/f4041199

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Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. 2013 January; 10.1016/j.jort.2013.03.001

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Journal of Environmental Management. 2013 January; 10.1016/j.jenvman.2013.02.008

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Forestry Chronicle. 2010 January; 10.5558/tfc86709-6

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Forestry Chronicle. 2010 January; 10.5558/tfc86697-6

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Conservation Biology. 2009 January; 10.1111/j.1523-1739.2009.01257.x

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Forestry Chronicle. 2008 January; 10.5558/tfc84210-2

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Canadian Journal of Forest Research. 2008 January; 10.1139/X08-146

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Forestry Chronicle. 2007 January; 10.5558/tfc83231-2

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Landscape and Urban Planning. 2006 January; 10.1016/j.landurbplan.2005.06.001

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Journal of Leisure Research. 2005 January; 10.1080/00222216.2005.11950061

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Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 2005 January; 10.1016/j.compag.2005.03.002

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Forest Ecology and Management. 2004 January; 10.1016/j.foreco.2004.05.048

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View additional publications

• Research Page: Human Dimensions Research