Prescott College

As sperm whales are important predators that control energy flux in the oceans, changes in their population can be used as a sentinel to measure of ecosystem health. The present study conducted a sperm whale survey of the eastern Midriff Islands Region in the Gulf of California over the course of nine years, recording sightings and collecting photographs of the fluke of sperm whale individuals. A photo-identification catalog was compiled, while individual recapture data were used to estimate the population size in the central portion of the Gulf of California, using a Jolly-Seber POPAN open population model. The results obtained show a yearly population of between 20 and 167 sperm whales, with a super population of 354 sperm whales observed between 2009 and 2015. However, from 2016 to 2018, no sightings of the species were recorded, which coincides with the decline observed in landings of their main prey, the jumbo squid, in the region. General additive model conducted on sperm whale sightings per unit of effort vs jumbo squid landings obtained an adjusted R ² of 0.644 and a deviance explained of 60.3%, indicating a good non-linear relationship between sightings of this odontocete and its prey availability. This evidence suggests that sperm whales departed the region between 2016 and 2018, due to a documented fishery collapse alongside changes of their main prey into its small phenotype, possibly as the result of increase warming conditions in surface and subsurface waters in the Gulf of California in the last three decades.

This chapter proposes a revision of traditional higher education delivery methods to create a more resilient and adaptive curriculum through a regenerative networked learning approach. This model emphasises the relational and processual nature of learning and challenges an institution-centred neoliberal approach to education. The chapter argues that a distributed global approach to learning is necessary for building a more regenerative and resilient model for higher education. Specific illustrations are drawn from Schumacher College, the UNDP Conscious Food Systems Alliance, Corridor Ecology and other models that integrate transdisciplinarity, interspecies listening, co-creation, collaboration, scaling, and considering the complex dynamics of socio-ecological systems. A regenerative learning model grounded in place-based knowledge and experiential practice is proposed as key for the future of higher education.

Background A universal adjustment to pandemic restrictions for the colleges and university outdoor programs we interviewed was limiting travel. This forced outdoor programs to modify their offerings. Some chose to use closer outdoor venues. Purpose This investigation sought to understand if college outdoor leaders believed they achieved or could achieve their program's goals using nearby nature from March 2020 until travel restrictions were lifted—usually beginning in fall 2021—as well as if the use of closer outdoor venues stayed the same or increased after that. Methodology This study gathered data through semi-structured interviews ( n = 14) with college outdoor program leaders. Findings College outdoor leaders reported they were able to achieve some to most of their program's goals, like teaching trip planning skills and providing opportunities for social contact with others by using nearby nature. Once pandemic travel restrictions were lifted, programs largely returned to distant programming. Implications Given the reduction of barriers to participation (e.g., cost and travel logistics) and the benefits (positive health outcomes and socialization) identified in this study of programming in nearby nature, college outdoor leaders are encouraged to increase programming in nearby nature to achieve some of their program goals.

To achieve their conservation missions, zoos and aquariums must understand how their audiences make judgments about animal wellbeing, as public trust and learning outcomes hinge on the extent to which animals living in these institutions seem well cared for. While previous research has investigated public perceptions of animal wellbeing, the majority of this work has focused on specific species or programs, with few studies employing qualitative research methods. Using qualitative analysis of data from 37 semi‐structured interviews with visitors to the Oakland Zoo, this study explores the indicators visitors used to assess animal wellbeing and the ways visitors employ empathy and anthropomorphism in their thinking about animal wellbeing. Our findings describe the suite of factors influencing visitors' perceptions of animal wellbeing: animal activity, animal habitats, interactions with zoo personnel, and animal health. We also describe the ways interviewees negotiate empathy and anthropomorphism with varying degrees of accuracy and reflectiveness.

The field experiment was conducted to explore in what ways CO 2 labeling impacts customers' product selection. The objective of this study is the connection between eco‐labeling and the number of sales (customers' purchasing choices) made regardless of the price determinant. We performed a controlled investigation within 2 weeks, adding a CO 2 label to the meals during the second week. The labeling icon showed the lifecycle emissions as a number and had a three‐level, high‐medium‐low graphical signal. The difference in sales between the 2 weeks was analyzed via chi‐squared and student t ‐tests. There was a significant shift from meals associated with high CO 2 emissions toward meals associated with lower CO 2 quantity (chi‐square test, p = 0.001). There was likewise a significant 6% decrease in CO 2 equivalent emissions per weight unit of purchased meals. As the shares of plant, meat, and fish‐based meals were similar for Week 1 and 2, the label was not potent enough to convince customers to change their diet styles. The reduction of CO 2 emissions was achieved mainly through shifts in the direction of lower‐emitting meat and fish dishes. The obtained results depict that consumers pay attention to labeling while making purchasing choices, which has implications for marketing practice. The study implies that customers tend to select products with a lower environmental impact over others.

Military members and law enforcement officers represent unique populations that navigate distinctive cultures and experiences that leave them vulnerable to increased exposure to traumatic events. While military members’ and law enforcement officers’ experiences vary both within and between these groups, there is a commonality through witnessing and engaging in acts that involve violence and risk of injury and death in the line of duty. These events may result in significant physical, psychological, social, and spiritual consequences, yet many military and law enforcement members are hesitant to seek mental healthcare and the support of helpers to navigate and process their experiences. Even when there is need for aid, hesitancy to seek help stems from a range of concerns, such as stigma of mental health needs, real and perceived consequences of reporting, and fears of misunderstanding from professionals. In order to increase understanding and awareness of the nature and needs of military and law enforcement members, the intent of this chapter is to explore key structural and cultural elements impacting these populations and specific experiences of service members and officers through contextualizing information and a case illustration to improve helpers’ confidence and preparedness to support these populations.

Using a descriptive, exploratory study of recent developments in outdoor adventure education (OAE) fields in India, the authors report on the significant contributions of Indian OAE practitioners in promoting healthy human-nature relationships. Semi-structured interviews with Indian OAE practitioners revealed an underlying interconnectedness between OAE, environmental education, and experiential education. Findings show that OAE practitioners in India represent new genres of practice diversifying into nature-based sports, therapeutic adventure, experiential activities, and more to help individuals develop positive relationships with nature, emphasising reciprocity and mutual respect. Drawing from the historical, spiritual, and cultural aspects of nature-relatedness in Indian culture, OAE practitioners bridge the gap between traditional knowledge and contemporary practices to foster deeper connections with the natural worlds. This study postulates that Indian OAE practitioners, with their understanding of nature’s therapeutic effects, play vital roles in guiding people towards a holistic and sustainable relationship with nature that contributes to individual well-being and environmental preservation.

Biodiversity loss amplifies the need for taxonomic understanding at global, regional, and local scales. The United Nations Environmental Programme Sustainable Development Goals are explicit in their demand for greater accountability with respect to ecosystem management, and Sustainable Development Goal 15, Life on Land, specifically calls for a halt to biodiversity loss. Pollinators (bees and butterflies) are two functional groups with public attention for protection, yet little long-term data availability. National Parks, including those in the United States, act as optimal sites to study biodiversity loss, but historic data tends to vary in availability. This study addresses systematic taxonomic and digitalization biases present within historic (museum), modern (citizen science), and non-digitized (private collection) datasets for Yellowstone and Grand Teton National Parks from 1900 to 2021. We find that, although database record availability is representative of butterfly and bumble bee groups known for the area, categories such as data rescue, digitalization/availability, and management/archiving vary across database types. These findings on virtual datasets offer opportunities for conservationists to understand the efficacy of digitized collections in addressing questions of species loss over time, including the strengths and pitfalls of digitized data repositories. Additionally, virtual datasets can be utilized to monitor biodiversity under Sustainable Development Goal 15 targets while also promoting broader access to resources such as museum collections for educational purposes.

Can an embodiment with place reconfigure what it means to be outdoors, whose body belongs? Through an autoethnographic narrative of lived experiences with hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) and pain, this case study explores how the colonial and outdated meanings of adventure may exclude disabled outdoor practitioners. Remembering a lifetime of outdoor experiences, from childhood backpacking trips in the Sierra Nevada to working in the field in remote regions of the world, and finally, through field research in the Himalaya, the concept of embodiment of place and pain is examined. In this way, understanding embodiment leads to a dissolving of the Cartesian dualisms that so intently create expectations of what it means to be outdoors. Shifting from pushing through pain to embracing disability reconfigures these dominant narratives. As such, the meaning of adventure is subjective for any body who exists in the outdoors, as we are the apparatus of our experiences, contextual in space and time. Information © CAB International 2024

This brief article summarizes five trends and issues discussed during a moderated panel and round table discussion at the Association for Experiential Education (AEE) Symposium on Experiential Education Research (SEER) in November 2023. The aim of this session was to expand on prior documented trends and disseminate current experiential and outdoor education (EOE) trends, issues, and related research. These are only a few of the many EOE trends and issues but they represent both meta trends/issues and program-specific trends. This session was designed for scholars and practitioners who teach, provide program administration, and/or conduct research and evaluation efforts for EOE and related disciplines. Topics included cultural representation in the outdoors, trauma and mental health trends, safety II: a new view of risk management, nature and outdoor programming, and whether college outdoor orientation leaders should be paid. We hope that you, the reader, are inspired to consider what trends and issues are impacting your work and explore areas for future research.

Critical psychology is a discipline that can be defined in a variety of ways, though common themes include critiquing mainstream psychology as well as critiquing society at large and engaging in social change to respond to those critiques. The neurodiversity movement is a political movement that emerged in response to the dehumanizing treatment of Autistic and other neurodivergent individuals by society in general and by mainstream psychology specifically. In this article, I describe five ways in which critical psychology and the neurodiversity movement can and have begun to benefit from each other: (a) by critical psychologists embracing neurodivergent epistemologies in the way they embrace other diverse epistemologies; (b) by resisting attempts within mainstream psychology to pathologize difference or “treat” these so-called psychopathologies by modifying behavior; (c) by practitioners developing cultural competency around neurodivergent culture within the psychotherapeutic practice; (d) by challenging the homogenization and whitewashing within the neurodiversity movement through leveraging lessons from within various critical psychologies; and (e) by researchers and practitioners recognizing and combatting instances of ableism embedded in other forms of oppression and within the field of critical psychology itself.

This research paper delves into the complex relationship between pro-environmental attitudes, dietary preferences, and packaging choices using a Virtual Reality (VR) restaurant scenario. The imperative is to address environmental concerns, particularly plastic waste and greenhouse gas emissions, as they pertain to sectors of the food service sector. This study seeks to understand the factors influencing environmental attitudes and behaviors, with a focus on dietary preferences and packaging choices using a VR restaurant scenario. This study explores connections between gender, education, interventions, and pro-environmental attitudes, as well as the correlation between vegetarian diets and sustainable behaviors. While the results suggest significant correlations between gender and pro-environmental attitudes and a potential connection between adopting vegetarian diets and pro-environmental attitudes, our study emphasizes the nuanced nature of these relationships. The findings underline the importance of interdisciplinary research and strategic interventions for fostering sustainable behaviors and reducing environmental impact. The use of VR simulation adds a novel dimension to understanding individuals’ choices in controlled environments, shedding light on the intricate dynamics of pro-environmental decision making. This paper contributes to the ongoing discourse on sustainable behavior by offering insights into the interplay between personal preferences, environmental awareness, and choices with significant environmental implications.

Systematic assessments of species extinction risk at regular intervals are necessary for informing conservation action1,2. Ongoing developments in taxonomy, threatening processes and research further underscore the need for reassessment3,4. Here we report the findings of the second Global Amphibian Assessment, evaluating 8,011 species for the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species. We find that amphibians are the most threatened vertebrate class (40.7% of species are globally threatened). The updated Red List Index shows that the status of amphibians is deteriorating globally, particularly for salamanders and in the Neotropics. Disease and habitat loss drove 91% of status deteriorations between 1980 and 2004. Ongoing and projected climate change effects are now of increasing concern, driving 39% of status deteriorations since 2004, followed by habitat loss (37%). Although signs of species recoveries incentivize immediate conservation action, scaled-up investment is urgently needed to reverse the current trends.

Electrochemical cells from ice will be an important seasonal addition to power generation in cold regions. We demonstrate power generation on the order of 0.1 mW at 0.3 V and 0.13 m² surface area using an electrochemical cell with 2% HCl providing a pH gradient in ice, and suggest a solar add-on effect due to temperature changes under direct sunlight. Different models are discussed, and data are presented related to different additives: (1) solutes such as NaCl and monopotassium phosphate; (2) pH modifying agents such as acids and bases; (3) particulate suspensions with kaolinite and other substances. The results are positive and suggest viable use of electrochemical cells from ice with low fabrication costs and safe environmental impact for ephemeral power generation, especially with future material improvements and refinement of technique. Current research in this nascent field is also briefly introduced. The model presented has implications both for power systems and for biology: an icy-worlds hypothesis for the origin of life suggests a protometabolism with an ice-based pH gradient.