Brian Eisenhauer, Associate Director and Assistant Professor of Sociology

Social Sciences Department, MSC 39
Plymouth State University
17 High Street
Plymouth, NH 03264

Office: 004 Memorial Hall
Phone: 603.535.2497
Fax: 603.535.3180
Email:bweisenhauer@plymouth.edu

Education

• B.A., Colorado State University, Department of Sociology
• M.A., Humboldt State University, Department of Sociology
• Ph.D., Utah State University, Department of Sociology

Professional Interests

Brian's primary area of specialty is natural resource / environmental sociology, a field that studies community in its largest sense by examining the interrelationships between society, culture and the environment. He has a strong background in social research methods, and an active and varied research agenda focusing on the interaction of environment and society through investigating rural community change and development, community attachment and grassroots activism, wilderness values and perceptions, the evaluation of environmental education and conservation programs, outdoor recreation issues and management, and public opinion about environmental and natural resource issues.

Publications

• Wulfhorst, J.D.,  B. Eisenhauer, S. Gripne, and J. Ward. 2008. Core Criteria and Assessment Challenges for Participatory Action Research. In Partnerships for Empowerment, eds. C. Wilmsen , W. Elmendorf , L. Fisher, J. Ross, B. Sarathy, G. Wells, 23-46. Sterling, VA: Earthscan

• Eisenhauer, B. and J. Brehm. 2008. Motivations for Participating in Community-Supported Agriculture and Their Relationship with Community Attachment and Social Capital. Southern Rural Sociological Society 23(1):94-115.

• Eisenhauer, B. and B. Nicholson. 2007. Do You See What I See? The Importance of Diverse Perspectives in Environmental Communications. Frontiers in Ecology 5(3): 161-163.

• Brehm, J. and B. Eisenhauer. 2006. Environmental Concern in the Mormon Culture Region. Society and Natural Resources 19:393-410.

• Brehm, J.,  B. Eisenhauer, and R. Krannich. 2006. Community Attachments as Predictors of Local Environmental Concern: The Case for Multiple Dimensions of Attachment.American Behavioral Scientist 50(2):142-165.

• Eisenhauer, B. and B. Nicholson. 2005. Using Stakeholders Views: A Social Science Methodology for the Inclusive Design of Environmental Communications. Applied Environmental Education and Communication 4(1):19-30.

• Eisenhauer, B. and J. Weiss. 2005. Unnatural Resource Dependence: Community Adaptation to an Altered Environment. Interdisciplinary Environmental Review:6(2):62-73.

• Eisenhauer, B. and J.D. Wulfhorst. 2005. Capitalizing on the Potential to Empower and Mobilize. Chapter 7: Community Centered Research: A Primer. Utah State University Press. Logan, Utah.

• Wulfhorst, J.D., and B. Eisenhauer. 2004. Truth, Ethics, and Credibility in Community Research. Chapter 5 Community Centered Research: A Primer. Utah State University Press. Logan, Utah.

• Brehm, J., B. Eisenhauer, and R. Krannich. 2004. Dimensions of Community Attachment and Their Relationship to Well-Being in the Amenity-Rich Rural West. Rural Sociology 69(3):405-429.

• Western Rural Development Center (Brian Eisenhauer co-author and researcher). 2003.Fiscal Crises in the Western States. State Tax Notes 30(1): 59-72.

• Coppin, D., B. Eisenhauer, and R. Krannich. 2002. Is Synthetic Pesticide Use Socially Acceptable? A Comparison Between Rural and Urban Settings. Social Science Quarterly 83(1):379-394.

• Eisenhauer, B., R. Krannich, and D. Blahna. 2000. Attachments to Special Places on Public Lands: An Analysis of Activities, Reasons for Attachments, and Community Connections. Society and Natural Resources 13:421-441.

• Luloff, A.E., C. Pratt, R. Krannich, D. Field, and B. Eisenhauer. 2000. National Park Service Managers’ Views of the Recreation Fee Demonstration Program. Park Science: Integrating Research and Resource Management 20(1):40-41.

• Krannich, R., B. Eisenhauer, D. Field, C. Pratt, and A.E. Luloff. 1999. Implications of the National Park Service Recreation Fee Demonstration Program for Park Operations and Management: Perceptions of NPS Managers. Journal of Park and Recreation Administration 17(3):35-52.

Presentations

Invited Professional Presentations

• Working with People: Applying Social Science Research in Conservation and Outreach Efforts. Invited Plenary address, the 32nd Annual Meeting of the New England Association of Environmental Biologists. Bartlett, NH. 2008

• Newfound Lakes Region Association Annual Meeting Keynote Address: Watershed Plan Project Progress Report: Social Science Findings. Bridgewater, NH. 2008.

• The Social Dynamics of Efforts to Reduce Road Salt Loading. With S. Whitman. Invited Presentation at the 2008 Lakes Conference, New Hampshire Lakes Association, Meredith, NH. 2008.

• Positive Environmentalism: Fostering Environmentally Responsible Behaviors. Plenary Speaker at Green/Blue Summit: Water, Earth and People. Philadelphia, PA. 2007.

• The Use of Social Science in the Development of Watershed Management and Protection Plans. Paul Smiths College, NY. 2007.

• Newfound Lakes Region Association Annual Meeting Keynote Address: Threats and Solutions to Lake Quality: A Watershed Perspective &  Potential Partnerships. Bridgewater, NH. 2006.

Professional Presentations

• Human Dimensions of Marine Protected Areas in and near New Hampshire Waters. With K. Donahue and B. Gagnon. International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Burlington, VT. 2008.

• The Nexus of Place Attachment, Behavior, and Ecological Integrity. With J. Brehm and R. Stedman. International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Burlington, VT. 2008.

• From Student-Centered to Student Led: Teaching about Social Aspects of Environmental Issues. Workshop developed and delivered at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Burlington, VT. 2008.

• Newfound Watershed Master Plan – An Early Report from the Front. With Boyd Smith and Steve Whitman. New Hampshire Department. of Environmental Services Watershed Conference 2007. Concord, NH. 2007.

• Innovations and Insights in Teaching about Society, Natural Resources, and The Environment. With J. Brehm and C. Flint. 13th  International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Park City, UT. 2007.

• Evaluating and Improving a Community-based Natural Resource Conservation Program: A Case Study of the Natural Resource Outreach Coalition Evaluation Project. With J. Brehm. Presented at the 12th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Vancouver, Canada. 2006.

• Teaching about Environment and Society – Innovative Techniques and Approaches. With J. Brehm. Presented at the 12th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Vancouver, Canada. 2006.

• Using Social Science in Community Planning: The Survey Process. Annual meeting of the NH Planners Association. New Hampshire. 2006.

• Just do it! Environmental Education Evaluation. With A. Yeakel. Presented at the 39th Annual Conference of the New England Environmental Education Alliance. Cape Cod, MA. 2005.

• Teaching About the Social Sciences and Natural Resources: Opportunities for Innovative Teaching. With J. Brehm. Presented at the Presented at the 10th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Keystone, CO. 2004.

• Environmental Concern in the Mormon Culture Region. With J. Brehm. Presented at the Presented at the 10th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Keystone, CO. 2004.

• Community Attachment as Predictors of Local Environmental Concern: The Case for Social and Natural Environment Dimensions of Attachment. With J. Brehm and R. S. Krannich. Presented at the 67th Annual Meeting of the Rural Sociological Society. Sacramento, CA. 2004.

• Differential Attachments to Special Places: Associations Between Individual Characteristics and Attachments to Natural or Built Environment Settings. With R. S. Krannich, J. Brehm, and P. Petrzelka. Presented at the 9th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Bloomington, IN. 2002.

• How Does the Grass Grow? The Dynamics of Grassroots Environmental Organizations’ Formation, Mobilization, and Actions. With M. Smith. Presented at the 8th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, 2000. Bellingham, WA.

• An Examination of Teen Court Diversion Programs: Evaluation and the Ego Identity Status of Juvenile Offenders. With A. Dick. Presented at the 94th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association. Chicago, IL. 1999.

• Place Attachments in Public Land Settings: A Community Level Analysis of Activities, Values, and Benefits. With R. S. Krannich and D. Blahna. Presented at the Seventh International Symposium on Society and Resource Management. Columbia, MO. 1998.

• Project Common Ground: Community Building Among Adults and Teens in a Rapidly Growing Rural Community. Presented at the meeting of the Society for Applied Sociology. Atlanta, GA. 1996.