PLYMOUTH, N.H.-
The Boyd Science Colloquium is back for 2008-09. The lecture series provides a diverse set of speakers talking on a wide range of topics this year, including environmental economics, climate change, acid rain and forensic chemistry. The lectures are at 3:30 on Wednesdays (except the first Wednesday of the month); in room 001 Boyd Science Center. The Sept. 10 speaker is Dr. Chris Leggett of Gilford, who will describe methods of estimating participation in outdoor recreation, which is important for designing parks and allocating dollars for conservation projects.
Estimates of the number of people visiting specific parks, beaches, trails, and other outdoor locations are required for a variety of policy purposes. However, characterizing participation in outdoor recreation can be extremely difficult when participants don’t pass through an entrance gate or pay an entry fee.
This talk will provide an overview of approaches to quantifying outdoor recreation, describe the advantages and disadvantages of each approach, provide examples from actual data collection efforts, and discuss end uses of outdoor recreation data by environmental economists and natural scientists.
Chris Leggett is the founder of Statistics and Economics Consulting, a consulting firm located in Gilford, New Hampshire. He has eight years of experience providing consulting support to a variety of federal and state agencies, primarily related to environmental policy and litigation. He received his bachelor’s from Harvard University and his masters and doctorate from the University of Maryland, College Park. He has taught economics and statistics courses at Montgomery College and University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and he has published in several leading environmental economics journals.
Overcast. Temperature: 37; Wind: W at 11; Conditions as of Sun May 26 at 01:00 AM EDT