Tag: Humanities

The Enemy in the Forests: The Public Perception of Forest Fires in the Pacific Northwest 1933–1965

Presenter: Augustine Beard

Faculty Mentor: Mark Carey

Presentation Type: Oral

Primary Research Area: Humanities

Major: History

Fire plays a vital role in the ecology of the Pacific Northwest. However, throughout most of the twentieth century, the National Forest Service promoted a strict policy of fire suppression that has disrupted the cyclical nature of fires and lead to the growth of “megafires” in the past few decades. For the most part, the National Forest Service and the timber industry both financially benefited from the suppression policies. While historians have discussed the relation between scientists, the timber and ranching industries, and the state, there has been little analysis of public perception as it relates to fire policy and the actors involved. Groups and campaigns like the Keep Oregon Green Association and Smokey Bear encompassed a broad range of representatives including environmentalists, politicians, private loggers, and scholars, developing quasi-state entities that emphasized the importance of timber capital and national security above all else. Using various sources such as records of the Keep Oregon Green Association, OSU Forestry School archives, and World War II propaganda posters, I argue that the wide range of organizers promoting a uniform conception of fire disallowed any other. Fire prevention campaigns and the extreme vilification of fire in the public eye were vital to developing the environmental narrative that ensured an unquestioned fire suppression policy for so long.

Muffled Voices: Press Censorship in the Former Soviet Union

Presenter: Jonathan Bach

Faculty Mentor: Peter Laufer, Kim Sheehan

Presentation Type: Poster 4

Primary Research Area: Humanities

Major: Journalism

Funding Source: The University of Oregon-UNESCO Crossings Institute, Airfare to Azerbaijan; the University of Oregon College of Arts and Sciences, $1914.26 for airfare; the Government of Azerbaijan, hotel and occasional food

Around the globe, countries suffer from constrained media outlets and a lack of access to public information. In the former Soviet Union, there has been a struggle to maintain a balance between media autonomy and censorship. Such censorship hinders reporters’ roles as watchdogs against the government, free to uncover corruption without fear of a threat to their lives. But as I found through research in and outside of Azerbaijan—a country on the Caspian Sea—those at the top of the government come down harshly on journalists who are just doing their jobs. So that I could better understand the ways in which censorship occurs, I conducted interviews via my research fellowship with the University of Oregon-UNESCO Crossings Institute for Conflict Sensitive Reporting and Intercultural Dialogue with journalists and academics in Oregon and Finland. For this thesis, I draw on my experience at the World Forum for Intercultural Dialogue in Baku, Azerbaijan, as well as the experiences of journalists who have worked on press freedom issues in countries like Ukraine. For example, I spoke with Steve Bass, President and CEO of Oregon Public Broadcasting, about his time in Kiev, Ukraine, working with national broadcasters there to develop a cohesive national public station. I also spoke with Juan Barata Mir, who works with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, about the ways in which external officials put pressure on governments like Azerbaijan to release jailed journalists. It’s a common fact that the public has a right to access official information—so when that right’s impeded, there must be backlash.

Navigating Ancient Waters; An Endeavor to Describe the Historical Relationships Between the Warm Springs Reservation, Mt Hood National Forest, and BARK Forest Protectors

Presenter(s): Tyler Young − Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald, Paul Guernsey

Poster 195

Research Area: Humanities

Spreading from the Cascades to the Deschutes river, the Warm Springs, Wasco, and Paiute Native American tribes have been relocated by the U.S. Government to the Warm Springs reservation, a sovereign nation in itself which has a shaky relationship with the U.S. Government. My small team and I are researching the historical parallels, intricacies, and difficulties that exist between; The Warm Springs Reservation and its people, the Mt Hood National Forest which borders the reservation, and an organization by the name of BARK who has been a protector of the Mt Hood National Forest since 1993. These three entities have an intimate relationship with Mt. Hood and its surrounding area, and navigating those ancient waters has been challenging for the Forest Service, for BARK, and for the people of Warm Springs due to the diverse ideologies of these groups. We will be creating an introduction, and written history of these relationships for new BARK volunteers attempting to help protect the Forest. We will also be producing a short video for the BARK website which will highlight a few of these relationships. The tribe of Warm Springs, the Organization of BARK, and the U.S. Forest Service all have good intentions, but working together can sometimes be tricky, so we’re here to help!

Historical and Contemporary Relationships Between Environmental Organizations and Indigenous Peoples in Oregon

Presenter(s): Taylor Walker − Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald

Poster 191

Research Area: Humanities

There is a growing concern with the security of Earth’s environment. Environmental organizations in Oregon argue that our responsibility as humans is to care for our ecological surroundings in a way that is largely based on how scientific research has determined the best way of doing so. Modern science explains many ways we can live sustainably, though there is still room to broaden and deepen our understanding of the Earth. The purpose of my research is to show how past and present relationships between environmental organizations and indigenous peoples in Oregon can help to create a more ecologically knowledgeable and engaging community. Online databases, course readings, and local institutions provided information necessary for me to understand correlations and any disconnects between the groups. Including indigenous relationships, experiences and knowledges in the ecological narrative enriches environmental organizations’ functionality, ultimately influencing the mainstream perception of how to, and who can, interact with the environment. My goal is to construct a concise report that emphasizes the importance of indigenous representation in the ecological narrative.

The Effects of Climate Change and Sea Ice Within Inuit Populations in the Arctic Region

Presenter(s): Corinne Togiai − Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey

Poster 190

Research Area: Humanities and Natural Sciences

Sea ice is used as a bright surface to reflect sunlight back into space to help maintain cool temperatures in polar regions and to moderate climate change. However, as sea ice melts, more sunlight penetrates the ocean surface causing the ocean to heat up and Arctic temperatures to rise. Therefore, the decline of sea ice is greatly affecting the Inuit Arctic population’s livelihood such as hunting and transportation. The purpose of this study is to bring attention to the importance of sea ice within Inuit Arctic culture that is often neglected. Hence, preservation of Inuit Arctic culture and preventing climate through the lens of scientific raw data, indigenous Arctic knowledge via story-telling and qualitative observations, and political perspectives on how to address the effects of climate change, will help this indigenous population learn to adapt, and/or preserve their land and culture.Moreover, a collection of sources about sea ice in the Arctic region, Inuit Arctic culture, and issues/questions at a national and international level of what is currently in place to address the melting sea ice and climate change will be used to draw conclusions. Research has found an appearance in new species, and an increase in sea traffic resulting in Arctic Inuit people to feel loss of control of their homeland as sea ice used to be their separation from the outside world. This research is significant because with global climate change contributing to a shift in sea levels and temperature, indigenous Arctic people are in danger.

Collaboration and Conflict: Exploring Contemporary Relationships of Indigenous Peoples and the Government in Oregon

Presenter(s): Doug Sam − Environmental Studies, Geography

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald, Paul Guernsey

Poster 180

Research Area: Humanities

When constructing a history of public lands and examining diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts on public lands, it’s important to recognize that all lands in the United States have an Indigenous history and that Indigenous peoples have a distinct relationship to both the land and to government entities. This study examines the nature of this relationship. Using case studies from around the state of Oregon, which contains nine federally-recognized tribes and various non-recognized peoples, it explores conflicts and collaborations between Indigenous nations and government agencies across space and time. These case studies range widely, including wars and reservations, the cancelled sale of the Elliot State Forest to a coalition including the landless Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribes of Indians, and traditional use of land in of the Mount Hood National Forest. As part of a greater project to illustrate the relationship between Indigenous peoples and public lands, this work hopes to show the conditions in which Indigenous nations and the government can build convivial relationships and the conditions which create disagreements and conflicts. In a time when tribal sovereignty is being again being actively eroded, this work also makes the case that the relationship between government agencies and Indigenous nations in the United States is a distinct one and one that resists merely recategorizing Indigenous issues as merely one of race.

Gender Identity and Location Barriers to Engaging with Bark: A Mt. Hood Preservation and Restoration Organization

Presenter(s): Taylor Reichert − Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald

Poster 179

Research Area: Humanities

Individuals from sexually marginalized groups along with differing urban and rural communities experience a wide variety of barriers when it comes to accessing the outdoors. Oppression, safety and discomfort are major concerns for women and members of the LGBTQ community if they ever desire to partake in national park services or environmental spaces. Transportation and economic barriers face the differing groups from rural and urban communities striving to enjoy these public spaces as well. As an Oregon based environmental protection organization, Bark has expressed a pressing need for a more inclusive environment for community engagement. What are the barriers that have historically restricted individuals from diverse gender identities and varying locations from accessing and enjoying US national parks and how have these trickled into the present society? I will conduct a literature review on the relationship between LGBTQ-identified individuals and outdoor recreation, along with the relationship between individuals from urban/rural communities and outdoor recreation. I hope to develop a better understanding of existing barriers and practices that might combat those barriers. The findings I hope to come across will lead to alternative solutions to a more inclusive outdoor recreation environment for all genders and rural/urban communities to create a more diverse society that utilizes its public spaces. Alternative programs and policies must be implemented for public outdoor spaces in order to increase its diversity and utilization so that all groups of individuals may partake in a physically and mentally healthy lifestyle with the environment.

Contextualizing the Role of Pre-20th Century Conservation Initiatives in the Contemporary Environmental Conservation Movement

Presenter(s): Trevor Meyer − Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald

Poster 170

Research Area: Humanities

Modern environmental conservation initiatives are inseparable from centuries-old traditions, and attitudes toward nature. The purpose of this project is to present early conservation initiatives and interpretations, prior to the progressive era, that are especially foundational in the context of the contemporary conservation movement in the United States. It is critical
to acknowledge the parallelism between contemporary and traditional environmental conservation issues—deforestation, urbanization, and industrialization that spurred the first Euro-American conservation ideas during the 17th century. Despite the 18th and the 19th centuries being characterized mostly by the manifest destiny and the exploitation of natural resources, this time in history is also responsible for fostering immensely transformative valuations, understandings, and attitudes toward natural resources. During the 18th and 19th centuries the overuse and misuse of natural resources under traditional utilitarian conservation regimes was questioned, and contested by alternative conservation initiatives that perceived value in the preservation of nature, and wildlife habitat. From which values arose the nation’s first state parks, national parks, national forests, forest management practices, and wildlife protection organizations. In order to understand the complexities of decision-making in the contemporary environmental conservation movement we first ought to consider the age-old traditions and attitudes toward natural resources that provided foundation for the earliest conservation ideologies.

Event Outreach to Underrepresented Communities on Public Lands

Presenter(s): Helena Kresky − Environmental Studies

Faculty Mentor(s): Sarah Wald

Poster 165

Research Area: Humanities

My research seeks to address the ways in which Bark and other public land organizations can reevaluate their outreach and advertising methods to foster diverse and inclusive events that all can enjoy. Working with Bark’s public events, my research is tailored to provide them with ways they can improve their strategies to reach out to groups currently underrepresented on public lands. Public land exploration and survival has become a way to define the American identity yet many individuals are excluded from enjoying public lands even if that exclusion is not intentional. This research addresses some of the ways in which event outreach and advertising can exclude individuals, and how we may be able to adjust outreach in order to help others feel included and address their needs.

Climate Change, Water Policy, and Society in the Peruvian Andes

Presenter(s): Rennie Kendrick − Biology

Faculty Mentor(s): Mark Carey

Oral Session 1M

Research Area: Social Science, Humanities

Climate change has posed a threat to fresh water supplies, which has worsened conflicts over water. Simultaneously, corporations have strategically offered water privatization schemes as a solution to climate change problems. Although privatization may benefit key economic interests, a review of literature examining its impact on water users in Peru as a
case study and its impact on the environment at large, calls into question the viability of this model. I argue that water privatization in Peru has produced negative social impacts on water access, including reduced water access for certain groups, violation of traditional meanings of water, and changes to water’s legal character. More broadly, the privatization of water resources represents a larger flaw in current approaches to climate change, which often rely on market-based solutions over governmental regulation. Because market-based solutions rely on the integrity of private actors, these private actors may, and often do, make decisions that further undermine the natural environment. An understanding of both the negative social and environmental impacts of water privatization will eventually lead to creation of new forms of water governance in the face of climate change and social inequities.