Park Science Magazine Call for Submissions ǀ Winter 2024 Issue

Brown and white antelopes grazing in a grassy, snow-covered field

NPS / Neal Herbert

We're still accepting pitches for the winter '24 issue.

Topics for the winter '24 issue are described below.

The topics, examples, and research listed below are meant to shape the issue and stimulate ideas, but they aren't the only ones we'll consider. Park Science welcomes pitches for stories on any topic related to science in our national parks or other public lands.

Questions? Contact the editor

T O P I C S

Modern Methods in Conservation and Preservation

Stories on the science behind new methods of protecting cultural and natural resources on public lands.

Topic examples:

  • 3D rendering of cultural artifacts
  • Machine learning to predict golden eagle distribution
  • Environmental DNA bycatch

"Educate & Interpret" topic example:

  • Comic-based conservation lesson plan

Recent research:

Ackerman and others. 2023. Cultural landscape visualization: The use of non-photorealistic 3D rendering as an analytical tool to convey change at Statue of Liberty National Monument. Journal of Cultural Heritage 62.

Wallace and others. 2024. Predicting the spatial distribution of wintering golden eagles to inform full annual cycle conservation in western North America. PLOS One.

Whitmore and others. 2023. Inadvertent human genomic bycatch and intentional capture raise beneficial applications and ethical concerns with environmental DNA. Nature Ecology & Evolution 7.

Educational Research:

Meaders and others. 2023. A comic-based conservation lesson plan diversifies middle school student conceptions of scientists. Journal of Research in STEM Education 9(1).

The Great Wildlife Displacement: Range Shifts, Reintroductions, and Assisted Migrations

Stories on the science of understanding and managing shifts in wildlife and habitat ranges resulting from climate change or other causes.

Topic examples:

  • Habitat shifts and conversions
  • Grizzly bear reintroductions
  • Assisted migration as adaptation to climate change

"Educate & Interpret" topic examples:

  • Improving data literacy through animal migration data

Recent research:

Cole and others. 2023. Impacts of anthropogenic land transformation on species-specific habitat amount, fragmentation, and connectivity in the Adirondack-to-Laurentians (A2L) transboundary wildlife linkage between 2000 and 2015: Implications for conservation and ecological restoration. Landscape Ecology 38.

Ransom and others. 2023. An integrated modeling approach for considering wildlife reintroduction in the face of climate uncertainty: A case for the North Cascades grizzly bear. Biological Conservation 279.

Educational Research:

Sicler and others. 2021. Measuring Data Skills in Undergraduate Student Work: Development of a Scoring Rubric. Journal of College Science Teaching 50(4).

Advances in Visitation Research and Management

Stories on the current science behind what we know about visitors and how parks or other public lands engage with them.

Topic examples:

  • Astrotourism
  • Social media
  • Emerging methods
  • Diversity and inclusion

"Educate & Interpret" topic example:

  • Gaming as a pre-park-visit preparation tool

Recent research:

Henry and others. 2022. "It Felt Like Walking Through a Night Sky": Managing the Visitor Experience During Biologically Based Nighttime Events. Event Management 26(2).

Huang R. 2023. Analyzing National Parks Visitor Activities Using Geotagged Social Media Photos. Journal of Environmental Management.

Ruiz and Havlick. 2023. A Case Study of Millennials’ Attitudes Toward U.S. National Parks. Journal of Outdoor Recreation, Education, and Leadership 15(1).

Xiao X and others. 2022. Who Visits U.S. National Parks (and Who Doesn’t)? A National Study Of Perceived Constraints and Vacation Preferences Across Diverse Populations. Journal of Leisure Research.

Educational Research:

Zajchowski and others. 2020. Situating and Sequencing Quagmire: The Role of Simulation-Based Gaming in Preparing Students for Future Learning at Capitol Reef National Park, Utah. SCHOLE: A Journal of Leisure Studies and Recreation Education 36(1-2).

Last updated: April 29, 2024

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