Template for Description of Social-Ecological Systems (SES) Research in
specific NSF EPSCoR Jurisdictions
Jurisdiction: Vermont EPSCoR
Names of Project Director and (if different) person completing the survey:
Judith Van Houten, State Director VT EPSCoR
Contact information for person qualified to answer questions related to the survey:
Judith Van Houten, Judith.Vanhouten@uvm.edu
Beverley Wemple, Beverley.Wemple@uvm.edu
Please describe SES research that is currently taking place in your jurisdiction. (up to 1 page)
Examples of SES research in Vermont include:
Redesigning the American Neighborhood: This project seeks to quantify the balances
among environmental, economic, and social costs and benefits for storm water
management at whole-watershed, neighborhood, and individual house scales in a
typical New England landscape and climate. This project focuses on the following four
objectives: (1) assessment of the opportunities for intervention in storm water
management, (2) evaluation of the comparative cost/benefits of these interventions,
(3) increasing participation of community stakeholders to devise successful solutions,
and (4) demonstratration of workable approaches. The project team aims to develop a
generalized framework that will help communities identify specific strategies to manage
stormwater to improve the built environment, promote economic development and
community values. Investigators: Breck Bowden, Alan McIntosh, John Todd, and Alexy
Voinov, UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.
Contemporary nontimber forest product (NTFP) uses, especially in the eastern United
States and elsewhere in the industrialized world. Surveys suggest that approximately ¼
of the U.S. population gathers NTFPs. This widespread, if poorly understood, activity
creates direct connections between people and forests. NTFPs, especially those that
have become global commodities, may present income opportunities for forest
landowners and present sustainability concerns. NTFPs also present environmental
justice opportunities and challenges. This research presents opportunities to explore a
range of human-forest interactions and, as a result, the possibility of both empirical and
theoretical advances in our understanding of these relationships. Investigators, Marla
Emery, Clare Ginger, Susannah McCandless, and others, USDA Forest Service Northern
Research Station, UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources and
Dept. of Geography.
Social Equity, Transportation, Access and Decision Making. Researchers in this cluster
are engaged in examinations of the challenges facing newly-resettled refugees in the
northeastern U.S. with regard to issues of mobility and access and investigations of the
social context of informed decision-making regarding transportation Investigators:
Pablo Bose, UVM Dept. of Geography, Tom Macias, UVM Dept. of Sociology.
The Children’s Urban Geography Project and dhild friendly cities research. This
research explores how children in low-income, socially/spatially marginalized areas of
cities conceptualize urban spaces and what would constitute a 'child-friendly city'. The
work has been based in U.S. cities, including Buffalo, NY, with new projects planned with
European collaborators. Investigator: Meghan Cope, UVM Dept. of Geography.
Social geographies of young people living in the rural landscapes. This work explores
the relationships between American perceptions of nature, constructions of troubled
youth, and the production of identity at wilderness therapy camps. Ultimately, the
research has focused on the co-production of a therapeutic taskscape and individual
identities Investigator: Cheryl Dunkley, UVM Dept. of Geography.
Community forestry. This work focuses on institutional arrangements for communitybased resource management and forest stewardship. Areas of investigation include
collaborative processes, equity & sustainability in forest carbon markets, socioeconomic
monitoring, forest certification, watershed organizations, and the non-profit sector in
forests. Investigator: Cecelia Danks, UVM Environmental Program and Rubenstein
School of Environment and Natural Resources.
The Gund Institute for Ecological Economics unites pioneering experts, leading
educators, students, and others from around the world and across a wide variety of
academic and environmental disciplines. Ongoing research is focused on several broad
areas of fundamental concern. These include the application of science in economic
decision-making; the intrinsic value of ecosystems and the services they provide;
integrated community participation in economic design and development; and the
development of accurate measurements of system health and sustainability. Director:
Robert Costanza, Univ. of Vermont.
What are the SES areas of research that your state may be interested in moving toward or
enhancing at this time? (1/2 page)
What are the SES areas of research that your state may be interested in pursuing in the
future? (1/2 page)
Is there ongoing collaboration with other jurisdictions or neighboring states? (1/2 page)
Our most productive collaborations in Vermont have been between university
researchers, federal scientists and agency personnel (U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Dept of
Transportation, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Vermont Agency of Natural
Resources) and non-profit advocacy groups (Vermont Refugee Resettlement Center).
Please list funding sources (including EPSCoR and non-EPSCoR) for this SES research. (1/2
page)
National Science Foundation
U.S. Department of Transportation
U.S. Forest Service
Transportation Research Center, Univ. of Vermont
U.S. Geological Survey and Vermont Water Resources & Lake Studies Center
Does your jurisdiction have specific goals for SES research as defined by your State Science
and Technology Plan or other statewide initiative? (1/2 page)