College of Agriculture & Natural Resources Department of Community Sustainability

Dr. Bess Perry is an Assistant Professor of Protected Areas and Natural Resources Recreation Management and Director of the Park Connections Lab. Her research examines sustainable protected area management, outdoor recreation, and local community connections with both, helping decision-makers address challenges in and beyond parks, such as relevance, access, collaboration, and climate change. This applied social science research program spans from site-specific to regional and often includes interdisciplinary, mixed-method, and cross-scale contributions. Further details are found on Dr. Perry’s CV.

Dr. Perry’s work addresses critical issues for managers, tourists, and communities. With students and partners, Dr. Perry routinely provides visitor use management data, linking to wider contexts (e.g., park systems, regions) and transcending themes (e.g., stewardship, place identity). She does so with attention to relevance, or how parks and recreation can sustain meaningful connections with multiple audiences.

She works with many types of parks to address their unique managerial concerns and highlight their contributions to sustainability. Recent examples include urban/metro, cultural, coastal, wildlife, linear, and iconic nature parks. This work also stretches into related recreation activities and community-focused programming, such as with trails, winter sport, and mountain biking amenities development. She typically works with conservation agencies, recreation organizations, and place-based collaboratives on their pressing concerns.

Dr. Perry holds a B.S. in Natural Resource Ecology – Conservation Biology (University of Idaho), M.S. in Forest Ecosystems and Society (Oregon State University), Ph.D. in Natural Resources (University of Vermont), and postdoctoral training in Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management (Clemson University). Her extensive work history in national and state parks assists in considering how to enhance the utility of park and recreation social science.

Courses taught:

CSUS 200 – Introduction to Sustainability

CSUS 276 – Sustaining our National Parks and Recreation Lands

CSUS 310 – History of Environmental Thought and Sustainability

CSUS 477 – Nature-based Tourism

CSUS 814 – Sustainable Tourism and Protected Areas Management Theories and Applications