• ORTM student Darryl Triebner in Tombstone Territorial Park, YK. Darryl was awarded one of the NOLS scholarships to pursue environmental education in the Yukon.

  • A professor at the University of Northern British Columbia (UNBC) has been honoured for his dedication to providing students with meaningful, real-world learning experiences.

  • Fall 2012 ORTM student and faculty retreat at Eskers Provincial Park.

  • Graduate Montana Prysnuk (ORTM BA 2012) leads Prince George naturalists in some environmental education activities. 

  • ORTM faculty and students host the public for an annual BC Parks EcoQuest, Fall 2012 at Eskers Provincial Park.

  • Graduate Alison Bray (BPl/BA NBTM) snapped this award winning photo, "Feet Up", on a Yukon adventure. 

Faculty

Dr. Kathy Lewis
Professor
Program Chair, ESM and ORTM
Office:LAB8 341
Phone; 250 960 6659
Pat Maher
Associate Professor 
Office: LAB8 138
Phone: 250 960 5235
Web: view full profile
Pat Maher
Pat's teaching and travel in the Arctic and Antarctic have helped him develop strong research expertise in the recreation and tourism that occur in these Polar Regions.  He is particularly interested in expeditionary or remote field-based travel and the meanings visitors associate with such experiences.  As well, Pat's interests are in outdoor and experiential education, outdoor leadership, wilderness values, and adventure tourism.  In 2008 Pat was the recipient of one of UNBC's Excellence in Teaching Awards, and in spring 2010 Pat gave the Robert W. Tait Annual Lecture on Implementing Teaching Excellence.  Pat has also just recently been awarded the 2012 Willi Unsoeld Award (http://northwest.aee.org/awards/description) for his educational passion and experiential practice. 
 
Pat is on parental leave with new son Fraser for Fall of 2011 and thereafter will be on sabbatical from January 2012 through December 2012.
 
  
In the winter semester of 2013 Pat will teach ORTM 414 - Polar Tourism & Recreation and ORTM 407 - Recreation, Tourism & Communities.
 
Phil Mullins
Assistant Professor Phil Mullins
Office: LAB8 144
Phone: 250 960 5509Email: mullins@unbc.ca
Before completing his Ph.D. at the University of Alberta, Phil spent a number of years facilitating international field research and study programs focused on community- based environmental problem solving.  Inspired by his work in developing nations, Phil critically interprets dominant Western conceptions of human-nature relationships and focuses on socio-ecological approaches to studying, theorizing, and practicing outdoor recreation, education, and tourism.  On a general level, Phil investigates the interrelationship of people and place through movement in outdoor activities.  In terms of people, he is currently researching how participating and developing skill in outdoor adventure activities (canoe tripping, mountain biking, kayaking, hiking and mountaineering) shape how individuals and groups know landscapes and engage socio-ecological issues, and how these activities position people as participants in dynamic and complex social, ecological, and economic systems relative to sustainability.  In terms of place, he is interested in understanding how activity within these systems produce, maintain, and challenge areas of wilderness, parks, and green space.  Along with Dr. Maher, Phil is a co-editor of the Journal of Experiential Education.  Phil enjoys integrating his teaching, research and practice through field-based programs and projects for his students.

In the 2012-2013 academic year I will be teaching:

  • Fall Semester
    • ORTM 100 Leisure in Life 
    • ORTM 200 Sustainable Recreation and Tourism
  • Winter Semester
    • ORTM 202 Ecotourism and Adventure Tourism
    • ORTM 332 Outdoor Education and Leadership
  
John Shultis
Associate Professor
Office: LAB8 214
Phone: (250) 960-5640
John completed his undergraduate education at Trent University in Peterborough, Ontario, where he received an Honours BSc degree in a joint major of Geography and Environmental and Resource Studies. After working as a paleontologist in Alberta, he went to New Zealand for doctoral studies. His doctoral degree was conferred by the Department of Geography at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1992: the thesis discussed historical and contemporary attitudes towards and utilization of the natural environment, wilderness and protected areas in New Zealand. Research and teaching interests focus on the social and cultural functions of protected areas and wilderness, environmental interpretation, parks planning and management, special event tourism, and the psychological dimensions of recreation and tourism. He has numerous articles and book chapters dealing with these and related issues. Interests include playing and listening to music, backpacking, canoeing, and travelling.
In the 2012-2013 academic year I will be teaching:
  • Fall Semester
    • ORTM 305 Protected Areas Planning and Management
    • ORTM 408 Psychology of Recreation and Tourism
  • Winter Semester
    • ORTM 298 Introduction to Nature Conservation (Special offer replacing ORTM 204 Visitor Behaviour)
    • ORTM 412 Issues and Trends in Outdoor Recreation and Tourism

Pam Wright                                                                   
Associate Professor                                               
Office: LAB8 334
Phone: 250 960 6353 Pam Wright 

I completed undergraduate degrees in biology and in outdoor recreation management from Lakehead University and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in natural resource management from Ohio State University. My research focuses on conservation-based approaches to protected areas design, planning and management; managing and monitoring the ecological integrity of protected areas; indigenous tourism; and the social and ecological impacts and benefits of tourism and recreation on wild spaces. Other research interests include the development of systems-based monitoring approaches for sustainable forest management.
In addition to teaching and working throughout British Columbia and the rest of Canada I've also worked throughout the US and internationally in Central and South America, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.
I chair the BC Protected Areas Research Forum (www.unbc.ca/bcparf) an organization dedicated to strengthening the linkages between research and protected areas planning and management.
In the 2012-2013 academic year I will be teaching:
  • Summer Semester
    • ORTM 498/298 Indigenous Community Tourism Development Field School
    • ORTM 333 Field School (Northern Rockies Expedition)
  • Fall Semester
    • ORTM 410 Research Methods 
  • Winter Semester
    • ORTM 306 Indigenous Tourism and Recreation
    • ORTM 400 Conservation Area Design and Management

 
2011-2012 Sessional Faculty  
 Ian Picketts
Sessional Instructor for ORTM 300 (September 2012)
Sessional Instructor (with Emily Root) for NREM 100 (September 2012 Field Skills) 
Ian is a PhD student at UNBC who is currently studying community adaptation to the impacts of climate change.  Over the last couple of years Ian has taught three courses at UNBC, most recently Integrated Resource Management (NREM 210).  Ian has a degree in Environmental Engineering and several years of experience doing environmental work in the Arctic, northern Manitoba, and Alberta.  After getting a bit frustrated at cleaning up other people's messes, Ian worked for the Pembina Institute (an environmental NGO) trying to encourage responsible energy development and use in western and northern Canada.  Before that Ian was a backcountry ranger in Ontario, and a dog sled guide in Alberta.  When not up at school, Ian can usually be found in the woods or mountains climbing, skiing, running or biking.  This year he is teaching Recreation & Tourism Impacts (ORTM 300) for the program.
 
 
Gail RossGail Ross
Past Sessional Instructor for ORTM 301
Gail Ross has worked for BC Parks for 33 years, mainly in the field of interpretation.  Starting as a seasonal interpreter at Mt Seymour, Golden Ears and Garibaldi, she became in charge of the program at Manning Park.  She then moved to Prince George as the regional interpretive specialist and later worked as a Program Manager in Victoria.  Besides interpretation, Gail was a key player in the Omineca-Peace Protected Areas Strategy, and worked as a regional planner and resource management specialist.
Gail received her Bachelor's Degree at UBC, followed by a Diploma in Outdoor Recreation Management at Capilano College.  She also works as a facilitator for Wild BC and Stream of Dreams and initiated the Young Naturalist Club of BC.  Gail is a passionate supporter of parks and is currently on the Board for CPAWS, Young Naturalists Clubs of BC and the Park Elders.  Gail enjoys cross country skiing, snowshoeing, hiking, paddling, photography and natural history.
Adjunct Faculty
Anne HardyAnne Hardy
Adjunct Faculty
My research interests include community and stakeholder involvement in tourism and issues related to sustainable tourism. I am also interested in interpretation, self drive tourism (as known as rubber tire tourism) and the use of Recreation Vehicles (RVs). My current research is seeking to understand what motivates visitors to take self drive tourism holidays in cars and RVs, how they make decisions whilst on holiday, and their impact upon local communities.

Visiting Scholars
 
May Kristin Vespestad  (Harstad University College, Norway) -- Fall 2009
•  Guest lecture for ORTM 100
Dr. Anna Thompson  (University of Otago, New Zealand) -- Fall 2010
•  Seminar for the NRESi Colloquium Series
•  Guest lecture for ORTM 100
Andy Thompson  (Otago Polytechnic, New Zealand) -- Fall 2010
•  Presentation to the Prince George Section of the Alpine Club of Canada
•  Guest lecture for ORTM 100

If you are interested in spending time as a visiting scholar within the ORTM Program at UNBC, please read the UNBC Visiting Scholar Policy at:
and contact us at ortm@unbc.ca with any questions.