Theses and Dissertations at Montana State University (MSU)
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Item Rivers of resilience: the ripple effect of community-based action(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Arts & Architecture, 2024) Coe, Madison Lindsay; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Hugo R. SindelarProtect Our Rivers is a documentary film that chronicles the transformative journey of Sarah Nelson, a young woman who, after enduring profound personal losses, discovers her life's purpose in river conservation. Inspired by her first whitewater rafting trip, Sarah establishes the nonprofit organization Protect Our Rivers, which mobilizes volunteers to remove over 120,000 pounds of trash from local streams and restore the health of America's waterways. Through Sarah's story, the film explores themes of resilience, community, and the power of individual action in the face of environmental degradation and climate change. The film captures Sarah's tireless dedication to river conservation, juxtaposing her personal journey of healing with the renewal of strained waterways. Set against the backdrop of the pristine Salmon River and the urban stretch of the South Platte River in Denver, Colorado, the film underscores the importance of preserving rivers as vital ecosystems and sources of community recreation and well-being. Despite facing extreme pollution and degradation, Sarah's grassroots efforts demonstrate the potential for small-scale actions to make a significant impact on river health and community empowerment. Drawing stylistic inspiration from other verite-style environmental documentaries, stunning cinematography and immersive storytelling is embraced in the film to evoke emotional resonance and inspire collective action in its viewers. By highlighting the interconnectedness of environmental conservation and human well-being, the film serves as a poignant reminder of our shared responsibility to protect the planet's precious rivers. Through Sarah's story, Protect Our Rivers offers a beacon of hope and empowerment, demonstrating that one person's passion and dedication can create a ripple effect of positive change in the world.Item Power and perils of partnership: a lifecycles approach to understanding barriers to data use in Montana volunteer water monitoring programs(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2022) Bean, Liam Francis; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Sarah P. ChurchAs socionatural systems become more unpredictable due to increased anthropogenic interference, the need for responsive data-driven governance is apparent. However, there is a repeated assertion that public trust in science and the scientific process is eroding. Public participation in scientific research, or citizen science, is often seen as a pathway to rebuilding public trust in data collection and analysis while also being an effective cost-cutting measure as research funding becomes more and more difficult to secure. I developed case studies of five different volunteer water monitoring programs from across the state of Montana. Each case was primarily constructed from semi-structured interviews with various volunteers, program managers, and decision-makers. These cases explore how trust in volunteer water quality data was generated across stakeholder groups and if, and how, volunteer collected data are used in local governance processes. To explore the relationship between different volunteers, program managers, tributaries, monitoring equipment, and decision-makers, an approach inspired by actor network theory was adopted during the analysis. The five cases all had key parallels in their histories and while each case was distinct, all five seemed to pass through similar phases I describe as a generalized lifecycle. The four key phases of this lifecycle were: 1) an inciting incident, 2) enrollment of allies, 3) re-enrollment of allies, and 4) program evaluation. The second and third phases were key to understanding how data produced by volunteers would eventually be used. When programs enrolled alongside state actors like the Montana Department of Environmental Quality, volunteers and local community members saw decision-making processes as more legitimate, and volunteer water monitoring programs had a direct route to having their data used. However, the process of being enrolled alongside a different monitoring program or state agency created a problem with the salience of volunteer collected data, often making it less reflexive to community needs and less used in local governance processes. In addition, regular re-enrollment with new agencies, partners, and monitoring efforts allowed many programs to secure funding and paths to data use but hampered their ability to produce datasets for long-term trend analysis.Item An analysis of fossil identification guides to improve data reporting in citizen science programs(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2018) Butler, Dava; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Greg FrancisAn increasing number of organizations use untrained volunteers to gather scientific data. This citizen science movement builds enthusiasm for science by engaging the public, as well as providing a way to gather large amounts of information at little or no expense. The challenge of citizen science is obtaining accurate information from participants. Identifying an image style that increases correct identifications helps not only the citizen science movement but also scientific instruction in general. This study tests three visual guides for identifying late Hemphillian (5-4.5 m.y.a.) fossils from Polk County, Florida. Each guide has identical layout and text, differing only in image style: color photos, grayscale photos, or illustrations. Teams of untrained participants each use one guide to identify fossils. Geology and paleontology professionals also identify fossils for comparison. Comparing results reveals that photographic images, either color or grayscale, produce results most similar to data from professionals.Item Associations between participation and volunteerism in community education and selected socio-demographic variables in rural Alaska(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Education, Health & Human Development, 1985) Graham, Melvern EugeneItem Montana State 4-H volunteer leader college : does it make a difference?(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2005) Bradbury, Ricarda Marie; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Carl Igo.The purpose of this study was to measure the degree to which leaders who received training through the Montana 4-H Volunteer Leader College (VLC) had an affect on the life skills development of members in their 4-H clubs. Data was collected using a written survey. Leaders and members from 4-H clubs in Montana comprised the sample. Descriptive statistics, two-tailed t-tests, and chisquare were generated for analysis. After analysis, the following conclusions, recommendations and implications were made: Conclusions: (1) 4-H members surveyed were demographically similar. Leaders in the treatment group had been involved more years as 4-H leaders. Leaders from the treatment group reported receiving higher levels of training from 4-H extension. (2) Membersα perceptions of their life skills or leadersα perceptions of their ability to provide members with life skills were not influenced by training through the VLC. (3) A greater occurrence of officer training and a difference in officer selection was reported by members of the treatment group. (4) Community involvement, as summarized by leaders, seemed to be more varied and occurred more often in the treatment group. Higher levels in this area were also perceived by members in the treatment group. Recommendations: (1) Further study was recommended to determine if mandatory training of volunteer leaders for life skills development provided different impacts than volunteer training, Additionally, further research was needed to determine the effect officer election and training strategies employed by leaders had on level of community involvement of clubs. (3) Assessment of the VLC was recommended, with consideration given to the National 4-H Strategic Plan. (4) A quasi-experimental design using larger treatment and control groups from throughout Montana should be conducted. (5) Changes to the survey instrument should be included in further research. Implications: (1) Overall, the perceived life skills possessed by Montana State 4-H members were high, regardless of leader training. (2) Alternative explanations were available concerning specific leader practices of officer training and selection and community involvement.