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Chris Zajchowski, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor of Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Ecology

Office

CNR 19H

  • Ph.D., University of Utah, 2018
  • M.S., Minnesota State University, Mankato, 2011
  • B.A., Colby College, 2007

  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Visitor Use Management
  • Human Dimensions of Air Quality
  • Judgment and Decision-making
  • Experiential Learning
  • Environmental Humanities
  • Conservation Psychology

(*denotes student as first author)

  • *Hendrick, M.L., Zajchowski, C.A.B., & Fefer, J.P., Sharp, R.L., Berry, C.J., Maples, J.N., & Hill, E.L. (2023). What’s the crux?: Falcon nesting closures and rock climbing constraints at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 42, 100605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2022.100605
  • *Kane, B., Zajchowski, C.A.B., Allen, T.R., McLeod, G., & Allen, N.H. (2021). Is it safer at the beach?: Spatial and temporal analyses of beachgoer behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ocean & Coastal Management, 205, 105533. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2021.105533
  • *Roberts, M., Zajchowski, C.A.B., Skibins, J.C., & Leach, N. (2021). Self-reported and actual behaviors during black bear viewing at Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge. Journal of Nature Conservation, 60, 125973. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2021.125973
  • Zajchowski, C.A.B., Brownlee, M.T.J., Blacketer, M.J., Rose, J., Rumore, D.L., Watson, J.M., & Dustin, D.L. (2019). “Can you take me higher?”: Normative thresholds for air quality in the Salt Lake City Metropolitan Area. Journal of Leisure Research, 50(2), 157-180. https://doi.org/10.1080/00222216.2018.1560238
  • Zajchowski, C.A.B., Lackey, N.Q., & McNay, G.D. (2019). “Now is not the time to take a breather”: U.S. public land manager perceptions at the 40th anniversary of the 1977 Clean Air Act Amendments. Society & Natural Resources, 32(9), 1003-1020. https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920.2019.1605436
  • Zajchowski, C.A.B., Schwab, K.S., & Dustin, D.L. (2017). The experiencing self and the remembering self: Implications for Leisure Science. Leisure Sciences, 39(6), 561-568. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2016.1209140

Current Research Projects

  • Co-Principal Investigator, Research to inform visitor use planning and management at Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Rock Creek Park, and Monocacy National Battlefield. U.S Department of the Interior. $225,000. 2019 - Present.
  • Co-Principal Investigator, Research to inform visitor use planning and management at Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. U.S Department of the Interior. $144,997.00. 2020 - Present.
  • Co-Principal Investigator, Research to inform visitor use planning and management at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. U.S Department of the Interior. $80,000. 2021 - Present
  • Co-Principal Investigator, Research to inform visitor use planning and management at Greenbelt Park. U.S Department of the Interior. $80,000. 2021 - Present.
  • Co-Principal Investigator, Research to inform rock climbing planning and management at Carderock Recreation Area, Great Falls Park, and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. U.S Department of the Interior. $200,000. 2021 - Present.
  • Co-Principal Investigator, Research to inform rock climbing planning and management at Manassas National Battlefield. U.S Department of the Interior. $89,999. 2021 - Present.
  • Undergraduate Research Mentor, Where there’s fire, there’s smoke: Campfire smoke exposure at Prince William Forest Park. Old Dominion University’s Perry Honors College Undergraduate Research & Creativity Fellowship. $2,000.00. 2022 - Present.
  • Co-Principal Investigator, Research to inform visitor use planning and management at George Washington Memorial Parkway. The Conservation Fund. $314,647. 2022 - Present.

Current Outreach Efforts

  • Affiliated Faculty, Idaho Department of Parks and Recreation
  • Associate Editor, Leisure Sciences
  • Guest Editor, Society & Natural Resources
  • Board Member, Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals 

Awards and Honors

  • New Investigator Award, College of Education and Professional Studies, Old Dominion University, 2021
  • Provost’s Outstanding Undergraduate Research Mentor, Old Dominion University, 2020
  • Outstanding Graduate Student, College of Health, University of Utah, 2018
  • Outstanding Ph.D. Student, Parks, Recreation, and Tourism, University of Utah, 2018

Contact Us

Natural Resources and Society

Physical Address:
975 W. 6th Street
Moscow, Idaho

Mailing Address:
875 Perimeter Drive MS 1139
Moscow, ID 83844-1139

Phone: 208-885-7911

Fax: 208-885-4674

Email: nrs@uidaho.edu

Web: College of Natural Resources

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