Will Rice

I originally hail from Pennsylvania, but my home might be more accurately defined as America’s public lands. The romantic notion of great open, common grounds has long driven me to better understand the social, human elements of our parks, forests, and refuges. I attended Clemson University for my undergraduate education where I sought and received a degree in environmental economics and policy in an attempt to better understand how we value our natural resources, eventually becoming Clemson’s first Udall Scholar in 2015. However, my love for our public lands and respect for the agencies that manage them took root over many years of frolicking, exploring, and toiling in their midst. I have previously served as a Directorate Fellow with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska Region and with the National Park Service at Wind Cave, Yellowstone, Cape Cod, Missouri River, and Grand Canyon national parks.

I am an Associate Professor of Outdoor Recreation and Wildland Management in the Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management Program and Department of Society and Conservation at the University of Montana.

My research seeks to provide wildland recreation managers with social science to improve the experiences of all visitors while preserving the ecosystems that support those experiences. This agenda focuses broadly on research concerning visitor use management in parks and protected areas. More specifically, I'm interested in guiding innovation across conservation communication, wilderness management, recreation allocation, and the nexus of visitor use and health.