CURRENT PROJECTS
Graduate Assistance Program
2025 Awardees
RAE NICKERSON
Research Assistant
Department of Wildland Resources
Utah State University
Project Title: Evaluating the Effectiveness of Range Riding at Reducing Carnivore-Livestock Conflict in the American West
Project Summary: The socio-economic impacts of livestock predation by large carnivores are disproportionately borne by livestock producers (hereafter, producers). Carnivore-livestock conflicts undermine resilient food systems by threatening rural economic interests, human safety, and quality of life. Effective solutions require tools that support operational flexibility and withstand changing environmental, social, and economic climates. Unfortunately, tools aimed at reducing carnivore-livestock conflict often lack the local, experiential, and generational knowledge needed to ensure tools are applicable, versatile, and worth investment. Range riding – the use of human presence where livestock are grazed to deter carnivores – is a tool that may increase food supply resilience and empowers rural producers. Yet to date, the effectiveness of range riding has not been comprehensively studied. Through partnerships with 600+ livestock producers in the western USA, Rae Nickerson and the team are studying the effectiveness of range riding at reducing livestock direct losses (depredation and injury) and indirect losses (reduced reproduction, body condition, and increased illness) to define under which operational, environmental, and economical contexts range riding can enhance food resiliency and sustain rural livelihoods. Using interdisciplinary methods and coproduction processes with their ranching, NGO, and agency partners, they will interpret and disseminate findings through three producer-led peer-learning workshops, 2-3 scientific publications, a fact sheet, and 1-2 Extension resources. Their funding originally came from a Conservation Innovation grant (NRCS) and was later supplemented by Western and Student SARE grants (NRCS). Support from the Western Rural Development Center will support their final year of co-produced data analysis and writing with their producer and rider partners and fund an educational training for those partners. Their findings will help improve the profitability and long-term sustainability of ranches operating in areas with predators by determining how to deploy riders and design range rider programs that are practical, applicable, and meaningful to rural communities.
RICHARD AQUAH-SARPONG
Research Assistant
Department of Applied Economics
Oregon State University
Project Title: Evaluating the impact of wildfires on firm migration in rural western US
Project Summary: The increasing frequency and severity of wildfires in the rural Western United States pose significant economic risks, particularly for firms that may be forced to relocate due to repeated exposure to fire and smoke. Businesses in fire-prone areas face direct destruction of property and infrastructure as well as indirect disruptions such as road closures, power outages, and degraded air quality from wildfire smoke. These disruptions can lead to reduced sales, employment losses, and economic contractions, prompting firms to migrate to regions perceived as less risky. However, the literature has largely overlooked the impact of wildfire exposure on firm migration, despite the well-documented effects on housing markets, labor supply, and community resilience.
This project addresses this gap by examining how wildfires influence firm migration in the rural Western region and estimate economic impacts of wildfire induced firm relocation on local employment, wages, and tax revenues in rural areas. This research develops a comprehensive wildfire exposure index that integrates both smoke exposure and population weighted burned area. Using firm-level data from the National Establishment Time-Series and wildfire data from the USGS Monitoring Trends in Burn Severity project, Richard will conduct a rigorous empirical analysis to quantify the effects of wildfire exposure on firm migration patterns. The study also employs policy simulation and impact assessment to simulate firm migration trends under different wildfire scenarios and its impact on rural economies. The findings of this study will inform policymakers, development agencies, and community planners on how to mitigate the negative economic impacts of wildfires and retain businesses in rural communities. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed journals, regional economic conferences, extension workshops, and policy briefs. This research provides a foundation for future funding opportunities from agencies such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), and regional economic development grants.
Fellow Projects
2025 Awardees
XUE DONG
Extension Regional Specialist
Vibrant Communities
Colorado State University
Project Title: Enhancing AI-Powered Agritourism Chatbot through Deep Learning: Advancing Knowledge Dissemination, Decision-Making, and Extension Education
Project Summary: This project aims to refine and expand the capabilities of the AI-Powered Agritourism Toolkit (AgriTourismAI.com) through advanced deep learning techniques. Small to mid-sized agritourism businesses often face significant challenges, including limited access to advanced planning and marketing tools, difficulties in navigating regulatory compliance, and a lack of personalized support for risk management and impact assessment. Existing solutions are often not tailored to the unique needs of rural communities, creating a gap that this project seeks to address.
Developed by the Principal Investigator (PI), the toolkit currently features a chatbot and five modules designed to assist agritourism businesses. With WRDC Fellows Grant funding (estimated timeframe September 1, 2025 – August 31, 2026), the project will significantly enhance its chatbot using transformer-based deep learning models to deliver highly personalized, context-aware, and actionable insights to farmers, ranchers, and community stakeholders. This enhancement is particularly timely, as agritourism is experiencing growth as a sustainable economic driver in rural areas, and AI adoption in agriculture is rapidly increasing.
Additionally, the project will use surveys and interviews to investigate stakeholder perceptions and barriers to adopting AI-driven tools in rural communities, contributing to a broader understanding of how AI can support Extension and rural development. The outcomes will include an enhanced toolkit, empirical research findings on AI adoption in Extension, academic publications, conference presentations, and practical recommendations for enhancing AI integration in agritourism and rural development. By addressing these challenges, the project aims to empower rural businesses, foster economic growth, and serve as a model for AI-driven solutions in other rural industries.
EMILY SCHLICKMAN
Assistant Professor
Department of Human Ecology
University of California, Davis
Project Title: Co-Creating Fire Literacy for Rural Resilience
For over a century, the language used to describe wildfire has not only reflected deep-seated fears but has also shaped policies that have heightened fire risk in rural landscapes. In the Western United States, where rural communities are at the forefront of both increasing wildfires and evolving fire management practices, there is an urgent need for a fire literacy framework that reflects their lived experiences, knowledge, and priorities.
This project will be a collaborative effort to co-develop a verbal and visual framework for understanding fire’s ecological, social, and cultural roles—one that emerges from and supports the wisdom of rural communities. Through partnerships with Indigenous-led eco-cultural fire crews, prescribed burn associations, and local land stewards, this work will document fire knowledge embedded in traditional land management practices. In parallel, community dialogues, storytelling workshops, and interviews with fire practitioners, landowners, and policymakers will integrate scientific and ecological perspectives while ensuring the framework is rooted in local realities.
Rather than imposing an external model, this project will facilitate a process where rural communities articulate and refine their own fire narratives, strengthening their capacity to navigate and shape fire-adapted landscapes. The final product—a collaboratively developed book and outreach toolkit—will serve as a resource for rural residents, extension professionals, and fire practitioners, equipping them with language and strategies that resonate with their experiences.
To maximize impact, the project will include workshops, and webinars. Additionally, additional support will be sought through faculty start-up funds and external grants, including UC Davis’s 2025-2026 Large Grants and the Graham Foundation’s Production and Presentation Grants.
By centering rural voices and fostering a shared understanding of fire, this project will help communities move beyond narratives of fear and suppression, embracing fire as both a challenge and an opportunity for resilience.
Multi-State Projects
2025 Awardees
Title: Investigating Extension’s Scope and Role in Outdoor Recreation in the West: Attitudes, Challenges, and Opportunities
Principal Investigator
JAKE POWELL
Associate Professor and Landscape Architecture Extension Specialist
Utah State University Extension
Project Team
SHANNON ARNOLD
Professor
Extension and Nonformal Education
University of Montana Extension
AARON WILCHER
Area Community and Economic Development Advisor
University of California and Natural Resources Extension
ALEC DOMPKA
Rural Community and Economic Development Advisor
Extension and Nonformal Education
University of Montana Extension
HAILEY SORG
Outdoor Recreation, Tourism, and Hospitality Extension Specialist
Jay Kemmerer WORTH Institute, University of Wyoming
Project Collaborators
GERALINE RODGERS
Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services
Northern Marianas College
GUINEVERE NELSON
Extension Director, Douglas County
Colorado State University Extension
KEITH MANDABACH
Professor
School of Hotel, Restaurant, and Tourism Management, University of New Mexico
PATTY COLEMAN
Interim Dean
Cooperative Research, Extension, and Education Services, Northern Marianas College
Project summary: Outdoor recreation is a crucial component of economic development, environmental conservation, and community well-being across the Western region. However, Extension’s involvement in outdoor recreation varies significantly across states, and its role remains undefined in many geographic and topical areas. This project seeks to assess the extent and impact of outdoor recreation across the region and the attitudes, opportunities, and challenges related to Extension’s current and potential engagement in outdoor recreation.
To address this need, the project team will aggregate existing, fundamental outdoor recreation data for the islands of the “Pacific Basin”, and each of the 13 states in the Western Rural Development Center’s Region. Furthermore, the project team will conduct semi-structured interviews with Extension leaders to understand their perceptions, attitudes, and future programming expectations related to outdoor recreation. Finally, the project team will conduct semi-structured interviews with leaders from state offices of tourism and outdoor recreation to gain deeper insights into Extension’s potential role in supporting outdoor recreation in each state.
The expected outcomes of this research include a new understanding of:
- The state-by-state impact of outdoor recreation on the communities and economies within the WRDC Region
- In what ways do each state’s outdoor recreation leaders believe Extension could benefit their infrastructure and programs?
- A regional picture of how Extension’s leaders view Extension’s current role, challenges, and future opportunities in outdoor recreation
This information will be disseminated through a final report that provides a state-by-state summary of the outdoor recreation data collected, a review of the organizations that deliver outdoor recreation, and a summary of aggregated themes from the interviews.