Dr. Richard Hansis

Associate Professor, Environmental Science

Contact Information:

Office: Natural Resources (NR) Building, Rm. 221

Phone: (707) 826-4148

E-mail: rah14@humboldt.edu

Personal Statement

My research interests in recent years involve issues of how people are using forests for the harvesting of non-timber forest products: mushrooms, floral greens, medicinal herbs, and berries. It continues my long-time study of human/environment interactions that began with my masters degree work in Ecuador and my doctoral research in Argentina. I also have been involved with studying and aiding in effective public participation in environmental decisions. In my time away from campus, I like to be in nature: gardening, hiking, picking mushrooms, planting trees, and restoring landscapes. I also apply my knowledge to the Humboldt County Planning Commission.

The Environmental Science major provides a broad core of classes in the environmental area and couples these with a concentration of the student’s choosing. These can range from water quality to environmental advocacy.

Both in the Sustainable Campus and Practicum courses, students work in small teams on real world projects using a formal problem-solving framework. Among these have been greenhouse gas reduction strategies, reducing the number of automobile trips to and from campus, and energy conservation techniques for residence halls.

Specialty Area:

Environmental Science, nature and culture

Research Interests:

Nontimber forest products: natural history and policy; sustainability, values toward nature.

Courses Taught:

• ENVS/NRPI 400 – Inscape and Landscape
• ENVS 411 – Sustainable Campus
• ENVS 410 – Environmental Science Practicum
• Ecosystems and Society (grad)

Education/degrees:

PhD Geography, Penn State Unviversity

Publications:

“Science, Knowledge, and the Forest Issue in the Pacific Northwest.” In Soden, Dennis L. (ed.) 1998. At the Nexus: Science Policy.

“A Political Ecology of Picking: Nontimber Forest Products in the Pacific Northwest.” Human Ecology. 1998. 26(1): 49-68.

“Recent Trends: Non-Timber Forest Product Pickers in the Pacific Northwest. “ with Eric T. Jones and Rebecca McLain. 2001. Journal of Sustainable Forestry, 13(3/4): 141:146.