Program Coordinator, Associate Professor of Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources
Dave Smaldone is the Program Coordinator and an Associate Professor in the Recreation, Parks and Tourism Resources Program of the Division of Forestry & Natural Resources at West Virginia University (WVU). He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses in Environmental and Cultural Interpretation, as well as Citizen Science and Natural Resource Management. He has extensive experience leading interpretive training workshops for a number of state and national organizations. He has conducted interpretive research and evaluation projects for a variety of agencies over the last decade. Prior to his position at WVU, he also worked for the National Park Service for number of years in various interpretive positions. Besides interpretation and environmental education, his other academic interests include nature-based/ecotourism, and studying connections between people and places. He received a Ph.D. in Recreation, Parks & Tourism from the University of Idaho, and an M.S. in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University (in Maryland). He lives in Morgantown, WV with his wife and two sons, and in his spare time enjoys being outside and leading nature photography workshops.
Publications
- Arbogast, D., Smaldone, D., & Balcarczyk, K. (2015). Evaluating the West Virginia Interpretive Guide Heritage Steward Program. Journal of Interpretation Research. 20(2), 33-40.
- Riley, C., Pierskalla, C., Burns, R., Maumbe, K., Graefe, A., Smaldone, D., & Williams, S. (2015). Examining OHV user displacement at the Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area and Sand Lake: A 10-year trend study. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 9, 44-52.
- Balcarczyk, K., Smaldone, D., Selin, S., Pierskalla, C., & K. Maumbe. (2015). Barriers and supports to entering a natural resource career: Perspectives of culturally diverse recent hires. Journal of Forestry, 113(2).
- Hoehner, C., Brownson, R., Allen, D., Gramann, J., Behrens, T., Floyd, M., Leahy, J., Liddle, J., Smaldone, D., Spain, D., Tardona, D., Ruthmann, N., Seiler, R., & B. Yount. (2010). Parks Promoting Physical Activity: Synthesis of Findings from Interventions in Seven National Parks. Journal of Physical Activity and Health. 7(Suppl 1), S67-S81.
- Smaldone, D., Harris, C., & Sanyal, N. (2006). Place Attachment as Process: The Case of Jackson Hole, WY. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 397-414.