Assistant Unit Leader - Minnesota Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit
Dr. Fulton completed a PhD in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources at Colorado State University. He joined the Minnesota Coop Unit in October 1998 and has worked closely with state and federal wildlife management agencies in conducting applied social science research to address management concerns.
Research Interests
- Applying social psychological concepts and theory to better understand issues in natural resources management.
- Understanding how values and attitudes influence behavior.
Teaching Interests
- Social science theory and methods applied to natural resource management issues.
- Land use planning.
Education and Certifications
Ph D Colorado State University 1997
MS Washington State University 1992
BS Texas A&M University 1987
Science and Products
Filter Total Items: 47
Experience preferences and place attachment of Minnesota wildlife management area hunters
Hunters in the United States are motivated to obtain and benefit from diverse experiences or experience preferences. Using a mail survey conducted during the 2015–2016 hunting season, we examined goal-oriented, introspective, and leadership experiences among hunters on Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Management Area (WMAs). We used k-means cluster analysis to identify six clust
Highly specialized recreationists contribute the most to the citizen science project eBird
Contributory citizen science projects (hereafter “contributory projects”) are a powerful tool for avian conservation science. Large-scale projects such as eBird have produced data that have advanced science and contributed to many conservation applications. These projects also provide a means to engage the public in scientific data collection. A common challenge across contributory projects like e
Racial, ethnic, and social patterns in the recreation specialization of birdwatchers: An analysis of United States eBird registrants
Although birdwatchers comprise a large and growing proportion of the American public, there is a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the birdwatching community. Previous research suggests that this homogeneity is self-perpetuating, as ethno-racial minorities are less likely to pursue activities in which no one they know participates. However, it is unclear whether this trend in birdwatching par
Integrating socioecological suitability with human-wildlife conflict risk: Case study for translocation of a large ungulate
Translocations are essential for re-establishing wildlife populations. As they sometimes fail, it is critical to assess factors that influence their success pre-translocation.Socioecological suitability models (SESMs) integrate social acceptance and ecological suitability to enable identification of areas where wildlife populations will expand, which makes it likely that SESMs will also be useful
Social identity, values, and trust in government: How stakeholder group, ideology, and wildlife value orientations relate to trust in a state agency for wildlife management
Our objective was to understand how social identity and values influenced general public and stakeholder trust in a state wildlife management agency (SWMA). In particular, we wanted to examine how stakeholder group, political ideology, and wildlife value orientation influenced trust in a SWMA. Data were derived from a study of state residents, hunters and livestock producers related to wolf manage
Cognitive and behavioral coping in response to wildlife disease: The case of hunters and chronic wasting disease
The transactional model of stress and coping (TMSC) provides a conceptual framework for understanding adaptations to stressors like chronic wasting disease (CWD). Understanding hunter response to stressors is important because decreased participation and satisfaction can affect individual well-being, cultural traditions, agency revenue, and local economies. Using TMSC, we explored how deer hunters
Community attachment and stewardship identity influence responsibility to manage wildlife
Managing wildlife in landscapes under private ownership requires partnership between landowners, resource users, and governing agencies. Agencies often call on landowners to voluntarily change their practices to achieve collective goals. Landowner support for management action is partially a function of normative beliefs about managing wildlife. Understanding factors that support development of no
Testing a continuous measure of recreation specialization among birdwatchers
Recreation specialization is a framework that can be used to explain the variation among outdoor recreationists’ preferences, attitudes, and behaviors. Recreation specialization has been operationalized using several approaches, including summative indices, cluster analysis, and self-classification categorical measures. Although these approaches measure the multiple dimensions of the framework, th
Explaining support for mandatory versus voluntary conservation actions among waterfowlers
Personal conservation behavior and compliance with natural resource regulations are important to wildlife conservation. We examined how waterfowl hunting involvement, motivations, satisfaction, and experience, along with institutional trust and demographics, correlated with support for waterfowl regulations and personal conservation actions. Regulations included zones, splits, and motorized decoys
Institutional trust, beliefs, and evaluation of regulations, and management of chronic wasting disease (CWD)
Institutional trust and perceptions of regulatory efficacy can affect support for management. This study examined how institutional trust, specific trust related to information/management, and support for/perceived efficacy of current regulations related to deer hunters’ attitudes about chronic wasting disease (CWD) management. Results are from a survey of southeastern Minnesota deer hunters from
Recreation conflict, coping, and satisfaction: Minnesota grouse hunters’ conflicts and coping response related to all-terrain vehicle users, hikers, and other hunters
Studying conflict and coping in recreation is important because some coping strategies may provoke distress, while others may lead to positive emotional changes. Building on applications of the transactional stress coping model to park visitors, anglers, and other recreation participants, we explored how Minnesota grouse hunters responded to interference by all-terrain vehicle (ATV)/off-highway ve
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 47
Experience preferences and place attachment of Minnesota wildlife management area hunters
Hunters in the United States are motivated to obtain and benefit from diverse experiences or experience preferences. Using a mail survey conducted during the 2015–2016 hunting season, we examined goal-oriented, introspective, and leadership experiences among hunters on Minnesota Department of Natural Resources’ Wildlife Management Area (WMAs). We used k-means cluster analysis to identify six clustHighly specialized recreationists contribute the most to the citizen science project eBird
Contributory citizen science projects (hereafter “contributory projects”) are a powerful tool for avian conservation science. Large-scale projects such as eBird have produced data that have advanced science and contributed to many conservation applications. These projects also provide a means to engage the public in scientific data collection. A common challenge across contributory projects like eRacial, ethnic, and social patterns in the recreation specialization of birdwatchers: An analysis of United States eBird registrants
Although birdwatchers comprise a large and growing proportion of the American public, there is a lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the birdwatching community. Previous research suggests that this homogeneity is self-perpetuating, as ethno-racial minorities are less likely to pursue activities in which no one they know participates. However, it is unclear whether this trend in birdwatching parIntegrating socioecological suitability with human-wildlife conflict risk: Case study for translocation of a large ungulate
Translocations are essential for re-establishing wildlife populations. As they sometimes fail, it is critical to assess factors that influence their success pre-translocation.Socioecological suitability models (SESMs) integrate social acceptance and ecological suitability to enable identification of areas where wildlife populations will expand, which makes it likely that SESMs will also be usefulSocial identity, values, and trust in government: How stakeholder group, ideology, and wildlife value orientations relate to trust in a state agency for wildlife management
Our objective was to understand how social identity and values influenced general public and stakeholder trust in a state wildlife management agency (SWMA). In particular, we wanted to examine how stakeholder group, political ideology, and wildlife value orientation influenced trust in a SWMA. Data were derived from a study of state residents, hunters and livestock producers related to wolf manageCognitive and behavioral coping in response to wildlife disease: The case of hunters and chronic wasting disease
The transactional model of stress and coping (TMSC) provides a conceptual framework for understanding adaptations to stressors like chronic wasting disease (CWD). Understanding hunter response to stressors is important because decreased participation and satisfaction can affect individual well-being, cultural traditions, agency revenue, and local economies. Using TMSC, we explored how deer huntersCommunity attachment and stewardship identity influence responsibility to manage wildlife
Managing wildlife in landscapes under private ownership requires partnership between landowners, resource users, and governing agencies. Agencies often call on landowners to voluntarily change their practices to achieve collective goals. Landowner support for management action is partially a function of normative beliefs about managing wildlife. Understanding factors that support development of noTesting a continuous measure of recreation specialization among birdwatchers
Recreation specialization is a framework that can be used to explain the variation among outdoor recreationists’ preferences, attitudes, and behaviors. Recreation specialization has been operationalized using several approaches, including summative indices, cluster analysis, and self-classification categorical measures. Although these approaches measure the multiple dimensions of the framework, thExplaining support for mandatory versus voluntary conservation actions among waterfowlers
Personal conservation behavior and compliance with natural resource regulations are important to wildlife conservation. We examined how waterfowl hunting involvement, motivations, satisfaction, and experience, along with institutional trust and demographics, correlated with support for waterfowl regulations and personal conservation actions. Regulations included zones, splits, and motorized decoysInstitutional trust, beliefs, and evaluation of regulations, and management of chronic wasting disease (CWD)
Institutional trust and perceptions of regulatory efficacy can affect support for management. This study examined how institutional trust, specific trust related to information/management, and support for/perceived efficacy of current regulations related to deer hunters’ attitudes about chronic wasting disease (CWD) management. Results are from a survey of southeastern Minnesota deer hunters fromRecreation conflict, coping, and satisfaction: Minnesota grouse hunters’ conflicts and coping response related to all-terrain vehicle users, hikers, and other hunters
Studying conflict and coping in recreation is important because some coping strategies may provoke distress, while others may lead to positive emotional changes. Building on applications of the transactional stress coping model to park visitors, anglers, and other recreation participants, we explored how Minnesota grouse hunters responded to interference by all-terrain vehicle (ATV)/off-highway ve