This article highlights aspects of the historical, social and policy developments of cost-share programs in the USA. The experiences of African Americans who are members of Limited Resource Landowners Education Network in attempting to access available cost-share resources in Alabama are presented. Literature reviews, participation in and response to the USDA’s Cooperative Conservation Partnership Initiative (CCPI), and discussions with stakeholders were the primary sources of information and data used in this exploratory analysis which was conducted within the framework of a “modified action research model”. Until recently underserved landowners’ participation in cost-share programs in Alabama has been very limited. Although in theory access has been open to underserved landowners, these landowners have historically encountered a range of challenges in trying to participate in the cost-share programs. Many of those challenges, the analysis has indicated, stemmed from: (a) Natural Resource Conservation Service’s (NRCS’) limited pool of available and relevant technical personnel, (b) the agency’s interpretation of existing program policy guidelines and (c) the low level of underserved landowners’ trust and confidence in the transparency and fairness of federal and state agencies and their officials. Successfully navigating such obstacles and challenges during the implementation of the CCPI initiative in Alabama necessitated much understanding, perseverance, collaboration, and a willingness to compromise by all project stakeholders. Strategies likely to assist other similar groups in successfully navigating the various Federal and State requirements for participation in cost-share programs are proposed. Lessons learned will inform future application of the action research model in this continuing study.

Growing demand for National Forests (NFs) recreational activities makes it crucial to understand the attitudes towards valuing public recreational resources and the potential conflicts with other functions of the forests. The study was conducted to identify the primary drivers influencing individual participation in outdoor recreation on NF lands in the southeastern region of the US among participants of various socioeconomic backgrounds. The study was based on the 2010–2014 dataset of fourteen NFs across thirteen states in the Southeastern USA—retrieved from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Different statistical models and statistical analyses were utilized for the study. The statistical results revealed that individual needs for relaxation were the main driver for participation in forest recreation for the whole sample and pulled data (approximately 52% of the participants). It has been noted that the drivers varied depending on the forest. The personal need for mental development was the least valued driver with only 2%. Some significant differences were observed by gender, age category, and income level. The study results have practical importance for different stakeholders such as tourism operators, the USDA Forest Service, and local authorities.

Geotourism is a relatively new concept in the tourism industry, a concept which apparently has not yet been formally embraced by Caribbean destinations. This paper, based primarily on a literature review supplemented by the first-hand knowledge of the author, who served for over a decade in the natural resource management and tourism sectors in the region, identifies some of the geotourism assets and assesses the geotourism potential of two selected Caribbean islands, namely the Commonwealth of Dominica and St. Lucia. Indications are that the islands of the region have outstanding geological formations, dormant and active volcanic zones and associated geomorphological features, and breath-taking terrestrial and marine landscapes, including deep river gorges and tall mountains, and beautiful beaches, which together constitute important geotourism assets. Currently, these resources are marketed and promoted as part of the region’s nature tourism attractions. The feasibility of incorporating geotourism as a component of this overall nature tourism thrust is explored in this paper. As a follow-up to this study a survey of tourism officials, natural resource professionals, and selected scientists of the region is proposed for the purpose of identifying the reasons and constraints preventing the Caribbean region from formally embracing geotourism, developing and promoting the geotourism resources of the region as a unique component of the overall tourism product.

African-Americans' connection to the land is rapidly disappearing, and with it goes the cultural, political, and socio-economic capital that has helped this population, especially in southern states. There has been a severe decline in black landownership since 1910, resulting in rural counties with predominantly black populations becoming pockets of enduring poverty. Judicious investments in efforts to solve black land loss may lead to solutions to a larger problem: engagement of non-industrial private forestland owners in sustainable land management. Strengthening black forest-based communities as places to invest and live can build on this rich Southern heritage.

Previous studies on global food security have indicated that in order to sustain the global population by the year 2050, a significant increase in food production will be needed. Consequently, it is crucial that today’s students are educated to realize this increasing food demand. One of the problems is that currently too few students seem to be interested in pursuing studies in the fields of agriculture and related sciences. By exploring three research questions, this study assesses the extent to which high school students in each of the 67 counties in the U.S. state of Alabama are being exposed to agricultural-related science courses. For the purposes of this assessment, the high schools were grouped by zones—Northern, Central, Southern and the Black Belt. Relevant high school data, including courses offered, were compiled from Alabama’s Department of Education 2017 directory. Microsoft Excel and SPSS software were used to analyze the data. The findings of this study demonstrated that there are spatial differences in agriculture-related courses offered in high schools in Alabama’s Northern, Central and Southern regions. Future research should further investigate what percentage of high school students actually choose agriculture or related disciplines as their professional career paths after graduating from high school.

The Caribbean has experienced considerable fluctuations with many of the small island-nations of the Region being highly vulnerable to socio-political, environmental and economic changes. The Caribbean Tourism Association (CTO) contends that this Region is highly dependent on tourism, possibly more than any other region in the world, but globalization has left the countries of the Region with limited economic alternatives. The result is that tourism has emerged as the largest employer and the foremost foreign exchange earner in the Region. This survey research study, data from which were analyzed with SPSS for Windows, explored three research questions and identified the Region’s strengths, assets and issues as perceived by stakeholders at the CTO’s 2010 Sustainable Tourism Conference. People, culture and favorable weather were identified as strengths. However, critical issues such the absence of clear political and policy directions, loss of biodiversity and natural resources, need for more efficient zoning and land use planning for integrated tourism development, and insufficient stakeholder involvement were characterized as challenges that must be addressed. Recommendations are proposed.