EXPERTS IN THE FIELD

Ben Lawhon is a seasoned conservation professional with proven record of success and a deep commitment to environmental protection through research, education, partnership, public/private collaboration, and stewardship of natural resources. He is highly skilled in visitor use management, has demonstrated expertise in solving recreation-related problems, and is adept at working with federal, state and local land managers, volunteers, private enterprise, and others to provide effective resource protection and sustainable recreation using cutting-edge solutions. Ben has extensive experience in natural resource management, human dimensions of natural resources research, environmental conservation, environmental/outdoor education, agency relations, and strategic partnerships. 

 

Ben Lawhon, MS - Denali National Park, Alaska

“We’re always making more people, but we’re not making more land.”

– BEN LAWHON, MS | PRINCIPAL, RECREATION SOLUTIONS GROUP

 

Ben worked for the Leave No Trace organization as the Senior Director of Research and Consulting for over 20 years where his responsibilities include strategic guidance and implementation of the organization’s research efforts, field-based land management consulting, development of innovative recreation and resource management strategies, and agency relations. Prior to that he worked as the Associate Regional Representative for the Appalachian Trail Conservancy in Asheville, North Carolina. While with ATC he was responsible for trail management, volunteer training, oversight of numerous regional programs and trail crews, and federal agency relationships. He has also worked as an American Canoe Association whitewater-kayak and swiftwater rescue instructor. Ben has served on numerous national and regional non-profit boards, and currently serves on the National Recreate Responsibly Coalition Steering Committee. He has a B.S. in Natural Resources Management from the University of Tennessee and an M.S. in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources from Colorado State University.

 
 

Meet Our Experts

  • Quinn Brett

    A professional climber turned avid hand-cyclist after a climbing fall in 2017.  Quinn is the first known hand-cyclist to complete the Tour Divide, +3000-mile bike ride from Jasper, Canada to Antelope Wells, New Mexico. Her personal and work experiences pre- and post-accident lend to expertise in wilderness and adaptive recreation.  The nexus between sustainable and usable trails for adaptive hiking, aMTB and wilderness/accessibility laws are her specialty. 

  • Will Rice, PhD

    Will is Assistant Professor of Outdoor Recreation and Wildland Management in the Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Program and Department of Society and Conservation at the University of Montana. His research seeks to provide wildland recreation managers with social science to improve the experiences of all visitors while preserving the ecosystems that support those experiences. Will's research has been featured in The New York Times, The Guardian, NPR's Science Friday, and USA Today. In 2022, he was an invited witness providing testimony in a congressional hearing on visitor use management in U.S. national parks.

  • Joe Stone

    Joe currently is the Executive Director at Teton Adaptive in Jackson Hole, WY.  He is an experienced adaptive mountain biker and hiker. He has worked all over the country with trail crews, land management entities, mountain bike festivals, and other nonprofits that support people with disabilities. He is also an advocate for civil rights for people with disabilities and is well versed in the ADA, ABA, and the direction the disability community would like to see opportunities open up.

  • Derrick Taff, PhD

    Derrick is an Associate Professor in the Recreation, Park and Tourism Management Department at Penn State University. His research strives to improve communication strategies aimed at influencing human health and environmental sustainability in parks and protected areas. He holds a PhD from Colorado State University in Human Dimensions of Natural Resources, and a Master’s Degree in American Studies, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree in Wilderness Recreation from the University of Alabama.

  • Rachel Franchina

    Rachel Franchina spent 20 years working for the U.S. Forest Service as a recreation program manager and planner. She also served on the board of the Society of Outdoor Recreation Professionals for nine years and currently serves as SORP’s Interim Executive Director. Rachel is a connector of people and ideas and uses her knowledge of land management, recreation planning, and facilitation to develop sustainable recreation strategies that connect people to the outdoors and protect natural and cultural resources. Most importantly, Rachel loves spending time with her family outdoors!