Jeffrey Jenkins is an Associate Professor of Parks and Outdoor Recreation in the Department of Management of Complex Systems at University of California, Merced. Dr. Jenkins’ work broadly addresses the connections between parks, people, and changing environmental conditions. His studies in the Sierra Nevada assess the efficacy of use limits and visitor use management strategies in light of the effects of climate change on park resources, increasing visitation to parks, and gateway community economic dependency. He collaborates with a variety of national, state, and local agencies to collect and analyze visitor data in relation to climatic, economic, and social contexts of parks and outdoor recreation settings to inform equitable management actions and mitigation strategies under uncertain and changing environmental and administrative conditions.
Recent articles
Shiflett, S.A., Jenkins, J.S., Mattos, R.F., Thiry, K., Ibsen, P., Booher, M., Tricomi, A., and Athearn, N. (2025). Monitoring visitor activity and informal trail disturbance in Yosemite Valley meadows to assess temporal changes in use and impacts. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2025.100896
Jenkins, J. S., Young, T. G., Petersen, A. M., Arroyave, F. J., & Medina-Chavarría, M. E. (2025). Climate Influences on Day and Overnight Use at California State Beaches and Coastal Parks. Land, 14(2), 324. https://doi.org/10.3390/land14020324
Shiflett, S. A., Jenkins, J. S., Mattos, R. F., Ibsen, P. C., & Athearn, N. D. (2024). Sequoia Groves of Yosemite: Visitor Use and Impact Monitoring. Forests, 15(12), 2256. https://doi.org/10.3390/f15122256
Arroyave, F. J., Jenkins, J., & Petersen, A. M. (2024). Network embedding for understanding the national park system through the lenses of news media, scientific communication, and biogeography. Annals of the American Association of Geographers, 114(8), 1795-1804. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694452.2023.2277808
Brown, M., Jenkins, J., & Kolden, C. (2024). Decreased air quality shows minimal influence on peak summer attendance at forested Pacific West national parks. Journal of Environmental Management, 358, 120702. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120702
Arroyave, F. J., Jenkins, J., Shackelton, S., Jackson, B., & Petersen, A. M. (2024). Research alignment in the US national park system: Impact of transformative science policy on the supply and demand for scientific knowledge for protected area management. Journal of Environmental Management, 357, 120699. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.120699
Jenkins, J. S., Abatzoglou, J. T., Rupp, D. E., & Fleishman, E. (2023). Human and climatic influences on wildfires ignited by recreational activities in national forests in Washington, Oregon, and California. Environmental Research Communications. https://doi.org/10.1088/2515-7620/acf4e2
Brown, M., & Jenkins, J. S. (2023). Wildfire-driven entry closures influence visitor displacement and spending to alternative park entrance corridors and gateway communities around Yosemite National Park. Journal of Outdoor Recreation and Tourism, 43, 100675. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jort.2023.100675
Jenkins, J. S., Abatzoglou, J. T., Wilkins, E. J., & Perry, E. E. (2023). Visitation to national parks in California shows annual and seasonal change during extreme drought and wet years. PLOS Climate, 2(8), e0000260. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pclm.0000260
Jenkins, J. S., Abatzoglou, J. T., & Peterson, B. A. (2023). Spring snowpack influences in the volume and timing of spring and peak season overnight visitation to Yosemite Wilderness. Weather, Climate, and Society. https://doi.org/10.1175/WCAS-D-22-0099.1
Jenkins, J. (2022). Science and the evolving management of environmental hazards at Yosemite National Park. Parks Stewardship Forum, 38(3). https://doi.org/10.5070/P538358969
Jenkins, J., Arroyave, F., Brown, M., Chavez, J., Ly, J., Origel, H., & Wetrosky, J. (2021). Assessing Impacts to National Park Visitation From COVID-19: A New Normal for Yosemite?. Case Studies in the Environment, 5(1). https://doi.org/10.1525/cse.2021.1434075
Jenkins, J., van Wagtendonk, J., and Fincher, M. (2021). The evolution of management science to inform carrying capacity of overnight visitor use in the Yosemite Wilderness. International Journal of Wilderness, 27 (2): 22-39. https://ijw.org/evolution-management-science-carrying-capacity-overnight-visitors-yosemite-wilderness/
