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B eyond Our Borders UNBC: Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management Program by Pat Maher The University of Northern British Columbia’s When the program began, there was only a Outdoor Recreation and Tourism BSc offered; it wasn’t until 1997 that the BA Management Program . . . your path to an materialized after a proposal was accepted by education, a career and a lifestyle. British Columbia’s Ministry of Advanced Education. For much of the past 13 years, the The University of Northern British Columbia ORTM Program was called the Resource (UNBC) is located in Prince George, British Recreation and Tourism (RRT) Program, but Columbia, at the confluence of the Nechako this changed in the fall of 2006. Over the past and Fraser Rivers, and on the doorstep of the two years, in addition to the name change, the Cariboo and Rocky Mountains. Located in the program has been considerably overhauled. heart of the province, Prince George is an With a full complement of four faculty members eight-hour drive north from Vancouver, four onsite there has been a complete revision of hours from Jasper, Alberta, eight hours from the curriculum and focus for the program. the Pacific, and 12 hours from the Yukon border. So although UNBC is relatively remote The ORTM Program’s focus is now squarely on in Prince George, it’s the perfect setting for the the management of outdoor recreation as it Outdoor Recreation and Tourism relates to conservation (i.e., in and around Management (ORTM) Program. parks and protected areas), tourism that is both based in and concerned with the natural/ UNBC officially opened in 1994, and has cultural environment rather than business or already become one of Canada’s best small hospitality, and hands-on integrated learning universities (fourth in the Maclean’s rankings). that gives students real-world experience, and It is noted as a research-intensive university the opportunity to pursue certifications that with strengths particularly in areas such as will supplement their degree and allow them Natural Resource and Environmental Studies to find meaningful employment in their field/ (NRES). The ORTM Program is part of this industry. area of strength in that it offers two underlying undergraduate degrees: a Bachelor of Science Present faculty members have strength in areas (BSc) in Natural Resource Management, with a as diverse as community involvement in major in Outdoor Recreation and tourism, outdoor and experiential education, Conservation, and a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in environmental interpretation, and Nature-Based Tourism. As well, there is the conservation-based approaches to protected opportunity for students to pursue graduate area design, management and monitoring. studies in ORTM through the integrated NRES While it’s difficult to highlight only a few key program at both the Master (MA, MSc, undergraduate courses or projects, here are MNRES) degree and PhD level. some recent successes: S Y A W The ORTM Program at UNBC began at the • ORTM 100 — the new first-year capstone H same time as the university, and its first Chair course for the program helps students T A was Alan Ewert (past editor of the Journal of become aware of all the opportunities in P Experiential Education, one of the founding the field, involves students in the editors of the International Journal of Wilderness community for volunteer work, and 26 and now professor at Indiana University). allows students to meet face-to-face in Beyond Our Borders their classroom with representatives from Across all its degree options the ORTM agencies such as BC Parks, the Northern program strives to capitalize on the unique BC Tourism Association, the BC Ministry location of UNBC by discussing relevant of Tourism Sports and the Arts, and the outdoor recreation and nature-based tourism National Outdoor Leadership School within a northern BC, Canadian and (NOLS). international context. The ORTM program • ORTM 301 — the program’s third-year offers small class sizes, close contact with environmental interpretation course, faculty, and in our biased opinion, both which in 2006 involved students working interesting and challenging courses. From a on a local trail project at Driscoll Ridge student’s perspective, BSc graduate and MSc (100 kilometres east of Prince George). candidate Kate Reade says: The Interior Cedar/Hemlock ecosystem at Driscoll Ridge is world class, with many The Outdoor Recreation and Tourism old growth trees, and the ORTM 301 class Management program at UNBC has assisted with the design of trail brochures really strived to keep up with the and interpretive signage. rapidly evolving field. What I liked best • ORTM 333 — the capstone field course about this program was the small class for the program, which in past years has sizes as we were able to work on real included visits to Jasper National Park, projects and get a taste of what our and Northwest BC (Prince Rupert, the futures could entail. Nass Valley, and so on). In 2007, ORTM 333 is being combined with another Students who might be interested in the ORTM special topic course, and offered as ORTM Program likely share the following a Field School on the Stikine River for the goals or interests: entire month of August. • ORTM 410 — the capstone course in • Respect for the natural environment research methods for the program, which • Fascination with outdoor recreation, offers students an excellent opportunity to travel and tourism work in real-world situations with real • Passion for the outdoors and outdoor agencies that need questions answered or activities needs assessed. In 2006 this class worked • Desire for flexible employment and career on a project examining the visitor options orientation programs at Gwaii Haanas • Curiosity about how to make a living National Park Reserve and Haida Heritage doing what you love Site on the Queen Charlotte Islands • Awareness of the impacts of outdoor (Haida Gwaii). recreation and nature-based tourism, both positive and negative. Apart from specific courses, the ORTM program has successfully initiated and For more specific program information, please maintained partnerships with organizations visit www.unbc.ca/ortm. such as NOLS, Parks Canada, BC Parks, Northern BC Tourism Association, the University of the Arctic, the BC Protected Areas Pat Maher teaches in the Outdoor Recreation and S Y Research Forum, and many more. Graduate Tourism Management Program at UNBC. He has A W studies have been as diverse as studying grizzly previously taught at other universities in Canada H bear/visitor interaction in the Khutzeymateen and New Zealand, the Canadian Outward Bound T A Sanctuary north of Prince Rupert, residents’ Wilderness School, and a variety of other outdoor P perceptions of ecosystem management regimes centres. in Mount Robson Provincial Park, and climbers’ 27 motivations in Bugaboo Provincial Park.