Civic Lands in the Public Conversation
The work of the Center for Civic Lands and Democratic Stewardship extends beyond academic publications and university classrooms.
Through interviews, news coverage, podcasts, essays, and other public media, the Center seeks to bring research about public lands, volunteerism, stewardship, civic engagement, and democratic life into broader conversations.
Featured
These Volunteers Are Often the Unsung Heroes of Public Lands Management
Sierra Magazine | September/October 2026
Volunteers perform essential work across America’s public lands. They maintain trails, assist visitors, support interpretation and education, contribute to research, protect natural and cultural resources, and help public-land agencies accomplish work that would otherwise be difficult or impossible.
In this feature for Sierra, the magazine explores the important and frequently overlooked role volunteers play in managing and sustaining public lands.
The article draws on the research of Thomas A. Bryer, founding director of the Center for Civic Lands and Democratic Stewardship, whose work examines National Park Service volunteers and the impact their service creates for parks, visitors, communities, volunteers themselves, and the broader public.
The story also raises a question central to Bryer’s research: how can public agencies benefit from the commitment of volunteers while ensuring that citizen service supplements rather than substitutes for an adequately supported professional workforce?
For the Center, this question reaches beyond workforce capacity. Volunteer stewardship offers a way to think about the relationship between citizens and the places and institutions they collectively share. People who give their time to care for public lands are not simply providing free labor. They are participating in the stewardship of a public inheritance.
About Our Public Scholarship
The Center believes university research should contribute to conversations beyond the university.
We welcome opportunities to work with journalists, writers, producers, and other media professionals seeking research and perspective on topics including:
Public lands and protected areas • National park volunteers • Volunteer management • Civic engagement • Democratic stewardship • Public participation • Civic dialogue and deliberation • Community engagement • Citizen social science • Public administration
Media Inquiries
For media inquiries or interview requests, please contact:
Center for Civic Lands and Democratic Stewardship
School of Public Service
Old Dominion University
Norfolk, Virginia
Thomas A. Bryer, Ph.D.
Founding Director
tbryer@odu.edu