• I am an Environmental Economist with research interests in environmental economics with a focus on recreational aspects of natural resources and public land management.


    Environmental & Resource Economics 🌲

    Recreational Aspects of Natural Resources🏕

    Environmental Valuation ⛰️



    I am currently an Assistant Professor at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management

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Latest News 📰

Joining 1st National Nature Assessment

I am joining the NNA1 chapter entitled Nature and the Economy as one of the chapters author and graphic lead.
The U.S. Global Change Research Program is National Nature Assessment (NNA1). The diverse team that will number over 150 experts was selected by the 11 NNA1 chapter leads in consultation with federal leadership, based in part on a public call for author nominations. With the full author team in place, the writing phase of the NNA1 is now kicking off.
Over the next two years, NNA1 authors will take stock of what nature provides to us in terms of its inherent worth, our culture, health and well-being, jobs and livelihoods, and safety, and more, while looking ahead to understand how these benefits might change in the future. #NNA1
Related Links:
• Read a blog by NNA1 Director Phil Levin, “A Nature Imperative on Earth Day,” for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
• NNA1 is also mentioned in the Presidential Proclamation on National Park Week, 2024

Media on Instagram & Public Lands Publication

Land Economics The Instagram Effect: Is Social Media Influencing Visitation to Public Land?

Public lands in the United States have recently experienced significant increases in visitation. Journalists and park managers suggest Instagram as a reason for the increase. We explore this issue in the Oregon State Park system by combining visitation data with park-specific georeferenced content and engagement indicators from Instagram. Using several empirical specifications, we show suggestive evidence that Instagram is not likely correlated to increased visitation everywhere, but only in a few locations generating high user participation within the app. We find no contemporary effect and a positive association with cumulative Instagram engagement indicators on visits at this subset of parks.

Research 📝

Published Papers

  • Olsen, Michael J., Jon Allan, Steven J. Dundas, Maria Krivova, Ben A. Leshchinsky, Andrew Senogles, Joanie Herrmann, Christopher Parrish, and Ashley Lowe Mackenzie. US Highway 101 Coastal Hazard Vulnerability and Assessment for Mitigation Prioritization, Oregon Department of Transportation Project, Federal Highway Administration, Final Report

  • Lowe Mackenzie, A., S. J. Dundas, and B. Zhao. The Instagram Effect: Is Social Media Influencing Visitation to Public Land? Land Economics

Working Papers

  • Lowe Mackenze, L. Perng,A.,Dugstad A., C.Fezzi & Oleson K. The economic value of coral reefs under future climate scenarios for the Main Hawaiian Islands

  • Lowe Mackenze, A.,Dugstad A. & Oleson K. Economic Value of Campsite Closures in Hawaii

  • Lowe Mackenze, A., Dundas SJ Is a Photo Worth 1,000 Likes? Visitation Modeling and The Influence of Instagram at National Parks

  • Lowe Mackenze, A., Dundas SJ & Dickson, C. The Effects of Public Health Advisories on the Value of Recreational Camping

Work in Progress

  • First National Nature Assessment: Chapter Nature and the Economy US Global Change Research Program. CoAuthor & Graphic Lead (Chapter Lead: Rajat Panwar, CoAuthors: Pamela Bachman, Uris Lantz Baldos, Marc Berejka, Brian Buma, Y. Allen Chen, Jaana Korhonen, Theresa Lieb, Jakki Mohr, Stephen Polasky, Anthony Rogers, Randy Rosenberger, John Whitehead)
  • The economic value of the Na Ala Hele Trail System in Hawaii: A case study using Mobility Data (Melissa Price, Kirsten Oleson)
  • Non-market tourism values of coral reefs for the Hawaiian Islands

  • Estimating the impacts of removing Oregon’s severance tax on large industrial timber harvesting in 1999.

Seminar

Forthcoming

  • Updating As Arise

Past Presentations


Professional Services

Journals

AAEA Conference Reviewer

JPRA Reviewer

















Teaching 👩‍🏫

Instructor

University of Hawaii

  • NREM 691 Valuing Nature

    Introduces theories underpinning environmental valuation, including welfare economics, benefit cost analysis and ecosystem services. Various nonmarket valuation techniques are explored to assign monetary values to environmental goods and ecosystem services, contributing to inform policy decisions and understand complex trade-offs in high-stake environmental management. Emphasis is placed on the strengths, limitations, and appropriate applications of each technique.

  • NREM 429 Spreadsheet Modeling for Business and Economic Analysis

  • Introduction to quantitative decision-making methods for effective agribusiness management in resource allocation, scheduling, logistics, risk analysis, inventory, and forecasting. Emphasis on problem identification, model formulation and solution, and interpretation and presentation of results. Pre: NREM/SUST 220 or ECON 130, and 310 or ECON 321; or consent.

  • NREM 494 Environmental Problem Solving 2024

  • Senior-level capstone for NREM. Ecosystem management within problem-solving context. Applications of research and analytical methods, management tools to case studies. Focus on student teamwork and oral communications.

Western and Oregon State University

  • AEC 253 Environmental Law, Policy and Economics @ Oregon State Unversity 2020

  • SUS 390 Global Climate Change @ Western Oregon Unversity 2023

  • SUS 390 Sustainability and Capitalism @ Western Oregon Unversity 2023

Graduate Teaching

  • AEC 525 Applied Econometrics 2019

  • AEC 447 Agriculture Price and Market Analysis 2020

  • AEC/ECON 432 Environmental Law 2019

  • AEC 388 Agricultural Law 2018

  • AEC/ECON 352 Environmental Economics and Policy 2018

  • SUS 350 Sustainable Communities 2020-2021

  • AEC 253 Environmental Law, Policy and Economics 2019

  • AEC 122 Introduction to Climate Change Economics and Policy 2021

Education

Alma Mater

  • Fields: Environmental and Natural Resource Economics, Spatial and Behavior Methods, Recreational Ecology, GIS Visualization
  • Masters in Science Applied Economics 2020
  • Bachelor of Science in Economics (2011)

    • Fields : Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, Econometrics, Game Theory, History of Economic Thought, Institutional economics, Comparative economics, Statistics
    • Minor in Philosophy

    Associate of Arts (2007)

    • Developed interest in Economics
    My Skills

    Programming

    Languages


    Developer Tools


    Google Cloud

    Primary Environment


    OS:

    PS:

    Videos Projects

    Vlog

    Contiential Divide | 2014 |

    A Southbound Tale

    South bound thru-hike in the Summer of 2014.

    Pacific Crest Trail | 2011 |

    Pacific Crest Trail

    A northbound hike of the Pacific Crest Trail in a snow year.

    Get in Touch

    Contact

    1910 East-West Rd., Sherman Hall 237, Honolulu, HI, 96822