James Barkley Doctral Student Department of Recreation, Sport and Tourism University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign James' current research agenda is focused on place meaning among stakeholders to the backcountry at Grand Canyon National Park. This agenda is fueled by a personal philosophy which values democratic processes in land-use planning. The purpose of this approach to land management is to identify values that permeate place meaning and to aid in the cultivation of land-use policy that reflects and preserves the core values of the citizenry.

In addition to this current undertaking at Grand Canyon, James continues to be involved in researching constraints to leisure time physical activity (LTPA). The catalyst for this research is the understanding that leisure time physical activity participation is a significant and modifiable risk factor associated with the obesity epidemic in America. The thought being that understanding the nature of constraints and negotiations can aid leisure practitioners (e.g., park and recreation agencies) in effective program implementation that will increase LTPA among the population in the area(s) they serve.

Degree earned: M.S. Leisure Studies, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2005 B.S. Philosophy, Eastern Illinois University, 1997 Recent publications: Barkley, J., Stewart, W.P., & Kruger, L. (2008 in review) Relevance of lived experience for park and wild land management.. Journal of Leisure Research. Stewart, W. P., Barkley, J., Kerins, A., Gladdys, K., & Glover, T. D. (2007). Park development on the urban-agricultural fringe. . Journal of Park and Recreation Administration, 25 (4). Barkley, J., & Stewart, W. (2007). When a landscape is bigger than itself: a stakeholder analysis of Grand Canyon backcountry. DOI, NPS technical report, Grand Canyon National Park. Barkley, J. (2005). Leisure time physical activity constraint and negotiation scale development. Proceedings of the National Recreation and Park Association's annual Congress, USA. Stewart W.P., & Barkley, J. (2005). Constructing place meanings with photo-elicitation. Proceedings of the National Recreation and Park Association's annual Congress, USA. Barkley, J. (2005). Physical activity constraint and negotiation scale development. Unpublished master's thesis, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Barkley, J. (2005). Using photo-elicitation methodology to understand place meaning. Proceedings of the Environmental Horizons Annual Conference, USA. Recent presentations: Barkley, J. (2008). Collaborative learning in the representation of lived experience. Proceedings of the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, Burlington, VT, USA. June 11. Understanding and promoting leisure time physical activity to enhance health and well-being. Proceedings of the International Forum on the Diabetes Epidemic: Cultural, Educational and Medical Perspectives on Building Synergies for Mexican and US Populations, Urbana, IL. August 25. Barkley, J., Kerins, A. & Stewart, W. (2007) Hard working stakeholders at Grand Canyon: the local value(s) of lived experience. Proceedings of the Leisure Research Symposium, National Recreation and Park Association, Annual Congress, Indianapolis, IN. September 27. Stewart, W., Barkley, J. & Kerins, A.(2007). Imagining parks, discovering community: landscape change in urban agricultural contexts. Proceedings of the Leisure Research Symposium, National Recreation and Park Association Annual Congress, Indianapolis, IN. September 27. Barkley, J. (2005). Leisure time physical activity constraint and negotiation scale development. Proceedings of the Leisure Research Symposium, National Recreation and Park Association Annual Congress, San Antonio, TX. October 18. Stewart W.P., & Barkley, J. (2005). Constructing place meanings with photo-elicitation. Proceedings of the Leisure Research Symposium, National Recreation and Park Association Annual Congress, San Antonio, TX. October 18. Stewart W.P., & Barkley, J. (2005). Stakeholder values of places in Grand Canyon. Grand Canyon Backcountry Workshop, Grand Canyon, AZ. Barkley, J. (2005). Using photo-elicitation methodology to understand place meaning. Poster session presented at the Environmental Horizons annual conference, Urbana, IL.