UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

Dr. Carly Sponarski

Former Assistant Professor of Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation
Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology

Affiliations

Affiliated Faculty with the George J. Mitchell Centre for Sustainability Solutions
Graduate Faculty in Ecology and Environmental Science

Research

Dr. Sponarski was a member of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology between August 2016 and May 2021. Prior to moving to Orono, Dr. Sponarski was a postdoctoral scholar in Dr. Nicole Ardoin’s Social Ecology lab at Stanford University. She obtained her PhD from Memorial University of Newfoundland in St. John’s, Canada, in Natural Resource Management within the Geography Department; a M.E.Des (Environmental Science) from the University of Calgary in the Faculty of Environmental Design; and a BSc in Animal Biology from the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Sponarski’s research interests focused on the intersection of human (social systems) and natural resources (ecological systems), thus her work is interdisciplinary in nature. At this intersection, she examines the social impacts of resource management – the community interactions, associated conflicts, and decision-making. This research is called, human dimensions of natural resources and she focuses on wildlife and fisheries management issues. Dr. Sponarski is interested in understanding future management directives/objectives, current management strengths/weaknesses, and public opinion towards difference species and management actions.

Teaching

Dr. Sponarski taught the following undergraduate courses while a member of the UMaine faculty

WLE 445: Management of Endangered and Threatened Species
WLE 461: Human Dimensions of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation
WLE 470: Wildlife Policy and Administration

Selected Publications

Sponarski, C.C., Loeffler, T.A., Vaske, J.J. & Bath A. J. (2016) Changing attitudes and emotions toward coyotes with experiential education. Journal of Environmental Education. 47(4):296-306 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00958964.2016.1158142

Sponarski, C.C., Spacapan, M., Miller, C.A., & Vaske, J.J. (2016) Modeling perceived risk from coyotes among Chicago residents. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 21(6): 491-505. DOI: 10.1080/10871209.2016.1190989

Vaske, J.J., Beaman, J., & Sponarski, C.C., (2016) Rethinking the internal consistency of Cronbach’s alpha. Journal of Leisure Sciences. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01490400.2015.1127189

Sponarski, C.C. (2015) Can we have wolves and caribou too? The Osprey: The Nature Journal of Newfoundland and Labrador. 46(3): 18-21

Sponarski, C.C., Vaske, J.J., & Bath, A.J. (2015) The role of cognitions and emotions in human-coyote interactions. Human Dimensions of Wildlife. 20(3): 238-254

Sponarski, C.C., Vaske, J.J., & Bath, A.J. (2015) Differences in management action acceptability for coyotes in a national park. Wildlife Society Bulletin. 39(2): 239–247.

Sponarski, C.C., Vaske, J.J., & Bath, A.J. (2015) Attitudinal differences among residents, park staff, and visitors toward coyotes in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, Nova Scotia, Canada. Society and Natural Resources. 28(7): 720-732.