Events and Activities

​Dr. Patrick Maher has spent a career exploring how people use outdoor environments, and how their use of those spaces offer them meaning and value. Dr. Maher is Professor of Physical and Health Education at Nipissing University and in 2025 has been one of the first recipients of the Grímsson Fellowship, allowing him to continue his research in an idyllic space close to the Arctic and to promote relations between international and Icelandic communities.

Commenting on his appointment as a fellow, Dr Maher said, “The impact of tourism on the community is real, particularly in summer months – concerns are being shared, but may not always be heard. For management of unique, remote areas, the anecdotal evidence of overuse is clear. This type of external, academic research gives wider examination and analysis.”