Digital Commons Network^™

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou), Draft Final Residential Metals Abatement Program Investigation Summary Report (Non-Residential – Interior School Dust) - Gold Hill Lutheran Church (Creativity Factory Preschool) (Dated April 8, 2024), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou), Draft Residential Metals Abatement Program Construction Completion Report (Non-Residential Parcels – Indoor Dust) – Kennedy Elementary (Dated April 17, 2024), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou) Draft Residential Metals Abatement Program Construction Completion Report (Non‐Residential Parcels – Indoor Dust) – Silver Bow Montessori (Dated April 25, 2024), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Re: Approval Letter For The Butte Priority Soils Operable Unit (Bpsou), Draft Residential Metals Abatement Program Construction Completion Report (Non-Residential Parcels - Indoor Dust) – Small World Daycare (Dated April 17, 2024), Molly Roby

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Draft Final Bpsou Insufficiently Reclaimed Sites Belle Of Butte (Bres No. 8 & Ur-39) Remedial Action Work Plan (Rawp), Pioneer Technical Services, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Deception Pass State Park Beach Naturalist Intern, Joey Decaro

College of the Environment Internship Reports

The first day of my internship with the Deception Pass State Park was June 20th, 2024; the last was September 5th, 2024, where I had the privilege of being a Beach Naturalist at Rosario Beach. Deception Pass spans two different islands, Fidalgo and Whidbey, and has a plethora of attractions: the Deception Pass Bridge is the connection between the two islands; Cranberry Lake is a popular area to fish; the Rosario tide pools allow visitors to understand the ecosystem while protecting it; and many more. Due to all these attractions and the beautiful scenery, Deception Pass State Park is one …

Deception Pass State Park Beach Naturalist Intern, Cherise Russo

College of the Environment Internship Reports

This summer, I dedicated much of my time to supporting education and restoration at the tide pools of Deception Pass State Park. My internship at Deception Pass State Park has been an important learning experience. While working there, I have learned to work with people of diverse cultures, gained knowledge of the tide pool ecosystems of the park, and experienced working in a state park setting as part of a team and individually.

Hybridization Between The Rare Gray-Headed Chickadee And The Abundant Boreal Chickadee In The Midst Of Shifting Climate, Matthew R. Armstrong

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

As species respond to changing climate, distributions and abundances may shift and alter species interactions. Hybridization, a relatively widespread phenomenon becoming more common with climate change, can have beneficial and detrimental effects on population growth rates and genetic integrity. Beneficial effects due to the introduction of advantageous alleles and increased genetic diversity may result from hybridization. Species may also accrue fitness costs associated with changing climates if mismatches occur between environmental variables and phenotypes. The gray-headed chickadee, Poecile cinctus lathami, is an extremely rare songbird that has experienced marked declines in recent decades within its restricted distribution in Alaska …

Population Demography, Occupancy, And Connectivity Of Invasive Bigheaded Carp In The Platte River, Nebraska And Its Tributaries, Blake W. Logan

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Silver Carp Hypophthalmichthys molitrix and Bighead Carp H. nobilis, collectively referred to as bigheaded carp, are invasive species in the United States of America that have expanded their range throughout the Missouri River basin in the last three decades. It may be desirable to develop management plans directed at the monitoring, control, or removal of bigheaded carp within the Missouri River basin. However, a knowledge gap exists regarding bigheaded carp ecology in Missouri River tributaries, which may be important for the development of management plans. As such, this study characterized bigheaded carp population demographics, occupancy, and connectivity in …

Virtual Fencing In Livestock Management: Effects On Beef Cattle Stress And Enhancing Wildlife Conservation, Kaitlyn E. Dozler

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

I examined the effects of virtual fencing on beef cattle stress and how implementing the technology can aid wildlife habitat conservation at the University of Nebraska Gudmundsen Sandhills laboratory (GSL) near Whitman, NE. First, I examined how virtual fencing influences acute heart rate changes in beef cattle fitted with the virtual fencing collars. No significant difference in the average heart rate of a cow (P > 0.05) was observed between the 30 min control and virtual fenced periods for both trial dates. Second, I examined the influence of topography on wildlife species richness and presence at GSL using wildlife camera …

Spatial Ecology Of Mountain Lions Throughout Their Distribution In California, Kyle D. Dougherty

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Mountain lions (Puma concolor) have been studied extensively throughout their wide geographic distribution in the Western Hemisphere, but most research has been conducted at relatively small spatial scales. We used GPS telemetry data contributed by researchers in 16 study areas throughout California to advance understanding of mountain lion spatial ecology. First, we investigated multi-scale resource selection of mountain lions relative to spatially varying risk of intentional human-caused mortality associated with livestock depredation management. We show that individuals that proactively avoided mortality risk when selecting home ranges were able to relax their avoidance of risk when making resource selection …

Enhancing Water Sustainability In North Africa: Literature Review And Synthesis Of Current Knowledge Gaps In Sudan, Osman M. A. Adam, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Derek M. Heeren, Troy E. Gilmore

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Conference Presentations and White Papers

This study delves into the critical role of groundwater in addressing global water challenges, with a focus on the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System (NSAS) in North Africa. Groundwater constitutes a source of potable water, irrigation, and industrial use, especially in arid regions where surface water is limited. We analyzed the status of water quantity, withdrawals, recharge, and geological characteristics in the NSAS, specifically in Sudan, Egypt, Libya, and Chad. Though the NSAS is largely an untapped resource, we evaluated various scenarios to determine the quantity of cropland that can be sustainably irrigated. The NSAS is located in an arid region, …

Quantifying And Classifying Streamflow Ensembles Using A Broad Range Of Metrics For An Evidence-Based Analysis: Colorado River Case Study, Homa Salehabadi, David G. Tarboton, Kevin G. Wheeler, Rebecca Smith, Sarah Baker

Research Briefs

Using the Colorado River Basin as a case study, this research article highlights the need for streamflow ensembles that accurately represent potential future conditions rather than solely relying on historical data. The comprehensive set of statistical metrics introduced can be used to evaluate and classify these streamflow ensembles. This evidence-based framework can inform water resource management in the face of uncertain conditions.

Review Of Agricultural Biomass Burning And Its Impact On Air Quality In The Continental United States Of America, Sai Deepak Pinakana, Amit U. Raysoni, Alqamah Sayeed, Juan L. Gonzalez, Owen Temby, Dawid K. Wladyka, Katarzyna Sepielak

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Burning is a common method to dispose agricultural biomass residue. This practice is widely used by farmers during pre- and post-harvest seasons for crops such as wheat, rice, grass seed, soy, cotton, sugarcane, and corn. Farmers choose this method because it is cost and time effective. These burning activities emit several types of pollutants into the atmosphere, including CH4, SOx, NOx, CO, CO2, and particulate matter of different sizes (i.e., PM1, PM2.5 and PM10). Globally, the United States of America ranks third, preceded by China and India, in greenhouse gas emissions due to agricultural burning activities. According to the 2020 …

Drone-Based Airborne Vlf-Em In Detecting Groundwater Contamination Due To Landfill Leachate, Chanho Park, Mine Dogan

Waldo Library Student Exhibits

Modern landfills follow a strict state and federal regulation on their location, design, operation and monitoring practices. One of the key focus in the regulations is in terms of leachate. While the exact composition of the leachates depends on various factors such as waste composition and degradation processes, in general they contain groups of dissolved organic matter, inorganic cations and heavy metals.

Very Low Frequency-Electromagnetic (VLF-EM) has been widely used for delineating leachate plume direction and boundaries. Previous studies using VLF-EM were carried out as on-ground measurements due to limitations in technologies. With the advancements in Unmanned Airborne Systems (UAS), …

Testing Multiple Environmental Dna Substrates For Detection Of The Cryptic And Critically Endangered Burrowing Freshwater Crayfish Engaewa Pseudoreducta, Kathryn L. Dawkins, Paul Nevill, Brian Chambers, Shane Herbert, Quinton F. Burnham

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Effective conservation of endangered species depends on knowledge of their distributions, but species detection can often be challenging. An example of this is provided by the Critically Endangered Margaret River burrowing crayfish (Engaewa pseudoreducta), which is highly cryptic. Due to the burrowing habit of this crayfish, detection of this species currently requires a great deal of effort, the results are often non-conclusive, and, as it involves manual excavation of their burrows, the habitat of this and other species is destroyed in the detection process. In response to these challenges, this study developed and optimized a species-specific probe-based qPCR assay targeting …

Urban Soil Compaction Remediation By Shallow Tillage And Compost In Hydroseeded Lawn, James Jihoon Kang, Adam Flores, Engil Isadora Pujol Pereira, Jungseok Ho

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Construction activities often involve removal of topsoil and compaction of the exposed soil by heavy equipments. Such compacted soils with low organic matter can lead to low infiltration and poor vegetation establishment. The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of tillage (shallow till) and compost on soil physical and biological properties in a hydroseeded lawn as a post-construction best management practice for soil compaction remediation. The experimental site received a total of four land treatments in five replicated trials and it was hydroseeded with common Bermuda grass: 1) No Tillage + Compost (NT-C), 2) No Tillage + …

Spatio-Temporal Analysis Of The Roadside Transportation-Related Air Quality (Startraq 2022): Data-Driven Exposure Analysis By Transportation Modes, Jaymin Kwon, Yushin Ahn, Steve Chung

Mineta Transportation Institute

Particulate matter (PM) pollution poses significant health risks, influenced by various meteorological factors and seasonal variations. This study investigates the impact of temperature and other meteorological variables on PM10 and PM2.5 levels in Fresno County, known for high air pollution. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and generalized additive models (GAMs) assess the significance of these relationships. Analyzing data from Fresno County, we examine PM10 and PM2.5 levels across "hot" (June to August) and "cool" (September to May) seasons. Findings indicate PM10, both MLR and GAM models identify statistically significant variables, excluding temperature and wind direction in each season. However, during the …

Water Current, Volume 56, No. 2, Summer 2024

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Exploring Producers' Willingness To Pay For Ecosystem Services: Three Essays On Soil Health, Location Preferences, And Cover Crop Adoption, Kaouter Essakkat

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents from University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation comprises three essays: one assessing Midwest producers' willingness-to-pay (WTP) for soil health-enhancing ecosystem services (ES), another examining the impact of policy implementation locations on WTP, and a third identifying factors influencing producers' adoption of cover crops (CC).

The first essay pioneers the understanding of agricultural producers’ valuation of soil health-associated ES amid growing concerns of soil degradation due to agricultural intensification. Using a discrete choice experiment, this study assesses producers’ WTP for a policy that incentivizes ES provision, specifically improved water quality, carbon sequestration, and enhanced crop yield. Surveying producers across Iowa, Kansas, and Nebraska, our results show …

Integrity Roofing Nw Sustainability Officer, Sam Woodman

College of the Environment Internship Reports

My internship as the Sustainability Officer at Integrity Roofing NW has been an invaluable learning experience that has enhanced my understanding of sustainable roofing practices and provided me with practical skills and insights into the roofing industry. Over the past few months, I focused on several key objectives, including mastering the ins and outs of sustainable roofing, identifying and promoting cost-effective and environmentally friendly materials, understanding the economic and environmental benefits of sustainable practices, and applying knowledge from my Environmental Science (ENVS) and Economics (ECON) classes to real-world scenarios. Additionally, I sought to develop my proficiency in Excel and gain …

Deception Pass State Park Intern, Chloe Lindstrom

College of the Environment Internship Reports

Most of my background science work and most of what guided me towards Environmental Science was marine science and marine biology. I have an abundance of experience collecting oceanography data, and working in aquatic environments, but one of my learning goals was to branch out and away from marine science. Not only is it a popular destination for guests hoping to go outside and enjoy nature, but Deception Pass is also home to much wildlife. I regularly encountered chipmunks, bunnies, squirrels, bald eagles, red-tail hawks, deer, orcas, and other birds and mammals during my internship. All these organisms rely on …

Wwu Iws Internship, Andrew Aguilar

College of the Environment Internship Reports

For my internship I worked as a research assistant at the Institute for Watershed Studies (IWS). IWS is a research institute affiliated with the College of the Environment at Western Washington University (WWU) that conducts research on freshwater lakes, streams, and wetlands. The main project that IWS works on is the Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project. This project has been monitoring Lake Whatcom since 1988 with the goal of providing a long-term record of data on a variety of water quality parameters. The monitoring program was initiated because Lake Whatcom is the primary drinking water source for the City of Bellingham …

Washington Conservation Corps Crew Member, Eric Newell

College of the Environment Internship Reports

During my time at WCC, I have learned about state government structure and have gotten a closer look at how it works from the inside. Previously I associated DNR with wildland 1 firefighting, which is one of the things they do, but now I understand that DNR has many, many divisions and a very complicated structure. The department is made up of fire experts, geologists, recreation managers, foresters, mappers, conservation experts, and much more. DNR has six regions and each of them operates largely separated from the others. This is advantageous because rules and regulations can be specific to a …

Birch Bay State Park Intern, Kylee Wright

College of the Environment Internship Reports

This past summer I worked at Birch Bay State Park in Birch Bay, Washington as a park aide. I spent the summer working with Park Rangers to keep this protected piece of land along the Strait of Georgia a space where people and nature can mingle. I wanted to work here because it seemed like the perfect way to start down the path towards working in the outdoors in a context where I am doing what I can to keep natural spaces wild and protected, while also making it possible for people to see them in all their splendor so …

Pacmam Intern, Natalia Debardeleben

College of the Environment Internship Reports

For my Summer internship, I assisted PacMam (Pacific Mammal Research) in Anacortes, WA and remotely. PacMam is a 501c3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to better understanding more about marine mammal populations in the Salish Sea. During my time interning for PacMam, the main marine mammals that they were focusing on were harbor seals and porpoises. The work that I conducted for PacMam was primarily in assisting with harbor seal identifications where I identified new seals, even naming a few, but also reidentified seals that had already been confirmed and added to the Seal Codex. With harbor seal research, there …

Wwu Marine Chemistry Lab And Field Assistant, Elsa (Christopher Adam) Lindenmeyr

College of the Environment Internship Reports

During this internship, I gained both laboratory and field experience through numerous things. I first learned how to assemble mold for the gels that would be used for the experiment. This was done by sandwiching a rubber tube and spacers between two pieces of glass and then pouring the liquid gels with a pipette. The pouring of the gels took preciseness to pour quickly enough that it doesn’t set half-way through and create stripes, and not pour so quickly that you get bubbles. I learned to make agarose and acrylamide solutions and how long and the conditions they need to …

Washington Conservation Corps Crew Member, Naomi A. Ellis

College of the Environment Internship Reports

One of my primary objectives going into this summer was to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the realities of physical labor, an essential aspect of applied science in the field, especially in conservation work. Although I have always enjoyed working with my hands and challenging myself with outdoor activities, my professional experience in this area was limited. The job met this objective right away, starting with a backcountry overnight trip, or spike. Our task involved camping out for four days while assisting in a grid search through a conserved natural area for lost DNR materials. It was important to …

Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission Intern, Luke Joi Duvall

College of the Environment Internship Reports

This summer, I spent ten weeks working as a fisheries technician for the Ahtna Intertribal Resource Commission. My primary position duties involved taking genetic and health samples for sockeye and chinook salmon. Throughout this summer I developed knowledge in the anatomy, ecology, management, and sampling techniques associated with salmon along with gaining insight and experience in other fields while collaborating with organizations outside my own. Furthermore, I gained valuable insight into the multiple organizations and attitudes involved in the management of natural resources throughout Alaska. Coming out of this experience, I feel prepared to progress further into research and conservation …

Community Boating Center Bioluminescence Intern, Eddie Joi Nosal

College of the Environment Internship Reports

2024 is the third year of the bioluminescence internship position at the Community Boating Center. In the last two years, the Community Boating Center has partnered with Western Washington University to assist in research on bioluminescence and education through guided night kayak tours. Previous research was done by now-WWU alumni Lucy Greeley and Carrley Smith with the goal of identifying bioluminescent dinoflagellate species, planktonic community composition during bioluminescent events, and the effects of environmental factors on brightness of dinoflagellates. The work done by previous interns has gained recognition from the Bellingham Herald, presented at conferences, and has had a video …