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The Geography Of Open Dumps In Rural Appalachia, Bj Jones Jan 2008

The Geography Of Open Dumps In Rural Appalachia, Bj Jones

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The dumping of waste into the environment has plagued the mountains of Rural Appalachia for decades. Tire, cars, appliances, and drug producing materials routinely are illegally disposed of via open dumps. The purpose of this research is to reveal the motives of the damaging open dumpsites that damage the beauty of the Appalachian Mountains. The states of Kentucky and West Virginia were analyzed through the use of GIS and descriptive statistics. The distance to refuse centers and application of disposal fees are the leading factors that result to the use of open dumps.


A Continued Study Of The Use Of Created Ponds For Amphibian Breeding In Fragmented Forested Areas, Amy Elizabeth Schneider Jan 2008

A Continued Study Of The Use Of Created Ponds For Amphibian Breeding In Fragmented Forested Areas, Amy Elizabeth Schneider

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Amphibian populations are declining worldwide due to factors such as habitat degradation, fragmentation and destruction. I conducted a study to explore the use of created ponds in a forested habitat by breeding amphibians, specifically Rana sylvatica and Ambystoma maculatum. The objectives were to examine the movement of these animals after leaving the ponds, the survival and movement of juveniles, how both respond to fragmentation, and how similar the created ponds were to natural ones. Nine ponds were constructed in December 2003 in the MeadWestvaco Wildlife Ecosystem Research Forest (MWERF) in Randolph County, West Virginia. All trapped amphibians were measured and …


Residential Building Energy Consumption And Loss Reduction Methods, Edward J. Balthazar Jan 2008

Residential Building Energy Consumption And Loss Reduction Methods, Edward J. Balthazar

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Home energy costs can be a large monthly expense for many people. Reduction of home energy consumption has multiple benefits – personal cost reduction, increased comfort, and global stewardship. The author embarked on a multi-year series of projects to reduce energy losses. The projects include plugging air infiltration gaps, installing further insulation layers, and buying an energy efficient heat pump. Data for natural gas and electricity use and local weather are presented, with heating as the major energy use. A linear correlation between cold weather conditions and natural gas consumption, and a cyclical annual weather-energy algorithm were both developed. Conductive …