Digital Commons Network^™

Foodshed Foundations: Law's Role In Shaping Our Food System's Future, Margaret Sova Mccabe

Law Faculty Scholarship

[. . .] This symposium Article analyzes how we can rethink the architecture of law based on a foodshed model to provide a greater role for local, state, and regional government in the American food system. In turn, greater roles for different levels of government may help America achieve greater efficiencies in domestic food safety, nutrition and related public health issues, sustainability, and international trade.

Americans need a greater voice in the food system. The foodshed model is a powerful vehicle that allows us to conceptualize change, allowing greater citizen participation and a more nuanced approach to food policy. The …

The Economic Importance Of Draught Oxen On Small Farms In Namibia's Eastern Caprivi Region, Andrew B. Conroy, Mogos Yakob Teweldmehidin

Natural Resources & the Environment

The main aim of this study was to analyse and document the value of smallholder farmers’ use of Draught Animal Power (DAP) systems in the Eastern Caprivi Region and to test the economic viability of DAP usage versus using tractors. This study applied Rapid Rural Appraisal techniques (RRA), including a survey. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 312 farmers at their farms and data was gathered on the use of and economics related to the draught animal power system. Crop enterprise budgets, project reports, expert opinions and group discussions were analysed. The research found that the use of animal power performs …

Aspects Of The Reproduction Of An Invasive Crab, Hemigrapsus Sanguineus, In Northern And Southern New England, Emily F. Gamelin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Populations of the invasive shore crab, Hemigrapsus sanguineus , were studied in northern and southern New England to determine if crabs differ in reproductive behavior or characteristics between these regions. Additionally, effects of temperature on reproductive activity were quantified through laboratory experimentation.

Number of broods per season increased with temperature, but the seasonal total was limited to three broods in laboratory experiments. Broods experienced limited success at the lowest temperature, 10°C. The reproductive season was longer at lower latitudes, and females at this site had smaller average ovigerous size. Patterns of ovigery varied between the regions, suggesting the production of …

A Feasibility Study: Forest Carbon Stocks And Stock Change Of The White Mountain National Forest, Erica Jane Cate

Master's Theses and Capstones

Interest has heightened for forest managers to account for the impacts of management activities on forest carbon sequestration. This study was designed to assess the feasibility of developing estimates of WMNF forest carbon based on the available information. The yield curves, inventory data and resulting carbon projections were dependent on a number of assumptions and subject to various sources of error and bias. Thus, they should not be relied on as definitive estimates and forecasts, or used as a basis for policy recommendations. Under the specific approaches used in this study, forest carbon stocks appear to be accumulating in the …

Landscape Genetics Of The New England Cottontail: Effects Of Habitat Fragmentation On Population Genetic Structure And Dispersal, Lindsey E. Fenderson

Master's Theses and Capstones

The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is a species of conservation concern. Population recovery will require knowledge of genetic structure and dispersal patterns. To this end, I used microsatellite loci to assess genetic structure at two spatial scales: across the entire range (broadscale) and within the northernmost population (finescale).

Range-wide, cottontails are separated into five distinct populations. There was little evidence of gene flow among populations and they have experienced extensive genetic drift. Several populations had comparatively reduced genetic diversity.

Intensive fine-scale surveys revealed four genetically differentiated populations. Interstate-95 is a dispersal barrier, though other major roads did not impact …

An Evaluation Of Supplemental Food To Increase Winter Survival Of Cottontail Rabbits, Toni Weidman

Master's Theses and Capstones

The New England cottontail is currently endangered throughout much of its range. The cause of this decline has been habitat loss that has facilitated intense predation. Cottontails living on small patches have high mortality rates due to lack of quality cover and browse and high predation pressure. The goal of this study was to determine if provisioning supplemental food during the winter could increase cottontail survival rates by reducing risky foraging behavior in poor habitat that exposes the rabbits to predators. Among fed rabbits the survival rate (70%) was substantially greater than the survival rate for unfed rabbits (32%). A …

Updated Life History And Population Structure Assessment Of Spiny Dogfish, Squalus Acanthias, In The Gulf Of Maine, Walter Bubley

Doctoral Dissertations

Spiny dogfish (Squalus acanthias) are considered to be the most abundant shark species in the Western North Atlantic, but recently there was a decline in biomass estimates following a nearly ten-fold increase in fishery landings. Because fishing pressure has been shown to affect population dynamics in targeted species, an update of previous life history parameters is warranted to effectively manage the population. Although updated and accurate life history parameters are important, it is crucial that these parameters are applied to the correct populations, especially when there is evidence of population structuring in the Western Atlantic. This comprehensive study addressed the …

Spatial Management Of Groundfish Resources In The Gulf Of Maine And Georges Bank, Jamie Marie Cournane

Doctoral Dissertations

In the marine environment, studies suggest that overfishing suppresses sustainability and resilience in fish populations. In the 1990s, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) implemented five large year-round fishery closures in the Gulf of Maine and Georges Bank. These closures are partially protected marine protected areas (MPAs) restricting commercial fishing with bottom-tending gears. To date, evaluation of their performance has focused on the productivity of individual species.

This research aims to understand if fish biodiversity changed after implementation of the five large fisheries closures. Here, a variety of datasets and statistical approaches are used.

Modern patterns constructed from NMFS bottom-trawl …

Somatic Condition, Growth And Distribution Of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna (Thunnus Thynnus) In The Gulf Of Maine, Walter J. Golet

Doctoral Dissertations

Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), a highly migratory apex predator, utilize temperate feeding grounds to place their tissues into positive lipid balance following reproduction and subsequent migration to northern latitudes. Commercial fishermen target Atlantic bluefin tuna between June and October, but landings have declined 70% from 2004-2009 suggesting adult bluefin tuna may no longer be utilizing the Gulf of Maine as a foraging ground. A series of linear and additive models fitted to multiple fishery dependent datasets identified significant declines in the somatic condition of Atlantic bluefin tuna in the Gulf of Maine. Significant changes in the somatic condition of …

The Effects Of Chlortetracycline, Lasalocid, And The Combination On Growth, Health, Apparent Total Tract Nutrient Digestibility, And Nitrogen Retention Of Post-Weaned Dairy Heifers, Kelly Anne Greenbacker

Master's Theses and Capstones

The experiment compared the effects of chlortetracycline (CTC), lasalocid (L), and the combination (LCTC) on dairy heifers. Forty calves, 12 wk of age, were assigned to control (C), L (1 mg/kg BW/d), CTC (350 mg/d), or LCTC. Individual DMI was measured daily. Skeletal measures, BW, BCS, blood urea N and glucose concentrations were measured weekly. Calves received an external marker to estimate apparent total tract nutrient digestibilities. Total collection of urine was obtained from 20 calves to determine N retention. The DMI was higher (P=0.01) for CTC versus L and C, and DMI was lower for L versus LCTC. ADG …

An Evaluation Of Habitat Models For The Common Loon (Gavia Immer), Alexis M. Rudko

Master's Theses and Capstones

The Loon Preservation Committee (LPC) has been collecting field data for the common loon (Gavia immer) in New Hampshire for thirty-six years. A habitat model for lakes throughout New Hampshire was created by Dr. Mark Brennan for the time period 1980--2002. This project re-evaluates Brennan's habitat model using new data from 2003--2008. Two additional models, one with all lakes and another with the three largest lakes excluded, were created and compared to Brennan's model to see if the overall accuracy improved. These models show which lakes have high and low potential for loon habitat. The results of the re-evaluation of …

Evaluation Of Post Harvest Conditions Contributing To Attacks By The Red Turpentine Beetle, Dendroctonus Valens Leconte At The Massabesic Experimental Forest In Southern Maine, Garret D. Dubois

Master's Theses and Capstones

Silvicultural management of Pinus strobus L. runs the risk of damaging residual trees and can increase the probability of attack from damaging insects, including the common bark beetle Dendroctonus valens Le Conte. Considered a secondary pest, it is possible that D. valens is capable of economic impacts such as the downgrading of logs and lumber due to defect and blue-stain. To assess post harvest conditions that contribute to the probability and severity of D. valens attacks in Pinus strobus, stand and tree characteristics were sampled in four silvicultural treatments and one control site in southern Maine. Results showed that clearcuts …

Isotopic Analysis Of Arctic Ground Squirrel Tissues And Potential Food Sources, Julee Shamhart

Master's Theses and Capstones

Given limited knowledge of the food sources of Arctic ground squirrels, an important arctic prey species, it is difficult to predict the implications of changes in food source availability that could result from climate change. I hypothesized that Arctic ground squirrels at two colonies, Atigun and Toolik, would have similar feeding habits and mushrooms would contribute to their diet The Arctic ground squirrels at Toolik had significantly higher del15N (3.7 per mill difference) and del13C values (1.3 per mill difference) than those at Atigun. Mixing models indicated that the signatures observed in the Atigun hair could result from a combination …

Addition Of Varying Amounts Of Sodium Bicarbonate To Colostrum Replacer: Effects On Igg Absorption, Serum Bicarbonate, And Hematocrit In Neonatal Calves, Rosemarie G. Cabral

Master's Theses and Capstones

Fifty-two calves were assigned to a randomized complete block design and were randomly assigned by block to one of four treatments: colostrum replacer with no sodium bicarbonate, colostrum replacer with 15g of sodium bicarbonate, colostrum replacer with 30g of sodium bicarbonate, and colostrum replacer with 45g of sodium bicarbonate to test for linear and quadratic effects. Calves were fed colostrum replacer (≥200g of IgG) in one feeding at 0 h and 2L milk replacer at 12, 24, 36, and 48 h. Only calves from multiparous cows, without dystocia, and born in calving pens were used. Sodium bicarbonate had a negative …

Abiotic Immobilization Of Nitrate In Forest Soil: A Double Level Approach, Richard Graham Maclean

Master's Theses and Capstones

Abiotic immobilization of nitrogen may help explain nitrogen retention in soils under chronic nitrogen addition. Methodological limitations have made differentiating between abiotic and biotic immobilization in live soils difficult. This study attempted to make this differentiation with isotopically labeled nitrate, 15N18O3- . My hypothesis was that during biological reduction and assimilation of 15N, 18O would be lost as labeled water, but some 18O would be retained in abiotic reactions with soil chemicals. Lab incubations of soils from a Pinus resinosa stand were treated with 0.140 mg 15N g-1 dry soil of K15N18O3, for 0.25, 1 and 4 hours. Mean mass …

Evaluating Sampling-Induced Stress In Atlantic Cod (Gadus Morhua), Travis S. Ford

Master's Theses and Capstones

Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua, have historically been regarded as one of the most commercially and recreationally important fishes in the Gulf of Maine. All fish involved in fishing and aquaculture are subject to stress, indicated by elevated plasma cortisol concentrations. Given the amount of research conducted on Atlantic cod, stress, and cortisol, little has been done to compare different blood sampling methods and the effects they might have on plasma cortisol concentrations, particularly in adult fish. This study examined three different methods of repeated blood sampling (standard handling caudal vessel puncture, reduced handling caudal vessel puncture, and cannulation) in Atlantic …

Growing Winter Sprouting Broccoli In Unheated High Tunnels In New Hampshire, Clifton A. Martin

Master's Theses and Capstones

Winter sprouting broccoli was grown in a two-year study in unheated high tunnels in Durham, NH. Eleven cultivars were grown in a 9.1 m by 18.2 m unheated high tunnel and evaluated for yield, duration of harvest, and number of days from seed to harvest. Secondary rowcover applications were also evaluated for effects on yield, duration of harvest, number of days from seed to harvest, and for their effects on air temperature at plant height. All cultivars were harvested between March and May of 2008 and 2009. Yields ranged from 0.6 to 1.4 kilograms per meter squared. While mortality was …

The Influence Of Stocking Density And Acoustic Conditioning On The Behavior And Growth Of Atlantic Cod, Gadus Morhua, Daniel Ward

Master's Theses and Capstones

The goal of experiment one (Chapter One) was to determine if stocking density had an influence of the swimming behavior and spatial distribution of adult cod that were being raised in an aquaculture cage at the University of New Hampshire's Coastal Marine Laboratory. Acoustic telemetry and underwater video were used to quantify the behavior and distribution of cod that were stocked at four densities (5, 10, 25 and 45 kg/m³). At the lowest density (5 kg/m³) cod remained deep in the cage and spent 64.3 +/- 0.8% of their time below 1.80m (of a 2.70m cage). This contrasts to the …

A Multi-Scale Evaluation Of Eastern Hognose Snake (Heterodon Platirhinos) Habitat Selection At The Northern Extent Of Its Range, Celine Goulet

Master's Theses and Capstones

A complex interaction of biotic and abiotic variables structure landscapes into a hierarchal assemblage of habitats. Species respond to this environmental hierarchy by selecting habitat based upon a set of ecological variables occurring across a range of organizational levels. However, as the criteria for selection may be scale-dependent, it is vital to quantify the influence these variables have on species distribution at each spatial scale. Two years of telemetry data from 17 individuals were used to examine the multi-scale selection process in the northern population of Heterodon platirhinos on the New Boston Air Force Station in New Boston, New Hampshire. …