Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 10 of 10
Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network
Public Land Management Values: A Delphi Study Of Austrian And Pacific Northwest United States Recreation Resource Managers, Jessie Meybin
Public Land Management Values: A Delphi Study Of Austrian And Pacific Northwest United States Recreation Resource Managers, Jessie Meybin
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
There is a continuing global increase in recreational visitor use of public land. This rise in visitation can be a good thing if a proactive management plan utilizing strong methodology to anticipate impacts to an area and sustain its natural and social resources is in place. Although a wide spectrum of issues is presented to each management, few of the concepts are new to any of the administrators. With increasing duties, newly emerging concerns, and decreasing time, there is little room or patience for error concerning the implementation of any management derivatives or techniques. If the existing research on all …
Roosting Ecology Of Bats In A Disturbed Landscape, Joshua B. Johnson
Roosting Ecology Of Bats In A Disturbed Landscape, Joshua B. Johnson
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
In 2007 and 2008, I examined roost selection of forest-interior dwelling northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) maternity colonies in stands treated with prescribed fire (hereafter, fire) and in unburned (hereafter, control) stands on the Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia. Using radio telemetry, I tracked 36 female northern myotis to 69 roost trees; 25 in the fire treatment and 44 in the control treatment. Using logistic regression and an information-theoretic model selection approach, I determined that within the fire treatment, northern myotis maternity colonies were more likely to use cavity trees that were smaller in diameter, higher in crown class, and located …
Predicting Species Composition In An Eastern Hardwood Forest With The Use Of Digitally Derived Terrain Variables, Richard D. Flanigan
Predicting Species Composition In An Eastern Hardwood Forest With The Use Of Digitally Derived Terrain Variables, Richard D. Flanigan
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
This thesis addresses the need for improved classification of remotely sensed imagery in the complex hardwood forests of West Virginia. A geographic information system (GIS) was used in conjunction with forest plot data to develop a model to predict species composition in the eastern hardwood forest of West Virginia. The study area was located on the West Virginia University Research Forest (WVURF) in northern West Virginia. Terrain variables including aspect, curvature and slope change drastically at a local scale within the forest to greatly influence species composition. Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data was collected for the entire WVURF, which …
Statewide Analysis Of Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis ) Population Status And Reach-Scale Conservation Priorities In West Virginia Watersheds, Jason W. Clingerman
Statewide Analysis Of Brook Trout (Salvelinus Fontinalis ) Population Status And Reach-Scale Conservation Priorities In West Virginia Watersheds, Jason W. Clingerman
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) was formed to implement range-wide strategies that sustain healthy, fishable brook trout populations. Hudy et al. (2006) recently completed a comprehensive analysis of eastern brook trout distributions representing a critical first step towards fully integrating brook trout conservation efforts in this region. This study was designed to supplement and complement existing data on brook trout distributions and status within West Virginia. We examined recently obtained data for the entire state to update the EBTJV distributional map published in Hudy et al. (2006). We then used fish sample data along with GIS-acquired landscape data …
Nesting Success And Nest Site Characteristics Of Four Thrush Species On A Managed Forest, Rachel Dellinger
Nesting Success And Nest Site Characteristics Of Four Thrush Species On A Managed Forest, Rachel Dellinger
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Four thrush species breed sympatrically in the Allegheny Mountain region of West Virginia, U.S.A.: American Robin (Turdus migratorius), Hermit Thrush (Catharus guttatus), Veery (Catharus fuscescens), and Wood Thrush (Hylocichla mustelina). How nesting habitat is partitioned among the species is unclear, as is the effect of logging activities on the guild. My objectives were to identify nesting habitat characteristics that are partitioned among the species and to determine their effects on nest survival.;I conducted point count surveys and monitored nests of four thrush species on a managed forest. I measured habitat variables at three scales: (1) nest substrate, (2) nest site, …
Demography And Genetic Structure Of An Allegheny Woodrat Population In Northcentral West Virginia, Mary Elizabeth Manjerovic
Demography And Genetic Structure Of An Allegheny Woodrat Population In Northcentral West Virginia, Mary Elizabeth Manjerovic
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) occurs throughout the Appalachian Mountains forming isolated colonies in rock outcrops, cliffs, and caves. In the past 20--30 years, populations along the northern and western peripheries of the range have experienced drastic declines. There have been suggested reasons for this decline but a lack of long-term data has prevented application of specific management actions. In recent years, there has been more insight into population structure, gene flow, and relatedness among colonies. The objectives of my study were to examine these factors at a localized level to further assist with future management decisions.;Using data collected over …
Ecology And Management Of Raccoons Within An Intensively Managed Forest In The Central Appalachians, Sheldon F. Owen
Ecology And Management Of Raccoons Within An Intensively Managed Forest In The Central Appalachians, Sheldon F. Owen
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
The raccoon (Procyon lotor), a generalist meso-predator, is commonly found throughout the eastern United States. Many researchers have examined the ecology and spatial requirements of raccoons in agricultural and wetland areas of the mid-western and southeastern United States. However, no studies have quantitatively examined raccoon habits in the forested central Appalachians and their response to forest management. During the fall of 2000 through the spring of 2003, I monitored the spatial movements and den site selection of raccoons within an intensively managed forest.;I investigated the occurrence of raccoon roundworm (Baylisascaris procyonis) in raccoons (Procyon lotor) within my study area. I …
Censusing And Modeling The Dynamics Of A Population Of Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis L.) Using Remote Sensing, W. Robert Lamar
Censusing And Modeling The Dynamics Of A Population Of Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis L.) Using Remote Sensing, W. Robert Lamar
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
A population of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis L.) was censused from the ground using traditional field methods and from the air using large scale, high-resolution, aerial imagery in the early spring of 1997, 1998 and 1999. A manual crown survey map of the population, prepared from aerial imagery, was compared to a traditional field census. Over 60% of the individuals measured on the ground were not detected in the aerial census. Tree size, crown density and crown position all played roles in determining a crown's visibility from the air. Nearly all large, upper canopy hemlocks were visible in the aerial …
Comparison Of Herpetofaunal Species Composition And Response To Edge On The Camp Dawson Collective Training Area, Preston County, West Virginia, Amy B. Spurgeon
Comparison Of Herpetofaunal Species Composition And Response To Edge On The Camp Dawson Collective Training Area, Preston County, West Virginia, Amy B. Spurgeon
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Herpetofaunal species composition, abundance, and diversity were evaluated on the Camp Dawson Collective Training Area, Preston County, West Virginia, as a requirement of the Sikes Act (16 USC 670a et seq.), Army Regulation 200-3, and Department of Defense Instruction 4715.3. Herpetofauna were sampled using pitfall traps with drift fences and double-ended funnel traps, and also from area searches. Redback salamander (Plethodon cinereus), red-spotted newt (Notophthalmus v. viridescens ), eastern American toad (Bufo a. americanus), and wood frog (Rana sylvatica) were most common in pitfall arrays; mountain dusky salamander (Desmognathus ochrophaeus), Appalachian seal salamander (Desmognathus m. monticola), and redback salamander were …
Food Habits Of The Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma Magister ), Nikole Lee Castleberry
Food Habits Of The Allegheny Woodrat (Neotoma Magister ), Nikole Lee Castleberry
Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports
Regional declines in Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister ) populations suggest a better understanding of the ecology of this species is needed for proper management. I described seasonal food habits of the Allegheny woodrat in the Ridge and Valley and Allegheny Plateau physiographic provinces of West Virginia and Virginia using microhistological techniques. In the Allegheny Plateau, the top 5 food items were fungi, blueberries ( Vaccinium spp.), acorns (Quercus spp.), ferns ( Dryopteris spp.), and lichens. In the Ridge and Valley woodrats ate primarily blackberry (Rubus spp.) leaves, fungi, greenbrier (Smilax spp.) leaves, acorns, and oak leaves. Additionally, we examined the …