Life Sciences Commons^™

The Three Creeks Allotment Consolidation: Changing Western Federal Grazing Paradigms, Taylor Payne

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The federal government owns approximately 47% of all land in the western United States. In the state of Utah, about 64% of the land base is managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The government has historically issued permits to owners of private lands to allow the owners to graze their livestock on public lands. The permits (allotments) are generally of 10-year duration and allow for an annual season of use. In some cases, continued and repeated historical annual grazing practices may not be ideal for permit holders and their communities nor …

Analysis Of Food Web Effects Of Non-Native Fishes And Evaluation Of Stream Restoration Potential For The San Rafael River, Utah, Timothy E. Walsworth

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Native fishes of the Colorado River Basin have experienced dramatic reductions in range and abundance as a result of extensive human alterations to the basin’s waterways. Many of these native fishes are federally listed under the Endangered Species Act, while several others are subject to range-wide conservation agreements between state and federal management agencies. Three of the native species subject to range-wide conservation agreements are the flannelmouth sucker, bluehead sucker, and roundtail chub (hereafter, the “three species”). Each of the “three species” is still found in the San Rafael River of southeastern Utah, which has experienced habitat degradation and non-native …

Utah Prairie Dog Habitat Evaluation Guide, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Environmental Defense

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens) (UPD) is listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and exists only in southwestern Utah. UPD numbers and range have declined dramatically since settlement of Utah because of conversion of rangeland to cropland, urban development, fire suppression, improper grazing, drought, and introduced sylvatic plague (Yersina pestis). As of this writing, approximately 75% of all Utah prairie dogs inhabit private lands. This fact highlights the need to encourage farmers and ranchers to manage UPD habitat on their property in order to move the species closer to recovery. This guide provides technical …

Cougar Exploitation Levels In Utah: Implications For Demographic Structure, Metapopulation Dynamics, And Population Recovery, David C. Stoner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Presently, eleven western states and two Canadian provinces utilize sport hunting as the primary mechanism for managing cougar (Puma concolor) populations. However, the impacts of sustained harvest on population dynamics and demographic structure arc not well understood. Additionally, the lack of cost-effective enumeration techniques and strongly conflicting societal values complicate effective management of this species. Given these concerns, the primary goals of this study were (I) to determine the effects of sustained harvest on cougar populations, and (2) estimate the level and extent of cougar harvest statewide.

I monitored cougar populations on Monroe Mountain in south-central Utah, and …

Some Environmental Relationships Of Undergrowth Species In Aspen Communities Of The Intermountain West, W F. Mueggler

Aspen Bibliography

This analysis results from an opportunity to explore plant-environmental relationships from data collected for a different purpose. Origin of the data is a study designed to develop an aspen community-type classification for southern Idaho, western Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada which resulted in the publication "Aspen Community Types of the Intermountain Region" GTR INT-250 by W.F. Mueggler (1988).

Economic Impact Of Snowmobiling In Utah, Ikuko Fujisaki

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The purpose of this study was to estimate statewide and local economic impact resulting from snowmobiling activities in Utah to gain a better understanding of preferences and opinions of Utah snowmobilers. The results will provide valuable information for snowmobiling management.

The survey instrument was designed to describe trip behavior, snowmobiling-related trip and annual expenditures, level of satisfaction with Utah snowmobiling opportunities, and demographics. A telephone survey was conducted with randomly selected households with registered snowmobiles during the period from April to June 2000. A 54.5% response rate yielded 373 usable completed questionnaires for data analysis.

For economic impact analysis, an …

First-Year Postfire And Postharvest Soil Temperatures In Aspen And Conifer Stands, Michael C. Amacher, Amber D. Johnson, Debra E. Kutterer, Dale L. Bartos

Aspen Bibliography

Aspen (Populus tremuloides Michx.) stands are in decline throughout the Interior Western United States because of fire suppression, overbrowsing by domestic livestock and native ungulates, and forest succession. We measured summertime soil temperatures in stable aspen, decadent aspen, and mixed aspen/conifer stands; a mixed aspen/conifer clearcut; as mixed aspen/conifer forest that was burned in a lightning-caused fire; and a decadent aspen stand and mixed aspen/conifer stand that received prescribed burns. Soil temperature fluctuations and mean soil temperatures were greater in cut and burned areas than in untreated stands. In untreated stands, mean soil temperature increased in the order: mixed …

Litter Decomposition And Nutrient Release Patterns In A Subalpine Forest In Northern Utah, Amber Denton Johnson

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

In the arid subalpine zone of the intermountain west it is common to see patchy forests interspersed with open meadows containing scattered clusters of trees referred to as tree islands. These tree islands are often composed of subalpine fir [Abies lasiocarpa (Hook) Nutt.] and Englemann spruce [Picea englemannii (Parry)]. In desert ecosystems, where lack of water is the most important factor limiting growth and nutrient dynamics, it is not unusual to see individual plants (especially in the shrub community) creating "islands of fertility", in which the plants collect nutrients by pumping them from deeper in the soil profile and redepositing …

Fire Occurrence, Behavior And The Effect Of Fire On Deer Mouse Density In Oakbrush At Camp Williams National Guard Base, Utah, Joel E. Godfrey

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fire occurrence and behavior were determined by collecting and analyzing fuel, weather, and fire history data. Fuel plots were used to measure average fuel loading by vegetation type and integrated with weather to make worst-case fire behavior predictions. A fire history was developed using oakbrush (Quercus gambelli Nutt.) sprouts to determine age and the Global Positioning System (GPS) for mapping the burned areas. Average fuel loading was highest in the oakbrush fuel type with 16.8 t/ha, then juniper (Juniperus osteosperma Torrey) with 6.72 t/ha, and the lowest was in sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) with 4.93 t/ha. Fire behavior predictions were …

Sixty Years Of Change In Tree Numbers And Basal Area In Central Utah Aspen Stands, Walter F. Mueggler

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Hazard Perception And Preparation By Cross-Country Skiers In Utah, Kevin J. Kobe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This thesis examined how cross-country skiers perceive and prepare for winter hazards. A self-completion questionnaire was administered to cross-country skiers in northern Utah. The questions on the questionnaire were designed to explore the relationships that affect how skiers perceive and prepare for winter hazards. Additionally, the situation where skiers put themselves at risk due to lack of information as opposed to skiers placing themselves at risk through the desire to confront nature's dangers was explored. Variables that were contained in these relationships were correlated and the degree of correlation was measured.

Those that sought information on the day surveyed were …

Pine Hollow Exclosures: Effect Of Browsing On An Aspen Community Sprayed With 2,4-D, D.L. Bartos, R.O. Harniss

Aspen Bibliography

The Pine Hollow aspen (Populus tremuloides) exclosures on the Ashley National Forest in eastern Utah were sampled in 1984, 19 years after they were established.

Aspen Community Types Of The Intermountain Region, Walter F. Mueggler

Aspen Bibliography

Western wildlands are covered by a broad spectrum of vegetation zones, from dense forests to barren deserts.

Aspen Community Types Of Utah, Walter F. Mueggler, R.B. Campbell

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Insects And Other Invertebrates In Aspen: Ecology And Management In The Western United States, J.R. Jones, N.V. Debyle, D.M. Bowers

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Survey Of Aspen Stands Treated With Herbicides In The Western United States, R.O. Harniss, D.L. Bartos

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

A Severe Epidemic Of Marssonina Leaf Blight On Quaking Aspen In Northern Utah. (A Severe Epidemic Of Marssonina Leaf Blight On Quaking Aspen In Northern Utah [Marssonina Populi, Populus Tremuloides].), R.O. Harniss, D.L. Nelson

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Stand Characteristics Of Rocky Mountain Aspen, Wayne D. Shepperd

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Songbird Populations And Clearcut Harvesting Of Aspen In Northern Utah, Norbert V. Debyle

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

A Description Of Anglers And Angling Use In Two Areas Of The Uinta Mountains, John F. Hoagland

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The High Uinta Primitive Area, Utah's most popular high mountain recreation area, has a reputation as an excellent trout and grayling fishery. Proposed for inclusion in the National Wilderness Preservation System, the area faces several management dilemmas. The primary problem being that managers must protect the resource from the effects of heavy recreational use without destroying the primitive and aesthetic dimensions of wilderness environment. It appears that much impact on the more accessible lakes is due to fishing use. The objectives of the study were: (1) to determine the proportions of angling to non-angling groups; (2) to describe certain characteristics …

Rainfall Interception In A Dense Utah Aspen Clone, Robert S. Johnston

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

A Study Of Root Biomass In An Engeimann Spruce-Subalpine Fir Stand In Northern Utah, Larry O. Gadt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Biomass of roots in the top 6 inches of soil profile was measured . This weight was then used in a stepwise multiple regression to test correlations between root biomass and above ground merisurational parameters.

Total biomass of all roots was 9822 ± 2810 pounds per acre oven dry. Spruce roots weighed 4417 ± 997 pounds per acre; of this spruce roots less than 0.125 inch diameter weighed 2023 ± 347 pounds per acre and biomass of spruce roots greater than 0.125 inch diameter was 2394 ± 8S3 pounds per acre. Total fir roots weighed Sl56 ± 2687 pounds per …

Analysis Of Long-Term Streamflow Patterns On Two Davis County Experimental Watersheds In Utah, Stephen P. Glasser

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The influence of aspect on water yield variability over a long period, 1936-1964, was studied at two small, mountainous watersheds within the Davis County Experimental Watershed near Farmington, Utah.

North-facing Miller Creek is densely vegetated by a conifer-aspen forest and mountain brush. Miller Creek's yield was more variable for daily, monthly, seasonal, and annual flows than yields from south-west facing Halfway Creek which is covered by mountain brush. Differences between watersheds in annual yield and snowmelt season runoff were nonsignificant.

The snowmelt runoff season extended for an average of 65 days on both watersheds, but it began 24 days earlier …

Spectral Infra-Red Reflection Measurements From Natural And Treated Aspen Forests, Frank W. Haws, Ralph Briscoe, Allan Steed

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Seasonal, Diurnal And Species Variation In Forage Moisture Content In Relation To Site On Mountain Summer Range Of Northern Utah, Chaudhry Mohammad Sharif

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Practical assessments of range production and utilization are based on forage weight estimates. In preparing these estimates moisture content in green vegetation offers some problems. The moisture component is not likely to be constant for a given species. Diurnal, seasonal and site variability have been well illustrated for agronomic and tree species (Salisbury, 1848; Jenkins, 1879; Miller, 1917; Pearson, 1924; Watkins, 1940; Parker, 1951; Ackley, 1954; Werner, 1954; Zohary and Orshan, 1956; Slatyer, 1959; Kozlowaki, 1965 and Jame son, 1966). Since variability is also likely for range plants, computations made on green weights are apt to be fallacious. It is …

Existing And Potential Outdoor Recreation Resources In Bear Lake Valley, Utah And Idaho, Dennis H. Black

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Providing adequate outdoor recreational opportunities to the public is now a national problem. Of the many influences affecting the demand for recreation, increased income, population increase, sociological changes, and rapidly increasing technological developments are the more important. In the face of these factors, we must plan better to insure sufficient future needs. This will require evaluation and development of many recreation opportunities.

The Bear Lake are of northeastern Utah and southeastern Idaho is situated along U.S. 89 and within close driving distance of much of Utah's population. Up to the present there has been little orderly or planned development of …

The Effect Of Range Condition Upon The Production, Nutritive Intake And Digestibility Of Desert Range Forage In Southwestern Utah, J. Kent Taylor

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The 65 million acres of winter range in the Intermountain region furnish forage for about five million sheep and four million cattle each winter for approximately six months. These arid ranges are well suited for winter grazing, and are of paramount importance to the livestock industry. Many of these ranges were fully stocked by 1900 and as livestock continued to increase, many winter ranges were seriously over-grazed (Hutchings and Stewart, 1953). Today many of these ranges remain in a deteriorated condition. Forage production has decreased and desirable plants have been replaced by less desirable species.

Little is known about the …

How To Reseed Utah Range Lands, A. Perry Plummer, Richard M. Hurd, C. Kenneth Pearse

Aspen Bibliography

Additional low cost forage is urgently needed by Utah's range livestock industry. Seeding of depleted tracts in accordance with recently developed methods and principles will help supply this forage and is entirely feasible. Where the value of the increased forage will repay the cost of planting, careful reseeding of selected sites is fully justified.

The important part that reseeding can play in restoring ranges to their former capacity has been demonstrated. Although satisfactory results can be obtained on many sites during average or better years, much more study is needed to insure consistent success in abnormal years and to extend …