Life Sciences Commons^™

An Integrative Approach To Modelling Human-Wildlife Coexistence Landscapes In The Northern Great Plains, Keifer Titus

All Dissertations

Restoring wildlife populations in a human dominated world requires a deep understanding of the ecological conditions required for species persistence as well as the human social factors that influence restoration outcomes. Until recently, the majority of prior research has focused on understanding the ecological conditions and human social processes that contribution to wildlife restoration success separately, and often assign a higher value to ecological factors. I studied the human dimensions surrounding ongoing wildlife restoration efforts in the Northern Great Plains (NGP) of Montana to better understand how human social factors can affect and inform restoration efforts for a variety of …

Hibernating Tricolored Bats At A Southeastern Recreation Site: Microsite Use And Public Perceptions, Rebecca Brown

All Theses

High bat mortality from white-nose syndrome (WNS) has increased the need to manage hibernation sites. Management decisions should be based on science, and when sites are accessible to the public, also need to consider human dimensions. We used Stumphouse Tunnel, a recreation site and tricolored bat (Perimyotis subflavus) hibernaculum in northwestern South Carolina, as a case study to understand potential conflicts between conservation and recreation. The population declined by 90% after the arrival of white-nose syndrome (WNS), followed by stabilization and slight increases. Because the increase was associated with more bats roosting in the publicly accessible section, a potential …

Integrating Human Dimensions In Decadal-Scale Prediction For Marine Social Ecological Systems: Lighting The Grey Zone, Jess Melbourne-Thomas, Desiree Tommasi, Marion Gehlen, Eugene J. Murphy, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Francisco Bravo, Tyler D. Eddy, Mibu Fischer, Elizabeth Fulton, Mayya Gogina, Eileen Hofmann, Maya Ito, Sara Mynott, Kelly Ortega-Cisneros, Anna N. Osiecka, Mark R. Payne, Romeo Saldívar-Lucio, Kim J.N. Scherrer

CCPO Publications

The dynamics of marine systems at decadal scales are notoriously hard to predict-hence references to this timescale as the "grey zone" for ocean prediction. Nevertheless, decadal-scale prediction is a rapidly developing field with an increasing number of applications to help guide ocean stewardship and sustainable use of marine environments. Such predictions can provide industry and managers with information more suited to support planning and management over strategic timeframes, as compared to seasonal forecasts or long-term (century-scale) predictions. The most significant advances in capability for decadal-scale prediction over recent years have been for ocean physics and biogeochemistry, with some notable advances …

A Social Network Analysis Of Actors Involved In Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa) Management In Missouri, Hailey E. Ellis, Meredith J. Grady, Lauren Jaebker, Alan D. Bright, Keith M. Carlisle

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) cause significant damage to agriculture and native ecosystems and can transmit diseases to animals and people. Management responses designed to reduce population numbers are needed to mitigate these threats. Identifying networks of key actors, including the ways in which they interact, is valuable for purposes of better understanding opportunities or constraints that generate or impede effective management responses. The goal of our study was to understand the network of organizations, and the personnel working within them, that were active in wild pig management, research, or policy initiatives in Missouri during 2018–2020 by 1) identifying …

The Influence Of Income And Loss On Hunters' Attitudes Towards Wild Pigs And Their Management, Samantha Leivers, Keith M. Carlisle, Rachel L. Connally, Maureen G. Frank, John M. Tomeček

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most pervasive invasive species in North America. Wild pigs pose a threat to crops, livestock, and the environment, but also provide recreational hunting opportunities. There are avenues for some stakeholder groups to generate income from wild pigs, however, stakeholders vary in attitudes towards wild pigs and their management. We investigated whether financial loss and income resulting from wild pigs influenced hunter stakeholder attitudes towards their management in Texas. We examined how land use influenced hunting landowner attitudes towards wild pigs. We analyzed 22,176 responses (8,707 landowners, 13,469 nonlandowners) fromTexas hunters …

Texas Hunters' Attitudes Toward Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) And Their Management: An Applied Approach For Wildlife Managers, Lauren M. Jaebker, Alan D. Bright, Hailey E. Ellis, John M. Tomeček, Maureen G. Frank, Rachel L. Connally, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Keith M. Carlisle

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Choosing and executing a wild pig management strategy is often a considerable challenge for wildlife managers due to the wide variety of potential strategies and stakeholder preferences. Our research aims to understand management preferences for and tolerance of wild pigs among Texas resident hunters within 8 managerial districts of Texas. We applied the Potential for Conflict Index (PCI2) to estimate potential management preference conflicts within each district. From 24,201 questionnaires completed in 2019, we found that, on average, 74% of respondents across all management actions in each district were found to be acceptable. Resident respondents were overall intolerant of wild …

Texas Hunters’ Perceptions Regarding The Acceptability Of Toxicants To Control Wild Pig Populations, Keith M. Carlisle, Sophie Mckee, Hailey E. Ellis, Lauren M. Jaebker, John M. Tomeček, Alan D. Bright, Rachael L. Connally, Maureen G. Frank, Stephanie A. Shwiff

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species in the United States. They damage agriculture, degrade water quality and ecological communities, and host a number of viruses, parasites, and bacteria transmissible to humans and animals. In states such as Texas, USA, where wild pigs cause extensive damage to agriculture and property, officials have considered allowing for the use of toxicants to control wild pig populations. To provide decision-makers with information regarding stakeholders’ perceptions of the use of toxicants to control wild pigs, we surveyed Texas hunters in 2019 to assess the level of acceptance of a hypothetical wild …

The Atlantic Surfclam Fishery And Offshore Wind Energy Development: 1. Model Development And Verification, Daphne M. Munroe, Eric N. Powell, John M. Klinck, Andrew M. Scheld, Sarah Borsetti, Jennifer Beckensteiner, Eileen E. Hofmann

CCPO Publications

Competing pressures imposed by climate-related warming and offshore development have created a need for quantitative approaches that anticipate fisheries responses to these challenges. This study used a spatially explicit, ecological-economic agent-based model integrating dynamics associated with Atlantic surfclam stock biology, decision-making behavior of fishing vessel captains, and fishing fleet behavior to simulate stock biomass, and fishing vessel catch, effort and landings. Simulations were implemented using contemporary Atlantic surfclam stock distributions and characteristics of the surfclam fishing fleet. Simulated distribution of fishable surfclam biomass was determined by a spatially varying mortality rate, fishing by the fleet was controlled by captain decisions …

Mr449: Allagash Wilderness Waterway Visitor Survey 2019, John J. Daigle, Ashley Cooper

Miscellaneous Reports

Quality in outdoor recreation can be defined as the degree to which recreation opportunities provide the experiences for which they are designed and managed. Key to protecting the backcountry experiences is an understanding of the different types of visitors to the Allagash Wilderness Waterway, each one with different needs and expectations, and the different levels of importance they place on recreation opportunities and conditions. In this report, visitor management implications and suggested further research focus on the diversity of use of the Allagash Wilderness Waterway in order to maximize the quality of the visitor experiences while protecting the unique natural …

The Role Of Conservation Physiology In Mitigating Social-Ecological Traps In Wildlife-Provisioning Tourism: A Case Study Of Feeding Stingrays In The Cayman Islands, Christina A.D. Semeniuk

Great Lakes Institute for Environmental Research Publications

In feeding marine wildlife, tourists can impact animals in ways that are not immediately apparent (i.e. morbidity vs. mortality/reproductive failure). Inventorying the health status of wildlife with physiological indicators can provide crucial information on the immediate status of organisms and long-term consequences. However, because tourists are attempting to maximize their own satisfaction, encouraging the willingness to accept management regulations also requires careful consideration of the human dimensions of the system. Without such socio-ecological measures, the wildlife-tourism system may fall into a trap—a lose–lose situation where the pressure imposed by the social system (tourist expectations) has costs for the ecological system …

Social Media As A Window Into Human-Wildlife Interactions And Zoonotic Disease Risk: An Examination Of Wild Pig Hunting Videos On Youtube, Hailey E. Mclean, Lauren M. Jaebker, Aaron M. Anderson, Tara L. Teel, Alan D. Bright, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Keith M. Carlisle

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) damage agriculture and the environment, as well as transmit diseases to animals and people. Hunters are particularly vulnerable to zoonotic disease risks when harvesting wild pigs. Management agencies have endeavored to inform the public about disease risks associated with wild pigs and best practices for mitigating such risks. However, the extent that this guidance has reached hunters and influenced their practices is unclear. We approached this topic through an analysis of wild pig hunting videos on YouTube. We found evidence of relatively few behaviors and communications regarding disease risks and best practices for personal …

Understanding Tolerance For An Invasive Species: An Investigation Of Hunter Acceptance Capacity For Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) In Texas, Hailey E. Mclean, Tara L. Teel, Alan Bright, Lauren M. Jaebker, John M. Tomecek, Maureen G. Frank, Rachael L. Connally, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Keith M. Carlisle

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive species and their establishment in new areas have significant impacts on the ecological, economic, and social well-being of our planet. Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the world’s most formidable invasive species, particularly in the United States. They cause significant damage to agriculture and ecosystems, and can transmit diseases to livestock, wildlife, and people. There is an inherent social dimension to the issue of wild pigs due in part to the fact that people hunt them. Hunting contributes to both the control and spread of this species. The objectives of this study were to: 1) determine hunters’ overall …

Promoting The Sustainability Of The Gulf Of Maine Recreational Groundfish Fishery Through Discard Mortality Estimation, Mitigation, And Outreach, Connor W. Capizzano

Graduate Doctoral Dissertations

Recreational fishing (i.e., angling), a popular leisure activity that provides socio-economic benefits to human societies around the world, can represent a significant source of fishing mortality and impact fish populations and marine ecosystems. Although fish are often released by recreational anglers to reduce fishing mortality rates, the efficacy of discarding fish is often criticized given that fish can die from the factors experienced during the capture, handling, and release process (i.e., discard mortality). Despite this recognition, the rate at which fish suffer discard mortality in specific commercial and recreational fisheries is often unknown and difficult to obtain due to logistical …

Social-Ecological Systems Considerations For Wildlife Reintroduction And Conservation, Cristina Elisa Watkins

Doctoral Dissertations

Wildlife management, especially projects requiring reintroduction, are complex undertakings requiring interdisciplinary approaches. This dissertation combines social science, ecology, economics, and policy to advance wildlife reintroduction science and improve conservation outcomes. The central focus of this dissertation involves wildlife reintroduction management, with a specific emphasis on the reintroduction of elk into East Tennessee. The dissertation is divided by three studies, each taking a unique interdisciplinary approach to wildlife reintroduction. The first study uses structural equation modeling to examine the social psychology constructs of risk perception and trust to examine their influence on attitudes towards reintroduced elk in Tennessee and support for …

Use And Expenditures On Public Access Hunting Lands, Lyndsie S. Wszola, Lutz F. Gruber, Erica F. Stuber, Lindsey N. Messinger, Christopher J. Chizinski, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The recreational and economic benefits of hunting on traditional permanent public lands are well-established. Increasingly popular “open fields” hunting access programs temporarily open private lands to public hunting through public-private partnerships. Open fields programs have the potential to create public hunting opportunities and economic development in rural communities, but the extent to which open fields programs compare to traditional public lands at providing benefits to hunters and rural communities has not yet been evaluated. We compared hunter use and expenditures on open fields lands and traditional public lands in Nebraska, USA. We used Convolution Likelihood Ecological Abundance Regression, a novel …

If At First You Don’T Eradicate: Remediating Rat Eradication Failure On Wake Atoll, Peter J. Kappes, Shane R. Siers, Kristen Rex, Chad Hanson

Proceedings of the Twenty-Ninth Vertebrate Pest Conference (2020)

Island rodent eradication operations have been remarkably successful at eliminating damages caused by these harmful vertebrate pests. As efforts increase in scale and complexity, so does risk of eradication failure. In this paper we present the example of a partially successful rodent eradication project to highlight how best practices and lessons learned are being integrated to reduce risk of failure during a second attempt. In 2012 the U.S. Air Force (USAF) commissioned an attempted eradication of two rat species from Wake Atoll in the Western Pacific. Asian house rats were successfully eradicated, but it was soon confirmed that some Polynesian …

Island Rodent Eradications: Little Things Make Big Things Happen, Araceli Samaniego-Herrera, Peter J. Kappes, Shane R. Siers

Proceedings of the Twenty-Ninth Vertebrate Pest Conference (2020)

Island rodent eradication is often a prerequisite for ecological restoration. These operations have been scaling up in size and complexity, and typically revolve around the thorough distribution of rodenticides in bait stations, by hand broadcast, by helicopter-borne spreading buckets, or by combinations of these methods. Many of the requirements of an eradication can be met by simply purchasing the right materials and following published best practices. However, intangible factors such as training and mindset of personnel are equally critical, and less commonly understood. We briefly review these factors and highlight issues such as the limited pool of experienced eradication practitioners, …

Assessing Public Support For Restrictions On Transport Of Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) In The United States, Meredith J. Grady, Erin E. Harper, Keith M. Carlisle, Karina H. Ernst, Stephanie A. Shwiff

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a non-native invasive species in the United States that cause significant economic loss, transmit disease, and inflict damage upon natural resources, agriculture, livestock, and property. Geographic distribution of wild pigs in the United States has nearly tripled since 1982, with anthropogenic influences playing a significant role in the expansion. In this regard, there is speculation that a driver of the expansion may be human-mediated movement of wild pigs to new areas for the purpose of sport hunting. In response, states have implemented a variety of wild pig control policies, including legal restrictions on their transport. …

The Influence Of Location On Water Quality Perceptions Across A Geographic And Socioeconomic Gradient In Appalachia, Ross G. Andrew, Robert C. Burns, Mary E. Allen

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Abstract: Understanding perceptions of water quality held by residents is critical to address gaps in public awareness and knowledge and may provide insight into what defines communities that are more/less resilient to changing water conditions locally. We sought to identify spatial patterns of water quality perceptions gathered in a survey of Southern West Virginia (WV) residents during spring/summer 2018. Using over 500 survey responses across 15 counties, we calculated spatial autocorrelation metrics and modeled the relationships between overall water quality perceptions and county-level socioeconomic endpoints, such as poverty rate, per capita income, and education level. We identified significant differences across …

Framing Contemporary U.S. Wild Horse And Burro Management Processes In A Dynamic Ecological, Sociological, And Political Environment, J. Derek Scasta, Jacob D. Hennig, Jeffrey L. Beck

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHBA) of 1971 established all “unbranded or unclaimed” equids on U.S. public lands as “living symbols of the historic and pioneer spirit of the West.” Today, >72,000 feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) and burros (E . asinus ; WHB) live on western U.S. public rangelands. The number of WHBs exceeds the Bureau of Land Management’s maximum Appropriate Management Level (AML) of 26,715 by a factor of approximately 2.7 and has nearly doubled from 2007–2015. The AML was set to balance WHB numbers with rangeland health and support other uses such as wildlife habitat …

Mapping The Ecology Of Information: Hierarchical Habitat Selection By Nebraska Pheasant Hunters, Lyndsie Wszola

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

Hunting regulations are assumed to moderate the effects of hunting consistently across a game population. A growing body of evidence suggests that hunter effort varies temporally and spatially, and that variation in effort at multiple spatial scales can affect game populations in unexpected ways. We set out to determine the causes of variation in hunting effort among ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) hunters at four spatial scales: among regions within the state of Nebraska, among sites within a given region, among access points at a given site, and among habitat patches within a site. At each scale, pheasant hunters used direct …

Achieving The Sustainable Development Goals: A Case Study Of The Complexity Of Water Quality Health Risks In Malawi, Rochelle Holm, Philip Wandschneider, Allan Felsot, Golden Msilimba

Faculty Scholarship

RESULTS: The water quality data and human dimension questionnaire results were used to develop a household risk presentation. Sixty-seven percent and 50 % of well water and household drinking water samples, respectively, exceeded the WHO health guideline of zero detections of E. coli. Technology transfer was advanced by providing knowledge through household risk debriefing/education, establishing a water quality laboratory at the local university, and providing training to local technicians.

Human–Wildlife Conflict And Coexistence, Philip J. Nyhus

Philip J. Nyhus

The Human Dimensions Of Waterfowl Hunters At Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, Barton County, Kansas, Jason K. Black

Master's Theses

An on-site human dimension survey was applied at Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area (CHBW), Kansas, to evaluate waterfowl hunters’ support for three alternative management strategies. The strategies included in the survey were: 1) the creation of a refuge-in-time where hunting would be allowed for the entire day, but only on odd-numbered calendar dates, 2) the designation of an existing pool as a primitive pool, i.e., no motorized watercraft allowed, and 3) the creation of a refuge-in-time where hunting would only be allowed in a given pool from ½ hour before sunrise to 1300 hours, but hunting would be allowed every day …

Characteristics And Distribution Of Live-Stock Losses Caused By Wild Carnivores In Maasai Steppe Of Northern Tanzania, Batistino P. Mponzi, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Bernard M. Kissui

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Agricultural development accelerates the loss of habitat for many wildlife species and brings humans and animals in close proximity, resulting in increased human–wildlife conflict. In Africa, such conflicts contribute to carnivore population declines in the form of human retaliation for livestock depredation. However, little knowledge exists about when and where carnivores attack livestock. Given this need, our objectives were to (1) understand the spatial and temporal variation of human–carnivore conflict and (2) identify conflict-prone areas. We addressed these objectives in 18 Tanzanian villages of the Maasai Steppe using livestock depredation data on lions (Panthera leo), spotted hyenas ( …

Assignment Of Measurable Costs And Benefits To Wildlife Conservation Projects, S. A. Shwiff, A. M. Anderson, R. Cullen, P. C. L. White, S. S. Shwiff

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Success of wildlife conservation projects is determined by a suite of biological and economic factors. Donor and public understanding of the economic factors is becoming increasingly central to the longevity of funding for conservation efforts. Unlike typical economic evaluation, many costs and benefits related to conservation efforts are realised in nonmonetary terms. We identify the types of benefits and costs that arise from conservation projects and examine several well developed techniques that economists use to convert benefits and costs into monetary values so they may be compared in a common metric. Costs are typically more readily identifiable than benefits, with …

Public Perceptions Of Wildlife-Associated Disease: Risk Communication Matters, Daniel J. Decker, William F. Siemer, Darrick T. N. Evenson, Richard C. Stedman, Katherine A. Mccomas, Margaret A. Wild, Kevin T. Castle, Kirsten M. Leong

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife professionals working at the interface where conflicts arise between people and wild animals have an exceptional responsibility in the long-term interest of sustaining society’s support for wildlife and its conservation by resolving human–wildlife conflicts so that people continue to view wildlife as a valued resource. The challenge of understanding and responding to people’s concerns about wildlife is particularly acute in situations involving wildlife-associated disease and may be addressed through One Health communication. Two important questions arise in this work: (1) how will people react to the message that human health and wildlife health are linked?; and (2) will wildlife-associated …

Angler Survey Of The Connecticut River, Justin P. Davis

EEB Articles

The Connecticut River is the largest and most diverse inland fishery resource in the State of Connecticut. Significant improvements in water quality over the past 30 years have led to progressive increases in recreational use, presumably increasing fishing pressure on some species and possibly decreasing overall fishing quality. To address this concern, the Inland Fisheries Division (IFD) of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP) conducted an angler survey on the entire portion of the Connecticut River within the state during March-October of 2008-09. The survey used a similar design as a smaller-scale survey of the river’s …

The Return Of The Black Bear To Eastern Kentucky: Conflict And Tolerance Between People And Wildlife, Hannah B. Harris

University of Kentucky Doctoral Dissertations

The black bear (Ursus americanus) has returned to Kentucky and is now part of a reproducing population in the southeastern Cumberland Mountain region. The broad objective of this project was to examine the interactions between people and bears, with the ultimate goal of improving bear management in a way that addresses stakeholder concerns. Using interviews of regional stakeholders, participant observation, and media reports collected between summer 2003 and fall 2006, I investigated how the presence of black bears in Harlan and Letcher counties in Kentucky has had an impact on area residents. I complemented this information with observations …

A Needs Assessment For Continuing Education Of Federal Wildlife Damage Management Professionals, Jessica L. Tegt, Phillip D. Jones, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The complexity of wildlife damage management requires professionals to continually acquire new knowledge and skills that can be obtained through continuing education. Current literature suggests that wildlife damage management personnel are not receiving adequate training either as new professionals entering the fi eld or through continuing training as existing professionals. To better understand the continuing education needs of wildlife damage managers, we conducted a nationwide, on-line needs assessment survey for supervisory personnel of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services program (hereafter, WS). The goal of our survey was to identify gaps in continuing …