Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Biological Assessment On The Operation Of Glen Canyon Dam And Proposed Experimental Flows For The Colorado River Below Glen Canyon Dam During The Years 2008-2012, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation, Upper Colorado Region, Salt Lake City, Utah

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

This document serves as the biological assessment for the Bureau of Reclamation's (Reclamation) re-initiation of consultation on the operation of Glen Canyon Dam and proposed experimental flows for the Colorado River below Glen Canyon Dam during the years 2008-2012. It is prepared by Reclamation as part of its compliance with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA), 87 Stat. 884, as amended, 16 U.S.C. section 1531 et seq. This document is designed to facilitate compliance with Sections 7 and 9 of the ESA with respect to potential effects to listed species within the United States (US).

Sfa Weather Station-December 2007, Arthur Temple College Of Forestry And Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University

Weather Station Data

No abstract provided.

The Global Stratotype Section And Point (Gssp) For The Base Of The Katian Stage Of The Upper Ordovician Series At Black Knob Ridge, Southeastern Oklahoma, Usa, Daniel Goldman, Stephen A. Leslie, Jaak Nõlvak, Seth Young, Stig M. Bergström, Warren D. Huff

Geology Faculty Publications

The International Subcomission on Ordovician Stratigraphy (ISOS) of the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) recently defined the base of the global Upper Ordovician Series to be at the first appearance datum (FAD) of the graptolite species Nemagraptus gracilis in the Fågelsång GSSP in southern Sweden. This designation recognized the tremendous utility for global correlation of the first appearance of a cosmopolitan taxon that occurs within a consistent succession of other first appearance datums (e.g., Finney and Bergström, 1986; Bergström et al., 2000). Current efforts by the ISOS have focused on subdividing the Upper Ordovician into three stages and choosing appropriate …

Western Gray Whales Off Sakhalin Island, Russia: A Joint Russia-U.S. Scientific Investigation July-September 2007, David W. Weller, Amanda L. Bradford, Aimée R. Lang, Hyun Woo Kim, Maxim Sidorenko, Grigory A. Tsidulko, Alexander M. Burdin, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A collaborative Russia-U.S. research program on western gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) summering off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, has been ongoing since 1995 and has produced important new information on the present day conservation status of this critically endangered population. This interim report reviews preliminary findings from 2007 research activities and combines such with data from previous years, in some cases ranging back to 1994. Photo-identification research conducted off Sakhalin Island in 2007 resulted in the identification of 83 whales, including nine calves and two previously unidentified non-calves. When combined with data from 1994-2006, a catalog of 169 photo-identified …

Evaluation Of Remote Trap Monitors

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Can trap monitors save Wildlife Services (WS) specialists time and money by increasing the efficiency of trap checks? To find out, WS scientists and field specialists evaluated the use of remote trap monitors. In 2006, WS personnel evaluated the effectiveness of two remote monitoring devices to alert wildlife specialists when an animal is captured in a trap. The devices, which can be used with any type of trap, consist of small radio transmitters that emit unique pulse rates when an animal is captured. WS personnel tested the device on a variety of wildlife species using several different types of traps …

Performance Of Sills: St. Mary’S City, St. Mary’S River, Maryland, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., W. G. Reay, Jian Shen, Scott Lerberg, Donna A. Milligan, Christine A. Wilcox, Kevin P. O'Brien

Reports

Living shorelines represent a shoreline management option that combines various erosion control methodologies and/or structures while at the same time restoring or preserving natural shoreline vegetation communities. A common living shoreline design in Chesapeake Bay includes a low offshore rock sill to absorb wave energy with an emergent wetland landward of the sill to enhance erosion control, provide critical habitat, and improve water quality condition. This study is part of a larger, ongoing project to (1) evaluate erosion control effectiveness and the sustainability of offshore sill and fringing marsh design and structure, (2) evaluate ecological services (e.g., habitat value, water …

Using Seeds To Propagate And Restore Vallisneria Americana Michaux (Wild Celery) In The Chesapeake Bay, Kenneth A. Moore, Jesse C. Jarvis

Reports

Loss of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) has been significant in many coastal and estuarine systems such as the Chesapeake Bay where SAV die-offs have been observed in marine, brackish, and freshwater SAV communities (Orth and Moore 1983). Large-scale replanting using whole plants can be cost-prohibitive, and the use of plants taken from wild populations for propagule supply may not be possible or desirable. The use of SAV seeds for restoration has been increasingly demonstrated to be an effective method for replanting large areas of bottom, especially for marine species such as eelgrass, Zostera marina (Pickerell et al. 2005; Orth et …

Diffusion Of Collective-Action Innovations Among Pastoralists In Liben District, Ethiopia, D. Layne Coppock, Solomon Desta, Getachew Gebru, Getachew Kassa, Seyoum Tezera

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In 2001 PARIMA and her partners began to create collective-action groups among illiterate, settled pastoralists in Ethiopia. These groups—soon dominated by women—focused on savings-led microfinance, small business activity, and livestock marketing to increase incomes and diversify livelihoods. Fifty-nine groups with over 2,100 members were formed using intensive training methods, and they have subsequently merged into legally recognized cooperatives. We regard this approach as successful and sustainable. We were curious, however, if “the word has spread” and collective-action has spontaneously arisen beyond our immediate project area. Preliminary findings from recent surveys of settlements in Liben District indicate that diffusion of collective-action …

Building Effective Community Participation And Stakeholder Partnerships To Promote Positive Change In The Southern Ethiopian Rangelands, D. Layne Coppock, Solomon Desta, Getachew Gebru, Seyoum Tezera, Dadi Amosha

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

Recently there has been increased recognition that authentic community participation and creating strong inter-institutional partnerships are both important in the process of capacity building, generating innovation, and sustaining development achievements in rural Africa. Here we summarize a process of community participation and formation of institutional partnerships in support of pastoral risk-management interventions over the past seven years on the Borana Plateau. Community involvement has been stimulated using Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) methods. This has resulted in the proliferation of pastoral collective-action groups that have diversified livelihoods, engaged markets, and improved incomes. Implementing and sustaining positive change, however, has also been …

Sharing A Landscape: The Construction Of Sense Of Place On The Maine Coast, Andrea Jane Ednie

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Motivated by interest and concern over the changing coastline in Maine, this study uses the concept of sense of place to develop an understanding of how a range of users share the resource, and to explore how place meanings are associated with their social experiences and perceptions. The site for this study was the Stonington region archipelago, an area that has not yet experienced the same amount of development as seen on the southern Maine coast, yet one that has witnessed a boom in recreational use and an influx of people from other areas. Using a mixed methodology, two groups …

Can Collective Action And Capacity Building Reduce Vulnerability Among Settled Pastoralists?, D. Layne Coppock, Solomon Desta, Getachew Gebru, Seyoum Tezera

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

In 2001 PARIMA and her partners began to create collective-action groups among illiterate, settled pastoralists in southern Ethiopia. These groups—dominated by women—focused on savings-led microfinance, small business, and livestock marketing to increase incomes and diversify livelihoods. Fifty-nine groups with over 2,100 members were formed using intensive capacity- building methods. After six years we wanted to compare group members with their neighbors who never participated in the PARIMA program. We surveyed 180 individuals from groups and paired control (traditional) communities. Respondents were asked to assess the extent that they perceived positive, negative, or no change in their lives over the past …

Stakeholder Alliance Facilitates Re-Introduction Of Prescribed Fire On The Borana Plateau Of Southern Ethiopia, D. Layne Coppock, Getachew Gebru, Solomon Desta, Lemma Gizachew, Dadhi Amosha, Feyissa Taffa

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The implementation of a new prescribed fire program to restore bush-encroached rangelands in southern Ethiopia—and hence increase herbaceous forage supplies for livestock—is given as an example of an integrated action involving multiple institutions to address resource-management problems. The resumption of planned fire—traditionally conducted over hundreds of years by pastoralists until the 1970s—was preceded by key activities including mobilization of the pastoral community, review of government proclamations regarding use of fire, interaction with policy makers, capacity building among pastoralists and agency personnel on how to implement and manage planned fires, development of an overall prescribed burn plan, selection of geo-referenced sites, …

Energy Efficient Removal Of Tds From Ro Reject And Cooling Tower Blowdown, Heath Himstedt, Meredith Bruick, Matthew Correnti, Seth Huber, Pettus Kincannon, Mai Sayarath

Chemical Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Collective Action Among Agro-Pastoralists In Baringo District, Kenya: Identifying And Nurturing The Entrepreneurs, D. Layne Coppock, Mark N. Mutinda, Stellamaris K. Muthoka, Abdillahi A. Aboud

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The rural population of Baringo District in the Rift Valley of north-central Kenya faces numerous challenges including widespread environmental degradation and poverty. The region has endured decades of failed development projects, proliferation of food aid, and has been studied extensively. We have recently undertaken a different approach focused on bottom-up participatory action research and outreach among the Il Chamus and Tugen ethnic communities. The objective is to explore new ways to empower local people via provision of information, novel experiences, and initial access to resources to allow them to envision an alternative future and implement their own activities to better-manage …

The Virginia Clean Marina Guidebook, Virginia Clean Marina Program, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Nontidal Wetland Inventory And Monitoring Strategy For Virginia – Completion Of Phase Ii (Coastal Plain And Piedmont Physiographic Provinces), Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

No abstract provided.

The Distribution And Reproductive Success Of The Western Snowy Plover Along The Oregon Coast - 2007, David J. Lauten, Kathleen J. Castelein, Raya Pruner, Marvin Friel, Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

From 3 April – 21 September 2007, we monitored the distribution, abundance and productivity of the federally Threatened Western Snowy Plover (Charadrius alexandrinus nivosus) along the Oregon coast. From north to south, we surveyed and monitored plover activity at Sutton Beach, Siltcoos River estuary, the Dunes Overlook, North Tahkenitch Creek, Tenmile Creek, Coos Bay North Spit, Bandon Beach, and New River. Our objectives for the Oregon coastal population in 2007 were to: 1) estimate the size of the adult Snowy Plover population, 2) locate plover nests, 3) continue selected use of mini-exclosures (MEs) to protect nests from predators …

Sustainability Of Western Kentucky University: An Examination Of Campus Environmental Policies, Performance And Potential For Change, Christian Ryan-Downing

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Institutions of higher learning are in a pivotal position to address the environmental problems that global society faces now, but response to this challenge requires transformation in priorities and practices. Recognizing the impacts that universities have on the environment and the social and economic costs associated with these impacts, institutions of higher learning are changing policies and management to become more sustainable. Sustainability is defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs" (1987). To evaluate the environmental impacts …

Effects Of Environmental Stress On Growth, Yield, And Flavonolignan Content In Milk Thistle Silybum Marianum L. Gaertn, Amy Renae Belitz

Masters Theses

Four experiments were performed in a greenhouse or growth chamber to study the quantity and quality of flavonolignans in response to environmental stress in milk thistle (Silybum marianum L., Gaertn.). A preliminary experiment was conducted in spring 2004 to study effects of leaf harvests on growth, development, and flavonolignan content in milk thistle seeds. Taxifolin, a component of silymarin and precursor to flavonolignans, was significantly reduced due to leaf harvest treatments.

The weedy nature (sporadic germination) of Silybum made germinating enough plants for experimentation problematic. Initial germination studies to determine imbibition and pre-chilling requirements were inconclusive due to heavy …

Bacterial Source Tracking In An Eastern Tennessee Stream Using Bacteroides Host Associated Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction Assays, Ryan Michael Ragsdale

Masters Theses

A bacterial source tracking study using Bacteroides host associated real-time PCR assays was performed to determine the sources of fecal contamination in Pond Creek (HUC 06010201013). Pond Creek, located in the Ridge and Valley physiographic region in Eastern Tennessee, is a 303(d) listed stream that fails to meet water quality standards for pathogens. Water samples and discharge were measured monthly at eight locations from November 2005 to November 2006. Grab samples were analyzed for several chemical parameters and for microbial fecal indicator organisms, namely Bacteroides spp., Escherichia coli, and Enterococcus. The objectives of the study were to quantify total, …

Impact Of Crop Rotations And Winter Cover Crops On Vegetative Cover, Aboveground Biomass, And Soil Organic Matter Under No-Till In Western Tennessee, Nicholas Phillip Ryan

Masters Theses

We investigated, under long-term no-till in western Tennessee, the effects of rotating the low-input crops cotton and soybeans with the high-input crop corn, compared to continuous monocultures of cotton and soybeans, and of using the winter cover crops (WCCs) winter wheat and hairy vetch, compared to winter fallow, on key indicators of soil health concerning vegetative cover and labile SOM. The line-transect method was used to measure percent vegetative cover. Dry weight of surface crop residue and aboveground living plant biomass (WCCs and winter weeds) was obtained. The living plant biomass was analyzed for carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) by …

Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Pharmaceutical Concentrations And Chitobiase Activity In The Upper Tennessee River, Justin M. Conley

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Tennessee currently has the 3rd highest per capita prescription drug usage rate in the United States, yet no published studies have analyzed Tennessee surface waters for the presence of pharmaceuticals. Composite surface samples were collected upstream and downstream of sewage treatment plants and at the inflow of major tributaries to the Tennessee River to determine the presence and potential sources of pharmaceuticals. Subsurface samples were collected at 7 meters depth to determine differences in occurrence and potential natural degradation. All samples were collected once during each of the four seasons (winter, spring, summer, and fall) to determine yearly variations. Aliquots …

A Study Of Avian Nest Predation At Audubon Acres In Chattanooga, Tn, Melea R. Langley

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Predation is believed to be the primary cause of nesting mortality among North American migratory land birds. High rates of nest predation can jeopardize avian reproductive biology by affecting life histories and habitat selection. Artificial nests are commonly used to study nest predation because they allow the researcher to investigate comparative treatments and their impact on predation. Relative nest predation was studied at Audubon Acres in Chattanooga, TN using artificial nests. The study investigated differences in habitat types,nest heights, egg types, and predator types.

An Analysis Of The Environmental Content Of Las Vegas Strip Hotels, Andrew M. Levey

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This study examines the environmental content of hotel properties websites. The central question of this study is whether Las Vegas Strip properties have gone green, or plan to go green. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to examine the frequency of the environmental content of twenty-three Las Vegas Strip hotels’ websites as well as five upcoming hotel projects and one hotel expansion project on the Strip. The twenty-eight hotels are all located along Las Vegas Boulevard, also known as the Strip. All properties examined have over two thousand rooms each. The goal is to determine how prevalent and important …

Stream Restoration Assessment Of Abrams Creek In The Great Smoky Mountains National Park: Management Implications And Comparison Of Empirical And Analytical Physical Assessment Approaches, Daniel L. Carter

Masters Theses

Natural resource managers in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park requested the assistance of the University of Tennessee Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering to assess Abrams Creek for potential stream restoration needs. A presumed, unstable study reach and a stable reference reach were identified on Abrams Creek in Cades Cove. Chemical, biological and physical assessments were completed on Abrams Creek in order to evaluate ecological health and channel stability of the stream. Water quality and ecological (fish and habitat surveys) data acquired by National Park Service, Tennessee Valley Authority and the University of Tennessee were assessed. The physical assessment …

Reinterpreting The Pollen Data From Dos Cabezas, Karl J. Reinhard, Vaughn M. Bryant, Sheila D. Vinton

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The published pollen analysis of the Dos Cabezas giants, Geyer et al. (2003), lists variety of purported dietary pollen types. The paper also hypothesises that the giants were poisoned with plant toxins. We have severe reservations about the pollen evidence of diet and poisoning. We suggest that the analysts made several errors in their interpretation. Firstly, some of the discovered pollen types are not prehistoric endemics to the Dos Cabezas region of coastal Peru. These include the pollen of fava beans (cultivated in the Old World), and specified species of agave and sage. We believe that some or all of …

Roles And Responsiblities For Vicses In Flood Education (Report), Neil Dufty

Neil Dufty

No abstract provided.

Education In The Environment: A Strategy For Continued Interagency Outdoor Education Programming: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending November 30, 2007, Environmental Education Strategy For Nevada

Reports (PLI Education)

During the past three months, the focus of the university’s efforts has included the following highlights:

• Progress was made on three projects to meet SNAP strategic messaging needs: an anti-litter exhibit; a volunteer restoration program with educational components; and activity stations to tell the story of Lee Meadows restoration efforts.
• Interpretive planning is underway for Mountain’s Edge Explorer’s Interpretive Trail.
• A Spanish class tailored to meet the communication needs of environmental educators and interpreters will be offered January 2008.
• Forever Earth was scheduled for 15 days and benefited 411 individuals.
• Eight Discover Mojave Outdoor World events were conducted for 102 …

Ground Water Level Measurements In Selected Boreholes Near The Site Of The Proposed Repository, H. Scott Page, Klaus J. Stetzenbach, Amy J. Smiecinski

Publications (YM)

The purpose of this report is to summarize the work and present conclusions of Project Activity Task FY-04-005 conducted under DE-FC28-04RW12232 between the U.S. Department of Energy and the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE). The work was conducted in the Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies of the University of Nevada – Las Vegas from Oct 1, 2003 to Sept 30, 2007.

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia : Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 2004-2008 - Annual Report 1 September 2006 - 31 August 2007, Philip W. Sadler, John M. Hoenig, Robert E. Harris, Rebecca J. Wilk, Lydia M. Goins

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 September 2006 through 31 August 2007. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2007 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survival and fishing mortality based on annual spring tagging, and the preliminary results of the fall 2006 study that documents the prevalence of mycobacterial infections of striped bass in Chesapeake Bay. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated …