Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Development And Assessment Of A Spatial Decision Support System For Conservation Planning, Sean Murphy

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Land conservation is frequently cited as the most effective means of limiting the detrimental effects of anthropogenic forces on natural resources. Because governmental entities can be hampered by fiscal and political concerns, land trusts are increasing relied on to protect habitat. However, these groups often lack the analysis and research tools necessary to meet their mission. Geographic Information System (GIs) technologies such as Spatial Decision Support Systems (SDSS) offer the promise of allowing decision makers to explore their decision space at a landscape level of analysis. But critics have charged that research in this arena is largely anecdotal in nature. …

Pond-Breeding Amphibian Species Distributions In A Beaver-Modified Landscape, Acadia National Park, Mount Desert Island, Maine, Jesse Cunningham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

In order to maintain pond-breeding amphibian species richness, it is important to understand how both natural and anthropogenic disturbances affect species assemblages and individual species distributions both at the scale of individual ponds and at a larger landscape scale. The goal of this project was to investigate what characteristics of ponds and the surrounding wetland landscape were most effective in predicting pond-breeding species richness and the individual occurrence of wood frog (Rana sylvatica), bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) and pickerel frog (Rana palustris) breeding sites in a beaver-modified landscape and how this landscape has changed over …

Northwood School: The Survival Story Of An Educational Jewel In The Adirondacks, Perry Babcock

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Northwood School is an example of a secondary boarding institution whose history mirrors the many changes in private education over the last one hundred years. As was the case with many of these private institutions, Northwood had to contend with the issue of isolation. The school's remote location caused it to evolve its own regional character. The school struggled financially as a not-for-profit institution that relied on tuition revenues and donations to maintain its stature in the competitive boarding school world. Northwood School also found itself challenged to sustain an educational philosophy when its market share dwindled and athletics became …

An Engineering, Economic, And Political Approach To Beach Erosion Mitigation And Harbor Development: A Review Of The Beach Communities Of Camp Ellis, Maine, Wells, Maine, And Cape May, New Jersey, Edmund Cervone

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The history of coastal engineering projects is fraught with problems. In this thesis I examine the federal navigation project at Wells, Maine. In Wells, an incomplete understanding of the coastal setting led to a faulty engineering design responsible for a poorly functioning inlet and harbor and damage to neighboring beaches and wildlife habitat. Project planners and designers did not account for all unforeseen problems that arose. Reviewing the history of Wells Harbor demonstrates how proper attention to the natural setting, economics, and the political environment is essential to a successful project and enables agencies and stakeholders better to address contingencies …

Effects Of Shelterwood Timber Harvesting On Understory Vegetation, Soil Nutrients, And Environmental Factors In A Virginia Piedmont Forest 3-5 Years Post-Harvest, Lisa B. Wilkins

Theses & Honors Papers

Shelterwood timber management methods impose moderate ground disturbance and allow increased light penetration to the understory after partial canopy removal. This study is a two-year segment of a long-term project analyzing understory vegetation patterns over time on shelterwood sites harvested in 1997 (n=4) and 1998 (n=2), and on mature, secondary-growth control sites (n=2). The sites were predominantly oak-hickory stands located in Appomattox and Buckingham counties, Virginia. Data were collected May - June of 2001 and 2002.Ten fixed plots were established on each of eight study sites and all plant species within the plots were identified. Coverage estimates were made for …

A Waste Assessment Of The Unlv Dormitories, Colin Kaneda

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this thesis is the examine the waste stream of the UNLV dormitories to see if there is a significant amount of waste than can be diverted through a possible recycling program to lower disposal costs. Also with this data we can look at if the student monitored program in the Upper Classmen Complex dormitories is having any effect on the waste stream. This was done through a waste assessment which is where garbage is sorted and weighed by categories. This study found that 35% of the waste stream is recyclable. This data was compared to the national …

Consumptive Water Use At The Mirage Hotel And The Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino In Las Vegas, Nevada, Johann A. Feller

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Las Vegas Valley is one of the driest regions in the southwest United States. Due to limited water supplies from the Colorado River, rainfall, and groundwater sources, the water requirements of the valley’s growing population is slated to surpass the current available water supply. The purpose of this comparative study is to quantify the amount of consumptive water used at a major Las Vegas resort/casino in one year. This, being of importance, because of the resort/casino industry’s role as one of the largest, most visible, and most resource intensive industries in the Las Vegas valley. The goal of this …

Recreational Use Of Montane Streams Of The Puerto Rican Rainforest, Summer Kartchner

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

As the population of the small island of Puerto Rico increases, so do the number of recreationists in natural areas. With increasing pressure on finite resources, managers must understand how humans are using these resources in order to conserve without limiting visitor satisfaction.

Trail Conditions And Preferences From A Mountain Bike Users Perspective In Cottonwood Valley, Jeff Frampton

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to gather baseline data and user preferences from a mountain bike user’s perspective about the current condition of the multiple use trails in Cottonwood Valley. Cottonwood Valley is an area located at the southern tip of the Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area. Multiple use includes hiking, biking and horseback riding and does not include motorized vehicles. The area was set aside for conservation by an act of Congress because of the inherent value that it represents.

Because the public is allowed to access and use the trails in the area, there has been …

Relative Invertebrate Availability In Nebraska's Conservation Reserve Management Access Program, Ronald J. Leathers

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The Conservation Reserve Management Access Program (CRP-MAP) is a joint effort of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission and Pheasants Forever of Nebraska that seeks to address brood habitat needs of pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) and other grassland birds by light disking and interseeding legumes into portions of aging CRP fields. The program has two specific goals - increasing the total invertebrate availability as a food source for pheasant chicks and increasing the structural complexity of vegetation. This study compares invertebrate biomass and structural complexity of vegetation in treated (disked and interseeded with legumes) and idle portions of CRP-MAP fields to …

Assessment Of Potential Environmental Impacts Of Nature-Based Tours Originating Within Clark County, Nevada, Beth Domowicz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this thesis was to assess the potential magnitude of negative environmental damage of nature-based tours originating in Clark County, Nevada. An ordinal ranking system was used for assessment of five variables. These variables were resource use, noise pollution, soil degradation, vegetation degradation, and wildlife disturbance. There were two proposed answers. The first was that as distance increased, negative tour impact would increase. This was not supported, since tours had high impacts for destinations that were close by and far away. The second was that most tours were not causing high damage to the environment. This hypothesis was …

Long Term Permanent Vegetation Plot Studies In The Matoaka Woods, Williamsburg, Virginia : Establishment And Initial Data Analysis Of Plots Established With The North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol, Resampling Of Single Circular Plots And A Comparison Of Results From North Carolina Vegetation Survey Protocol And Single Circular Plot Methods, Jacob Robert George Kribel

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Distribution, Abundance, And Home Range Of The Whip-Poor-Will (Caprimulgus Vociferus) In A Managed Forest Landscape, Michael Daniel Wilson

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Avian Communities Of Created And Natural Wetlands: Saltmarshes Of Southeast Virginia, David William Desrochers

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.

Tracks In The Woods: Identifying And Evaluating Historic Logging Railroad Systems Within The Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, Carol Taylor Hearne

All Master's Theses

The Sauk River Lumber Company (SRLC) operated in western Washington's Sauk River valley between 1922 and 1954. Impacts made on the landscape during that time can still be identified. Archival research, oral history interviews and archaeological fieldwork were undertaken to identify and evaluate the many landscape features associated with the SRLC's timber harvest activities. The systematic identification and documentation of this single company's logging operations and the features that resulted from those operations can be used to assist cultural resource managers facing the same task elsewhere. Maps, diagrams, and photographs are included to provide resource managers with basic tools and …

Determination Of Home Techniques For Storing And Conserving Food In The Homes Of Cuambo And La Rinconada In Imbabura Province, 2001-2002, Marisol Caicedo Barrios

Theses and Dissertations

In Ecuador, there is a grave socioeconomic nutritional problem, and it is seen clearest in Imbabura province in the communities of Cuambo and La Rinconada. One of the biggest problems is inadequate food, due principally to the poor food storage and conservation habits. Considering this problem, it is necessary to deepen the knowledge of improved traditional techniques for storing and conserving food, through which families can store and manage their product better, controlling and avoiding losses due to insects, rodents, and climate, and guaranteeing conservation of the same. The investigation was oriented to implement alternative, improved storage and conservation technologies …