Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships -- Interagency Volunteer Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Volunteer database increased 8% over last quarter. Database now contains 2,923 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 51,568 hits per month, with an average of 4,985 pages viewed per month (12.4% increase in pages viewed).
• Team charter approved and signed by federal managers and IVP team.
• Volunteer orientation and training in 11 subject areas delivered to 80 volunteers.
• Recognition Banquet and Awards Ceremony recognized 180 volunteers.
• Volunteer event list revised for 2007.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

• Research assistant hired for Relict Leopard Frog conservation project.
• High school minority intern hired to assist with research efforts.
• Nocturnal visual encounter surveys for Relict Leopard Frogs conducted at all established natural sites and at 6 of 7 translocation sites.
• Vegetation management conducted to decrease tamarisk cover along the stream at the Pupfish Refuge Spring – a Relict Leopard Frog translocation site.
• New draft guidelines and field count protocols developed for midwinter bald eagle count.
• Preliminary analysis and modeling of thrasher habitat selection conducted and sampling assessed
• Call-broadcast surveys for thrasher species conducted at 43 points countywide, focusing on vegetation …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Management: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• Two new Weed Sentry research assistants were hired.
• Weed Sentry staff surveyed for exotic species on 89 miles of roads on NPS and BLM land and treated more than 21,000 exotic plants in incipient populations.
• A grid-based rare plant monitoring method was tested this quarter.
• A manuscript detailing vegetation succession on a water pipeline at Lake Mead NRA was submitted for review to the journal Crossosoma.
• New integrative projects undertaken this quarter included establishing a competition study between a native grass and the exotic Sahara mustard, salvaging plants for research purposes from private sites with permission from landowners, …

Factors Contributing To Dust Emissions In Clark County, Nevada Annual Performance Report: Period Ending December 29, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Dust Emissions from Public Lands

1. A comparison of actual accomplishments with the goals and objectives established for the period, the findings of the investigator, or both. Whenever appropriate and the output of programs and projects can be readily quantified, such quantitative data should be related to cost data for computation of unit costs.

• University of Nevada, Public Lands Institute has met the requirement of section III.A.1 of Task Agreement FAA010017 to recruit and hire a postdoctoral scholar (or equivalent position) with research expertise in dust management issues. Dr. Dirk Goossens has extensive and specific experience in dust emissions research and will begin work on January …

Indoor Air Quality: Determination Of Voc's In A Reproductive Clinic., Miriam Rachel Trivette

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to perform an indoor air quality (IAQ) investigation at the Center for Applied Reproductive Science (CARS) to assess whether VOCs exist at levels dangerous to embryo. Formaldehyde, n-hexane, benzene, and styrene concentrations were measured at six locations. Formaldehyde concentrations were comparable to office and residential indoor air. N-hexane, benzene, and styrene were not detected. In addition, acetaldehyde, ethanol, and isopropyl alcohol were detected. IAQ parameters (carbon dioxide, temperature, humidity, pressure, and particulates) were measured at 22 sites monthly for one year. Temperature and humidity readings were within Environmental Protection Agency recommendations. Particulate concentrations were …

Water Quality Results From Indian Head River, Hanover, Ma

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

Quashnet River Survey

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Students from Mashpee High School have been studying water quality of local rivers for a number of years. In the past, the primary focus was on two rivers that flow through the town: the Quashnet River, and Quaker Run. This school year (2006-07) the Mashpee River was added as the third watershed of interest. Each of three Earth Science classes adopted and studied one of the rivers. Students sampled each stream at headwaters and lower reaches for: macroinvertebrates, water chemistry (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and turbidity) and stream flow (velocity and volume). Data were analyzed, and PowerPoint presentations were …

Following Fall Brook

Watershed Access Lab Projects

This was a study of two sites along Fall Brook, located in Middleborough, MA. Fall Brook has been monitored by MHS students over the past 10 years and is a major tributary of the Taunton River Watershed. The purpose of the study completed this year was to determine how land use affects the nitrate and phosphate levels of Fall Brook. The Wareham Street Site is located next to a horse farm and downstream from several cranberry bogs in a heavily wooded area. The Wood Street Site is located in conservation land, downstream from the Wareham Street Site and has a …

Quaker Run Watershed Analysis

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Students from Mashpee High School have been studying water quality of local rivers for a number of years. In the past, the primary focus was on two rivers that flow through the town: the Quashnet River, and Quaker Run. This school year (2006-07) the Mashpee River was added as the third watershed of interest. Each of three Earth Science classes adopted and studied one of the rivers. Students sampled each stream at headwaters and lower reaches for: macroinvertebrates, water chemistry (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and turbidity) and stream flow (velocity and volume). Data were analyzed, and PowerPoint presentations were …

Water Quality Project: Mashpee River Study

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Students from Mashpee High School have been studying water quality of local rivers for a number of years. In the past, the primary focus was on two rivers that flow through the town: the Quashnet River, and Quaker Run. This school year (2006-07) the Mashpee River was added as the third watershed of interest. Each of three Earth Science classes adopted and studied one of the rivers. Students sampled each stream at headwaters and lower reaches for: macroinvertebrates, water chemistry (temperature, pH, dissolved oxygen, nitrates, and turbidity) and stream flow (velocity and volume). Data were analyzed, and PowerPoint presentations were …

Tb195: Element Concentrations In Maine Forest Vegetation And Soils, Chandra J. Mcgee, Ivan J. Fernandez, Stephen A. Norton, Constance S. Stubbs

Technical Bulletins

Bioaccumulation of trace metals in plant tissues can present a health risk to wildlife, and potentially to humans. The Passamaquoddy Tribe in Maine was concerned about health risks of cadmium (Cd) because of a health advisory for moose liver and kidney consumption due to high Cd levels. In addition to Cd, this study evaluated concentrations of aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), potassium (K), magnesium (Mg), manganese (Mn), nickel (Ni), phosphorus (P), lead (Pb), and zinc (Zn) in four common terrestrial moose-browse species, associated forest soils, and two species of aquatic vegetation on Passamaquoddy tribal land in eastern …

Intermediate Development Of A Forested Headwater Wetland Hgm Model For Wetlands Management In Virginia, Kirk J. Havens, David O'Brien, David Stanhope, Kory Angstadt, Daniel Schatt, Donna M. Bilkovic, Carl Hershner

Reports

No abstract provided.

South Florida Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network - 7-9/06 Quarterly Report (C-14397), Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Inside Unlv, Cate Weeks, Brenda Griego, David Ashley, Mamie Peers, Shane Bevell, Gian Galassi

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Preliminary Results Of A Nutrient Source Study In Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Walter S. Borowski, Erin C. Jolly

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Wilgreen Lake (Madison County, Kentucky) is an eutrophic lake formed by damming Taylor Fork, part of the Silver Creek watershed. Two principal tributaries drain urban areas of the city of Richmond, agricultural land typified by cattle grazing, and a high-density residential area using septic systems. The lake is “nutrient impaired,” so it is likely that anthropogenic nutrient loading is affecting water quality. Our study aims to first characterize the physical characteristics and water quality of the lake (2006), and then determine the specific proportion of nutrient inputs (2007) to the lake with the aim of remediating any possible degradation of …

State Of Yorktown Beach 2006, Donna A. Milligan, C. Scott Hardaway Jr., Kevin O'Brien, Christine A. Wilcox

Reports

The Yorktown Public Beach is located on the south side of the York River at Yorktown,Virginia (Figure 1). Recently, it has undergone dramatic transformation with the construction of floating piers, upscale restaurants and shops, parking garage, and additional shore management structures. The main recreational beach is now about 1,600 feet in length. A new section of beach and breakwaters is located upstream of the main recreational shore; this project area is 1,500 ft long which includes property owned by the Waterman’s Museum. The middle section of the shoreline downriver of the Route 17 Coleman Bridge, where the floating piers are …

Factors Contributing To Dust Emissions In Clark County, Nevada Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 15, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Dust Emissions from Public Lands

• Hiring of post-doctoral scholar completed.
• Modification to task agreement approved.

Little Venice Water Quality Monitoring Project, Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships - Interagency Volunteer Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Volunteer database increased 9.5% over last quarter. Database now contains 2,698 records.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 42,488 hits per month, with an average of 4,435 pages viewed per month (3.6% decrease in pages viewed).
• Volunteer recognition ceremony scheduled for November 4 at the Renaissance Hotel, Las Vegas.
• Fall 2006 volunteer training schedule finalized.
• National Public Lands Day volunteer projects successfully executed at Red Rock Canyon NCA and Lake Mead NRA, with a total of 232 community volunteers contributing more than 1,000 hours toward clean-up and restoration of Southern Nevada’s public lands.
• Team charter presented to the federal …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area National Park Service: Final Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

This task agreement was awarded by the National Park Service (NPS), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), to the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) on October 1, 2005. This monitoring, research, and management project consisted of several project elements focused on: bald eagles, peregrine falcons, rare songbird species (including southwest willow flycatcher); aquatic birds, relict leopard frog, desert tortoise, and bighorn sheep. In general, actions associated with this project focused on the development and implementation of inventory and monitoring programs to determine the distribution, status, abundance, trends, and potential threats to these animals, …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Management: Final Close-Out Report, Time Period: October 1, 2005 To September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

The National Park Service (NPS) at Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME) entered into a cooperative agreement with the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) to accomplish vegetation monitoring and management activities. This report summarizes activities that took place by UNLV under this task agreement between October 1, 2005, and September 30, 2006. The activities included:

• Weed Sentry mapping and treating incipient populations of exotic invasive plants throughout Clark County, including along shorelines of Lakes Mead and Mohave;
• Monitoring of targeted rare native plant species;
• Sahara mustard research; and
• Providing technical assistance upon request to the NPS vegetation manager.

In …

Rappahannock County Riparian Buffer Study, Center For Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Reports

Riparian buffers (land bordering streams) are important zones for maintaining water quality and providing critical habitat. Rappahannock County has a rural landscape that presents the opportunity to record baseline conditions of riparian buffers. This study involved analyzing a small drainage area in the Upper Thornton River watershed to offer guidance on targeting riparian buffer restoration. Aerial imagery from the Virginia Base Mapping Program (VGIN, 2002) was used to create a digital data layer containing land uses and 100 ft. buffers around the streams. Buffer cover in the riparian buffers was identified as all forested, partially forested or no forest. A …

South Florida Coastal Water Quality Monitoring Network 4 6/06 Quarterly Report (C-15397), Joseph N. Boyer, Henry O. Briceño

SERC Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Don’T Trash Nevada: An Anti-Litter Strategy For Southern Nevada, Public Lands Institute

Anti-littering Presentations

• Increase public awareness about the desert dumping and urban littering.
• Increase the media’s awareness of the dumping and littering problem.
• Over the life of the campaign, modify behavior to reduce littering and dumping by Clark County residents and visitors.

Inventory And Monitoring Of Aquatic Bird Species On Lakes Mead And Mohave 2004 - 2006, Joseph Barnes

Wildlife Monitoring

This project was completed as part of a task agreements awarded by the National Park Service (NPS), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), to the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This final report was completed under a task agreement ending on September 30, 2006, and was completed in support of an NPS project funded by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (PLMA) to inventory and monitor shoreline and near-shore natural resources on Lakes Mead and Mohave (DOI 2005). This report details inventory and monitoring efforts on shoreline and aquatic bird species between …

Significance Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) And Petroleum Biomarker Compounds In Contaminated Passaic River Sediments, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The lower Passaic River (northeastern New Jersey) flows through one of the most densely populated regions of the United States. The area’s long history of industrial activity is reflected in the complex and variable hydrocarbon composition of the river sediments. Sediments from river bottom grab samples at Newark and a 30 cm deep core at Kearny were subjected to thermal desorption-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (TD-GC/MS). This technique offers a practical alternative for rapid, inexpensive analysis, simply employing milligram quantities of dry, disaggregated sediment, avoiding the use of hazardous organic solvents. For each sample, a total of 181 hydrocarbons and organosulfur compounds …

The Karst Of West-Central Florida, Lee J. Florea

Lee J Florea, PhD, P.G.

Caves, the cornerstone feature of karst aquifers, are little understood in Florida. This dissertation, which analyzes the morphology, elevation, lithologic setting, and hydrology of caves in west-central Florida, demonstrates that the karst of the unconfined Floridan aquifer differs from the paradigm view of karst presented in modern geology textbooks. The differences reflect setting: eogenetic (west-central Florida) vs. telogenetic (conventional).

Architecture Of Air-Filled Caves Within The Karst Of The Brooksville Ridge, West-Central Florida, Lee J. Florea

Lee J Florea, PhD, P.G.

Air-filled caves surveyed in the Brooksville Ridge of west-central Florida provide insight into the organization of karstic permeability within the unconfined portions of the Upper Floridan Aquifer. The morphology of the passages that compose these caves in geologically young, high-permeability limestones is strikingly different from caves found in ancient carbonates far from the influence of the coast. Cave passages in west-central Florida are laterally extensive and tiered. Principal horizons of cave development occur between +3 m and +5 m, +12 m and +15 m, and +20 m and +22 m above modern sea level. The primary guide of cave passage …

Factors Contributing To Dust Emissions In Clark County, Nevada Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending July 15, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Dust Emissions from Public Lands

• Hiring of post-doctoral scholar is currently being finalized.

• Modification to task agreement has been processed.

How Earth Remote Sensing From The International Space Station Complements Current Satellite‐Based Sensors, Jennifer Gebelein, Dean Eppler

Jennifer Gebelein

The International Space Station (ISS) will provide an Earth‐and space‐observing platform that will support sensors built by 16 different countries and deliver data and images for local, regional and global research. When complete, it will be an exceptional platform for conducting remote sensing of the Earth, astrophysics, and space physics research programmes. Additionally, the ISS will operate as a testbed for engineering studies and complex technological developments that will benefit future Earth‐observing capabilities. ...