Environmental Sciences Commons^™

Lake Padden Monitoring Project 2012 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen, Laura Junge

Lake Padden

The Lake Padden monitoring project was initiated in 2011 by the citizens group, People for Lake Padden (P4LP), to provide an intensive water quality study of Lake Padden. Water samples were collected between June and December 2011 by AndrewMajeske, a student intern working with the Institute forWatershed Studies (IWS) and the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA). The results from this project were summarized by Majeske et al. (2012). The water quality monitoring was funded for a second year by P4LP, which provided funding for IWS student intern Laura Junge. Additional funding was provided by the City of Bellingham to identify …

Multi-Year Lags Between Forest Browning And Soil Respiration At High Northern Latitudes, Ben Bond-Lamberty, Andrew Godard Bunn, Allison M. Thomson

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

High-latitude northern ecosystems are experiencing rapid climate changes, and represent a large potential climate feedback because of their high soil carbon densities and shifting disturbance regimes. A significant carbon flow from these ecosystems is soil respiration (RS, the flow of carbon dioxide, generated by plant roots and soil fauna, from the soil surface to atmosphere), and any change in the high-latitude carbon cycle might thus be reflected in RSobserved in the field. This study used two variants of a machine-learning algorithm and least squares regression to examine how remotely-sensed canopy greenness (NDVI), climate, and other variables are …

Judy Reservoir Monitoring Project 2012 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Judy Reservoir

The purpose of this study was to identify and count the phytoplankton and measure chlorophyll, total nitrogen, and total phosphorus levels in water samples collected from Judy Reservoir. Water quality and algal data have been collected on a weekly basis since October 2006; annual reports have been sent to the Skagit Public Utility District No. 1 in 2007, 2008, 2010 (January and December), and 2011.

The Planet, 2012, Fall, James Rogers, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Thicker Host Tissues Moderate Light Stress In A Cnidarian Endosymbiont, James L. Dimond, Benjamin J. Holzman, Brian L. Bingham

Brian L. Bingham

The susceptibility of algal-cnidarian holobionts to environmental stress is dependent on attributes of both host and symbiont, but the role of the host is often unclear. We examined the influence of the host on symbiont light stress, comparing the photophysiology of the chlorophyte symbiont Elliptochloris marina in two species of sea anemones in the genus Anthopleura. After 3 months of acclimation in outdoor tanks, polyp photoprotective contraction behavior was similar between the two host species, but photochemical efficiency was 1.5 times higher in A. xanthogrammica than in A. elegantissima. Maximum relative electron transport rates, derived from rapid light curves, were …

Birch Bay Village Lakes 2012 Final Report, Robin A. Matthews, Joan Vandersypen

Birch Bay/Village Lakes

The Institute for Watershed Studies was contracted by the Birch Bay Village Lakes Committee to continue water testing at two sites in Kwann Lake and two sites in Thunderbird Lake (Figure 1, page 4). The sampling effort began in August 2007, and samples have been collected approximately 3–4 times each year through spring 2012. This report provides an update to earlier data reports submitted to the Birch Bay Village Lakes Committee.

Multi Scale Habitat Relationships Of Martes Americana In Northern Idaho, U.S.A, Tzeidle N. (Tzeidle Nicole) Wasserman, Samuel A. Cushman, David O. Wallin, Jim Hayden

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

We used bivariate scaling and logistic regression to investigate multiple-scale habitat selection by American marten (Martes americana). Bivariate scaling reveals dramatic differences in the apparent nature and strength of relationships between marten occupancy and a number of habitat variables across a range of spatial scales. These differences include reversals in the direction of an observed association from positive to negative and frequent dramatic changes in the apparent importance of a habitat variable as a predictor of marten occurrence. Logistic regression on the optimally scaled input variables suggests that at the scale of home ranges, marten select landscapes with …

The Planet, 2012, Spring, Becky Tachihara, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Lake Whatcom Monitoring Project 2010/2011 Report, Robin A. Matthews, Michael Hilles, Joan Vandersypen, Robert J. Mitchell, Geoffrey B. Matthews

Lake Whatcom Annual Reports

This report is part of an on-going series of annual reports and special project reports that document the Lake Whatcom monitoring program. This work is conducted by the Institute for Watershed Studies and other departments at Western Washington University.

The major objective of this program is to provide long-term baseline water quality monitoring in Lake Whatcom and selected tributaries. Each section contains brief explanations about the water quality data, along with discussions of patterns observed in Lake Whatcom.

Lake Padden Monitoring Project June -- December 2011 Final Rep, Andrew Majeske, Robin A. Matthews, Betsy Gross

Lake Padden

The Lake Padden monitoring project was initiated in 2011 by the citizens group, People for Lake Padden (P4LP), to provide an intensive water quality study of Lake Padden. Water samples were collected between June and December 2011 by Andrew Majeske, a student intern working with the Institute for Watershed Studies (IWS) and the Nooksack Salmon Enhancement Association (NSEA).

The goals of our study are to identify any apparent problems with the current conditions of Lake Padden, compare our results with historical information, begin to establish baseline data, determine to what degree stratification occurs, and education and involve volunteers and policymakers …

Numerical Models Of Salt Marsh Evolution: Ecological, Geomorphic, And Climatic Factors, Sergio Fagherazzi, Matthew Lynn Kirwan, Simon Marius Mudd, Glenn R. Guntenspergen, Stijn Temmerman, Andrea D'Alpaos, Johan Van De Koppel, John M. Rybczyk, Enrique Reyes, Christopher B. Craft, Jonathan Clough

Environmental Sciences Faculty and Staff Publications

Salt marshes are delicate landforms at the boundary between the sea and land. These ecosystems support a diverse biota that modifies the erosive characteristics of the substrate and mediates sediment transport processes. Here we present a broad overview of recent numerical models that quantify the formation and evolution of salt marshes under different physical and ecological drivers. In particular, we focus on the coupling between geomorphological and ecological processes and on how these feedbacks are included in predictive models of landform evolution. We describe in detail models that simulate fluxes of water, organic matter, and sediments in salt marshes. The …

Macaw Cam: Exploratory Camera Trap Techniques For Monitoring And Conservation Of Scarlet Macaw (Ara Macao) Nests, Derek Schruhl, Tana Beus, Troy D. Abel, Michael J. Medler, Adrian Arce, Kathryn Mork

College of the Environment on the Peninsulas Publications

In this study, we explored new, low-cost camera trap techniques to monitor Scarlet Macaws in one of their last two self-sustaining habitats in Costa Rica. Camera trap monitors have begun to produce new insights in avian research and we use them not only because Macaws are threatened, but their imagery can be used to enhance the public’s understanding of the connections between science and conservation efforts. We mounted camera units on two trees with nesting Macaws in Costa Rica’s Carara National Park and monitored one nest remotely for seven consecutive months.

Sustainable Landscapes: Evaluating Strategies For Controlling Autumn Olive (Elaeagnus Umbellata) On Reclaimed Surface Mineland At The Wilds Conservation Center In Southeastern Ohio, Shana M. Byrd, Nicole D. Cavender, Corine M. Peugh, Jenise Bauman

College of the Environment on the Peninsulas Publications

Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata) was planted during the reclamation process to reduce erosion and improve nitrogen content of the soil. However, since its establishment, E. umbellata has spread prolifically and control measures are difficult. The primary objective of this case study was to evaluate the effectiveness of various control methods on eradication of E. umbellata in varying degrees of infestation. A two-phase case study was conducted at The Wilds conservation center in Cumberland, OH. Phase 1 began in 2007-2008 to evaluate three treatments in areas with moderate cover (15-30%) of E. umbellata: mechanical removal, foliar herbicide, and dormant stem …

Fostering Ecological Citizenship: The Case Of Environmental Service-Learning In Costa Rica, Jennifer Rebecca Kelly, Troy D. Abel

College of the Environment on the Peninsulas Publications

The intent of this study was to explore how experiential education fosters ecological or environmental citizenship. In this context, we investigated the impact of international environmental service-learning in a college course. Specifically our research question was does environmental service-learning have an effect on ecological citizenship? Using a multimethod approach of both qualitative and quantitative instruments our study drew on 13 participant interviews, 19 student journals and 10 survey responses. Employing variables from the Value-Belief-Norm Theory our findings suggest that environmental service-learning experiences impact both awareness of environmental consequences and personal normative beliefs. We conclude that ecological citizenship was indirectly impacted …

Ecotopia's Prism, Troy D. Abel

College of the Environment on the Peninsulas Publications

Since 2003, I’ve taken more than 150 students of environmental studies to explore the landscapes, culture and economy of Costa Rica. Costa Rica’s tourism bureau proudly proclaims “no artificial ingredients” to draw visitors from around the world. Situated at the confluence of two oceans and bridging two continents in the tropical latitudes, this small nation hosts some of the greatest concentration of biodiversity anywhere. Costa Rica is about the size of West Virginia, or 0.03% of the world’s surface, yet it holds an estimated 5 percent of the world’s biodiversity. Species from North and South America mixed on this continental …

Education: Participatory Ecological Monitoring And Environmental Education In 2011, Troy D. Abel

College of the Environment on the Peninsulas Publications

In the summer of 2011, faculty from Western Washington University’s (WWU) Huxley College of the Environment implemented a five week field course in Costa Rica exploring Participatory Ecological Monitoring and the pedagogies of Environmental Education. Faculty and students completed observational studies of tree diversity, soil composition, avian bioacoustics, collaborative conservation management, and environmental education. Comparative observations were conducted at biological stations in Carara and Corcovado National Park in collaboration with Park staff. We hypothesized that significant contrasts will occur between Carara’s secondary and Corcovado’s primary forests and their neighboring communities. Our results inform Costa Rican conservation and management strategies as …

Coming Clean And Green: A Geospatial Mapping Tool For Visualizing Industrial Environmental Performance, Jacob Lesser, Troy D. Abel, Mark Stephan

College of the Environment on the Peninsulas Publications

The mapping of environmental data is rapidly expanding as advocates and scholars offer various platforms to display and analyze geographic environmental information.This working paper describes an online web map that displays national data from the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), Environmental Systems Research Institute’s (ESRI) ArcGIS Server platform, the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Risk Screening Environmental Indicators (RSEI), and methodologies from Kraft, Stephan, and Abel (2011) to spatially display the environmental performance of more than 17,000 manufacturing facilities.

Large And Small: Conserving Single Large And Several Small, Troy D. Abel

College of the Environment on the Peninsulas Publications

Huxley College of the Environment’s field course on rainforest conservation traces some of its roots to a seminal 1967 publication. MacArthur and Wilson’s The Theory of Island Biogeography presented two fundamental principles. Larger islands support more species than smaller ones and remote islands support fewer species than less remote ones. Moreover, they also established how habitat can be insulated by not only distance between islands, but anything that divides a landscape such as mountains and climate. But the conservation implications of biogeography became dichotomized during the seventies and eighties into a debate between preserving a Single Large section of habitat, …

Using Tide To Clean, Doesn't Mean Its Green: An Argument Against Greenwashing, Casey Rogers

Occam's Razor

When you wash your clothes, you choose a detergent that touts itself as an eco-friendly detergent. After all, why not help the environment with your everyday activities? You've just seen an ad for a new Tide product called Free and Gentle, a Proctor and Gamble creation, telling you all about how great Tide is for the environment. So you go to the store and spend the average $12 on a bottle that gets you approximately 30 loads. When you look at the back of the bottle, you don't see a list of ingredients, but if the commercial says it's good …

The Planet, 2012, Winter, Becky Tachihara, Huxley College Of The Environment, Western Washington University

The Planet

No abstract provided.

Five Seasons In Ecotopia: Rainforest Immersion And Conservation Action In Costa Rica, Troy D. Abel

A Collection of Open Access Books and Monographs

This book, Five Seasons in Ecotopia: Rainforest Immersion and Conservation Action in Costa Rica, is an effort to share our perspectives from five years of experience studying and teaching in Costa Rica through the intersections of geography, ecology, and political science. These reflect the dominant pedigrees of more than one-hundred students who annually spent five weeks in Huxley College of the Environment’s RICA program in Costa Rica. The RICA program was designed to foster global ecological citizenship through practices of democratic ecology that activate learner awareness and efficacy among undergraduate participants, Costa Rican students from local schools, and community …

Integrating Ensemble Species Distribution Modeling And Statistical Phylogeography To Inform Projections Of Climate Change Impacts On Species Distributions, Brenna R. Forester

WWU Graduate School Collection

Species distribution models (SDMs) are commonly used to forecast climate change impacts on species and ecosystems. These models, however, are subject to important assumptions and limitations. By integrating two independent but complementary methods, ensemble SDMs and statistical phylogeography, I was able to address key assumptions and create robust assessments of climate change impacts on species' distributions while improving the conservation value of these projections. This approach was demonstrated using Rhodiola integrifolia, an alpine-arctic plant distributed at high elevations and latitudes throughout the North American cordillera. SDMs for R. integrifolia were fit to current and past climates using eight model algorithms, …

Salmon In The Trees: An Assessment Of A Dendrochemical Technique For Detecting Marine-Derived Nitrogen In Riparian Tree Rings, Jody Gerdts

WWU Graduate School Collection

Quantifying the relationship between salmon escapement and riparian tree-ring δ15N could contribute greatly to understanding trends in historic salmon abundance. Such an understanding could have far-reaching consequences for understanding historic carrying capacities of river systems and help guide future restoration efforts. This study investigates the reliability of using naturally occurring isotopic variations in annual tree rings to produce quantifiable estimates of historic salmon runs. Three study areas with temporal and spatial changes in salmon spawning abundance were examined. I found that currently available techniques for removing mobile nitrogen are not sufficient to overcome problems associated with radial mobility, as indicated …

Seasonal And Age-Based Aspects Of Diet Of The Introduced Redside Shiner (Richardsonius Balteatus) In Ross Lake, Washington, Carmen A. (Carmen Ann) Welch

WWU Graduate School Collection

This study investigates the introduced population of the Redside Shiner (Richardsonius balteatus) in Ross Lake, Washington. The Redside Shiner was introduced to Ross Lake around 2000 and in the summer months, can be found in densities of hundreds per cubic meter in the shallow areas of Ross Lake. Ross Lake is a protected thirty-five and a half kilometer long reservoir in North Cascades National Park with cold, clear water of exceptional quality. Fish native to Ross Lake include: Bull Trout, Dolly Varden and Rainbow Trout. It is a commonly held belief that the introduced Redside Shiner have no negative effect …

An Analysis Of Agricultural Land-Use Effects On Surface Water Quality In Skagit County Streams, Marysutton Carruthers

WWU Graduate School Collection

Nonpoint source pollution is a concern in many streams nationwide. Puget Sound cleanup efforts have increasingly focused on targeting nonpoint sources of pollution, including nutrient and bacterial sources resulting from agricultural activities. Skagit County, Washington hosts a robust compilation of agricultural activities from large scale row crops and dairy operations to small hobby farms. It is also home to the Skagit River, the most important river system for Puget Sound salmon, and Samish Bay, the largest shellfish growing area in the north Puget Sound. Enormous efforts have been made to assess the health of Washington's waterways and to find an …

Traditional And Alternative Delivery Methods Of General Chemistry Labs: Environmental, Monetary, And Pedagogical Comparisons, Sarah Steely

WWU Graduate School Collection

The main objective of my study was to investigate and compare a traditional and alternative mode of general chemistry laboratory delivery using environmental, monetary, and curriculum comparisons. I conducted an environmental carbon footprint analysis of traditional laboratory experiments versus laboratory kit counterparts. A dollar cost assessment of the delivery modes was also calculated. Both the environmental and dollar costs were determined on a per student basis for each experiment evaluated. The results demonstrate that traditional experiments had higher carbon emissions than the kit experiments, and the kit experiments were more expensive per student than the traditional experiments when I accounted …

The Use Of A Bayesian Network To Calculate The Risks Of Mercury Contamination To Fish And Birds Of The South River, Virginia, Heather M. Summers

WWU Graduate School Collection

The South River watershed in western Virginia has a history of mercury contamination from past industrial practices. My study demonstrates how Bayesian networks can be used to conduct an environmental risk assessment of aquatic and riparian environments to assess the overall effects of mercury contamination to target species in the South River. The risk assessment focused on two species of fish, one game-fish, smallmouth bass and one non-game fish, white sucker and two species of birds, one piscivorous, Belted Kingfisher and one insectivorous, Carolina Wren. By examining the exposure pathways through various habitats in the study area, I created a …