Environmental Sciences Commons^™

An Assessment Of "Long-Thin" Airline Routes: Network Structure And Emissions Implications For Environmental Policy, Porter Burns

All Master's Theses

The purpose of this research was to define, map, and quantify the network and environmental implications of “long-thin” routes (LTRs) – a route structure that has been discussed in the aviation industry but not formally studied in literature. LTRs were defined through the use of global OAG scheduling data from 1998 to 2018 to identify trends in air traffic growth and network dynamics. Flights were separated into seven aircraft class sizes (e.g., 75–150 seats, 150–225 seats) to measure LTRs at multiple scales. Routes were considered “long” if the stage length was at or above the 75^th percentile in each …

Comparing Management Programs To Reduce Red–Tailed Hawk Collisions With Aircraft, Brian Washburn, Craig K. Pullins, Travis L. Guerrant, Gregory J. Martinelli, Scott F. Beckerman

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Raptors (i.e., hawks and owls) are one of the most frequently struck guilds of birds within North America. Although raptors (most notably red-tailed hawks [Buteo jamaicensis]) are commonly managed at most airports and military bases, there is no scientific information available regarding comparisons of the efficacy of raptor management programs for reducing raptor-aircraft collisions. Therefore, we conducted a study to examine the efficacy of 2 raptor hazard management programs implemented at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport (ORD). The first raptor management program (Phase I) occurred during January 2010–June 2013 and …

Talking Trash In The Big Apple: Mitigating Bird Strikes Near The North Shore Marine Transfer Station, Stephan J. Beffre, Brian E. Washburn

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Anthropogenic activities that concentrate wildlife near airports increases the risk of wildlife–aircraft collisions. Placing waste management facilities, natural areas, golf courses, and other landscape features near airports have the potential to attract wildlife hazardous to aviation. We conducted a 3-year study (March 2013–February 2016) to determine if the implementation of a Wildlife Hazard Mitigation Program (WHMP) would influence the bird use of a waste transfer station located near LaGuardia Airport, New York City, New York, USA. We conducted wildlife surveys during 3 phases: (1) no mitigation program and no waste transfer station, (2) active mitigation and no waste transfer station, …

To Live And Fly In La: Using Bird Strike And Management Program Information To Improve Safety At Airports In The Los Angeles Basin, Todd J. Pitlik, Elizabeth Hermann, Eric Peralta, Brian E. Washburn

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Wildlife strikes can be evaluated at different levels, include efforts to examine these problems at the national, regional, or state level, or for an individual airport. Similarly, wildlife strikes involving individual wildlife species or guilds can be examined at varying scales. Although wildlife strike analyses at the national, regional, or species/guild level are valuable, airport-specific analyses are essential for the effective implementation and evaluation of integrated wildlife damage management programs as these actions are conducted at the airport level. The species that present hazards to safe aircraft operations varies …

Foraging Preferences Of Captive Canada Geese Related To Turfgrass Mixtures, Brian E. Washburn, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Overabundant populations of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) cause economic and safety concerns associated with collisions with civil and military aircraft. Habitat management techniques that reduce the use of airfield habitats by geese might reduce these concerns. The objective of this study was to determine if captive Canada geese exhibited a foraging preference between a vegetation mixture consisting mostly of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) versus an endophyte-infected tall fescue- (Festuca arundinacea) based vegetation mixture. We established 6 paired plots of perennial ryegrass-dominated and tall fescue-dominated mixtures at NASA …

Foraging Preferences Of Captive Canada Geese Related To Turfgrass Mixtures, Brian E. Washburn, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Overabundant populations of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) cause economic and safety concerns associated with collisions with civil and military aircraft. Habitat management techniques that reduce the use of airfield habitats by geese might reduce these concerns. The objective of this study was to determine if captive Canada geese exhibited a foraging preference between a vegetation mixture consisting mostly of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) versus an endophyte-infected tall fescue- (Festuca arundinacea) based vegetation mixture.

Evaluation Of Two Perch Deterrents For Starlings, Blackbirds, And Pigeons, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott C. Barras, Glen E. Bernhardt

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird-aircraft collisions are costly and potentially deadly to people and wildlife. From 1990 through 2004, 57,702 bird collisions with aircraft were reported within the USA to the US Federal Aviation Administration. Approximately 82% of the strikes occur below 305 m height about ground level; therefore bird deterrents on airfields that reduce the quality of the birds’ habitat are critical to safe airport operation. One management approach is to reduce perching sites within the airport premises. We tested two anti-perching devices (Birdwire^TM and Birdblox^TM) in an aviary setting. As an ancillary test, we determined which wire in a …

The Costs Of Birdstrikes To Commercial Aviation, John R. Allan, Alex P. Orosz

2001 Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada, Third Joint Annual Meeting, Calgary, AB

Collisions between birds (and other wildlife) and aircraft are known to cause substantial losses to the aviation industry in terms of damage and delays every year. Techniques exist to control bird numbers on airfields and hence to reduce the numbers of wildlife strikes but they are applied at widely different levels from airport to airport. Some of this variation may be due to differing levels of strike risk at the different sites, but much of it is due to the unwillingness or inability of the airports concerned to invest in birdstrike prevention. Part of the reason for this reluctance to …

The Use Of Border Collies In Avian And Wildlife Control Programs, Nicholas B. Carter

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Airports attract large numbers of wildlife primarily because they offer immense tracts of foraging and nesting habitats free from the threat of predation. Border collies can serve as an effective means of wildlife control in these environments by introducing a predator into the ecosystem. Many wildlife dispersal methods seek to imitate predators or the effect of predators and become increasingly ineffective as wildlife habituate to the stimuli. However, border collies are true predators, representing an actual, not perceived, threat to wildlife thereby eliminating the problems of habituation. Six airports and military bases have initiated use of border collies at their …

Is Translocation Effective For Reducing Raptor Strikes?, Laurence M. Schafer

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

From March 1996 to 31 December 1999, Wildlife Services (WS) personnel trapped and relocated 316 raptors from one of the nation's busiest airports: 147 American kestrels (Falco sparverius), 158 red-tailed hawks (Buteo jamaicensis), 5 rough-legged hawks (Buteo lagopus), 4 peregrine falcons (Falcoper-egrinus), 1 northern harrier (Circus cyaneus), and 1 eastern screech owl (Otus asio). On 1 January 1999, the Federal Aviation Administration sponsored a 2-year study, in conjunction with the National Wildlife Research Center and WS-Illinois, to evaluate the efficacy of raptor relocation at the airport. This study began in September 1999 and (1) monitors the post release activity of …

The Costs Of Bird Strikes And Bird Strike Prevention, John R. Allan

Human Conflicts with Wildlife: 2002 Symposium

Collisions between birds (and other wildlife) and aircraft are known to cause substantial losses to the aviation industry in terms of damage and delays every year. Techniques exist to control bird numbers on airfields and hence to reduce the number of wildlife strikes, but they are applied at widely different levels from airport to airport. Some of this variation may be due to differing levels of strike-risk at the different sites, but much of it is due to the unwillingness or inability of the airports concerned to invest in bird strike prevention. Part of the reason for this reluctance to …

Control Of Nuisance Birds By Fogging With Rejex-It® Tp-40, Peter F. Vogt

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

Many bird problems are caused by birds congregating, roosting, loafing, and nesting rather than by the birds’ feeding activities. No matter what their activity, eventually birds will need to be driven off, preferably in a so-called “friendly” way without harming the birds or other animals. Unlike other avian aversion methods, fogging of ReJeX-iT® TP-40 relies on the exposure of the target birds to the aerosol rather than relying on birds eating treated food. Best results are achieved when birds congregate in the early morning or early evening when they settle down. After several exposures the birds generally leave the area …

Management Of Pesticide Related Soil Contamination In Tulare County, California: Remediation And Prevention Options, Nickolas Keoni Akana

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The case study chosen for research is the Remedial Action Plan (RAP) summary report of Remedial Investigations of the Harmon Field contaminated site located near the town of Pixley, in Tulare County, California. "These reports were prepared in accordance with a directive from the California Environmental Protection Agency (Cal-EPA), formerly the California Department of Health Services (DHS). (Canonie, 1996).

Harmon Field is a hundred acre field located at 1494 South Airport Road. The airfield has been in full operation since 1952. The uses of the airport are all agriculturally related. The primary use is for crop duster operations. (Canonie 1996). …

Wedelia: A Potential Ground Cover For Reducing The Attractiveness Of Tropical Airfields To Birds, Michael A. Linnell, Michael R. Conover, Tim J. Ohashi

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

Airport environments frequently provide ideal feeding and loafing habitats for many bird species. Bird strikes at most airports involve predominantly insectivorous species. However, the Lihue Airport on the island of Kauai, Hawaii has had a severe problem with bird strikes involving 4 granivorous species: the zebra dove (Geopelia striata), spotted dove (Streptopelia chinensis), chestnut mannikin (Lonchura malacca), and nutmeg mannikin (L. punctulato). Two owl species, the common barn owl (Tyto alba) and Hawaiian short-eared owl (Asio flammeus sandwhichensis), have also been involved in aircraft collisions at Lihue. Shooting …