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The Probe, Issue 221 – March/April 2002

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Does Nature Want Us to Kill Wild Animals? -- Walter E. Howard
News From The Berryman Institute, Utah State University -- Michael Conover, Director
NADCA Minutes of Annual Meeting: Reno, NV March 5, 2002
What characteristics are used to differentiate reptiles from amphibians?
Regulatory Actions on the Horizon -- Kevin D. Clark, President, Critter Control, Inc.
The five remaining members of the Whitehawk wolf pack located in the White Cloud Mountains of Idaho, were gunned down by helicopter earlier this month.
Washinghton’s Initiative 713 is reeking havoc among trappers, farmers, and wildlife managers. Outlawing steel jaw and body gripping traps, …

The Resurrection Of A River: The Umatilla And Its Salmon, Christopher Ward Shelley

Dissertations and Theses

Until the 1990s, salmon had been extinct from the Umatilla River for over 70 years. The struggle to bring salmon back to this river is a compelling story that exemplifies some of the new relationships in Columbia River Basin salmon management.

The Umatilla River and the disappearance of its salmon was a local issue. Irrigation interests had used the river so thoroughly it ceased to flow during the late summer and fall months-precisely when salmon needed it for migration. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation saw decided that they would change that: they would figure out a way …

Chromate Content Bias Versus Overspray Particle Size In Three Aircraft Primer Paints, Brian S. Rhodes

Theses and Dissertations

The United States Air Force relies on the corrosion inhibiting properties of chromate-containing primer paints to protect the aluminum skin of its aircraft. Hexavalent chromium (Cr⁶⁺) the ingredient responsible for the corrosion inhibiting characteristics of these primers is a known human carcinogen. The concentration of Cr⁶⁺ in different particle sizes of paint overspray is important to understand health implications to painters as well as filtration efficiency. Previous research indicates disproportionately less Cr⁶⁺ content in smaller particles collected in the overspray of solvent-based epoxy-polyamide paint primers (MIL-P-2377G). This research explores the possibility of a particle size bias …

Application Of Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells For In Situ Treatment Of Perchlorate Contaminated Groundwater, Jeffrey C. Parr

Theses and Dissertations

Groundwater contamination by perchlorate has recently been recognized as a significant environmental problem across the United States, and especially at Department of Defense facilities. In this study, a model is used to evaluate the potential of a innovative in situ bioremediation technology using Horizontal Flow Treatment Wells (HFTWs) to manage perchlorate-contaminated groundwater. The technology uses HFTWs to mix an electron donor into perchlorate-contaminated groundwater in order to promote reduction of the perchlorate by indigenous microorganisms in bioactive zones within the aquifer, as well as recirculate the contaminated water between treatment well pairs to achieve multiple passes of contaminated water through …

Effect Of Roost Harassment On Cormorant Movements And Roosting In The Delta Region Of Mississippi, Mark E. Tobin, D. Tommy King, Brian S. Dorr, Scott J. Werner, David S. Reinhold

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) predation on Channel Catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) at commercial farms has been estimated to cost the Mississippi aquaculture industry approximately $5 million annually to replace consumed fingerlings. In 1997, catfish producers assumed responsibility for the dispersal of cormorants in night roosts in the eastern (interior) delta region of Mississippi, where catfish farms are concentrated. We documented movements of 50 cormorants marked with radio transmitters in the delta region from January through March 1997. We obtained 161 post-capture day locations and 176 post-capture night roost locations. Cormorants that were harassed at their night roost …

Distribution, Abundance And Habitat Use Of American White Pelicans In The Delta Region Of Mississippi And Along The Western Gulf Of Mexico Coast, D. Tommy King, Thomas C. Michot

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aerial surveys of American White Pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) were conducted over coastal Louisiana and the delta region of Mississippi on 1-2 days during December, February, and April each year from 1997 to 1999. Additional surveys were conducted in coastal Texas and Mexico during January 1998 and 1999. The numbers, location, and habitat of all pelicans observed were recorded. The coastal zone of Louisiana consistently had higher numbers of pelicans (18,000 to 35,000 birds) than other areas surveyed (3,000 to 8,000 birds), indicating that Louisiana may be the most important wintering area for American White Pelicans east of the …

Have Population Increases Of Large Birds Outpaced Airworthiness Standards For Civil Aircraft?, Richard A. Dolbeer, Paul Eschenfelder

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird-aircraft collisions (bird strikes) are an increasing safety and economic concern to the USA civil aviation industry, costing over $400 million each year. One approach to reducing risks associated with strikes is to require commercial aircraft components to meet certain standards of safe performance in the event of a bird strike. The Federal Aviation Administration has developed airworthiness standards for airframes, windshields and engines using a single 4-lb (1.82-kg) bird mass as the maximum that must be tested (with the exception of a single 8-lb bird for the empennage, 6-lb bird for certain mid-sized engines that may be developed in …

Oral Rabies Vaccination: A National Perspective On Program Development And Implementation, Dennis Slate, Richard B. Chipman, Charles E. Rupprecht, Thomas J. Deliberto

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Persistence of unique rabies virus variants in a diverse array of terrestrial carnivores and insectivorous bats makes rabies control in the US. a complex task The public health system in the U.S. is effective in keeping human deaths near zero each year in the face of enzootic wildlife rabies, but the annual cost of coexistence with the disease is high, exceeding $300 million. In addition, each year tens of thousands of people are impacted by anxiety, fear, and trauma associated with potential or actual rabies exposure to themselves and their domestic animals. Exclusion, proper storage and disposal of garbage, and …

Assessment Of Hazards To Non-Native Mongooses (Herpestes Auropunctatus) And Feral Cats (Felis Catus) From The Broadcast Application Of Rodenticide Bait In Native Hawaiian Forests, Peter A. Dunlevy, Earl W. Campbell Iii

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Primary non-target hazard assessment can be separated into two basic components: bait acceptance and toxicity. This bait acceptance study investigates the potential primary non-target hazard (direct consumption of bait pellets) that the broadcast application of rodenticide bait may pose to non-native feral cats and mongooses The study was conducted in 4 different forest habitats in Hawaii using 2 different commercial formulations of placebo bait pellets. We documented vertebrates that came to placebo bait pellets at bait monitoring stations to assess bait acceptance. Bait pellets were monitored at each site using 40 infrared (IR) monitors/data loggers and weatherproof automatic cameras. During …

An Extraordinary Raccoon, Procyon Lotor; Density At An Urban Park, Henry T. Smith, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We report on a high density Raccoon (Procyon lotor) population at a 70.9 ha urban park in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, where in a five-day period 160 raccoons/km², and is one of the densest Raccoon populations reported. We discuss the ramifications of high density urban Raccoon populations relative to wildlife disease contagions and endangered species protection.

Understanding Avian Vision: The Key To Using Light In Bird Management, Bradley F. Blackwell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vision is a primary and highly developed sensory pathway in buds. Light, both diffuse and wavelength-specific (e.g., as produced by lasers) has recently been demonstrated as a potential means of effecting changes in timing and consistency of flock response to an approaching vehicle (simulating an aircraft) and as an avian dispersal method. However, in experiments to date, the effectiveness of light in eliciting an avoidance or dispersal response in birds has varied by species and context. To effectively use light in managing avian conflicts with humans, a better understanding of the complexities of avian retinal physiology relative to phototaxic responses …

Vegetation Management Approaches For Reducing Wildlife-Aircraft Collisions, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose safety risks to aircraft and cost civil aviation over $390 million annually in the USA. We reviewed the results of prior studies to summarize the vegetation management techniques that have proven effective for wildlife strike reduction or have shown potential for achieving the same goal. Habitat components that may affect wildlife use of airports include food, cover, water, and loafing areas. Improperly managed natural and ornamental vegetation on airports can be important attractants for wildlife that pose strike hazards. However, effective vegetation management can reduce these hazards. Maintaining tall herbaceous vegetation may reduce the availability …

Behavioral And Ecological Considerations For Managing Bird Damage To Cultivated Fruit, Michael L. Avery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many bird species eat fruits and, likewise, many plant species are dependent on birds for the dispersal of seeds. Through cultivation and selective breeding, attributes of wild fruit have been changed to make fruit more palatable to humans. For example, cultivated species bear fruits that are often thinner-skinned. are more succulent, have fewer seeds and are easier to pick than non-cultivated species. These same changes, however, have also increased the attractiveness of fruit to avian consumers. Ecological relationships that have developed across evolutionary time between wild plants and frugivores become emphasized by the introduction of cultivated fruits that have been …

Avian Repellents, Michael L. Avery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The use of repellents to protect crops from birds has a long history. Early European settlers in eastern North America observed that native Americans used an extract of Veratrum spp. to protect corn seeds from avian depredators: ‘‘Then when the starlings, crows, or other birds, pick up or pluck out the grains of corn, their heads grow delirious, and they fall, which so frightens the rest that they never venture on the field again. When those which have tasted the grains recover, they leave the field, and are no more tempted to visit it again’’ (1).

Repellents move birds from …

Habitat Management Approaches For Reducing Wildlife Use Of Airfields, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose safety risks to aircraft and cost civil aviation over $390 million annually in the USA We reviewed published studies to summarize findings on habitat management techniques that have shown potential for wildlife strike reduction. Habitat components that may attract wildlife to airports include food, cover, water, and loafing areas. Although maintaining tall herbaceous vegetation on airfields may reduce the attractiveness of loafing and feeding sites for some species of birds such as gulls, this strategy may also increase cover and food resources for other hazardous species. Thus, optimum vegetation height management strategies require further research …

Non-Lethal Radio Activated Guard For Deterring Wolf Depredation In Idaho: Summary And Call For Research, Stewart W. Breck, Rick Williamson, Carter Niemeyer, John A. Shivik

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

With the reestablishment of wolves in the western United States, managing adverse interactions between wolves and livestock is re-emerging as an issue for resource managers. Lethal control of wolves is often difficult to implement due to the constraints of the Endangered Species Act, predator population goals, and public disfavor for lethal control. In response to the need to manage wolf predation in a non-lethal manner, we developed and tested a behavior contingent system for disrupting predation events. The Avian Systems Model 9000 Frightening System, also called a Radio Activated Guard (RAG), is activated by signals from nearby wolf radio collars. …

Population Increases Of Large Bird Species In Relation To Impact Standards For Aircraft Engines And Airframes, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird-aircraft collisions (bird strikes) are an increasing safety and economic concern to the USA civil aviation industry, costing over $400 million each year. One approach to reducing risks associated with strikes is to require commercial aircraft components to meet certain standards of safe performance in the event of a bird strike. The Federal Aviation Administration has developed airworthiness standards for airframes, windshields and engines using a single 4-lb (1.82-kg) bird mass as the maximum that must be tested (with the exception of a single 8-lb bird for the empennage, 6-lb bird for certain mid-sized engines that may be developed in …

Fisheries Research Report No. 135 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1995/96 To 1996/97, C F. Chubb, E H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

This report is the latest in a series covering the West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (formerly the West Coast Rock Lobster Limited Entry Fishery), Western Australia’s largest and most valuable fishery. These reports form an historical record of fishery data and information documented season by season for use by industry and research personnel now and in the future. The reports provide information on catch, fishing effort and biology; value of the product and licences; input costs (fuel, bait, etc.); changes in fishing practices, gear, technology and boats and management/legislative changes. By necessity, the information contained herein is summarised from …

Stormwater Educational Handbook, Annis Water Resources Institute

Environmental Guidebooks and Model Ordinances

The goal of the Kent County Stormwater Management Program is to improve and protect the region’s quality of life by preventing and minimizing any impacts of stormwater runoff into a valuable resource.

The Task Force hopes that this handbook will be useful whether the reader is new to the subject of stormwater or has questions of the most technical nature. For instance, Part 5 refers the reader to a wealth of additional information available in printed documents or through the Internet. For ease of use, each section has a separate divider with a number on the tab extension. A history …

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 9, Winter 2002

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

CCWHC Board Charts New Path Forward
West Nile Virus 2002
Disease Updates
Brain disease in Newfoundland moose
Insecticide poisoning in birds
Injury caused by a snare
Raccoon Distemper in Montreal
2001 Epidemic Mortality of Common Carp in the St. Lawrence River
Type E botulism in fish eating birds
Winter songbird deaths due to salmonellosis
Late spring deaths of purple martins
Collision of songbirds with a tower
Range extension for Chronic Wasting Disease
Lead poisoning in trumpeter swans
High moose mortality from Winter Tick
Avian Cholera in Double-crested Cormorants
Bartonella in Ground Squirrels in Saskatchewan

Comparative Analysis Of Pollution In Farmington Bay And The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Amy M. Marcarelli, Cameron Christison, Joel Moore, Donovan Gross, Sophia Bates, Sara Kircher

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Farmington Bay covers 94 mi2 (260 km2) in the SW comer of the Great Salt Lake, and is essentially a separate lake because it is enclosed by Antelope Island and a causeway leading to the island from the mainland. The bay has received wastes from the adjoining Salt Lake City metropolitan area for decades. Because of water quality concerns for Farmington 8ay, the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory class at Utah State University studied the bay and a nearby control site (Bridger Bay) in the Great Salt Lake during the fall of 2001. Field sampling and laboratory experiments, as well as other …

Water Current, Volume 34, No. 1. February 2002

Water Current Newsletter

• UNL Chemistry Laboratory Analyzes, Teaches Groundwater’s Story by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Summer Water and Natural Resources Tour Follows North Platte River

• April Water Faculty Forum in Lincoln

• Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado by Don Blankenau

• Community Options for Wellhead Protection Areas by J. David Aiken

• Water News Briefs

• Discarded Computers and Cell Phones Pose Potential Risk to Groundwater

Lasers As Non-Lethal Avian Repellents: Potential Applications In The Airport Environment, Bradley F. Blackwell, Glen E. Bernhardt, Jonathon D. Cepek, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) indicates that low- to moderate-power, long-wavelength lasers (630- 650 nm) provide an effective means of dispersing some “problem” bird species under low-light conditions, while presenting no threat to the animal or the environment. The NWRC researchers tested the hypothesis that birds would avoid the beam or beam spot produced by a laser in low ambient light. In the format of controlled, replicated, 2-choice experiments with captive birds, Canada geese (Branta canadensis; 6 groups; 4 birds/group) exhibited extreme avoidance of laser beams over 80-minute periods, …

Development Of Analytical Systems And Monitoring Of Vocs Emissions During Polymer Processing, Qin Xiang

Dissertations

A method using direct flame ionization detector (FID) measurement was developed to study total volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emissions during thermal degradation of polymers. This was used to estimate organic emissions from both virgin polymer resins and commingled plastics. The effects of process parameters, i. e., temperature, heating rate and residence time, were also studied. Significant VOCs emissions were observed at normal processing temperatures, particularly from recycled polymers. Each polymer showed a distinct evolution pattern during its thermal degradation. Kinetics of VOCs emissions were also studied using a non-isothermal technique. The kinetic parameters were in agreement with data from the …

A Comparison Of Potential Labor-Saving Sampling Methods For Assessing Large Mammal Damage In Corn, Richard . M. Engeman, Ray T. Sterner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Accurate estimation of crop damage by wildlife often requires labor-intensive sampling procedures. Variable area transect (VAT) sampling has been identified as a potential labor-saving alternative to quadrat sampling. We fully enumerated all damaged corn plants in a field to assess accuracy of sampling by small quadrats 5m long by one or two row-widths, and by VAT sampling with searches from random starting points to the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th damaged plant. Two widths for strip transects also were considered for VAT sampling: one and two crop rows. Two analytical formulae were considered for the VAT data. Thus, 18 estimates …

An Economic Analysis Of Predator Removal Approaches For Protecting Marine Turtle Nests At Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, Richard M. Engeman, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Bernice Constantin, Margo Stahl, Henry T. Smith

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge (HSNWR) on Florida’s east coast provides undisturbed nesting habitat for three species of threatened or endangered marine turtles. Predation by raccoons and armadillos poses the greatest risk to turtle nests, and predator control has been identified as the most important management tool for enhancing nesting productivity. Recently, estimates of the number of nests that would have been lost in the 2000 nesting and incubation season were made using the results from four control approaches. These approaches were, in order of descending complexity: (1) refuge control enhanced by a one person-month contract with federal control specialists, …

Monetary Valuation Methods For Economic Analysis Of The Benefit-Costs Of Protecting Rare Wildlife Species From Predators, Richard M. Engeman, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Henry T. Smith, Bernice Constantin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many threatened and endangered species are negatively impacted by predation. Management of the predators that are geographically and temporally in position to threaten species of concern can greatly aid in their conservation. However, decisions on management strategies are based within economic constraints, while the success of management actions is measured by wildlife resource improvement. Here, we review methods for applying monetary valuations for threatened and endangered species so that economic analyses of management actions can be used to help guide and evaluate management decisions. A variety of applied examples are provided to demonstrate the principles.

Rapid Ecological Assessment Of The Northern Mixedgrass Prairie Ecoregion (Nebraska Portion), Gerry Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This study was conducted as part of The Nature Conservancy’s (TNC) project to conduct ecoregional conservation planning throughout the continental United States. TNC contracted with the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) to conduct a rapid ecological assessment (REA) of the portion of the Northern Mixedgrass Prairie ecoregion (NMGP) occurring in Nebraska. This report concludes that agreement. Roughly the northern 1/5 of central Nebraska occurs within the NMGP (Figure 1). This ecoregion also includes extensive area of central South Dakota and central North Dakota. The objective of this study was to conduct a REA of the untilled landscapes within the …

Environmental Audit Of The Rose Hill Campus, Nicole Marshall, Maria Nissi, Brian Flaherty, Carl Van Ostrand, Ian Mcclelland

Student Theses 2001-2013

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Global Environmental Governance: Options & Opportunities, Daniel C. Esty, Maria H. Ivanova

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

No abstract provided.