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Movements And Population Structure Of Humpback Whales In The North Pacific, John Calambokidis, Gretchehn Steiger, Janice Straley, Louis Herman, Salvatore Cerchio, Dan Salden, Jorge Urban R., Jeff Jacobsen, Olga Von Ziegesar, Kenneth Balcomb, Christine Gabriele, Marilyn Dahlheim, Senzo Uchida, Graeme Ellis, Yukifumi Miyamura, Paloma Ladron De Guevara P., Manami Yamaguchi, Fumihiko Sato, Sally Mizroch, Lisa Schlender, Jay Barlow, Terrance Quinn Ii

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Despite the extensive use of photographic identification methods to investigate humpback whales in the North Pacific, few quantitative analyses have been conducted. We report on a comprehensive analysis of interchange in the North Pacific among three wintering regions (Mexico, Hawaii, and Japan) each with two to three subareas, and feeding areas that extended from southern California to the Aleutian Islands. Of the 6,413 identification photographs of humpback whales obtained by 16 independent research groups between 1990 and 1993 and examined for this study, 3,650 photographs were determined to be of suitable quality. A total of 1,241 matches was found by …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 17, Number 3 (October 2001)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• Biosecurity Alert
• The United Kingdom appears to be near success in eradicating foot-and-mouth disease (FMD).
• USDA declares chronic wasting disease CWD emergency in captive elk.
• CWD Calamity in Colorado: Approximately 1,300 animals in seven Colorado captive elk herds currently are under quarantine because chronic wasting disease (CWD) has been diagnosed in or traced to the herds.
• Further Spread of West Nile virus (WNV)
• Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) virus was isolated from the brain of a wild white-tailed deer from Houston County, Georgia. Togaviridae, Culiseta melanura
• Equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) is a severe neurological …

Intermediate Rings Between A Local Domain And Its Completion, Ii, William Heinzer, Christel Rotthaus, Sylvia Wiegand

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We present results connecting flatness of extension rings to the Noetherian property for certain intermediate rings between an excellent normal local domain and its completion. We consider conditions for these rings to have Cohen-Macaulay formal fibers. We also present several examples illustrating these results.

A Preliminary Survey Of The Sewage Pumpout Facilities In The No Discharge Areas Of Massachusetts, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This survey provides a preliminary review of the activities of pumpout facilities in the No Discharge Areas of Massachusetts. It highlights areas of concern, identifies potential improvements and focuses further research.

Based on data from Massachusetts Coastal Zone Management, there are 100 pumpout facilities in Massachusetts, located in 56 towns. Of these 52, have one or more pumpout boats. Due to financial limitations and the time available, any attempt to survey all these facilities was beyond the scope of this study. However, it had been suggested that from CZM’s, DMF’s and EPA’s standpoint, the areas of greatest interest were those …

Weed Plan For Western Australia, State Weed Plan Steering Group, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Bulletins 4000 -

One of the most significant environmental challenges facing Western Australia is the minimisation of the impact of weeds. In the relatively short history of this State since European settlement, some 1155 exotic plant species have established as weeds in our diverse and generally fragile ecosystems. While development for agriculture, mining, transport and housing must by its nature result in some change to the State’s flora, the introduction of weedy plant species has caused serious impacts which cause great concern.

Weeds now pose a serious threat to many of the State’s ecosystems, and impose high annual costs on agricultural industries. Weeds …

Efficacy Of Wolfin To Repel Black-Tailed Deer, Dale L. Nolte, Kimberly K. Wagner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Deer and elk provide many desirable recreational opportunities but also can cause severe conflicts with humans. Excluding them from agricultural resources or from roadways is desirable, but fencing is expensive. A chemical barrier would offer a feasible alternative to reduce damage caused by deer. A series of three tests was conducted to assess whether black-tailed deer avoided areas treated with Wolfin, a synthetic predator odor. Wolfin failed to repel deer during any of these trials. We conclude that Wolfin, as applied within this study, is unlikely to reduce problems roused by free-ranging deer. West. J Appl. For. 16(4):182-186.

The Distribution Of Airborne Coal Dust In Soil Profiles Of Norfolk, Va And Its Implication For Arsenic Loading To These Soils, William Joseph Bounds

OES Theses and Dissertations

Norfolk, Virginia is home to the Northern Hemisphere's largest coal terminal the Lamberts Point Docks. The coal loading process of this terminal creates large amounts of coal dust, which subsequently is distributed throughout the local region by atmospheric transport and deposition. While the coal dust itself poses only minor health hazards, certain trace elements within the coal, particularly arsenic, may pose environmental as well as significant health hazards. Within coal, arsenic occurs primarily in the mineral pyrite. As pyrite in the coal dust is subsequently oxidized via exposure to the atmosphere and/or meteoric water, arsenic may be released to the …

The Standardized Fish Bioassay Procedure For Detecting And Culturing Actively Toxic Pfiesteria, Used By Two Reference Laboratories For Atlantic And Gulf Coast States, Joann M. Burkholder, Harold G. Marshall, David W. Seaborn, Nora J. Deamer-Melia

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In the absence of purified standards of toxins from Pfiesteria species, appropriately conducted fish bioassays are the "gold standard" that must be used to detect toxic strains of Pfiesteria slop. from natural estuarine water or sediment samples and to culture actively toxic Pfiesteria. In this article, we describe the standardized steps of our fish bioassay as an abbreviated term for a procedure that includes two sets of trials with fish, following the Henle-Koch postulates modified for toxic rather than infectious agents. This procedure was developed in 1991, and has been refined over more than 12 years of experience in …

Effects Of Trapping And Subsequent Short-Term Confinement Stress On Plasma Corticosterone In The Brown Treesnake (Boiga Irregularis) On Guam, Tom Mathies, Todd A. Felix, Valentine A. Lance

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The effects of capture in a live trap and subsequent handling stress on plasma concentrations of corticosterone and other sex steroids were examined in wild male and female brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis), an introduced species on Guam that has been implicated in the extirpation or decline of many of that island's vertebrate species. Males and females that spent 1 night in a trap had plasma levels of corticosterone about four and two times higher, respectively, than those of the respective free-ranging controls. Mean plasma levels of corticosterone of snakes that had spent 3 nights in a trap were …

Decline Of The Red-Winged Blackbird Population In Ohio Correlated To Changes In Agriculture (1965-1996), Bradley F. Blackwell, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Based on North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data since 1966, Ohio has traditionally hosted 1 of the highest breeding season densities of red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) of any U.S. state or Canadian province. However, from 1966 through 1996, breeding populations of red-winged blackbirds in Ohio showed a marked decline (x̅ % change/yr in birds per route = -3.9), with breeding population indices decreasing by over 53%. Because the red-winged blackbird successfully adapted to habitats created by agricultural expansion over the last century and became a recognized pest of crops such as corn (Zea mays), …

Porcine Zona Pellucida Immunocontraception: Long-Term Health Effects On White-Tailed Deer, Lowell A. Miller, Ken Crane, Stan Gaddis, Gary J. Killian

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As part of a 9-year study on the contraceptive effects of Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP) on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), we analyzed serum chemistry panels during the first 4 years. This included the first 2 years when does were being actively immunized, and 2 years post-immunization. The chemistry panel was designed to detect pathologies that might result from the immunization of the deer. Blood chemistry results did not suggest any pathological changes resulting from the immunization. Seasonal differences in serum cholesterol were similar in both the control and PZP-treated groups. Seasonal changes in the mean body weights of …

The Role Of Predation In Wildlife Population Dynamics, Eric M. Gese, Frederick F. Knowlton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The role predation plays in the dynamics of prey populations is controversial. Our understandings of predator-prey relationships is complicated by a multitude of factors in the environment and a general lack of knowledge of most ecological systems. Various other factors, besides predation, may regulate or limit prey populations, and various factors influence the degree to which predation affects prey populations. Furthermore, some factors may create time lags, or even cause generational effects, that go unnoticed. Herein, we review the role of predation in wildlife population dynamics, some of the factors influencing predator-prey interactions, and attempt to indicate where the professional …

Modelling The Trappability Of Tsetse, Glossina Fuscipes Fuscipes, In Relation To Distance From Their Natural Habitats, Adedapo Odulaja, Mohamed M. Mohamed-Ahmed

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The log-logistic probability distribution function was employed to model trappability of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes, with respect to distance from the edge of two types of habitat. The parameters of the model were obtained using the nonlinear maximum likelihood approach. Asymptotic standard errors of the maximum likelihood estimates were computed for the parameters, and the X2 goodness-of-fit test used to assess the predicted trap catches. Simulation technique was used to estimate the radius of attraction of the unbaited biconical trap for the fly, taking the efficiency of the trap into consideration. The log-logistic model fitted well to a series of observed …

Public Reaction To Mandated Language For U.S. Drinking Water Quality Reports, Branden B. Johnson

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

The author discusses results of a survey evaluating the mandated language for United States drinking water quality reports.

Journalists' Views Of The Environment: Issues And Challenges, Bernadette West, Jane Lewis, Michael Greenberg

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

In advocating the use of an environmental handbook for journalists, the authors report on a survey of reporters and editors regarding salient environmental issues in different regions of the United States and e emphasis placed on environmental reporting in newsrooms.

The Probe, Issue 218 – September/October 2001

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Regional Directors Address NADCA's Future -- Chad Richardson & Sam Linhart
South Carolina State Supreme Court unanimously ruled that the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources was justified in issuing permits to kill 200 deer in an effort to control the white-tailed deer population of the Sea Pines Plantation (SPP) on Hilton Head Island.
The Animal Liberation Front (ALF) is claiming credit for a September 9 firebombing at a Tucson, Arizona, McDonald's restaurant.
Biologists from the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources (DFWR) have begun using "hair traps" to get an estimate of the state's black bear population.
A …

Strike One—You’Re Out! Wildlife Services Helps Reduce Wildlife Conflicts At Airports

Other Bird Strike and Aviation Materials

Collisions between aircraft and wildlife at airports have risen dramatically in recent years as a result of large population increases in many wildlife species, faster airplanes, and the increase in air transportation traffic. Every year between 1991 and 1997, wildlife strikes cost U.S. civil aviation more than $300 million and 500,000 hours of aircraft downtime. About 2,400 bird strikes to civil aircraft are reported each year, and more than 2,500 are reported by the U.S. Air Force. Since 1990, more than 300 deer collisions with aircraft have been reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 33, No.3 September 2001

The Prairie Naturalist

SEASONAL REPRODUCTION IN SIGMODON HISPIDUS INHABITING TALLGRASS PRAIRIES OF OKLAHOMA ▪ J. A. Wilson and R. L. Lochmiller

USE OF THE INDEX OF BIOLOGICAL INTEGRITY IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOtA RIVERS ▪ C. L. Milewski, C. R. Berry, and D. Dieterman

SEED USE BY VERTEBRATES AND INVERTEBRATES IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ▪ A. W. Reed, G. A. Kaufman, J. E. Boyer, Jr., and D. W. Kaufman

RANGE EXPANSION OF THE PILEATED WOODPECKER IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ J. A. Dechant 163

LAB FATTENING AND NON-INVASIVE ESTIMATES OF BODY COMPOSITION IN DEER MICE ▪ E. T. Unangst, Jr., M. J. Blair, M. W. Granger, …

Management Of Bird And Other Wildlife Hazards At Tribhuvan International Airport, Kathmandu, Nepal, Bashanta Kumar Upadhyaya, Richard A. Dolbeer

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA), the only international airport in the Himalayan Kingdom of Nepal, is geographically situated in the middle of the country at an elevation of 4,390 feet (AMSL) in a valley surrounded by hills. The airport was in an isolated area at the time of its establishment in 1949, but now is in the middle of dense human settlement and local market places. The polluted rivers on either side of runway, un-scientific municipal solid waste management, and emergence of earthworms near the runway and taxiways after monsoon rains in late summer are some of the bird attractants. Birds …

Wildlife Management Training – What Are You Doing?, John E. Ostrom

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

With the variety of wildlife tools in use by airports, there comes a need for training. The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) has developed an extensive training program for those staff members involved in wildlife management activities. This training program provides the necessary foundation for an effective wildlife management program and addresses hands-on as well as legal liability issues.

Development Of A Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard Program At Langley Afb, Virginia., Ted Sprague (Maj.), Stephen Kendrot

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

Bird and other wildlife collisions with aircraft are frequently expensive and sometimes tragic. Each year, the US Air Force (USAF) reports an average of 2772 aircraft/bird strikes costing over 35 million dollars annually. Since 1985, 17 USAF planes have been destroyed and 32 airmen have lost their lives. Accordingly, the USAF invests heavily in preventing bird strikes and requires all Air Force bases to create a Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) plan. The BASH plan is tailored to each base and identifies key wildlife hazards, tasks required to mitigate hazards and personnel to oversee and implement the plan. The installation’s …

Seasonality Of Bird Strikes: Towards A Behavioural Explanation, T. C. Kelly, R. Bolger, M. J. A. O'Callaghan, P. D. Bourke

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

It is well known that, at least in the Northern Hemisphere, there is a strong seasonal element in the annual pattern of bird strikes. This study undertakes a statistical analysis of an 11year data set collected at Dublin Airport, Ireland. It attempts to identify statistically significant trends in the seasonal trajectories of bird strikes, both in general and in respect of individual species and in comparison with seasonal trends in the abundance of birds generally and at Dublin Airport in particular. Hypotheses relating to the idea of “open” (i.e. intervals of through-put of naïve and young birds) and “closed” (i.e. …

Elmendorf Afb Bash Program, Robert J. Hahn , Capt, Usaf

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

Elmendorf AFB, located in Anchorage, Alaska, is home to over 60 aircraft to include F-15s, C-130’s, E- 3’s, C-12s, and Army Citations. In addition, it’s a major hub for both military and contract strategic airlift enroute to the Pacific. The large airspace training areas make Alaska an ideal environment suitable for large scale flying exercises. The result is several different types of aircraft from military sister services and foreign countries based out of Elmendorf throughout the year. Overlay the tremendous volume of air traffic on the huge numbers of birds in a confined area and your bound to have collision …

Counting Bird Strikes: Old Science Or New Math?, Gary F. Searing

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

Airports use bird strike statistics to determine whether or not their bird control programs are necessary and effective. For example, each year Transport Canada publishes the number of bird strikes at Canadian airports and analyzes data from airports with the most strikes. While we often relate the number of strikes to the number of aircraft movements, we seldom relate the number of strikes to the hazardous species of birds. Richard Dolbeer and his co-authors (2000) ranked species according to their hazards to aviation based on the risk of damage or effect on flight they pose. I present a method for …

Factors Influencing The Incidence Of Bird-Strikes At Melbourne Airport, 1986-2000, W. K. Steele

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

The results of 149 surveys of bird species’ distribution and abundance at Melbourne Airport between January 1997 and June 2000, together with local weather information and bird-strike data were used to assess the comparative importance of a number of variables affecting the incidence of bird-strikes at the airport. At least 36 bird and bat species were involved in ‘bird-strikes’ at Melbourne Airport between 1986 and 2000, although only 11 species were involved in 10 or more incidents. The Australian Magpie (Gymnorhina tibicen) presents the greatest threat of bird-strikes at Melbourne. Bird abundance and activity are important factors in determining the …

All Birds Are Not Created Equal: Risk Assessment And Prioritization Of Wildlife Hazards At Airfields, Nicholas B. Carter

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

In order to most effectively control wildlife at an airfield, airport managers must first identify and prioritize the hazards posed by the different species present in their environment. A formula including ten primary risk factors is presented in order to determine the relative threat posed by individual species or groups of similar species. The ten primary risk factors are:
1) The overall population of the wildlife species (in total number of individuals)
2) The size (mass and surface area) of an individual animal within the species
3) The average number of animals encountered (i.e. average group size)
4) The amount …

Avian Foraging Behaviors And Habitat Manipulation At Portland International Airport, Janina M. Lamb

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

Between January 1996 and May 2001 more than 300 bird strikes occurred at Portland International Airport. Records indicate that herons and raptors consistently make up nearly one-half of species struck. These species regularly use the airport grassland as a foraging ground, feeding on ground-dwelling rodents, including the graytailed vole (Microtus canicaudus) and vagrant shrew (Sorex vagrans). As part of a current study, various manipulations are being made to the grassland habitat and an assessment will be conducted of their effects on the airfield rodent and avian predator populations. This study will specifically correlate the presence and behaviors of predatory birds …

Damage Liability And Compensation In Case Of Bird Strike, Ante Matijaca

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

Most frequently, a bird strike cause damage to aircraft, and, in certain number of cases, a bird strike may have some considerably serious consequences (injuries and death of passengers, crew or third persons on a ground). In the circumstances of damage occurred, one side is entitled to demand a repair or a financial compensation, and the other side is obliged to realise the repair or the payment of the stated sum. The right to file a demand for repair or compensation depends on the result of determination of someone’s liability. In case of bird strike (either with Croatian or foreign …

Bird Deterrence At Low Level Windshear Alert System (Llwas) Poles, Jerry Schwartz, Tom Kays

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

Perching birds cause interference with data flow from the sensors used in a new version of Low Level Windshear Alert System (LLWAS). LLWAS is a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) airport, weather safety program consisting of a network of anemometers on top of tall poles used for detecting wind shear. Deadly wind shear has caused aircraft accidents with fatalities by creating a sudden loss of airspeed at low altitude upon take-off or landing. During installation of the LLWAS’s initial site at Fort Myers, FL, Turkey Vultures and Black Vultures were observed to perch on the arms of the sonic wind …

Equipment For Fogging Of Rejex-It® Tp-40., Peter F. Vogt

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 3rd (2001)

Considerable improvements have been made in the fogging application of Rejex-it® TP-40. Much has been learned about the type of fog generated by these machines and the resulting efficiency. Many foggers have been proven to deliver the product in the desired form, while others were only useful under special conditions, but no single piece of equipment is suitable for all situations. Generally, thermal foggers (e.g., Golden Eagle) produce the best fog with a good droplet size in areas where they can be employed. Their drawback for many operations by a trained technician is the noise they generate and the open …