Digital Commons Network^™

Collaborative Action In Informal Social Networks Of Wildfire Managers In Northwestern Wyoming, Hannah Lynn Spencer

Dissertations and Theses

Wildfire is a cross-boundary, collective action issue. Previous research has demonstrated the importance of collaborative relationships in wildfire for purposes such as increasing capacity, trading information, and facilitating landscape-scale mitigation projects. However, a stakeholder's location in social networks, as well as personal factors, may impact their collaboration. Furthermore, stakeholders must prioritize their own organizational goals and responsibilities, which may differ from those of their collaborators. I used interview and survey methods to investigate these questions in the context of wildfire management professionals in northwestern Wyoming. For the interviews, I selected 12 individuals with high betweenness centrality who were involved in …

Waterbody Size Predicts Bank- And Boat-Angler Efforts, Derek S. Kane, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, Mark A. Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski, Mark A. Kaemingk

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Bank- and boat-angler efforts are logistically difficult and costly to estimate, preventing landscape-scale estimates that are required to address current and future challenges (e.g., climate change, invasive species) for inland recreational fisheries. Using a large Nebraska, USA, recreational fishery dataset (N = 67 waterbodies), we demonstrate that waterbody size can be used to predict bank- and boat-angler efforts across a heterogeneous landscape of extra small (< 104 ha) and large (> 647 ha) waterbodies. Bank and boat anglers respond to waterbody size, however these relationships appear to be unique between the two angler types. Boat-angler efforts increased as a function of waterbody size, whereas bank-angler …

Implementation Path And Strategic Planning Of Winning The Battle Of “Three-North” And Reconstructing “New Three-North”, Qi Lu, Chunlei Xiao, Yingshuang Bao, Mengchun Cui, Xiaoming Cao, Xiao Que, Liu Yang, Guipeng Cui

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Over the past 45 years, China has accomplished great achievements in carrying out “Three-North” project. Through largescale vegetation construction, the trends of land desertification, soil salinization, soil erosion and the deterioration of people’s living environment in the “Three-North” areas have been effectively restrained. The people in the desert area are getting rid of poverty and living a healthy life. In the new era, the “Three-North” project has encountered new demands, new challenges and new opportunities, and it is urgent to achieve a significant transform and upgrade and to improve quality and efficiency. This paper summarizes the current situation of the …

China’S Governance: Strategy Choice And Future Vision For Combating Desertification, Guipeng Cui, Chunlei Xiao, Jiaqiang Lei, Xiaosong Li, Yingshuang Bao, Qi Lu

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

China has made remarkable achievements in combating desertification over the past 70 years. At present, China has entered a new stage of combating desertification while facing many problems such as large desertification land base and high difficulty in combating desertification, and it is more important to meet the national strategic needs of ecological construction, rural revitalization, and the development and utilization of renewable energy in desert, Gobi, and wasteland areas. The strategic choice of combating desertification in China in the new era is overall improvement and key breakthroughs. The core of the strategy is whole-area governance, innovation-driven, and technology integration. …

Impact Of Forest Management On Ozark Big-Eared Bat (Corynorhinus Townsendii Ingens) Prey And Foraging Ecology, Gemma L. Marsh

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Ozark big-eared bats (Corynorhinus townsendii ingens) are an endangered species of bat found only in Oklahoma and Arkansas. I conducted a study on the impact of forest management treatments, such as prescribed fire and mechanical thinning, in White Rock Mountain Wildlife Management Area, which is home to a maternity colony of Ozark big-eared bats. My goal was to understand how prescribed fire and mechanical thinning influence Ozark big-eared bat prey and foraging, and therefore be able to provide management recommendations for the habitat of this endangered species. My results indicated that bat prey availability was influenced by forest structure, …

Holocene Rice Rats (Genus Oryzomys) From The Upper Mississippi River Drainage Basin, Hugh H. Genoways

Zea E-Books Collection

The expansion and collapse of the geographic range of the Texas rice rat (Oryzomys texensis) in the upper Mississippi River drainage basin at the end of the Holocene was a unique event in North American mammals. In a period of about 4000 years with a point of origin near the American Bottom in Illinois, these small rodents extended their geographic range in a straight-line distance of over 950 km to the west into Nebraska and the same distance to the east into Pennsylvania. Then in less than 400 years this range expansion collapsed back to a point where …

Adsorptive–Photocatalytic Performance For Antibiotic And Personal Care Product Using Cu0.5Mn0.5Fe2O4, Chanat Chokejaroenrat, Chainarong Sakulthaew, Athaphon Angkaew, Apiladda Pattanateeradetch, Wuttinun Raksajit, Kanokwan Teingtham, Piyaporn Phansak, Pawee Klongvessa, Daniel D. Snow, Clifford E. Harris, Steven Comfort

Nebraska Water Center: Faculty Publications

The amount of antibiotics and personal care products entering local sewage systems and ultimately natural waters is increasing and raising concerns about long-term human health effects. We developed an adsorptive photocatalyst, Cu_0.5Mn_0.5Fe₂O₄ nanoparticles, utilizing co-precipitation and calcination with melamine, and quantified its efficacy in removing paraben and oxytetracycline (OTC). During melamine calcination, Cu_0.5Mn_0.5Fe₂O₄ recrystallized, improving material crystallinity and purity for the adsorptive–photocatalytic reaction. Kinetic experiments showed that all four parabens and OTC were removed within 120 and 45 min. We found that contaminant adsorption and reaction …

Optimizing The Membrane-Assisted Recovery Of Solids (Mars) Technology For Nutrient Removal And Recovery From Concentrated Waste Streams, Ben Yamin Hoque

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The effective management of nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, in decentralizedwastewater treatment environments is a pressing challenge. These nutrients pose significant risks to the environment and public health when discharged into water bodies, while their recovery and reuse can help alleviate nutrient shortages in various industries, including agriculture. Conventional biological treatment methods used in centralized facilities are not suitable for decentralized systems due to operational complexities and space limitations. Chemical treatment mechanisms, such as adsorption, ion exchange, precipitation, and air-stripping, offer potential solutions but are accompanied by challenges like high costs and logistical issues. Therefore, finding a sustainable and …

Norfolk Integrated Waste-Energy Framework, Emma Kurtz, Abigail Schroeder, Jonah Mcdowell

Project Energy Nebraska: Student Projects

Environmental Engagement in the Community projects, spring 2023 A poster titled Norfolk Integrated Waste-Energy Framework for client City of Norfolk, Nebraska and Nebraska Public Power District.

Faculty sponsor: David Gosselin

Gouldian Finch Monitoring: Foraging Activity And Grass Phenology - Goomig Project 2022 To 2023, J Graff

Irrigated Agricultural Development in the North

The Goomig Project (Weaber Plains Development Project) is an irrigated agricultural development located approximately 30 km north of Kununurra, which involves clearing of approximately 9,260 ha of vegetation for agriculture. Approximately 11,470 ha of native vegetation surrounding, or remaining between, the cleared areas is designated as a buffer area (the study area) to be managed to protect surrounding conservation reserves and watercourses (Strategen 2014). Monitoring of Gouldian Finch wet season foraging activity and phenology and productivity of grasses important for foraging in the buffer area during ongoing operation are required as conditions of the approval for the project, and is …

Cadmium And Salinity Stressor Antagonism On Vallisneria Neotropicalis, Christopher P. Mikolaitis

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Submerged macrophytes form the foundation of freshwater ecosystems. These organisms are sessile and are very susceptible to shifts in their environment. Heavy metals are of particular concern as they can be sequestered indefinitely in sediments and are readily taken up by rooted vegetation. In the presence of saltwater intrusions, these metals can interact with salt ions potentially changing their availability to submerged vegetation. In this study a freshwater macrophyte, Vallisneria neotropicalis, was used as a test species for interactive effects between Cd, a non-essential heavy metal, and salt stress. The metrics used to establish the individual as well as …

Mapping, Intensities And Future Prediction Of Land Use/Land Cover Dynamics Using Google Earth Engine And Ca- Artificial Neural Network Model, Maysoon A.A. Osman, Elfatih M. Abdel-Rahman, Joshua Orungo Onono, Lydia A. Olaka, Muna M. Elhag, Marian Adan, Henri E.Z. Tonnang

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Mapping of land use/ land cover (LULC) dynamics has gained significant attention in the past decades. This is due to the role played by LULC change in assessing climate, various ecosystem functions, natural resource activities and livelihoods in general. In Gedaref landscape of Eastern Sudan, there is limited or no knowledge of LULC structure and size, degree of change, transition, intensity and future outlook. Therefore, the aims of the current study were to (1) evaluate LULC changes in the Gedaref state, Sudan for the past thirty years (1988–2018) using Landsat imageries and the random forest classifier, (2) determine the underlying …

Evaluating The Impacts Of The Transition From Open-Pit To Underground Mining On Sustainable Development Indexes, Naser Badakhshan, Kourosh Shahriar, Sajjad Afraei, Ezzeddin Bakhtavar

Journal of Sustainable Mining

Sustainable development is about creating a balance between development and environment, and it consists of three essential principles: environment, society, and economy. Today, one of the most important challenges in deep open pit mines is the transition from open pit to underground, which has positive and negative impacts on sustainable development indexes. In order to reduce these adverse impacts, the impact of various parts of the transition operation on these indexes should be evaluated and corrective and preventive measures should be implemented. In this study, using a hybrid semi-quantitative approach, the effects of the transition in the Songun copper mine …

Convergence And Transdisciplinary Teaching In Quantitative Biology, Robert Mayes, Joseph Dauer, David Owens

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The United States National Science and Technology Council has made a call for improving STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education at the convergence of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. The National Science Foundation (NSF) views convergence as the merging of ideas, approaches, and technologies from widely diverse fields of knowledge to stimulate innovation and discovery. Teaching convergency requires moving to the transdisciplinary level of integration where there is deep integration of skills, disciplines, and knowledge to solve a challenging real-world problem. Here we present a summary on convergence and transdisciplinary teaching. We then provide examples of convergence and transdisciplinary …

Understanding The Effect Of Ranching On Quercus Brandegeei Recruitment In The Sierra La Laguna Biosphere Reserve, Xavier O. Espinoza

DePaul Discoveries

In this study, we attempt to deepen our understanding of the mechanisms responsible for Quercus brandegeei’s observed lack of regeneration by identifying which animal species (wild and domesticated) most frequently were observed eating, passing by, or searching for seeds and seedlings. We established 10 paired plots (10 enclosed and 10 immediately outside enclosures) and positioned one motion-activated camera in each plot to observe animal visitations to Quercus brandegeei individuals over the course of several months (October 2019 – March 2020). No seeds and seedlings survived outside of enclosed areas at the end of the study based on their absence. Very …

Wildlife Ecological Risk Assessment In The 21st Century: Promising Technologies To Assess Toxicological Effects, Barnett A. Rattner, Thomas G. Bean, Val R. Beasley, Philippe Berny, Karen M. Eisenreich, John E. Elliott, Margaret L. Eng, Phyllis C. Fuchsman, Mason D. King, Rafael Mateo, Carolyn B. Meyer, Jason M. O'Brien, Christopher J. Salice

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Despite advances in toxicity testing and the development of new approach methodologies (NAMs) for hazard assessment, the ecological risk assessment (ERA) framework for terrestrial wildlife (i.e., air‐breathing amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals) has remained unchanged for decades. While survival, growth, and reproductive endpoints derived from whole-animal toxicity tests are central to hazard assessment, nonstandard measures of biological effects at multiple levels of biological organization (e.g., molecular, cellular, tissue, organ, organism, population, community, ecosystem) have the potential to enhance the relevance of prospective and retrospective wildlife ERAs. Other factors (e.g., indirect effects of contaminants on food supplies and infectious disease processes) …

Biological Case Against Downlisting The Whooping Crane And For Improving Implementation Under The Endangered Species Act, Andrew J. Caven, Hillary L. Thompson, David M. Baasch, Barry K. Hartup, Amanda M. Hegg, Stephanie M. Schmidt, Irvin Louque, Craig R. Allen, Carter G. Crouch, Craig A. Davis, Joel G. Jorgensen, Jane E. Austin, Bethany L. Ostrom, Richard D. Beilfuss, George W. Archibald, Anne E. Lacy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Whooping Crane (Grus americana; WHCR) is a large, long-lived bird endemic to North America. The remnant population migrates between Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, USA, and Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada (AWBP), and has recovered from a nadir of 15-16 birds in 1941 to ~540 birds in 2022. Two ongoing reintroduction efforts in Louisiana and the Eastern Flyway together total ~150 birds. Evidence indicates the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is strongly considering downlisting the species from an endangered to a threatened status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). We examined the current status of the WHCR through the …

Design And Application Of The 3d Model Interfaces Of The Integrated Intelligent Mine Control Platform, Zhang Jing

Coal Geology & Exploration

The production safety control platform for mines is used to present information on the centralized scheduling, real-time monitoring, risk prevention and control, operation and maintenance detection, and decision analysis of various equipment and automated, intelligent production systems for tunneling, mining, machinery, transportation, and ventilation during coal mine production. Accordingly, the interface design of the integrated intelligent mine control platform is particularly important for user experience. However, the current integrated automation systems for mines adopt monochrome configuration engineering plans and display a single interface effect of display and operation. By introducing the industrial design concepts and employing the 3D model interface …

Equilibrium And Kinetic Studies Of Crude Oil Sorption On Unmodified And Modified Napier Grass, Amalachukwu Ifeyinwa Obi, Vincent Ishmael Ajiwe, Chinwe Priscilla Okonkwo

Makara Journal of Science

Nowadays, natural organic adsorbents are widely used to clean up oil from spills owing to their effectiveness, affordability, and biodegradability. In this study, Napier grass, a widely available agricultural material, was used to remove crude oil from aqueous media. The Napier grass was modified via a mild acetylation process to improve its hydrophobicity. The modification increased the Brunauer–Emmett–Teller surface area of the grass from 180.07 to 271.13 m²/g. Fourier-transform infrared analysis revealed that the modification endowed the originally hydrophilic Napier grass with hydrophobicity. The oil sorption processes were based on monolayer physisorption and controlled by film diffusion. The …

Beyond The Ice, Nikolaus T. Butz, Joshua Hunter, Emma Fisher

The Journal of Values-Based Leadership

Leadership is a management tool to direct effective achievement of goals. Historical investigation can provide a valuable lens for the study of leadership styles. To that end, this study examines the disparate approaches of Roald Amundsen and Robert Scott as they raced to be the first explorer to reach the South Pole. The objective of this study is to analyze the leadership techniques used in these expeditions, and to determine how they shaped the outcome of each. The process of tacit knowledge and experience coalesce and foster both leadership and action that is not only communication-oriented and value-driven, but also …

Evaluating The Post-Mining Land Uses Of Former Mine Sites For Sustainable Purposes In South Africa, Sphiwe E Mhlongo

Journal of Sustainable Mining

This paper uses a case study of an abandoned magnesite mine in the Limpopo Province of South Africa to find ways of identifying post-mining land used from the current uses of the abandoned mine sites or features. The approach used involved carrying out a field characterization of the mine site and documentation of the current uses of the features of the abandoned mine site. The technique used to identify the internal and external factors of the land uses involved analyzing their Strength, Weakness, Opportunities, and Threats. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) technique was used for further ranking of the land …

Characteristics And Hydraulic Behavior Of Adsorptive Media For Use In Permeable Reactive Barriers, Shelby Rocha

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Cargill ditch is located on the property of Se7en Wetlands, a 1600-ac treatment wetland system in Lakeland, Polk County, Florida. The Se7en Wetlands property was previously utilized for phosphate mining prior to the construction of the system. Nonpoint nutrient sources derived from remnants of abandoned phosphate mines – known as “legacy phosphorus” – become mobilized by stormwater runoff and impair surface water bodies by promoting harmful algal blooms (HABs). Thus, the Cargill ditch likely conveys nutrient rich flow resulting from legacy phosphorus and is thought to be one contributing factor in the occurrence of HABs within the treatment wetland …

Wildfires Disturb The Natural Skin Microbiota Of Terrestrial Salamanders, Lubna Mulla, Obed Hernandez-Gomez

Natural Sciences and Mathematics | Faculty Scholarship

Environmental change can disturb natural associations between wildlife and microbial symbionts, in many cases to the detriment of host health. We used a North American terrestrial salamander system to assess how the skin microbiota of amphibians responds to wildfires. In northern California's redwood/oak forests, we assessed how recent wildfires affected the skin microbiota of three different salamander species (Taricha sp., Batrachoseps attenuatus, and Ensatina eschscholtzii) over two different sampling seasons in 2018 and 2021. We found species-specific responses to wildfire disturbance on the alpha diversity of the skin microbiota of terrestrial salamanders, although burning in general altered the composition of …

Ecological Governance Of Aral Sea: Important Way To Deepen Scientific And Technological Cooperation With Central Asia, Miao Wu, Jianfang Qiao, Yuanming Zhang, Changyan Tian, Yaoming Li, Yun Hao, Xiaoyun Zhang, Lixian Wang, Jingjing He

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

In September 2022, the President of the People’s Republic of China visited Uzbekistan for the first time after the epidemic. In the subsequent joint statement between China and Uzbekistan, China welcomed the adoption of the Aral Sea initiative proposed by Uzbekistan at the General Assembly of the United Nations. The two sides expressed their willingness to actively promote synergy between the Global Development Initiative and projects related to improving the ecological, economic, and social environment of the Aral Sea region under the framework of the United Nations. In this context, this paper describes the current situation of the Aral Sea …

Impact Of Land Use/Cover Change And Slope Gradient On Soil Organic Carbon Stock In Anjeni Watershed, Northwest Ethiopia, Bethel Geremew, Tsegaye Tadesse, Bobe Bedadi, Hero T. Gollany, Kindie Tesfaye, Abebe Aschalew

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Today’s agri-food systems face the triple challenge of addressing food security, adapting to climate change, and reducing the climate footprint by reducing the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). In agri-food systems, changes in land use and land cover (LULC) could affect soil physicochemical properties, particularly soil organic carbon (SOC) stock. However, the impact varies depending on the physical, social, and economic conditions of a given region or watershed. Given this, a study was conducted to quantify the impact of LULC and slope gradient on SOC stock and C sequestration rate in the Anjeni watershed, which is a highly populated and …

Bat Use Of Afforested And Encroached Patches And Their Role In Extending Bat Habitat Into The Nebraska Sandhills, Jacob L. Wagner

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Nebraska Sandhills are currently undergoing a state shift to a redcedar dominated woodland due to anthropologic planting of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) and woody encroachment from the periphery of the Sandhills. To better understand this novel ecosystem and how bats are utilizing it I collected data at Barta Brothers Ranch with acoustic sensor grids consisting of 24,100 m-spaced acoustic sensors placed adjacent to planted windbreaks. Supplemental data from the Nebraska North American Bat Monitoring Program was used for data analysis at larger spatial scales. I used linear regressions and kriging interpolation maps to see how bats used windbreaks during …

Preliminary Evidence Of Anticoagulant Rodenticide Exposure In American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) In The Western United States, Evan R. Buechley, Dave Oleyar, Jesse L. Watson, Jennifer Bridgeman, Steven Volker, David A. Goldade, Catherine E. Swift, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Although there is extensive evidence of declines in the American Kestrel (Falco sparverius) population across North America, the cause of such declines remains a mystery. One hypothesized driver of decline is anticoagulant rodenticide (AR) exposure, which could potentially cause mortality or reduced fitness. We investigated AR exposure in wild American Kestrels in Utah, USA. We collected and tested for AR residues in liver samples (n = 8) from kestrels opportunistically encountered dead and in blood samples (n = 71) from live wild kestrels, both nestlings and adults. We found high detection rates in both tissues. Adult …

The Economic Value Of Sea Otters And Recreational Tourism In A California Estuary, Jessica A. Fujii, Charles S. Colgan, Anthony Castelletto, Michelle M. Staedler, Amy G. Wolfrum, Kyle S. Van Houtan

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

The recovery of marine megafauna can lead to improved ecosystem function and services, but not all stakeholders may benefit equally. Quantifying the local economic value of a species’ presence may appeal to broader range of stakeholders when developing conservation strategies. This study aims to examine the economic effect recreational activities can have on a local region, and to determine what role the presence of southern sea otters (Enhydra lutris nereis) had on the value visitors placed on the visit and the area’s preservation. We surveyed visitors to Elkhorn Slough, a small estuary in California known for diverse wildlife, …

Preliminary Data Of Potentially Hazardous Radon Concentrations In Modrič Cave (Croatia), Robert Lončarić, Vanja Radolić, Maša Surić, Igor Miklavčić, Matea Šatalić, Dalibor Paar, Lukrecija Obšivač

International Journal of Speleology

Instigated by relatively high cave-air CO₂ concentrations in Modrič Cave (Croatia) recorded for the purpose of speleothem-based paleoclimate research, we established preliminary monitoring of radon (²²²Rn) concentrations within the cave for a 4.5-year period (2018–2022). As radioactive geogenic gas, radon, which often correlates with cave-air CO₂ concentrations, presents a potential health hazard in cases of longer exposure time in high concentration conditions. Since the Modrič Cave is open to tourists and long-term scientific research has been performed within, a safety assessment for radon concentrations was essential. The integrated measurements of radon concentrations were performed by passive …

Review Of Toxicity Of Agricultural Chemicals And Implications For Aquatic Fauna Of The Keep River, Samanatha Reynolds, David Morgan

Natural resources commissioned reports

This report was compiled for the Western Australian Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) as part of the National Water Grid Authority (NWGA) project entitled “Managing water quality to enable future irrigation development in the Kimberley Region, WA”. The purpose of this report is to review the toxicity of farm chemicals (herbicides and insecticides) used by farm operators in the Keep River catchment and their potential impacts on the aquatic species in the river, in particular those species that are listed under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999. It is designed to complement the report entitled …