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Feeding Behavior Of Pen Reared Mule Deer Under Winter Range Conditions, Michael A. Smith

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the feeding responses of mule deer to a system of spring livestock grazing. The specific purposes were 1) to determine botanical composition of diets selected by mule deer on a winter range subjected to previous spring grazing by sheep compared to one with no sheep grazing and 2) to develop a basis for predicting selection of individual plants by deer, based on physical characteristics of the plants and the species and physical proximity of associated plants.

The study was conducted within the framework of a completely randomized experimental design with two treatments. Variables controlled for each unit …

Wind-Powered Hydrogen Electric Systems For Farm And Rural Use, Final Report, United States Department Of Energy

Agriculture

The objective of this study has been to determine the current technology of a wind-energy conversion system (WECS) of minimal cost for rural applications. Specifically, IGT has evaluated available methods for converting shaft horse-power from a wind turbine to electricity and hydrogen. A workable mix of these two energy forms with storage that can support the energy needs of selected farming operations and the rural home was sought.

Energy load patterns of several farming operations were examined for interfacing with the energy storage and delivery systems that are supplied by wind turbines dependent on the prevalent winds. Several preliminary designs …

Ua12/2/19 Earth Week, Energy For Student Awareness

WKU Administration Documents

Newspaper created by the Energy for Student Awareness group regarding Earth Week and environmental issues.

Ua77/1 Western Alumnus, Vol. 45, No. 1, Wku Alumni Relations

WKU Administration Documents

WKU alumni magazine. Features the following articles:

• Relevance - Western Environmental Programs
• The Environmental Sciences & Technology Building
• Snodgrass, Jim. Environmental Education
• Hurst, Teri. Carpooling - The Energy Saver
• Henderson, Ray. A Piece of the Rock - Football
• Mud, Rice and Camellias
• Conlin, Bill. Hilltoppers Classy Club - Football
• Feix, Jimmy. Western Pays Its Tribute to This Dear & Gentle Man - Nick Denes
• Bruce, Don. Teacher of the Year - Paula Morgan
• Ward, Robert. Letters from Ireland
• Conway, Sheila. A Dream Come True - Randy Yeager
• Remember When? - Faculty Photograph
• Governor Julian Carroll Honors Dr. L.Y. Lancaster for …

Evolution Of The Us-Ussr Draft Convention On The Prohibition Of Military Or Any Other Hostile Use Of Environmental Modification Techniques: New International Environmental Law, Howard L. April

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

One cannot pick up a newspaper or news magazine at this time in early 1976 without reading about possible threats to the environment such as Concorde SST's potential impact on the ozone layer or the possibility that the fluorocarbon propellants in aerosol cans will deplete the ozone layer. In February 1976, Secretary of Transportation Coleman in announcing his decision to permit the Concorde to land at Dulles Airport outside of Washington, D.C. and at JFK Airport in New York considered that the impact of the 16 months of test flights on the stratosphere would be miniscule and the speculation of …

Wildlife And Vertebrate Pests In Egypt, A. Maher Ali, Hassana Hafez

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The conservation of Egyptian wildlife is discussed. Control measures are reviewed for rodents and birds, especially the house sparrow. Because of the high dam permanent irrigation has resulted in Arvicanthis becoming a more serious invader of rural buildings.

The Role Of Private Consultants In Vertebrate Pest Problems In Canada, D.E. Alsager

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

An in depth look at the principal requirements of an orderly and systematic approach to vertebrate pest problems in Canada is presented (Part I) as a prerequisite to a proposed theoretical model illustrating the involvement of various agencies. A model depicting how these agencies could best utilize their available resources towards the development of improved vertebrate pest control technology is presented in Part II. The involvement of private consultants in vertebrate pestology is relatively new (and perhaps unappreciated), yet offers substantial potential in the development of selected facets of the vertebrate pest field. The proposed roles of other agencies are …

Controlling Damage By Forest Rodents And Lagomorphs Through Habitat Manipulation, John E. Borrecco

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Damage to coniferous seedlings and trees by forest rodents, including forest lagomorphs, is a major factor limiting prompt regeneration and causing significant losses in young stands. Manipulating the vegetation to adversely influence food and cover thereby reducing animal numbers is proposed as an approach to alleviating damage. The adaptability, high reproductive potential, opportunistic feeding behavior, and mobility of forest rodents combined with the species diversity of rodent communities, rapid recovery of vegetation, and need for long-term protection make habitat manipulation for damage control a difficult approach. However, an example is presented where herbicide-induced reduction in vegetative cover and availability of …

Laboratory And Field Investigations With Difenacoum, A Promising New Rodenticide, John O. Bull

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Difenacoum is a new rodenticide recently introduced on the British market; it is one of the most potent of a series of hydroxycoumarin-based anticoagulants. Difenacoum is effective against laboratory rats and mice resistant to conventional anticoagulants and has a marked selectivity in favor of non-target species. Vitamin K₁ is an effective antidote and the hazard of secondary poisoning is minimal. Laboratory and field trials confirm difenacoum's efficacy against wild resistant strains. Further work is in progress to evaluate the efficacy of difenacoum against other rodent pest species.

Review Of Cultural And Other Control Methods For Reducing Pine Vole Populations In Apple Orchards, Rose E. Byers, R.S. Young, R.D. Neeley

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The use of cultivation three times a year (May, July, and November) or cultivation plus a residual herbicide twice a year (July and November) greatly aided in the control of pine voles Microtus pinetorum (LeConte) in apple orchards. The use of Chlorophacinone (CPN) or Diphacinone (DPN) baits placed by hand in holes and runs 2-3 weeks after the November cultivation resulted in a very effective control procedure. Without cultivation at least two applications of anticoagulant baits at the rate of 10 lbs/acre each were required to insure adequate control. Due to low apple prices in 1975, large numbers of dropped …

Bird And Mammal Problems In Southeastern Pine Forests, T.E. Campbell

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Birds and rodents eat pine seeds needed for regeneration, and the larger mammals destroy established seedlings by browsing or trampling. Some of the problems they cause have been solved or solutions are near; some still defy solution.

Bird And Mammal Problems In Southeastern Pine Forests, T.E. Campbell

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Birds and rodents eat pine seeds needed for regeneration, and the larger mammals destroy established seedlings by browsing or trampling. Some of the problems they cause have been solved or solutions are near; some still defy solution.

Increasing Pocket Gopher Problems In Reforestation, John C. Capp

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Concern over pocket gopher damage to conifer seedlings is increasing rapidly in the northwestern United States. The evolution of the pocket gopher (Thomomys spp.) has resulted in an animal that occurs throughout northwest forested areas and responds to site disturbances by increasing numbers and distribution. Pocket gophers kill or slow growth of conifer seedlings. More extensive logging, wildfires, and insect epidemics are resulting in more damage problem areas. This will continue. Current damage control is judged poor. Juvenile dispersal, high natural mortality rate, need for intensive treatment on entire damaged areas, current dependency on pesticides for control, increasing …

Training For High School Students In Animal Damage Control, Stanley Christensen, Clark P. Allen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The training program was started in 1973 for students in Advance Agriculture Occupations classes. Several state and federal agencies were involved in the planning and have since been involved in the training program. The program stresses the practical approach with a variety of field work and related classroom work. Classroom work covers all problems involved in animal damage control. The program is still in the innovative stage, but it seems to be fulfilling a need.

Pheromones In Small Rodents And Their Potential Use In Pest Control, Erik Christiansen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The paper reviews social interactions in small rodents in which pheromones have been reported to play a part. Some of the chemical messengers involved may have a potential use in control of rodent pests. Research in this field should be encouraged, because alternatives to the current control methods are highly desirable.

Experimental Use Of Sodium Cyanide Spring-Loaded Ejector Mechanism For Coyote Control In California, Jerry P. Clark

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under authority of the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act, as amended, granted the California Department of Food and Agriculture an experimental permit to obtain data to support registration of sodium cyanide as a predacide. The program was implemented by the Tehama County Department of Agriculture. The experimental permit provided for use of not more than 300 sodium cyanide spring-loaded ejector mechanisms (SCSLEM) and 1,800 sodium cyanide capsules. The permit was issued April 1, 1974 and expired June 1, 1975.

The program objectives were to: (l) measure the usefulness of the SCSLEM as a method …

Conference Participants

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The Seventh Vertebrate Pest Conference drew a registered attendance of 278, with an estimated additional 50-75 persons who attended portions of the conference but did not register. As in past conferences, the attendance was made up of individuals having varying interests in vertebrate pest control problems from thirty-six states plus the District of Columbia. Participants from Canada, Denmark, Egypt, England, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan and West Germany contributed greatly to the success of the conference and provided further exchange of information on an international level.

Deer And Reforestation In The Pacific Northwest, Glenn L. Crouch

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Deer and reforestation interact mainly during regeneration after wildfire or logging. In interior forests, browsing by mule deer often damages conifer seedlings planted on winter or transitional ranges. In the Douglas-fir region, numbers of black-tailed deer increase dramatically after forests are logged or burned, in response to improved forage supplies. Here, browsing on planted stock in clearcuts lowers forest productivity by reducing growth rates and occasionally contributes to plantation failures. Browsing damage can be controlled by fences or cages, but costs are prohibitive. Amelioration of damage by black-tailed deer could be achieved through long-range planning for concurrent deer and timber …

Management Of Pine Voles, David E. Davis

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The pine vole (Microtus pinetorum) damages apple trees in western North Carolina, sometimes spectacularly. The current research monitors populations in orchards for several years to compare damage in different management practices. Recommendations for orchard management to reduce damage are devised and used to illustrate the process of application of basic knowledge. Populations of voles were monitored by 3 simple methods. Data on reproduction were obtained. Data on home range and mortality were found in the literature. In two counties, the orchards generally had grass in the alleys and sometimes a growth of weeds under the tree canopy. In …

Modeling As A Management Tool For Assessing The Impact Of Blackbird Control Measures, Richard A. Dolbeer, Charles R. Ingram, John L. Seubert

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Attempts to reduce blackbird numbers by spraying roosts have created considerable controversy. Opinions and suppositions fuel this controversy; yet, until now, decision makers have had no quantitative tools to predict the impacts of population reduction or to aid in formulating management strategies. To improve the predictive ability, we have synthesized data on red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) populations into a computerized system, BIRDS (Blackbird Information Retrieval and Data System). Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), cowbirds (Molothrus ater), and starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) will be added to the system later. BIRDS is designed to estimate the number …

Evaluation Of Urban Rodent Infestations—An Approach In Nepal, Stephen C. Frantz, John P. Comings

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Studies in urban areas have shown that food and shelter are primary environmental factors regulating rodent population growth. These supportive resources can be modified to reduce urban rodent damage; however, widespread adoption of environmental control techniques will require a thorough understanding of rodent-man interrelationships. This study was concerned with what factors should be monitored for making rational ecological decisions on the necessity of rodent management, establishment of priorities, choice of appropriate strategies and evaluation of effectiveness. Guidelines are given for comprehensive monitoring of habitats (social, structural and sanitary factors) and rodent populations (habitat requirements, growth characteristics and zoonosis potential).

Frontmatter And Contents

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

PROCEEDINGS SEVENTH VERTEBRATE PEST CONFERENCE

Vampire Bat Control Programs In Latin America, Rodrigo Gonzalez, G. Clay Mitchell

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Studies in Mexico in 1972 showed that diphacinone (Diphenadione)¹ (2-diphenylacetyl-1, 3-indandione) was effective in reducing both vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) populations and the incidence of bat-transmitted rabies in cattle. Two highly selective methods were developed: treating cattle systemically and treating vampire bats topically. Since 1972, Denver Wildlife Research Center personnel have assisted Latin American Ministries of Agriculture in developing control campaigns. Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Venezuela, and Nicaragua have either undertaken or are considering operational vampire bat control programs.

The Role Of The Pest Control Advisor In Vertebrate Pest Control, James T. Hallett

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

California State legislation as passed in 1971 established the Agricultural Pest Control Advisors Licensing program with the intent of providing agriculture with competent and professional personnel who make pest control recommendations. Today, nearly 4,000 advisors are licensed in California and approximately 1350 are licensed vertebrate pest control advisors. Recent amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act will add new responsibilities to the advisor by requiring certification of both private and commercial applicators throughout the U.S. beginning in 1977. More than one-half of the vertebrate pest control advisors are employed in agrichemical sales while the remainder are employed by …

Hazards To Wildlife Associated With Underground Strychnine Baiting For Pocket Gophers, Paul L. Hegdal, Thomas A. Gatz

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Under an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contract, we evaluated the hazards associated with strychnine baiting for pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius) with the burrow-builder. On the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota, we treated 662 ha (1638 acres) with 0.5 percent strychnine-treated bait. Treated fields were scattered throughout 10 sections. Control was effective--data from pocket gopher activity plots showed 87.5 ± 5.9 percent reductions in activity. Populations of other small rodents (while quite low) significantly declined on the treated area, but significantly increased on the control area. To measure secondary effects we equipped 36 raptors and 36 mammalian predators with …

A Philosophy Of Vertebrate Pest Control, Walter E. Howard

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Vertebrate pest problems are foremost economic, political and social rather than biological anomalies. Students are often turned away from vertebrate control, which is applied ecology, by professors who know only theory and do not understand the ecology of man-modified environments. Applied ecologists seeking alternative methods of vertebrate control benefit environment far more than the negative, anti-control approach based on half-truths that are used for self-serving purposes by many protectionist organizations and government leaders in CEQ, EPA and USDI. A healthy ethic, with deep ecological conscience, would be to appreciate the glory of death in nature, for death means life to …

Closing Remarks—Seventh Vertebrate Pest Conference, Walter E. Howard

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

On behalf of the Council of the Vertebrate Pest Conference, I thank you all for your very apparent interest in the papers and your cooperation in making the Conference a success. The sophistication of vertebrate pest-control methods has come a long way since our first Conference, in 1962. Our outgoing Chairman, Mr. Charles C. Siebe, has acknowledged the fine contributions to this Conference made by so many, including personnel from the County Agricultural Commissioner Offices in California. And we now acknowledge Charlie's fine leadership for the past two years in this organization, known as the "Vertebrate Pest Conference."

Food Preferences And Food Location By Pocket Gophers In Idaho, Kenneth E. Hungerford

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides) in environmental systems adapted readily to laboratory conditions. The laboratory equipment is described in this paper. Results are reported, including data on food consumption as it varies with the activity patterns of the gopher and the variation between individual gophers. One gopher used an average of 52 g of food per day for a 131-day period, but during an extremely active 17-day period, the gopher consumed approximately its own weight in food each day (75 g).

The experimental setup is described for food location experiments and results indicate that gophers locate their food primarily …

Avoidance Of Prey By Captive Coyotes Punished With Electric Shock, Samuel B. Linhart, Jerry D. Roberts, Stephen A. Schumake, Richard Johnson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Four individually penned coyotes (Canis latrans) that had learned to kill live domestic rabbits for food were presented with one black and one white rabbit during daily 1-hour sessions and punished by a brief, severe shock from a high-voltage collar each time they attacked the black rabbit. One coyote did not learn the color association; after three shocks; it refused to kill either rabbit for 10 days but killed both indiscriminately when retested 4 weeks later. The other three coyotes learned to avoid black rabbits after only three to five shocks and, when repeatedly retested without shock at …

Local Program Of Bird Damage Control In Salinas Valley, David R. Little

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

On behalf of the Monterey County Grape Growers Association, I wish to thank you for inviting us here and giving us a chance to tell the world, so to speak, about our local program of bird control: how we got there, where we are, and where we want to go. First, let me give you a little history of the grape industry in our county.