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The Fierce Green Fire: Vol. 11 Issue 4, Wofford College. Department Of Environmental Studies

The Fierce Green Fire

No abstract provided.

The Bluff River Trail: A Community Land Ethic, Kelly F. Davis

Language, Literacy, and Sociocultural Studies ETDs

The Bluff River Trail (BRT) is a future 10+ mile trail along the San Juan River corridor in the 4-Corners region of the Southwestern United States. By asking, what is the land ethic of the Bluff Community? this qualitative study identifies behaviors and beliefs, or land ethics, between seven Bluff residents and the San Juan River corridor. A land ethic contributes to the social re/production of space; therefore, third space theory contextualizes intersecting and contradicting spatialities evidenced in data. Data collection consisted of semi-structured interviews, questionnaires and focus groups. I used a qualitative content analysis pulling from grounded theory to …

Comparison Of The Effectiveness Of Disinfectant-Impregnated Wipes Versus Detergent Wipes For Surface Decontamination, Jacob Amadin

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Over time, there is an increased need to adopt more advanced and effective ways of disinfection. The emergence of the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic reminded the world on the importance of disinfection. Disinfection has been a routine in the healthcare setting. However, with the current pandemic problem, it is more prominently and persistently done in the domestic setting and other business settings beyond healthcare. As such, the use of most disinfectants and detergent wipes to achieve a near sanitized environment has become a common practice around the globe. This research presents the efficacy of disinfectant impregnated versus detergents wipes through comparison. …

First Description Of Deep Benthic Habitats And Communities Of Oceanic Islands And Seamounts Of The Nazca Desventuradas Marine Park, Chile, Jan M. Tapia-Guerra, Ariadna Mecho, Erin E. Easton, María De Los Ángeles Gallardo, Matthias Gorny, Javier Sellanes

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Seamounts and oceanic islands of the Chilean Exclusive Economic Zone at the intersection of the Nazca and Salas y Gómez ridges lie within one of the least explored areas in the world. The sparse information available, mainly for seamounts outside Chilean jurisdiction and shallow-water fauna of the Desventuradas Islands, suggests that the area is a hotspot of endemism. This apparent uniqueness of the fauna motivated the creation of the large Nazca-Desventuradas Marine Park (NDMP, ~ 300,000 km2) around the small islands San Felix and San Ambrosio in 2015. We report for the first time a detailed description of benthic microhabitats …

The Little Things That Count: Mapping Diversity Of West Florida’S Shelf, Nicole L. Seiden

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is essential to the ecosystem functions responsible for generating the multi-billion-dollar industries that the US relies on for food, storm mitigation, tourism and recreation, but is facing increasing natural and anthropogenic threats. High-resolution diversity data covering large spatial areas would enhance current ecology knowledge and better address conservation concerns in the Gulf of Mexico. However, acquiring and handling data of this nature is resource intensive and has not yet been established. In this study, high spatial resolution data was collected from gastropod living and death assemblages collected over 10 years from the West Florida Shelf (WFS). A multivariate regression …

Distribution And Trends Of Endemic Hawaiian Waterbirds, Eben H. Paxton, Kevin Brinck, Adonia Henry, Afsheen Siddiqi, Rachel Rounds, Jennifer Chutz

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Four endemic species of wetland-dependent waterbirds occur on the main Hawaiian Islands, all of which have experienced sharp population declines and are listed as endangered species. Twice per year, state-wide surveys are conducted to count waterbirds, but these surveys are evaluated only infrequently. We used a state-space approach to evaluate long-term (1986–2016) and short-term (2006–2016) trends and current distribution and abundance of endemic Hawaiian waterbirds. The most numerous species was the Ae‘o, or Hawaiian Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus knudseni), with a 5-year estimated average abundance of 1,932 individuals, followed by ‘Alae Ke‘oke‘o, or Hawaiian Coot (Fulica alai), …

Growing Biodiverse Urban Futures: Renaturalization And Rewilding As Strategies To Strengthen Urban Resilience, Steffen Lehmann

Architecture Faculty Research

How are our cities using nature-based solutions to confront the challenges posed by a warming climate, the loss of biodiversity and major resource depletion? This article discusses the opportunities and benefits of applying the concepts of regreening and rewilding of cities. The article engages with key sources and summarizes the background and development of regreening and nature-based solutions and important policies, concerns and perspectives of international and national organizations. It introduces the integration of nature-based solutions (NBS) as a strategy in urban planning with the aim to strengthen urban resilience and to slow down the biodiversity decline. Rewilding areas in …

Influence Of Microbial Priming And Seeding Depth On Germination And Growth Of Native Wildflowers, Daniela Barrera, Juan Luera, Kaitlynn Lavallee, Pushpa Soti

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Using native wildflowers for restoring marginal lands has gained considerable popularity. Establishment of wildflowers can be challenging due to several environmental factors. Restoring the microbial community in degraded habitats can potentially result in the native plant performance and habitat restoration. This study was conducted to investigate the impact of native soil microbes and seeding depth on germination of south Texas native wildflowers. Two wildflower species, Ratibida columnifera (Nutt.) (Mexican Hat) and Verbesina encelioides (Cav.) (cowpen daisy), were treated with microbial wash extracted from native soils, and germination rate was recorded for 14-day period. We further analyzed the growth, biomass …

Arid Zone Rangeland Pastures And Fire, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Fire is integral to many ecosystems in the Western Australian rangelands. Rangeland fires affect more than just pastoralists and the businesses they run: these fires affect community safety and health, regional economies, societal and cultural values of landscape, biodiversity and tourism.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development provides this information to support pastoral managers making decisions about sustainable resource use.

Spinifex Rangeland Pastures And Fire In Western Australia, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Natural resources factsheets

Fire is integral to many ecosystems in the Western Australian rangelands. Rangeland fires affect more than just pastoralists and the businesses they run: these fires affect community safety and health, regional economies, societal and cultural values of landscape, biodiversity and tourism.

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development provides this information to support pastoral managers making decisions about sustainable resource use.

Resource Assessment Report Abrolhos Islands And Mid-West Trawl Managed Fishery Resource, Mervi Kangas, A Chandrapavan, Anne Wilkins, E. A. Fisher, S. Evans

WA Marine Stewardship Council report series

This document provides a cumulative description and assessment of the Abrolhos Islands and Mid-West Trawl Managed Fishery (AIMWTMF) and all of the fishing activities (i.e. fisheries / fishing sectors) affecting this resource in Western Australia (WA). This resource comprises of a single species of scallop, Ylistrum balloti which occurs in inshore waters to around 40 m depth at the Abrolhos Islands. This species is captured exclusively by demersal otter trawl gear in the West Coast Bioregion.

Sars-Cov-2 Exposure In Escaped Mink, Utah, Usa, Susan A. Shriner, Jeremy W. Ellis, J. Jeffrey Root, Annette Roug, Scott R. Stopak, Gerald W. Wiscomb, Jared R. Zierenberg, Hon S. Ip, Mia Kim Torchetti, Thomas J. Deliberto

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In August 2020, outbreaks of coronavirus disease were confirmed on mink farms in Utah, USA. We surveyed mammals captured on and around farms for evidence of infection or exposure. Free-ranging mink, presumed domestic escapees, exhibited high antibody titers, suggesting a potential severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 transmission pathway to native wildlife.

We report a wildlife epidemiologic investigation of mammals captured on or near properties in Utah, USA, where outbreaks of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection occurred in farmed mink. Mink farms are relatively common in the United States, and most are small family farms. The US …

Solutions Human Centered Approach To Conservation, Illustration Department, History, Philosophy, + The Social Sciences Department

Illustration Course Work & Materials

"These essays were were written and illustrated by students at the Rhode Island school of Design in February, 2021. Their perspectives are entirely personal and reflect their efforts within a 5.5-week fused studio/seminar course that was centered on the Sixth Mass Extinction and how biodiversity is changing because of humans. Discovering that science communication is more than delivering just the facts, students were invited to research a topic of personal interest that is relevant to human impacts on biodiversity. Through analysis of data and other scientific information, each sought to synthesize their research and opinions on their topic through a …

Fluid Dynamics Modeling For Per- And Polyfluoroalkyl Substances Removal In Legacy Fire Suppression Systems, Jacob G. Spaulding

Theses and Dissertations

Legacy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) exist in the form of aqueous film-forming foams within hangar fire suppression systems throughout the country, posing a threat to both surrounding environments as well as local populations. The United States (US) Department of Defense (DoD), in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), is investigating best practices to flush out existing contaminants prior to disposal and replacement with a less environmentally harmful replacement. While current procedures dictate a triple rinse of the entire system to yield contaminant levels acceptable to the DoD, the practice has never truly been tested. Designed as a …

Toxicity Of Sodium Nitrite-Based Vertebrate Pesticides For European Starlings (Sturnus Vulgaris), Scott J. Werner, Shelagh T. Deliberto, Hailey E. Mclean, Katherine E. Horak, Kirt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the 21st century, invasive animals rank second only to habitat destruction as the greatest threat to global biodiversity. Socially-acceptable and cost-effective strategies are needed to reduce the negative economic and environmental impacts of invasive animals. We investigated the potential for sodium nitrite (SN; CAS 7632-00-0) to serve as an avian toxicant for European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris L.). We also assessed the non-target hazard of an experimental formulation of SN that is being developed as a toxicant for invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa L.). In gavage experiments with European starlings, we identified a lowest observed adverse effect level …

Avian Visual Ecologists Should Consider Uv Absorbance And All Sensory Modalities: A Response To Wisenden Et Al. (2020), Sean T. O'Daniels, Scott J. Werner, Ken Yasukawa

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In a recent publication, Wisenden et al. (2020) examined responses of territorial male Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to models constructed with ultraviolet (UV)-reflective red epaulets for the purpose of determining if the addition of UV reflectance to epaulets ("UV+") changed the effectiveness of signals to receivers relative to "control" epaulets under field conditions. The authors hypothesized that "UV+epaulet coloration represents a visual signal with increased efficacy in territorial interactions." They presented behavioral data but no visual modeling data. Our aims in this commentary are to suggest alternative terms to those used by the authors, to express concern about the use …

Great Expectations: Deconstructing The Process Pathways Underlying Beaver-Related Restoration, Caroline S. Nash, Gordon E. Grant, Susan Charnley, Jason B. Dunham, Hannah Gosnell, Mark B. Hausner, David S. Pilliod, Jimmy Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Beaver-related restoration is a process-based strategy that seeks to address wide-ranging ecological objectives by reestablishing dam building in degraded stream systems. Although the beaver-related restoration has broad appeal, especially in water-limited systems, its effectiveness is not yet well documented. In this article, we present a process-expectation framework that links beaver-related restoration tactics to commonly expected outcomes by identifying the set of process pathways that must occur to achieve those expected outcomes. We explore the contingency implicit within this framework using social and biophysical data from project and research sites. This analysis reveals that outcomes are often predicated on complex process …

Soil Quality Indices As Affected By Long-Term Burning, Irrigation, Tillage, And Fertility Management, Helen C.S. Amorim, Amanda Ashworth, Kristofor R. Brye, Brian J. Wienhold, Mary C. Savin, Phillip R. Owens, Sergio Silva

Crop, Soil and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

Understanding the impacts of long-term agricultural practices on soil quality (SQ) is key for sustaining agroecosystem productivity. This study investigated conventional and no-tillage (NT), residue burning and no burning, residue level (high and low), and irrigation (irrigated and dryland) effects on soil properties, SQ, and crop yields following 16 yr of a wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)–soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] double-crop system via the Soil Management Assessment Framework (SMAF). A field experiment was conducted in the Lower Mississippi River Delta region on a silt-loam soil. Bulk density, soil organic C (SOC), total N (TN), pH, electrical conductivity (EC), …

Evaluation Of Efficient Water Reuse Technologies For Sustainable Forward Operating Bases, Kelsie L. Crouch

Theses and Dissertations

A secure water source is essential to the resiliency and readiness of military installations and contingency operation locations, especially those located in the dry climates the US military operates in today. There are multiple issues of concern when identifying water sources, such as security, cleanliness, accessibility, and sustainability. Water resources pose a potential vulnerability to mission readiness in a remote, agile environment, such as a forward operating base (FOB). Having a secure water resource helps facilitate mission readiness in the contingency environment, offering the opportunity to be more resilient and cost-effective. Current water treatment technologies present the possibility to perform …

Blackstone Communion, Anne-Catherine Schaaf

Office of Sustainability

This short story describes a spiritual connection with nature experienced by the author when walking along a trail in Blackstone Gateway Park. Blackstone Gateway Park is an urban, riverfront park in Worcester, Massachusetts. Features of the park include walking paths and an elevated boardwalk which crosses the Middle River and the surrounding wetlands.

Factors Leading To Successful Island Rodent Eradications Following Initial Failure, Araceli Samaniego, Peter Kappes, Keith Broome, Steve Cranwell, Richard Griffiths, Grant Harper, Pete Mcclelland, Russell Palmer, Gerard Rocamora, Keith Springer, David Will, Shane Siers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Island rodent eradications are increasingly conducted to eliminate the negative impacts of invasive rodents. The success rate in the tropics has been lower than in temperate regions, triggering research and reviews. Environmental factors unique to the tropics (e.g., land crabs and year-round rodent breeding) have been associated with eradication failure. Operational factors have also been important, but these have not been comprehensively assessed. The environmental and operational factors using global cases where rodent eradication initially failed and subsequent attempts occurred were compared. It was determined whether operational factors explained the initial failures, whether operational improvements explained subsequent successes, and whether …

Agricultural Data Management And Sharing: Best Practices And Case Study, Eli K. Moore, Adam Kriesberg, Steven Schroeder, Kerrie Geil, Inga Haugen, Carol Barford, Erica M. Johns, Dan Arthur, Megan Sheffield, Stephanie M. Ritchie, Carolyn Jackson, Cynthia Parr

School of Earth & Environment Departmental Research

Agricultural data are crucial to many aspects of production, commerce, and research involved in feeding the global community. However, in most agricultural research disciplines standard best practices for data management and publication do not exist. Here we propose a set of best practices in the areas of peer review, minimal dataset development, data repositories, citizen science initiatives, and support for best data management. We illustrate some of these best practices with a case study in dairy agroecosystems research. While many common, and increasingly disparate data management and publication practices are entrenched in agricultural disciplines, opportunities are readily available for promoting …

Plastic Pollution In Urban Rivers: Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Plastic Release And Transport, Charlotte Juliane Haberstroh

USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This dissertation investigates plastic release and transport in urban rivers with a focus on the driving spatial and temporal factors. Plastic is a key pollutant of this century that affects humans and the environment around the world. Rivers are a focal point of release and management, as they concentrate and accumulate plastics from urban watersheds and convey them to the world’s oceans.

This research assessed cross-sectional, longitudinal, and seasonal patterns of plastics in rivers, and evaluated the role of urban pollution and watershed hydrology. A detailed background is provided in the literature review. This work is built on two case …

Developing Ocean Negative Carbon Emission Technology To Support National Carbon Neutralization., Nianzhi Jiao

Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)

Carbon neutrality is the right means to cope with global warming. The basic approaches to achieve carbon neutralization include reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere and increasing carbon sinks or negative emissions (absorption of atmospheric CO2). As a developing country and a big emitter, China should try its best to increase carbon sinks while reducing emissions as much as possible. The ocean is the largest active carbon pool on Earth, with great potentials for carbon negative emission. We have established marine carbon sequestration theory, which has laid solid foundation for negative emission and set up the linkage between science and …

Too Little, Too Late: Congress's Attempt To Regulate Forever Chemicals Through Military Appropriations, Michael Heard Snow

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, shortened to “PFAS,” are a broad class of approximately 4,000 to 6,000 industrial chemicals characterized by a carbon chain saturated with fluorine molecules. This structure, dominated by carbon-fluorine bonds, is one of the most stable known chemical structures—and it is this stability that lies at the core of both the usefulness and the greatest issues surrounding PFAS. They are generally non-reactive except at tailored “active sites” and they never break down naturally—leading to the nickname “forever chemicals.” The persistence of their structures creates a plethora of desirable characteristics: PFAS are grease-resistant, waterproof, fireproof, stain-proof, and chemically …

From Hector Mine M7.1 To Ridgecrest M7.1 Earthquake. A Look From A 20-Year Perspective, Sergey Pulinets, Marina Tsidilina, Dimitar Ouzounov, Dmitry Davidenko

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

The paper provides a comparative analysis of precursory phenomena in the ionosphere and atmosphere for two strong earthquakes of the same magnitude M7.1 that happened in the same region (North-East from Los Angeles) within a time span of 20 years, the Hector Mine and Ridgecrest earthquakes. Regardless of the similarity of their location (South-Eastern California, near 160 km one from another), there was one essential difference: the Hector Mine earthquake happened during geomagnetically disturbed conditions (essential in the sense of ionospheric precursors identification). In contrast, the quiet geomagnetic conditions characterized the period around the time of the Ridgecrest earthquake. The …

Picking Up Where The Tmdl Leaves Off: Using The Partnership Wild And Scenic River Framework For Collaborative River Restoration, Alan R. Hunt, Meiyin Wu, Tsung-Ta David Hsu, Nancy Roberts-Lawler, Jessica T. Miller, Alessandra Rossi, Lee Lee

Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act protects less than ¼ of a percent of the United States’ river miles, focusing on free-flowing rivers of good water quality with outstandingly remarkable values for recreation, scenery, and other unique river attributes. It predates the enactment of the Clean Water Act, yet includes a clear anti-degradation principle, that pollution should be reduced and eliminated on designated rivers, in cooperation with the federal Environmental Protection Agency and state pollution control agencies. However, the federal Clean Water Act lacks a clear management framework for implementing restoration activities to reduce non-point source pollution, of which …

Decline Of Novel Ecosystems Used By Endangered Species: The Case Of Piping Plovers, Least Terns, And Aggregate Mines, Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen J. Brenner, Lauren R. Greenwalt, Mark P. Vrtiska

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Sand and gravel mining creates novel ecosystems along the Platte, Loup, and Elkhorn rivers in Nebraska, USA. Piping plovers and least terns are state and/or federally threatened and endangered species, respectively, that nest and raise young at these sites and their derivatives. Despite hosting relatively large numbers of piping plovers and least terns for decades, an important question that has largely gone unaddressed is whether the industry that has produced these novel ecosystems is stable and will continue to produce habitat consistently in the future. We evaluated how the number, size, and spatial distribution of different site types hosting different …

Multi-Source Eo For Dynamic Wetland Mapping And Monitoring In The Great Lakes Basin, Michael Battaglia, Sarah Banks, Amir Behnamian, Laura Bourgeau-Chavez

Michigan Tech Publications, Part 1

Wetland managers, citizens and government leaders are observing rapid changes in coastal wetlands and associated habitats around the Great Lakes Basin due to human activity and climate variability. SAR and optical satellite sensors offer cost effective management tools that can be used to monitor wetlands over time, covering large areas like the Great Lakes and providing information to those making management and policy decisions. In this paper we describe ongoing efforts to monitor dynamic changes in wetland vegetation, surface water extent, and water level change. Included are assessments of simulated Radarsat Constellation Mission data to determine feasibility of continued monitoring …

Environmental Drivers Of Mesophotic Echinoderm Assemblages Of The Southeastern Pacific Ocean, Ariadna Mecho, Boris Dewitte, Javier Sellanes, Simon Van Gennip, Erin E. Easton, Joao B. Gusmao

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Mesophotic ecosystems (50–400 m depth) of the southeastern Pacific have rarely been studied because of the logistical challenges in sampling across this remote zone. This study assessed how oxygen concentrations and other environmental predictors explain variation in echinoderm assemblages at these mesophotic systems, where this group is among the predominant fauna. We compiled data on echinoderm taxa at 91 sampling stations, from historical and recent surveys (between 1950 and 2019), covering a longitudinal gradient of approximately 3,700 km along with the Nazca, Salas y Gómez, and Juan Fernández ridges. Uni- and multivariate model-based tools were applied to analyze the patterns …