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How Do Non-Formal Environmental Education Experiences Shape Pro-Environmental Behavior, Megan Petsch

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This paper attempts to define what behaviors are, what motivates behavior, and how environmental education programs can shape pro-environmental behavior using three factors: social interaction, program structure, and various teaching methods. Data was gathered using a systematic literature review that looked at the purpose and objectives of the paper, methods used for collecting data such as demographics (age, race, gender, location, etc.), the papers focused areas of research, and results. A thematic analysis was also used to code collected data into the themes. The themes that emerged while analyzing the data include social interactions, program structure, and teaching methods. Results …

Biogeography Of Endemic Dragonflies Of The Ozark-Ouachita Interior Highlands, Wade Alexander Boys

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

A common pattern across many taxonomic groups is that relatively few species are widespread while the majority are restricted in their geographic ranges. Such species distributions are used to inform conservation status, which poses unique challenges for rare or cryptic species. Further, priority status is often designated within geopolitical boundaries, which may include only a portion of a species range. This, coupled with lack of distributional data, has resulted in species being designated as apparently rare throughout some portions of their range, which may not accurately reflect their overall conservation need. The Interior Highlands region of the central United States …

Analysis And Conservation Of Native Forests At Kessler Mountain Fayetteville, Arkansas, Alan James Edmondson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Kessler Mountain in Fayetteville Arkansas has long been recognized for its beauty and natural resources. Parts of Kessler Mountain have been homesteaded and developed in the past, but most of the mountain has remained relatively undisturbed. The planned development of over 4,000 housing units to cover Kessler Mountain stimulated controversy and consideration of other management alternatives. A twist of fate involving an economic recession, a dedicated group of outdoor recreation enthusiasts, and environmental conservationists led to the permanent protection of 384 acres in the Kessler Mountain Regional Park. To help evaluate the natural resources at Kessler Mountain, forest composition, structure, …

Is Wind Energy A Better Option For The University Of Richmond?, Steven Yu

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

The purpose of this assignment is to answer the question of: Is Wind Energy the Better Option for the University of Richmond? This question is more than simply if wind power will supply the campus the greatest amount of energy, but also looks at the educational, social, environmental and political benefits that would also be associated with it. In order to understand the feasibility of wind power on the University of Richmond campus, I looked at factors such as: energy production from wind turbines, past wind patterns in Richmond, VA, impacts to the environment. This is only one part of …

Hydropower As A Feasible Option Of The University Of Richmond, Gershom Ejoni

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

As the University of Richmond moves forward in achieving its sustainability goals, it made a decision to invest into a solar array in Spotsylvania, VA in order to offset their energy consumption with renewable energy. However, this solar array has been controversial for many of the residents in Spotsylvania. My senior seminar class has tasked itself with investigating all aspects of the University’s decision to partner with sPower. This paper will analyze the potential alternative energy sources that the University can possible consider, in particular, hydropower; thereby, determining if hydropower is a potential viable option the University of Richmond can …

The Most Environmentally Beneficial Option: An Analysis On Spower’S Solar Project In Relation To The Endangered Species Act, Victoria Williams

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

Today, the current impacts of high greenhouse gas emissions due to energy production have been widely discussed in scholarly literature. In 2018, the University of Richmond (UR) announced a goal to match 100% of the campus' electricity demand with solar energy to decrease its carbon footprint. UR partnered with sPower to construct a 500-megawatt solar array in which UR will receive the 20-megawatts worth of energy from the site in Spotsylvania, Virginia. sPower’s solar project engendered various environmental concerns surrounding Fawn Lake and the endangered species found in the proximity of the project. Acknowledging the environmental concerns, the objective of …

Natural Gas: Analyzing The Relationship Between The University Of Richmond's Corporate Social Responsibility And Natural Gas As An Alternative Energy Source, Sophia M. Tailor

Environmental Studies Senior Seminar Projects

On April 9, 2019, the Spotsylvania County Board of Supervisors approved a permit to begin construction on a 500 megawatt solar array managed by Sustainable Power Group (sPower) in Spotsylvania County, Virginia. A roughly $615 million project, sPower’s solar array will cover almost 6,300 acres of Spotsylvania County and is set to be the largest such project east of the Rocky Mountains (Shenk, 2019). Alongside big players such as Microsoft and Etsy, the University of Richmond also has a stake in the project. 20 MW of the Spotsylvania solar array will be designated for the University of Richmond and is …

Assessing The Roles Of Seabird Harvest And Non-Native Rats On Grenadine Seabird Nesting Performance, Wayne Anthoony Smart

Student Theses and Dissertations

Seabird populations are declining worldwide. Two major causes of decline are non-native predators and seabird (indirect or direct) overexploitation; these have been suspected but not assessed in the Caribbean region, including in the southern Grenadine islands. Using cameras, questionnaire surveys, and nest monitoring, I explored the potential of invasive predator presence and seabird harvest in affecting nesting productivity of five species in five uninhabited islands during 2014–2017. Overall, nesting productivity increased (n = 567 nests) despite the confirmed presence of non-native rats. However, my survey of Grenada residents (n = 32 responses) and physical evidence found on the islands (e.g., …

Controlling An Invasive Forest Pest, The Asiatic Oak Weevil (Cyrtepistomus Castaneus), Using Prescribed Fire, Nicole J. Hayes-Wolff, Laura Bhatti-Catano

Undergraduate Research Symposium

Invasive species are non-native species whose presence is already or is likely to cause harm to the local ecosystem or economy, or human, animal, and plant health (Beck et al, 2006, p.415). The invasive Asiatic oak weevil is the primary leaf-feeding insect on oak trees in the Missouri Ozarks with larvae feeding on the roots of trees and the adults on the leaves (Marquis and Bhatti-Catano, 2017). The goal of this study was to determine if prescribed burns lower the abundance of adult and larval weevils. Eight pairs of 200 m x 200 m plots in the oak-hickory forest at …

Resistivity Arrays As An Early Warning System For Monitoring Runoff Holding Ponds, Bryan L. Woodbury, Roger A. Eigenberg, Trenton E. Franz

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Monitoring wells are installed to intercept contaminants inadvertently discharged from inground structures designed to retain salt-affected wastewaters; however, several difficulties with collection and data interpretation limit their effectiveness. Therefore, improved monitoring methods are needed. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of resistivity array technology as an early warning system to monitor for unintended basin discharge. Subsurface resistivity arrays were installed at two Nebraska sites: a beef cattle feedyard located at the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, Nebraska (FyA) and a commercial cattle feeding operation (FyB). Monitoring well data did not identify any unintended discharge …

Factors Influencing Ranchers’ Intentions To Manage For Vegetation Heterogeneity And Promote Cross-Boundary Management In The Northern Great Plains, Maggi S. Sliwinski, Mark E. Burbach, Larkin A. Powell, Walter H. Schacht

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Most private grasslands in the Great Plains are managed with the goal to optimize beef production, which tends to homogenize rangeland habitats. The subsequent loss of vegetation heterogeneity on private lands is detrimental to ecosystem function. However, conservation planners should understand the factors that lead to variation in management of rangelands. We used a mail survey targeted to ranchers in counties with intact rangeland in North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska in 2016 to examine factors predicted to be related to attitudes about strategies leading to heterogeneity such as innovativeness and low risk aversion, and intended behaviors associated with creation …

Sdstate Sustainability Newsletter: Vol 3. Issue 5, Jennifer Mclaughlin

SD State Sustainability Newsletter

Content:

Don't Dump! Donate! Starts April 30th
Present at UMACS Sustainability Conference
Brookings Earth Day 2019 Events

Using Macroinvertebrates To Test The Water Quality Of Lake Nacogdoches, Emily Ivester, Hollyn Grizzaffi, Nicklaus Langlois, Augusto Conde De Frankenberg

Undergraduate Research Conference

The target of this assessment was to conduct a water quality test on Lake Nacogdoches in Nacogdoches TX. Lake Nacogdoches is operated by the city of Nacogdoches for municipal water supply and recreation. One of the tests that we ran to determine water quality was a macroinvertebrates test. To do this, we kicked up substrate to expose the organisms burrowed deep in the soil and caught them in a d-frame kick net. We then used our macroinvertebrate key to identify the organism and find the level of biodiversity in the lake. This test is essential because biodiversity affects climate stability, …

La Gota Que Colma La Caguama: Cummulative Tensions Transformed Into The Defense Of Water, Anthony J. Meluso

Geography ETDs

Making water management decisions is often where dreams and visions about potential futures are constructed and contested (Swengedouw 2015). However, in a globalized world, it is not well understood how people can challenge dominant paradigms to shape desirable futures when they are also complicit in, and dependent on existing structures (Arts & Buizer 2009; Emery, Perks, & Bracken 2013: Kleinschmit, Böcher, & Giessen 2009). This project examines a brewery conflict in the Mexicali Valley that provides an example of how protesters were able to challenge dominant assumptions about water management in a complex, globalized environment. I draw on Laclau’s (2005) …

Growth, Condition, And Trophic Relations Of Stocked Trout In Southern Appalachian Mountain Streams, Jesse R. Fischer, Thomas J. Kwak, H. Jared Flowers, W. Gregory Cope, Jacob M. Rash, Douglas A. Besler

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Stream trout fisheries are among the most popular and valuable in the United States, but many are dependent on hatcheries to sustain fishing and harvest. Thus, understanding the ecology of hatchery‐reared trout stocked in natural environments is fundamental to management. We evaluated the growth, condition, and trophic relations of Brook Trout Salvelinus fontinalis, Brown Trout Salmo trutta, and Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss that were stocked in southern Appalachian Mountain streams in western North Carolina. Stocked and wild (naturalized) trout were sampled over time (monthly; September 2012–June 2013) to compare condition and diet composition and to evaluate temporal dynamics of trophic …

Fostering University Collaboration And Building Capacity To Respond To Coastal Resilience Challenges In Virginia: Findings From The Rotating Resilience Roundtables Workshop Spring 2019, Wie Yusuf, Michelle Covi, Anamaria Bukvic, Tom Allen, Taiwo Oguntuyo

Presentations, Lectures, Posters, Reports

[from Background and Overview]

Communities in coastal Virginia, particularly in the urban region of Hampton Roads and the rural Eastern Shore peninsula, are experiencing the impacts of climate change as part of everyday life. Among the most apparent impacts are sea level rise and associated flooding, but increasingly residents of the region are observing changing ecosystems, health impacts and complex social challenges are made more difficult. The region is experiencing the fastest rate of relative sea level rise on the U.S. east coast due to interactions between ocean currents, global sea level rise, high-water tables and ground subsidence (Adapt Virginia …

Vaquita Face Extinction From Bycatch. Comment On Manjarrez-Bringas, N. Et Al., Lessons For Sustainable Development: Marine Mammal Conservation Policies And Its Social And Economic Effects., Karl W. Flessa, Luis Calderon-Aguilera, Carlos E. Cintra-Buenrostro, David L. Dettman, Gregory P. Dietl, David H. Goodwin, David K. Jacobs, Michal Kowalewski, Steven M. Nelson, Kirsten Rowell, Bernard R. Schone, Jansen A. Smith, Francisco Zamora-Arroyo

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We are among the scientists who have documented the environmental and ecological changes to the Upper Gulf of California following the reduction in the Colorado River’s flow. We object to any suggestion that our research supports Manjarrez-Bringas et al.’s conclusion that the decline in the Colorado River’s flow is the reason for the decline in the population of the endangered vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus). Manjarrez-Bringas et al.’s conclusions are incongruent with their own data, their logic is untenable, their analyses fail to consider current illegal fishing practices, and their recommendations are unjustified and misdirected. Vaquita face extinction because of bycatch, …

Tuskless Elephants, Hailey Johnson

KUCC -- Kutztown University Composition Conference

This paper explores my interest in elephant poaching, including the new identification of tuskless elephants. It goes through the story of how I personally discovered fascination for the topic of elephant poaching and what questions came from thinking of that topic. This was an assignment for one of my classes, thus, reference is made to said assignment and further assignments in it.

Board Invited Review: Prospects For Improving Management Of Animal Disease Introductions Using Disease-Dynamic Models, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Management and policy decisions are continually made to mitigate disease introductions in animal populations despite often limited surveillance data or knowledge of disease transmission processes. Science-based management is broadly recognized as leading to more effective decisions yet application of models to actively guide disease surveillance and mitigate risks remains limited. Disease-dynamic models are an efficient method of providing information for management decisions because of their ability to integrate and evaluate multiple, complex processes simultaneously while accounting for uncertainty common in animal diseases. Here we review disease introduction pathways and transmission processes crucial for informing disease management and models at the …

A Mixed-Methods Approach To Determine How Conservation Management Programs And Techniques Have Affected Herbicide Use And Distribution In The Environment Over Time, Melanie Malone, Eugene Foster

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

No-till agriculture has the ability to reduce fuel consumption, increase soil moisture, reduce soil erosion and increase organic matter. However, it remains unclear whether it increases herbicide use overall in the long term for communities that use no-till as their primary source of conservation agriculture. The preponderance of literature suggests that no-till has increased herbicide use, but it is difficult to quantify how much herbicide has increased in a given location and to directly correlate changes in herbicide use to changes in soil and water quality. This paper provides several methods to determine how herbicide use has changed over time …

Building A Better Batture: A Regional Recreational Enhancement Around The Morganza To The Gulf Levee, Taylor N. Fehmel

LSU Master's Theses

Twenty-five years ago, the existing flood protection levees along the Louisiana coastline were removed and construction was started by Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District on a new project called ‘Morganza to the Gulf’ or MTG. This project was undertaken to construct a new flood protection levee system around Louisiana in the communities in Terrebonne and Lafourche Parish. The MTG Levee is one of the first coastal projects in Louisiana to incorporate a risk-based analysis for a double levee system containing both local parish drainage levees and future storm surge levees of MTG. It was designed to protect approximately 250,000 people …

Contrasting Local And Long-Range-Transported Warm Ice-Nucleating Particles During An Atmospheric River In Coastal California, Usa, Andrew C. Martin, Gavin Cornwell, Charlotte M. Beal, Forest Cannon, Sean Reilly, Bas Schaap, Dolan Lucero, Jessie Creamean, F. Martin Ralph, Hari T. Mix, Kimberly Prather

Environmental Studies and Sciences

Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) have been found to influence the amount, phase and efficiency of precipitation from winter storms, including atmospheric rivers.Warm INPs, those that initiate freezing at temperatures warmer than -10°C, are thought to be particularly impactful because they can create primary ice in mixed-phase clouds, enhancing precipitation efficiency. The dominant sources of warm INPs during atmospheric rivers, the role of meteorology in modulating transport and injection of warm INPs into atmospheric river clouds, and the impact of warm INPs on mixed-phase cloud properties are not well-understood. In this case study, time-resolved precipitation samples were collected during an atmospheric river …

Analysis Of 2017 Multi-Agency Field Campaign Data For Wintertime Surface Pollution In The Cache Valley Of Utah, Gerardo Diaz Jr.

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Atmospheric motions resulting from rising airborne parcels help to scatter emissions, including PM, away from their sources, decreasing local pollution levels. However this pattern shifts during the wintertime, as cold air damming and inversion layers create stable conditions that limit the vertical transport of air masses. Both point and area sources of emissions currently dot the western United States and are responsible for the production of the vast majority of agricultural pollution in the region. At the same time, population-growth has resulted in an ever-increasing amount of urbansource emissions. The entrapment of PM, which are produced when a wide array …

Geospatial Applications For Identifying Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (Cafos) And Impaired Streams In California, Jennifer B. Alford, Jocelyn Perez

Geography and Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

The objective of this study is to identify and spatially illustrate the location of Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations in California, their proximity to impaired surface waters listed on the US Environmental Protection Agencies (EPAs) 303(d) list and communities defined as “Pollution Burden” (i.e. affected by and vulnerable to multiple pollution sources) by the CA Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) CalEnviroScreen tool.

Guided Alligator Tours Or Raccoon Schooling (Gators), Paul List

Senior Theses

In my two main internships during college, I worked closely with two very different animals: raccoons and alligators. Additionally, I gained experience in presenting educational programs during my internship at Fripp Island, where my most common program was our Gator Walk. For my thesis project, I built upon my experience in interpretive programming, drawing on my experience with alligators and raccoons to develop a unique educational program to present at Congaree National Park. This report will describe the process of developing this program as well as it’s implementation and outcomes. In addition, it includes a review of scholarly literature on …

El Esfuerzo Para Establecer La Reserva Wilapewen: Las Motivaciones Y Impedimentos De Establecer Una Reserva Ecológica En La Comuna De Curarrehue, Alexandra K. Black

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines a budding effort to establish an ecological reservation in the commune of Curarrehue, in the south-central Chilean region of the Araucanía. The study looks to explain the nature of the project, elaborating on the local context from which it originates. Engaging with modern theory on the current state of wilderness conservation in Chile, this study examines the effort to establish this reserve through a theoretical lens of wilderness conservation executed with local culture and current human physical impact in mind. Underneath this theory, the study uncovers and develops the motivations behind this effort to establish a reserve …

Mammals Of The Northern Andes: An Analysis Of Camera Trap Data And Observation In Angochagua, Ecuador, Risa Berman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The high Andes of Ecuador are home to a diverse community of mammals, many of which are threatened. These include the Andean bear, Andean fox, puma, and mountain tapir. This study used camera traps, direct observation, and indirect observation over three weeks to monitor the wildlife in the mountains of the Parroquia of Angochagua. The five species observed during this period were Andean bear, Andean fox, dog, mountain paca, and mouse. While this short study did not completely survey the mammalian community of the area, it confirmed the presence, diet, sociality, temporal habits, elevational range, and habitat preferences of the …

Trends In Nectar Production And Concentration Of Hummingbird-Pollinated Flowers: An Investigation Of Three Flowers Of The Ecuadorian Cloud Forest: Palicourea Demissa, Mezobromelia Capituligera, And Kohleria Affinis, Grace Palmer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Nectar concentration and sugar production both impact and are impacted by pollinator activity through a complex system of coevolution. Additionally, a variety of morphological and environmental factors influence the nectar properties of animal-pollinated flowering plants. Nectar concentration and nectar production rate (NPR) of three hummingbird-pollinated plants, Palicourea demissa, Mezobromelia capituligera, and Kohleria affinis, were measured. These flowers occur and were studied in the southern section of the Chocó-Andean subtropical montane rainforest, in the Pichincha province of Ecuador. Flowers were bagged for 24 hours and sampled at approximate two-hour time intervals for 12 or 24 hours. Nectar concentration and sugar production …

Beach Composition Preferences For Nesting Populations Of Leatherback Sea Turtles (Dermochelys Coriacea), Armila Beach, Guna Yala Comarca, Scott Campbell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Sea turtles play a critical role in marine ecosystems all over the world, including the Caribbean Sea. However, many sea turtle species are under threat due to anthropogenic impacts, such as habitat destruction and fisheries bycatch. This has caused significant declines in sea turtle populations around the world, which in turn has impacted marine ecosystems where sea turtles play critical roles in proper ecosystem functioning. A crucial part of the sea turtle life cycle that has been threatened by anthropogenic factors is nesting. Sea turtles rely on unspoiled beaches with particular physical characteristics for laying their eggs. One of the …

Avian Upsloping In The Tropics: Myioborus Miniatus And Myioborus Torquatus Abundance In Different Altitudinal Ranges In Boquete, Chiriquí, Panama, Julie Yoon

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Direct and indirect effects of warming global temperatures due to climate change are known to cause upwards shifts of the altitudinal ranges of some avian species. Most susceptible to this trend and at risk of riding the “escalator to extinction” are endemic species in tropical montane cloud forests, such as Myioborus torquatus. There are abiotic factors, like temperature, and biotic interactions, such as the presence of its altitudinal neighbor Myioborus miniatus, that limit the altitudinal range of this bird species in the Neotropics. This study measured abundance of M. miniatus and M. torquatus populations at different altitudinal ranges by point …