Digital Commons Network^™

Establishing A Framework For The Recognition Of Local Arboricultural Practitioners, Paul Yuen King Chan

Faculty of Design & Environment (THEi)

No abstract provided.

Accuracy Or Precision: Implications Of Sample Design And Methodology On Abundance Estimation, Lucas K. Kowalewski, Christopher J. Chizinski, Larkin A. Powell, Kevin L. Pope, Mark A. Pegg

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Sampling by spatially replicated counts (point-count) is an increasingly popular method of estimating population size of organisms. Challenges exist when sampling by point-count method, and it is often impractical to sample entire area of interest and impossible to detect every individual present. Ecologists encounter logistical limitations that force them to sample either few large-sample units or many small sample-units, introducing biases to sample counts. We generated a computer environment and simulated sampling scenarios to test the role of number of samples, sample unit area, number of organisms, and distribution of organisms in the estimation of population sizes using N-mixture …

A Unifying Gravity Framework For Dispersal, E. Jongejans, O. Skarpaas, M. J. Ferrari Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Strengthening The Resiliency Of Dryland Forest-Based Livelihoods In Ethiopia And South Sudan: A Review Of Literature On The Interaction Between Dryland Forests, Livelihoods And Forest Governance, Steven Lawry, Rebecca J. Mclain, Habtemariam Kassa

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Dry forests account for nearly half of the world’s tropical and subtropical forests and provide a multitude of ecological services. They contribute to hydrological cycles and livestock and wildlife provisioning; and host pollinators and wild plants. They are also important ecological zones for dryland agriculture and pastoral livelihood strategies that support hundreds of millions of people around the world. Dry forests cover large areas and their biomass stores carbon and helps mitigate climate change. Dry forests are particularly important to people in Africa. They provide wood for construction and energy, contribute to local diets with wild fruits, vegetables, nuts, edible …

Effects Of Extension Services On The Technical Efficiency Of Rice Farmers In Albay, 2014-2015, Bm Bathan

Journal of Economics, Management and Agricultural Development

Through the Farmers Information and Technology Services (FITS) program, extension services in the form of trainings and seminars, and education and communication materials were provided to rice farmers in Albay. Using farm-level input-output data covering the wet season of 2014 and the socio-economic and farm-specific characteristics of randomly sampled 30 farmer beneficiaries and 30 non-beneficiaries, a stochastic production function and technical inefficiency model were estimated. Results of the study reveal that beneficiaries have higher input utilization, yield and technical efficiency than non-beneficiaries. Furthermore, the amount of seed and fertilizer significantly and positively affects the yield of rice. In addition, the …

Phytoremediation Of Metal Contamination Using Salix (Willows), Gordon J. Kersten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Abandoned hardrock mines and the resulting Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) are a source of vast, environmental degradation that are toxic threats to plants, animals, and humans. Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are metal contaminants often found in AMD. In my mine outwash water samples, cadmium and lead concentrations were 19 and 160 times greater than concentrations in control waterways, and 300 and 40 times greater than EPA Aquatic Life Use water quality standards, respectively. I tested the phytoremediation characteristics of three montane willows native to the Rocky Mountains: Salix drummondiana, S. monticola, and S. planifolia. I tested …

Evaluating The Potential For Passive Greywater Irrigation In Northern Ghana, Chelsea L. Fagan

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports - Open

Water scarcity, malaria, and malnutrition are all concerns facing the people of Chirifoyili and the Northern Region of Ghana. Greywater pooling outside of homes increases human exposure to pathogens and provides breeding grounds for disease carrying insects, especially malaria spreading mosquitoes. This project looks at draining this water away from the home and using it to irrigate vegetables, fruit trees and other beneficial plants.

The purpose of this study is to estimate the effects of greywater irrigation on the growth of plants commonly found in village home gardens. The field project consisted of constructing and managing household greywater irrigation systems …

Training Conservation Practitioners To Be Better Decision Makers, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, James H. Williams, Gitte H. Jensen, Jesper Madsen

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Traditional conservation curricula and training typically emphasizes only one part of systematic decision making (i.e., the science), at the expense of preparing conservation practitioners with critical skills in values-setting, working with decision makers and stakeholders, and effective problem framing. In this article we describe how the application of decision science is relevant to conservation problems and suggest how current and future conservation practitioners can be trained to be better decision makers. Though decision-analytic approaches vary considerably, they all involve: (1) properly formulating the decision problem; (2) specifying feasible alternative actions; and (3) selecting criteria for evaluating potential outcomes. Two approaches …

Aquatic Pollution Increases Use Of Terrestrial Prey Subsidies By Stream Fish, Johanna M. Kraus, Justin F. Pomeranz, Andrew S. Todd, David M. Walters, Travis S. Schmidt, Richard B. Wanty

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

1. Stream food webs are connected with their riparian zones through cross-ecosystem movements of energy and nutrients. The use and impact of terrestrial subsidies on aquatic consumers is often determined by in situ biomass of aquatic prey. Thus, stressors such as aquatic pollutants that greatly reduce aquatic secondary production could increase the need for and reliance of stream consumers on terrestrial resource subsidies.

2. To test this hypothesis, we surveyed stream fish, their diets, and resource availability in 16 subalpine streams over a regional gradient of trace metals known to strongly impact aquatic insect communities (i.e. fish prey) in …

Investigating Endocrine And Physiological Parameters Of Captive American Kestrels Exposed By Diet To Selected Organophosphate Flame Retardants, Kimberly J. Fernie, Vince Palace, Lisa E. Peters, Nil Basu, Robert J. Letcher, Natalie K. Karouna-Renier, Sandra L. Schultz, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Barnett A. Rattner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Organophosphate triesters are high production volume

additive flame retardants (OPFRs) and plasticizers. Shown to accumulate

in abiotic and biotic environmental compartments, little is known about the

risks they pose. Captive adult male American kestrels (Falco sparverius) were

fed the same dose (22 ng OPFR/g kestrel/d) daily (21 d) of tris(2-

butoxyethyl) phosphate (TBOEP), tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP),

tris(2-chloroisopropyl) phosphate (TCIPP), or tris(1,2-dichloro-2-propyl)

phosphate (TDCIPP). Concentrations were undetected in tissues (renal,

hepatic), suggesting rapid metabolism. There were no changes in glutathione

status, indicators of hepatic oxidative status, or the cholinergic system (i.e.,

cerebrum, plasma cholinesterases; cerebrum muscarinic, nicotinic receptors).

Modest …

Use Of Terrestrial Field Studies In The Derivation Of Bioaccumulation Potential Of Chemicals, Nico W. Van Den Brink, Jennifer A. Arblaster, Sarah R. Bowman, Jason M. Conder, John E. Elliott, Mark S. Johnson, Derek C.G. Muir, Tiago Natal-Da-Luz, Barnett A. Rattner, Bradley E. Sample, Richard F. Shore

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Field-based studies are an essential component of research addressing the behavior of organic chemicals, and a unique line of evidence that can be used to assess bioaccumulation potential in chemical registration programs and aid in development of associated laboratory and modeling efforts. To aid scientific and regulatory discourse on the application of terrestrial field data in this manner, this article provides practical recommendations regarding the generation and interpretation of terrestrial field data. Currently, biota-to-soil-accumulation factors (BSAFs), biomagnification factors (BMFs), and bioaccumulation factors (BAFs) are the most suitable bioaccumulation metrics that are applicable to bioaccumulation assessment evaluations and able to be …

Traditional Medicine Usage And The Transmission Of Traditional Ecological Knowledge In Three Villages Near Phnom Kulen National Park, Kayla N. Deur

Environmental Studies / Environmental Science Student Scholarship

Traditional ecological knowledge refers to knowledge regarding the relationships between humans and the natural environment. This knowledge and skill set is acquired by local and indigenous peoples through generations of direct contact with the environment, and is often shared in an intergenerational pattern of verbal retelling and instruction. Traditional medicine is one component of traditional ecological knowledge, and this paper outlines the investigation of traditional medicine usage and the transmission of such knowledge in three villages near Phnom Kulen National Park in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The study was conducted through semi-structured interviews at homes that were both randomly and purposively …

Morphology And Niche Partitioning Of Fish Assemblage In The Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve - A Case Study Of The Prek Toal Core Area, Lan Thi Ngoc Nguyen

Environmental Studies / Environmental Science Student Scholarship

A morphological approach provides vital information on community structure and ecological adjustments among different species that occupy in the same habitat. The coexistence of competing species in a diverse community results in niche partitioning in order to increase stabilization. Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve, one of the world’s most productive inland wetlands is a tropical river ecosystem so dynamic that supports high biodiversity, especially fish population. This study tests the relationship between morphology and niche partitioning to understand the coexistence of diverse fish assemblages in the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve. By measuring 31 morphological variables and gathering ecological data of the …

2015 Interior Least Tern And Piping Plover Monitoring, Research, Management, And Outreach Report For The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Mary Bomberger Brown, Lauren R. Dinan, Joel G. Jorgensen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Abstract:

This document reports on our monitoring, research, management, and outreach activities during the past 12 months (2014–2015). We prepared it to inform our partners, cooperating agencies, funding sources, and other interested parties of our activities and to provide a preliminary summary of our results.

The lower Platte River and its major tributaries provide important nesting and migratory stopover habitat for two bird species of special conservation concern: the state and federally endangered Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and threatened Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus). The Tern and Plover Conservation Partnership (TPCP), based at the University …

Predictions Of Future Ephemeral Springtime Waterbird Stopover Habitat Availability Under Global Change, Daniel R. Uden, Craig R. Allen, Andrew A. Bishop, Roger Grosse, Christopher F. Jorgensen, Theodore G. Lagrange, Randy G. Stutheit, Mark P. Vrtiska

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

In the present period of rapid, worldwide change in climate and landuse (i.e., global change), successful biodiversity conservation warrants proactive management responses, especially for long-distance migratory species. However, the development and implementation of management strategies can be impeded by high levels of uncertainty and low levels of control over potentially impactful future events and their effects. Scenario planning and modeling are useful tools for expanding perspectives and informing decisions under these conditions. We coupled scenario planning and statistical modeling to explain and predict playa wetland inundation (i.e., presence/absence of water) and ponded area (i.e., extent of water) in the Rainwater …

The Importance Of Scaling For Detecting Community Patterns: Success And Failure In Assemblages Of Introduced Species, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Michael P. Moulton, Crawford S. Holling

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Community saturation can help to explain why biological invasions fail. However, previous research has documented inconsistent relationships between failed invasions (i.e., an invasive species colonizes but goes extinct) and the number of species present in the invaded community. We use data from bird communities of the Hawaiian island of Oahu, which supports a community of 38 successfully established introduced birds and where 37 species were introduced but went extinct (failed invasions). We develop a modified approach to evaluate the effects of community saturation on invasion failure. Our method accounts (1) for the number of species present (NSP) when the species …

Effects Of Alternative Framing On The Publics Perceived Importance Of Environmental Conservation, Amanda E. Sorensen, Daniel Clark, Rebecca C. Jordan

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Effective communication of science to the general public is important for numerous reasons, including support for policy, funding, informed public decision making, among others. Prior research has found that scientists participating in public policy and public communication must frame their communication efforts in order to connect with audiences. A frame is the mechanism that individuals use to understand and interpret the world around them. Framing can encourage specific interpretations and reference points for a particular issue or event; especially when meaning is negotiated between the media and public audiences. In this study, we looked at the effect of framing within …

Drougthscape, Winter 2015, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

Contents

Director’s report

Central U.S. 2012 report

October-December drought summary

2014 drought summary

Caribbean capacity building

Drought impacts in 2014

California timeline 2014

UC Davis ranching workshop

NASA SMAP data

Global drought info system

Community Capitals

Evaluation and assessment

Indicator-impact research

NDMC on YouTube

The Effects Of Harvest Regulations On Behaviors Of Duck Hunters, Matthew T. Haugen, Larkin A. Powell, Mark P. Vrtiska, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Uncertainty exists as to how duck harvest regulations influence waterfowl hunter behavior. We used the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Parts Collection Survey to examine how harvest regulations affected behaviors of Central Flyway duck hunters. We stratified hunters into ranked groups based on seasonal harvest and identified three periods (1975–1984, 1988–1993, 2002–2011) that represented different harvest regulations (moderate, restrictive, and liberal, respectively; season length and daily bag limits smallest in restrictive seasons and largest in liberal seasons). We examined variability of seven measures of duck hunter behaviors across the periods: days harvesting ducks, daily harvest, hunter mobility, mallard (Anas platyrhynchos …

Masked Expression Of Life- History Traits In A Highly Variable Environment, Jason A. Deboer, Joseph J. Fontaine, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Differing life-history strategies may act as a constraint on reproductive expression that ultimately limits the ability of individual species to respond to changes in the magnitude or frequency of environmental variation, and potentially underlies the variation oft en inherent in phenotypic and evolved responses to anthropogenic change. Alternatively, if there are environmental cues that predict reproductive potential, differential expression of life-history strategies may represent differences in the adaptive capacity to optimize current reproductive value given variation in environmental conditions. We compared several aspects of walleye Sander vitreus spawning ecology at two reservoirs that diff er in environmental variability (i.e., annual …

From Too Much To Too Little: How The Central U.S. Drought Of 2012 Evolved Out Of One Of The Most Devastating Floods On Record In 2011, Brian Fuchs, Deborah Wood, Dee Ebbeka

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Introduction: Brian Fuchs, National Drought Mitigation Center

Regional Drought Perspective: Natalie A. Umphlett, High Plains Regional Climate Center, Michael S. Timlin, Midwest Regional Climate Center, Brian Fuchs, National Drought Mitigation Center

State Drought Perspectives — Colorado: Wendy Ryan and Nolan Doesken, Colorado Climate Center • Illinois: Jim Angel, Illinois State Water Survey • Indiana: Olivia Kellner, Indiana State Climate Office • Iowa: Harry J. Hillaker, Iowa Dept. of Agriculture & Land Stewardship • Kansas: Mary Knapp and Xiaomao Lin, Kansas State University • Kentucky: Stu Foster, Kentucky State Climate Office • Michigan: Jeff Andresen and Aaron Pollyea, Michigan State University …

Global Change And Conservation Triage On National Wildlife Refuges, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, Gerard Mcmahon, Raye Nilius, Michael R. Bryant, Dave Case, Julien Martin, Nathan J. Wood, Laura Taylor

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the United States play an important role in the adaptation of social-ecological systems to climate change, land-use change, and other global-change processes. Coastal refuges are already experiencing threats from sea-level rise and other change processes that are largely beyond their ability to influence, while at the same time facing tighter budgets and reduced staff. We engaged in workshops with NWR managers along the U.S. Atlantic coast to understand the problems they face from global-change processes and began a multidisciplinary collaboration to use decision science to help address them. We are applying a values-focused approach to …

Water, Bison, And Horses: Natural Resources And Their Impacts On Native Raids And Relations In Late, Spanish Colonial New Mexico, Dori L. Gorczyca

The Gettysburg Historical Journal

During the Spanish colonial period in New Mexico’s history, the area became a place where cultural, social, and economic mixing of various Native American groups and Spanish settlers frequently occurred. Certain peoples, such as the Pueblo, lived in an agrarian society and worked in close proximity to the Spanish. Other peoples, such as the Comanche, Apache, and Navajo, developed hostile relationships with these foreigners, and their raids on the Spanish, Pueblo, and each other changed the dynamic of their settlements. Sources from Spanish and Church officials, along with travel logs, discuss the effects of natural resources, such as water and …

Pyrolysis-Gc-Ms For The Rapid Environmental Forensic Screening Of Contaminated Brownfield Soil, Azucena Lara-Gonzalo, Michael A. Kruge, I Lores, B Gutiérrez, José Luis Gallego

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

An abandoned chemical plant in Asturias (Spain) was studied using a multi-faceted molecular fingerprinting approach, demonstrating that it is possible to: (1) carefully unravel tangled evidence resulting from multiple pollution sources, and (2) recognize major contaminants largely ignored by conventional analyses. This methodology employed a battery of GC-MS analyses of liquid chromatographic fractions of soil extracts, plus the pyrolysis products of the soil extract's asphaltene fraction and the whole soil itself. In this example, coal tar distillation and the subsequent production of naphthalene, phenols and polymer resins are responsible for most of the soil contamination. Styrene, naphthalene, indene, and their …

Toxins In Newtown Creek, Burl Yearwood, Cho Cho Aung, Ridima Pradhan, Jennifer Vance

Publications and Research

Newtown Creek is a 3.5 mile river which empties into the East River in New York, United States. The river runs the boundary between the Queens and Brooklyn Burroughs. A thriving sight of industry, this river has been the location of much pollution for over a century. Battered by oil spills and oil seepage, raw sewage, trash carried by rain water, cement, animal fat, and a 15 meter sludge on the bottom of the riverbed, Newtown Creek is one of the most polluted waterways in the United States. In this article, data for nitrate, phosphate, lead, copper, dissolved iron, and …

Geology In Environmental Management, Michael A. Kruge

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

From the geological perspective, the two overriding environmental management concerns are the destructive impact of hazardous natural events on human health and property and the deleterious impact of human activity on the natural environment. The knowledge derived from the geological sciences serves as the basis for a more enlightened approach to the reduction of unnecessary risk involved in the siting and construction of buildings and transportation networks, as well as the extraction of natural resources and waste management. Armed with such knowledge along with political sensitivity, environmental managers will have opportunities for positive social impact in negotiating the challenges as …

Zebra Mussel (Dreissena Polymorpha) Habitat Associations In Four West-Central Minnesota Lakes, April Rose Londo

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In 1989, zebra mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) were first documented in the land of ten thousand lakes in the Lake Superior Basin at Duluth. Zebra mussels are successful invaders because the species attaches to substrates with byssal threads, can adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions, and has a free-swimming veligers that are easily transported. Although invasive mollusks pose a range of economic and ecological threats to inland waters, our understanding of zebra mussels in Minnesota lakes remains limited. To gain additional information regarding zebra mussel ecology in lake systems, I conducted research in four west-central Minnesota lakes that were …

The Gravity Environment Of Zhouqu Debris Flow Of August 2010 And Its Implication For Future Recurrence, Diandong Ren, Lance M. Leslie, Xinyi Shen, Yang Hong, Qingyun Duan, Rezaul Mahmood, Yun Li, Gang Huang, Weidong Guo, Mervyn J. Lynch

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

This study investigates the geological background of the August 7-8, 2010 Zhouqu debris flows in the northwestern Chinese province of Gansu, and possible future occurrence of such hazards in the peri-Tibetan Plateau (TP) regions. Debris flows are a more predictable type of landslide because of its strong correlation with extreme precipitation. However, two factors affecting the frequency and magnitude of debris flows: very fine scale precipitation and degree of fracture of bedrock, both defy direct observations. Annual mean Net Primary production (NPP) is used as a surrogate for regional precipitation with patchiness filtered out, and gravity satellite measured regional mass …

Organic Corn Production In Kentucky, Michael Bomford, Lee Meyer, Thomas Sikora, William Martin, Sam Mcneill, Michael D. Montross, Edwin L. Ritchey, Chad Lee

Agriculture and Natural Resources Publications

The number of organic dairy cows in Kentucky has been steadily increasing for years, yet there’s not enough organic corn produced in the state to feed the growing herds. In fact, most of the organic corn consumed in Kentucky is produced outside of the state. The growing organic livestock and poultry industries in Kentucky face the same feed constraints. In short, a new market has developed in the state, but few local farmers are taking advantage of it.

Training Conservation Practitioners To Be Better Decision Makers, Fred Johnson, Mitchell J. Eaton, James H. Williams, Gitte H. Jensen, Jesper Madsen

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Traditional conservation curricula and training typically emphasizes only one part of systematic decision making (i.e., the science), at the expense of preparing conservation practitioners with critical skills in values-setting, working with decision makers and stakeholders, and effective problem framing. In this article we describe how the application of decision science is relevant to conservation problems and suggest how current and future conservation practitioners can be trained to be better decision makers. Though decision-analytic approaches vary considerably, they all involve: (1) properly formulating the decision problem; (2) specifying feasible alternative actions; and (3) selecting criteria for evaluating potential outcomes. Two approaches …