Digital Commons Network^™

Traditional Natural Resource Use And Development In Northeast Thailand, Christie Moulton

Senior Honors Projects

This paper explores the effects of development projects on traditional natural resource use in three communities in Northeast Thailand, a region known as Isan. I interviewed villagers in each community and asked them to describe their environmental perceptions, management practices and livelihood strategies. Participants described several subsistence livelihoods that have traditionally been present in Isan. These include rice farming, fishing, community forestry, and wetland use. Residents from the three communities all described various cultural activities, knowledge systems, and religious ceremonies that are closely tied to their local resources. Raising silk worms, making clay pots, and performing rituals for a spirit …

Refuge Update – May/June 2008, Volume 5, Number 3

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:
Liberating Rat Island, page 4
Focus on . . . Through the Eyes of Children, pages 10-19
Back to Midway, page 23

Records Of Natural Fires And The Sorption Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) By Black Carbon And Carbon Chars In Sediments From Oriole Lake (Sequoia National Park), Kevyn Bollinger

Senior Honors Projects

This project investigates the interaction between Black Carbon and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) in lake sediments from Oriole Lake in Sequoia National Park California. The interaction between Black Carbon and PAHs is of interest because little is known with respect to the availability and the time scale within which black carbon adsorbs PAHs in a natural system. Black Carbon and PAHs both will eventually be degraded in the environment but the relevant timescales of sorption and degradation are unknown. Field work for this project was conducted July 16-21, 2007 at Oriole Lake in Sequoia National Park California. Sequoia National Park …

The Analysis Of The Natural Attenuation Of Chlorinated Solvents In Groundwater At The Former Westinghouse Site In Bloomfield, New Jersey, Deborah J. Katchen

Theses, Dissertations and Culminating Projects

Data for a contaminated site in Bloomfield, New Jersey were gathered from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), in order to evaluate the hydrogeological conditions at the site. In particular, the data were analyzed to determine whether: 1) the site is still significantly contaminated, 2) natural attenuation is occurring at the site, and 3) natural attenuation will completely remediate the site in a reasonable period of time. The occurrence and distribution of Trichloroethene (TCE) and its daughter products, Dichloroethene (cis 1,2 DCE) and Vinyl Chloride (VC) show that the site is still contaminated.

It was observed that the …

Aquatic Bacteria Removal Using Carbon Nanotubes, Suvish Melanta

Biological and Agricultural Engineering Undergraduate Honors Theses

The purpose of this project is to explore the functionality of carbon nanotubes as a bacterial removal method, specifically towards water-borne bacterial pathogens in wastewater by utilizing its unique magnetic and bacteria-binding properties. The general protocol set for this research follows five steps: 1) Preparation of wastewater media, 2) preparation of CNT culture, 3) preparation of reaction mixture with CNTs for bacterial binding, 4) magnetic separation of bacteria-bound-CNT clusters and, 5) assessment of supernatant. The CNTs effectively removed bacterial contaminants in the wastewater (10%, v/v) after the sand filtration process from the Paul R. Noland Wastewater Facility at Fayetteville, Arkansas. …

Hydrologic And Water Quality Assessment Of Miller Run: A Study Of Bucknell University’S Impact, Alison C. Schaffer

Honors Theses

Human development causes degradation of stream ecosystems due to impacts on channel morphology, hydrology, and water quality. Urbanization, the second leading cause of stream impairment, increases the amount of impervious surface cover, thus reducing infiltration and increasing surface runoff of precipitation, which ultimately affects stream hydrologic process and aquatic biodiversity. The main objective of this study was to assess the overall health of Miller Run, a small tributary of the Bull Run and Susquehanna River watersheds, through an integrative hydrologic and water quality approach in order to determine the degree of Bucknell University’s impact on the stream. Hydrologic conditions, including …

Herbarium Infrastructure Development And Ecological Applications Of Specimens Using Geographic Information Systems, Ryan Joseph Miller

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) allow for herbarium data to be used for new scientific research and also for the greater efficiency of the traditional uses of herbaria. My research uses the resources of both the herbarium at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UCHT) and partnering herbaria of the Southeastern Regional Network of Expertise and Collections (SERNEC) to examine methods of incorporating new GIS technology into a functional infrastructure in order to enhance botanical research. Evaluations were performed on database and georeferencing software for use in the development of a pilot, GIS-enabled website used to query herbaria specimen information. Using …

Physiological Effects Of Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Immunocontraception On White-Tailed Deer, Paul D. Curtis, Milo E. Richmond, Lowell A. Miller, Fred W. Quimby

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Before immunocontraceptives can be considered safe to use on wildlife species, potential health risks should be assessed. Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) immunocontraceptive has successfully reduced fertility of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus); however, associated deer physiology has rarely been examined. We conducted gross necropsy examinations, histology, and blood chemistry comparisons on euthanized deer previously vaccinated with immunogenic GnRH (n = 18 females and n = 4 males), or left as untreated controls (n = 7 females and n = 6 males). Granulomas were found at injection sites of most deer, even 3 years post-treatment. There were no significant differences in …

Gnrh Immunocontraception Of Male And Female White-Tailed Deer Fawns, Lowell A. Miller, James P. Gionfriddo, Jack C. Rhyan, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, Donald C. Wagner, Gary J. Killian

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Immunocontraceptive vaccines based on gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) have been tested in adult white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), but their effects on fawns are unknown. The purpose of this study was to determine if early immunization against GnRH would induce a long-lasting immune response in fawns, and if it would delay or prevent sexual development. We gave primary and subsequent booster injections of a KLH-GnRH/Freund’s vaccine to 6 male and 6 female fawns. This vaccine contained the same active ingredients as GonaCon™ vaccine, but it contained Freund’s adjuvant instead of AdjuVac™ adjuvant. Two 450-μg injections were given 1 month apart …

Carbon, Nitrogen, Sodium And Phosphorous Concentrations And Ratios In Spartina Alterniflora (Loiser) From Sites Of Various Freshwater And Nutrient Inputs In Coastal Louisiana Wetlands, Margaret Frances Williamson

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Impact Of Land-Applied Biosolids On Forage Quality And Water Movement During Rangeland Restoration Activities, Issaak R. Vasquez

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The land application of biosolids to provide nutrients and organic matter is widely practiced in agricultural applications. However, the potential benefit of applying biosolids to disturbed rangelands has not been adequately evaluated. Thus the main goal of the current study was to evaluate the potential economic and environmental benefits of applying biosolids to disturbed rangeland with the main focus on evaluating the impact on forage quality and quantity as a function of biosolids type and application rate. Three types of biosolids (aerobically, anaerobically, and lime stabilized biosolids) were surface applied with no subsequent tilling at various loading rates (1, 5, …

A Post-Project Assessment Of The Provo River Restoration Project: Channel Design, Reconfiguration, And The Re-Establishment Of Critical Physical Processes, Randy Ray Goetz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A physical assessment of the Provo River Restoration Project was undertaken in order to determine how alterations to the channel were designed, the nature of as-built channel morphology, and the performance of the reconfigured channel in terms of achieving frequent (2-year recurrence) bankfull discharge and increasing transient storage. Measures of channelized and reconfigured channel morphology were obtained using total station survey, digital aerial photography, and pebble counts. Results of geomorphic analysis were compared with similar measurements made by a regional consulting company, and stream channel design data, in order to determine that intended mitigation included reducing channel capacity, increasing sinuosity, …

Discriminating Between Biological And Hydrological Controls Of Hyporheic Denitrification Across A Land Use Gradient In Nine Western Wyoming Streams, Andrew Kenneth Myers

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I studied nine streams near Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, covering a land use gradient (urban, agricultural, and forested) to assess influences of land use on denitrification rates and hyporheic exchange. I hypothesized denitrification in the hyporheic zone is governed by availability of chemical substrates and hydrologic transport. I tested this hypothesis by coupling measurements of denitrification potentials in hyporheic sediments with a 2-storage zone solute transport model. Denitrification potentials were lowest on average in hyporheic sediments from forested streams and highest from agricultural streams. Modeling results suggest, on average, agricultural sites are transport-limited by having the slowest exchange rate …

Environmental Response Management Application, Michele Jacobi, Nancy E. Kinner, Rob Braswell, Kurt Schwehr, Kimberly S. Newman, Amy A. Merten

Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping

The Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), a partnership between the University of New Hampshire (UNH) and NOAA's Office of Response and Restoration (ORR), is leading an effort to develop a data platform capable of interfacing both static and real-time data sets accessible simultaneously to a command post and assets in the field with an open source internet mapping server. The Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA™) is designed to give responders and decision makers ready access to geographically specific data useful during spill planning/drills, incident response, damage assessment and site restoration. In addition to oil spill and chemical release response, this …

Investigating Risks, Effects, And A Potential Management Strategy For Avian Vacuolar Myelinopathy On Southeastern Reservoirs Using An Eco-Epidemiological Approach, Rebecca Haynie

All Dissertations

Avian vacuolar myelinopathy (AVM) is a neurologic disease of unknown etiology that has severely impacted waterbirds and raptors in the Southern United States since it was first diagnosed in 1994. Research studies have suggested that the causative agent is a neurotoxin produced by a previously undescribed Stigonematalan cyanobacterium which grows epiphytically on submerged aquatic vegetation. A suite of experiments were conducted to determine if: (1) triploid Chinese grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) are an appropriate management strategy for AVM; (2) to measure mammalian susceptibility to cyanobacterium exposure; and, (3) to discern population-level impacts to American coots (Fulica americana) and bald eagles …

Chemical Ecology And Conservation Biological Control, Zeyaur R. Khan, David G. James, Charles A.O. Midega, John A. Pickett

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Elucidating the chemical ecology of natural enemies, herbivores and host plants is important in the development of effective and successful integrated pest management (IPM) strategies where abundance and distribution of natural enemies could be manipulated by semiochemicals for improved conservation biological control (CBC). In response to attack by herbivores, plants produce semiochemicals called Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatiles (HIPVs) which act to repel pests and attract their natural enemies. Damaged, and in some cases, intact plants may also produce volatile signals that warn other plants of impending attack. Some of these intact plants are used as intercrops in 'push-pull' strategies; cropping systems …

Burr’S Pond And Runnins River – An Annual Watershed Survey 2008

Watershed Access Lab Projects

AP Biology students at Seekonk High School are required to complete an independent research project to fulfill the Ecology unit of the course during the summer prior to the course. Students must apply what they learned in their readings to a local ecosystem, Burr’s Pond which is attached to the Runnins River. Students spend time at the pond area during the summer documenting organisms, evidence of population dynamics, animal behavior, trophic levels, nutrient cycling, etc. Students put together a Burr’s Pond Summer Field Research Project Portfolio to be submitted on the first day of school. Student projects are displayed at …

Benthic Macroinvertebrates: An Analysis Of The Quashnet River

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

Abbott Run Annual Study 2008

Watershed Access Lab Projects

The purpose of our study was to make certain that Abbott Run met the Massachusetts water quality standards of a Class A river. We are concerned that the Abbott Run remains a Class A river because it is the source of the drinking water for Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

Abbott Run is located in the western section of North Attleboro within the Blackstone River Watershed. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the west, Plainville to the north and Attleboro to the south. The watershed section in North Attleboro is approximately four square miles.

Land use is predominately single-family, residential except …

Water And The Future Of Your Community: Introductary Slideshow (April 30, 2008 Meeting), Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Public Meetings

No abstract provided.

Water Budget Analysis And Low Impact Development (April 30, 2008 Meeting), Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Public Meetings

No abstract provided.

Urban Wildlife And Leopold’S Land Ethic: “The Squirrels On A College Campus Convey The Same Lesson As The Redwoods. . . .”, Natalie Robiou

Student Theses 2001-2013

The United States has quickly become one of the most industrialized countries in the world. The Industrial Revolution of the 19^th century brought Americans and immigrants alike employment opportunities in key locations throughout the country. This, in effect, translated into an influx of people living in close quarters; therefore, creating what is referred to today as urban centers. With the rapid growth of the American population and the greater demand for work, large urban areas developed throughout the U.S. landscape. This process, known as urbanization, is defined as the replacement of the rural areas with more urban ones. Urbanization …

Environmental Justice And Street Science: A Fusion Of Community Knowledge And Environmental Health Justice To Address The Asthma Epidemic In Urban Communities, Natalie Robiou

Student Theses 2001-2013

Of all the proposed moral environmental theories, none has addressed the problems that plague the urban environment and its habitants quite like the environmental justice theory. Based on the idea that environmental issues are also Civil Rights issues, environmental justice seeks to establish just and equal distribution of environmental benefits and burdens across a whole spectrum of racial and socio-economic groups. The Environmental Protection (EPA) has defined the theory as the “fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, national origin, or income with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and …

Gis Forest Inventory And Evaluation In The Wake Of Climate Change, Mary Snow, Richard K. Snow

Publications

"Because climate and vegetation are so strongly associated, it is assumed that the forecast rapid changes in climate will affect plant distributions and alter the makeup of forest communities. For example, climate change could cause regional wind patterns to shift, which would be accompanied by an increase in wind speed intensity. Such shifts could impact existing rain shadow effects in some regions causing more precipitation on the windward side of mountain ranges while creating even drier conditions on the leeward sides. Fire patterns are likely to be altered as well, which could affect a variety of plant species, even those …

An Overview Of The Vegetation Research Program: Knowledge Services For Land Management, Scott R. Abella

Fire Science Presentations

• Provide knowledge services about the ecology and management of southwestern dryland ecosystems
• Specialize in working with resource managers to conduct applied research
• Conduct and provide research, monitoring, scientific literature synthesis, and technical assistance

Tampa Bay Interagency Seagrass Monitoring Program A Synopsis Of Seagrass Trends From 1997-2006, Walt Avery, Roger Johansson

Reports

This paper presents trends in percent frequency of occurrence (PFOC) of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV). PFOC is defined as the number of times a seagrass or attached alga species is found within a specific data set of meter square placements divided by the total number of meter square placements within that data set. The data sets comprised of all meter square placements grouped either by management area (MA), bay subsection, or Tampa Bay as a whole. Ancillary data of SAV species annual PFOC, abundance, short shoot density (SSDm-2), and canopy height (cm) are presented in the appendix.

Population Dynamics Of Freshwater Invertebrates In Beltrami County, Amanda Johnson

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduate requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

2008 National Conference On Feral Hogs Agenda

National Conference on Feral Hogs (2008)

agenda

Home Range And Habitat Use Of Feral Hogs (Sus Scrofa) On Lowndes County Wma, Alabama, Wesson Gaston, James B. Armstrong, Wendy Arjo, H. Lee Stribling

National Conference on Feral Hogs (2008)

This study was conducted on Lowndes County Wildlife Management Area (WMA), Alabama to assess the survival, home ranges, and habitat preferences of feral pigs during high and low hunting pressure seasons. For the study, two six-month seasons were defined (high pressure hunting or low pressure hunting) based on the number of hunters that entered the woods on the WMA. We collared twenty-four pigs to determine home range and habitat use from 1 February 2005-31 January 2006 on Lowndes County WMA. Seventeen collared pigs had an average home range of 403.6 ± 65.6 ha in the low pressure season, and 11 …

Feral Hog Management: Typing Performance Measures To Resources Protected, Michael J. Bodenchuk

National Conference on Feral Hogs (2008)

Feral hogs impact a number of resources including agricultural crops, wildlife, rangelands and watersheds. Additionally, feral hogs pose a disease risk to domestic livestock and humans. The Texas Wildlife Services Program (TWSP) is responsible for managing damage to these and other categories of resources. TWSP is developing performance measures specific to the resource protected which allows for better decisions regarding the intensity of control needed. Conflicts discussed include human and livestock diseases, agricultural crops, rangeland, wildlife predation and competition with native wildlife. Performance measures for each resource will be discussed.