Digital Commons Network^™

Rapid Evolution In Introduced Species, ‘Invasive Traits’ And Recipient Communities: Challenges For Predicting Invasive Potential, Kenneth D. Whitney, Christopher A. Gabler

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The damaging effects of invasive organisms have triggered the development of Invasive Species Predictive Schemes (ISPS). These schemes evaluate biological and historical characteristics of species and prioritize those that should be the focus of exclusion, quarantine, and/or control. However, it is not clear how commonly these schemes take microevolutionary considerations into account. We review the recent literature and find that rapid evolutionary changes are common during invasions. These evolutionary changes include rapid adaptation of invaders to new environments, effects of hybridization, and evolution in recipient communities. Strikingly, we document 38 species in which the specific traits commonly associated with invasive …

Fighting Nuclear Waste At Skull Valley, Margene Bullcreek

Native American Forum on Nuclear Issues

Abstract:

-Reasons We Oppose Nuclear Waste

-Sovereignty

-Traditional values must be protected

-Protect sacredness of our culture, plants,

animals, air, and water

-Affects on community health

-Protect reservation and homeland

-To protect the air and water

-To protect future generations

-Environmental Justice

An Application For A State Designated, Federally Approved No Discharge Area For Boston Harbor, Ma, City Of Boston Environment Department, City Of Quincy Harbormaster, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston, Charles River Watershed Association

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

The municipalities surrounding Boston Harbor are requesting that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts designate the waters of Boston Harbor as a No Discharge Area (NDA) pursuant to the Clean Water Act, Section 312(f)(3). An NDA is a body of water in which the discharge of vessel sewage, whether treated or not, is prohibited. The No Discharge Area would be called the Boston Harbor No Discharge Area.

While the waters of Boston Harbor are under the jurisdiction of a number of different municipalities, water quality issues affect the harbor as a whole. Past efforts to clean up the harbor have occurred across …

Baselines Newsletter, No. 2, Spring 2008, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Baselines: The Natural Resources Law Center Newsletter (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

Paradigms And Perceptions: A Chronology And Analysis Of The Events Of The Chan-75 Hydroelectric Project And The Roles And Relationships Of Participants, Bocas Del Toro, Panama, Jessica Barber

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The pending construction of the Changuinola 75 Hydroelectric Project (Chan-75) has sparked significant controversy as the affected communities, national non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) and international NGO’s have protested against the conduct of the project’s promoters, the AES Corporation and supporters, the Panamanian government. Located in the Bosque Protector Palo Seco, a buffer zone to La Amistad International Park, the Chan-75 hydroelectric dam project will have significant consequences for the biodiversity, flora and fauna of the area. The dam will also displace four indigenous Ngöbe communities, a traditionally marginalized and underrepresented group, as well as flooding the farmland of many others. Hydroelectric …

La Sucesión Primaria De La Vegetación Sobre Los Flujos Piroclásticos Del 2006 En El Volcán Tungurahua, Lauren Schaefer

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

A year and a half after the August 2006 eruption of the Tungurahua volcano, the vegetative growth on the pyroclastic flows is young and scarce. To determine the types of plants and the mechanisms which control the dynamics of vegetative recovery, two transects were made; one in the Cusúa gorge and the other in the Bascún gorge in which the type, quantity and ages of the plants were noted. A third transect of vegetation not directly affected by the 2006 flows was made near the Bascún gorge for comparison purposes. In the two main sites, a total of 47 species …

The Polar Thaw: An Analysis Of The Impacts Of Climate Change On The Environment And Geopolitics Of The Arctic Polar Region, Alexandra Stoicof

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The issues facing the Arctic region today are of relatively new importance on the agendas of environmentalists, lawyers, and national governments. Global warming is affecting the polar regions at a faster pace than the rest of the world, and is drastically changing the ecosystem and viability of the indigenous groups who depend on the environment of the tundra. The forced adaptation of the natives has lead to convictions of human rights and debates over the accountability of the world to affected communities. The retreat of Arctic sea-ice also exposes another area of controversy; the claims to the resources and passageways …

Formal Education For Sustainable Development, Caryn Saslow

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Over the next 50 years, humans will make the choice as to whether or not they would like to mitigate or exacerbate global warming. Seeing as now is a crucial time in which to enact change, why is it that the issues inherent in sustainable development are not currently a compulsory part of primary and secondary school education within the developed Western world? If our children stand to inherit our environmental, social, and economic problems, it is our responsibility to supply them with the tools to survive through such adversity. This paper examines the history of the concept of sustainable …

Post-Fire Demography Of A Dry Eucalypt Forest In The Midlands, Tasmania: A Pilot Study, Christine Urbanowicz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There have been many efforts to regenerate the threatened and declining dry eucalypt forests found within the Midlands of Tasmania. This pilot study was completed as part of a larger research project on eucalypt regeneration. Researchers need to know where recruits are most successful in order to appropriately place regeneration microsites. I have begun characterizing the baseline demography of a recently burnt remnant forest. I had two objectives: 1. to characterize the stand structure where recruits are successful, and 2. to describe where the recruits are within this structure. Data on location, size, and life history stage of trees were …

Conceptions Of Wilderness In Tasmania, Sam Adels

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With this project I set out collect and compare different conceptions of wilderness from individuals on all sides of the ongoing wilderness protection versus forestry debate in Tasmania. I purposed to share the results with all parties to bring them together to cooperate and work towards wilderness protection and sustainable forestry for the future of Tasmania. I spent 5 weeks in April and May of 2008 researching the history of the concept of wilderness as well as Tasmanian wilderness issues. I interviewed 11 subjects, involved in the wilderness versus forestry debate in many different arenas, including forest ecologists, wilderness academics, …

An Appetite For Apatite: A Study Of Black Apatite Adsorption Effects On Organic And Non–Organic Environmental Contaminants, Owen Friend–Gray

Inquiry Journal 2008

No abstract provided.

Water Current, Volume 40, No. 2, Spring 2008

Water Current Newsletter

UNL/OSU Researchers Try Promising Technique to Remove Groundwater Contamination
Water and Natural Resources Tour in June
From the Director: USGS Climate Change Research, a Critical Partnership in the Making
Meet the Faculty: Gary L. Zoubek, Paul C. Hay
Herpel Joins Water Center Staff as Outreach Specialist
Scholarship Honors Water Center's First Permanent Director
Storing a Safe Emergency Drinking Water Supply
A Long-Term Perspective on Drought
History in the Great Plains
Water Center History Books Available
Earthworms Contain Chemicals from Households and Animal Manure
UNL Researchers Determine Costs of Producing Switchgrass for Ethanol
Water Quality Challenges in the Great Plains
Water …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 24, Number 1 (April 2008), Gary L. Doster , Editor, Scwds Briefs, Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Table of Contents:

National Feral Swine Mapping System

Feral Hog Conference

Wildebeest MCF in U.S. Cattle

The Value of Wildlife Recreation

Unusual Antlered Doe

White Nose Syndrome in Bats

New Myxozoan Parasite in Ducks

Duncan New Director in Virginia

SCWDS Personnel Awards

Wetland Carbon Sinks In The Glaciated North American Prairie, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet about Prairie Pothole Region wetlands and their potential to sequester carbon. Coordinated by Ducks Unlimited Canada, U.S. Geological Survey, and Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Droughtscape, Spring 2008, Kelly Smith

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

San Angelo, April 24

Winter Sees Little Change in U.S. Drought

News Stories Reveal Array of Mitigation Strategies

NIDIS Wants You!

Sea Surface Temperatures Can Help Predict Drought

About DroughtScape

Recent Travels

Testing A Simple Field Method For Assessing Nitrate Removal In Riparian Zones, Philippe Vidon, Michael G. Dosskey

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Being able to identify riparian sites that function better for nitrate removal from groundwater is critical to using efficiently the riparian zones for water quality management. For this purpose, managers need a method that is quick, inexpensive, and accurate enough to enable effective management decisions. This study assesses the precision and accuracy of a simple method using three ground water wells and one measurement date for determining nitrate removal characteristics of riparian buffer zones. The method is a scaled-down version of a complex field research method that consists of a large network of wells and piezometers monitored monthly for over …

Making Green Water Clear: Using Alternative Technology To Treat Eutrophic Freshwater, Hethre Larivee

Inquiry Journal 2008

No abstract provided.

Cobenefits Of Terrestrial Carbon Sequestration In The Pcor Partnership Region, University Of North Dakota. Energy And Environmental Research Center

EERC Brochures and Fact Sheets

Fact sheet on the benefits of carbon sequestration land management in the Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership region. [This item is an outdated or superseded version and retained for historical purposes only. It may no longer reflect current information, policies, or practices.]

Hydrodynamic Numerical Ocean Models Support Environmental Studies And Conservation Efforts: From An Arctic Estuary To A Caribbean Coral Reef, Tal Ezer

CCPO Publications

Potential future climate changes, as highlighted recently by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, are likely to have different local impacts in different regions of the globe. Oceanic ecosystems may be especially sensitive to large environmental variation, and they are closely connected to physical changes such as temperature, salinity, currents and sea level. Two examples, from very different environments – one in a cold climate and one in a tropical climate, will be discussed here to show how hydrodynamic numerical models are helping to understand physical-biological interactions and potentially help dealing with future climate changes.

Green Peace? Protecting Our National Treasures While Providing For Our National Security, Marcilynn A. Burke

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

A Reassessment Of Avian Assemblages Along The Lakes Corridor In The Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland, Shaina N. Stewart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Forest fragmentation is the process by which large areas of continuous forest are replaced by foreign ecosystems that restrict native growth to isolated patches. Biota remaining within these fragmented environments often suffer consequences that stem from reduced forest area. Wildlife corridors—linear patches of habitat that connect remnant fragments—have frequently been proposed to alleviate fragmentation effects by facilitating biotic movement between forest patches. Initiated in 1998, the Lakes Corridor on the Atherton Tablelands in North Queensland, Australia, connects the two formerly isolated sections of Crater Lakes National Park with the goal of promoting wildlife dispersal between them. This study monitored avian …

After The Storm: Post-Katrina Reflections From Afs Members In Louisiana And Mississippi, Martin O'Connell

Earth and Environmental Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Just Green Iguanas? The Associated Costs And Policy Implications Of Exotic Invasive Wildlife In South Florida, Arthur Sementelli, Henry T. Smith, Walter E. Meshaka Jr., Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive exotic species have begun to emerge as a policy issue at the federal, state, and local levels. Although invasive species are often understood as a function of the damage they cause to localized ecosystems, this study diverges by discussing the infrastructural damage caused by an invasive exotic species, the green iguana (Iguana iguana). Specifically, the authors discuss the magnitude and scope of damage caused by iguana burrows on canals in southern Florida and offer policy recommendations to move discussions of this potentially disastrous public works issue forward.

California Drought, An Update April 2008, Baryohay Davidoff, Fawzi Karajeh, Dean Reynolds, Eric Senter, John Woodling

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1. RECENT HYDROLOGIC CONDITIONS AND IMPACTS

Introduction....................................................... 1

Water Year 2007 .................................................. 1

Drought in the Colorado River Basin ..................................................... 5

Drought and Dry Conditions in the Early 2000s .................................... 7

The 2001 Klamath Basin Drought Emergency ............................... 11

CHAPTER 2. PROGRAMMATIC AND INSTITUTIONAL UPDATES

The San Francisco Bay-Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta.................................................................. 15

The Colorado River .................................................................... 16

State Financial Assistance to Local Agencies.................................... 17

Urban Water Management Planning ................................................... 20

Water Transfers .............................................................................. 20

Small Water Systems and Drought Preparedness ................................. 21

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending: April 1, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Hiring: A decision is anticipated in the upcoming weeks regarding the hiring of a limnologist. Two candidates were selected from among three qualified applicants for telephone interviews; they were subsequently interviewed in-person.

Project 1: Review of the draft Boulder Basin Adaptive Management Plan is on-going. Meetings of the Systems Conveyance and Operations Program (SCOP) Technical Advisory Teams were attended.

Project 2: Development of a white paper expressing the joint needs of the entities involved in Water 2025 projects is on-going; scientific review of data and reports related to bacteria in high-use areas of Lake Mead is underway.

Project 3: Discussions …

Fire Effects On Gambel Oak In Southwestern Ponderosa Pine-Oak Forests, Scott R. Abella, Peter Z. Fule

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Gambel oak (Quercus gambelii) is ecologically and aesthetically valuable in southwestern ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forests. Fire effects on Gambel oak are important because fire may be used in pine-oak forests to manage oak directly or to accomplish other management objectives. We used published literature to: (1) ascertain historical fire regimes in pine-oak forests, (2) discern prescribed burning effects on Gambel oak survival and diameter growth, and (3) provide suggestions for using fire to manage oak. Frequent fire is part of Gambel oak’s historical environment, as historical fire return intervals often averaged less than 10 years in pine-oak forests. More …

Plant Community Response To Fire: A Chronosequence Study, Scott R. Abella, E. Cayenne Engel

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Research

Fires are becoming more prevalent events across the landscape in the southwestern US. Over the next several decades the already arid southwest is predicted to become warmer and drier, with longer summers, and an increase of “extreme” weather events such as lightening inducing thunderstorms. While the “hotter and drier” forecast may indicate less abundant plant life, and thus less available biomass for fuel, exotic invasive plant species are becoming more dominant across the landscape with increases in human travel and commerce. Exotic species (particularly many of the invasive grasses) are adding fuel for the fires to burn when the annuals …

Inside Unlv, Shane Bevell, Mamie Peers, David Ashley, Diane Russell, Michelle Mouton, Grace Russell

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes Spring 2008, Lesley Defalco, E. Cayenne Engel, Scott R. Abella, Jessica E. Spencer, Jill E. Craig

Mojave Applied Ecology Notes

Post-fire restoration, fire chronosequence study, Joint Fire Science update, Weed Sentry program and DNWR surveys

Unlv Magazine, Tony Allen, Afsha Bawany, Barbara Cloud, Holly Ivy De Vore, Gian Galassi, Matthew K. Jacobsen, Michelle Mouton, Erin O'Donnell, Shane Bevell, Cate Weeks

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.