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Vegetation Management Approaches For Reducing Wildlife-Aircraft Collisions, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose safety risks to aircraft and cost civil aviation over $390 million annually in the USA. We reviewed the results of prior studies to summarize the vegetation management techniques that have proven effective for wildlife strike reduction or have shown potential for achieving the same goal. Habitat components that may affect wildlife use of airports include food, cover, water, and loafing areas. Improperly managed natural and ornamental vegetation on airports can be important attractants for wildlife that pose strike hazards. However, effective vegetation management can reduce these hazards. Maintaining tall herbaceous vegetation may reduce the availability …

Monk Parakeet Management At Electric Utility Facilities In South Florida, Michael L. Avery, Ellis C. Greiner, James R. Lindsay, James R. Newman, Stephen Pruett-Jones

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The monk parakeet (Myiopsiirta monachus) is native to South America but has become established in several locations throughout the United States through purposeful and accidental releases. The species is unique among parrots in that it is not a cavity-nester, but instead it builds a bulky nest structure of sticks. Often, in its native range and in the United States, the parakeet selects a electric utility structure as a nest site. Material from the nest then can cause short-circuits that result in damage to the utility structure and a subsequent power outage. In south Florida monk parakeet damage and …

Habitat Management Approaches For Reducing Wildlife Use Of Airfields, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose safety risks to aircraft and cost civil aviation over $390 million annually in the USA We reviewed published studies to summarize findings on habitat management techniques that have shown potential for wildlife strike reduction. Habitat components that may attract wildlife to airports include food, cover, water, and loafing areas. Although maintaining tall herbaceous vegetation on airfields may reduce the attractiveness of loafing and feeding sites for some species of birds such as gulls, this strategy may also increase cover and food resources for other hazardous species. Thus, optimum vegetation height management strategies require further research …

Understanding Avian Vision: The Key To Using Light In Bird Management, Bradley F. Blackwell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vision is a primary and highly developed sensory pathway in buds. Light, both diffuse and wavelength-specific (e.g., as produced by lasers) has recently been demonstrated as a potential means of effecting changes in timing and consistency of flock response to an approaching vehicle (simulating an aircraft) and as an avian dispersal method. However, in experiments to date, the effectiveness of light in eliciting an avoidance or dispersal response in birds has varied by species and context. To effectively use light in managing avian conflicts with humans, a better understanding of the complexities of avian retinal physiology relative to phototaxic responses …

Population Increases Of Large Bird Species In Relation To Impact Standards For Aircraft Engines And Airframes, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird-aircraft collisions (bird strikes) are an increasing safety and economic concern to the USA civil aviation industry, costing over $400 million each year. One approach to reducing risks associated with strikes is to require commercial aircraft components to meet certain standards of safe performance in the event of a bird strike. The Federal Aviation Administration has developed airworthiness standards for airframes, windshields and engines using a single 4-lb (1.82-kg) bird mass as the maximum that must be tested (with the exception of a single 8-lb bird for the empennage, 6-lb bird for certain mid-sized engines that may be developed in …

Fisheries Research Report No. 135 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 1995/96 To 1996/97, C F. Chubb, E H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

This report is the latest in a series covering the West Coast Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (formerly the West Coast Rock Lobster Limited Entry Fishery), Western Australia’s largest and most valuable fishery. These reports form an historical record of fishery data and information documented season by season for use by industry and research personnel now and in the future. The reports provide information on catch, fishing effort and biology; value of the product and licences; input costs (fuel, bait, etc.); changes in fishing practices, gear, technology and boats and management/legislative changes. By necessity, the information contained herein is summarised from …

Comparative Analysis Of Pollution In Farmington Bay And The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Amy M. Marcarelli, Cameron Christison, Joel Moore, Donovan Gross, Sophia Bates, Sara Kircher

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Farmington Bay covers 94 mi2 (260 km2) in the SW comer of the Great Salt Lake, and is essentially a separate lake because it is enclosed by Antelope Island and a causeway leading to the island from the mainland. The bay has received wastes from the adjoining Salt Lake City metropolitan area for decades. Because of water quality concerns for Farmington 8ay, the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory class at Utah State University studied the bay and a nearby control site (Bridger Bay) in the Great Salt Lake during the fall of 2001. Field sampling and laboratory experiments, as well as other …

Water Current, Volume 34, No. 1. February 2002

Water Current Newsletter

• UNL Chemistry Laboratory Analyzes, Teaches Groundwater’s Story by Steve Ress

• From the Director

• Meet the Faculty

• Summer Water and Natural Resources Tour Follows North Platte River

• April Water Faculty Forum in Lincoln

• Kansas v. Nebraska and Colorado by Don Blankenau

• Community Options for Wellhead Protection Areas by J. David Aiken

• Water News Briefs

• Discarded Computers and Cell Phones Pose Potential Risk to Groundwater

Lasers As Non-Lethal Avian Repellents: Potential Applications In The Airport Environment, Bradley F. Blackwell, Glen E. Bernhardt, Jonathon D. Cepek, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Research conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) indicates that low- to moderate-power, long-wavelength lasers (630- 650 nm) provide an effective means of dispersing some “problem” bird species under low-light conditions, while presenting no threat to the animal or the environment. The NWRC researchers tested the hypothesis that birds would avoid the beam or beam spot produced by a laser in low ambient light. In the format of controlled, replicated, 2-choice experiments with captive birds, Canada geese (Branta canadensis; 6 groups; 4 birds/group) exhibited extreme avoidance of laser beams over 80-minute periods, …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Betty Blodgett, Richard Jensen, Cate Weeks

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Simultaneous Removal Of Ortho-Dichlorobenzene And Ethanol Vapors In A Biotrickling Filter : Experimental Results And Process Modeling, Suchismita Bhattacharya

Dissertations

This study investigated the possibility of simultaneous removal of vapors of dissimilar volatile organic compounds from air streams in a biotrickling filter (BTF). Using a rricrobial consortium known to utilize ortho-dichlorobenzene (o-DCB) as sole carbon and energy source, a culture was developed on o-DCB/ethanol mixtures and a BTF unit was developed and operated with air streams carrying o-DCB and ethanol vapors. Simultaneous removal of the two compounds was observed in experiments that span a period of over three years.

Experiments were performed at air residence times ranging from 4 to 6.5 min, liquid flow rates from 3.6 to 9 Lh …

Short-Term Community Based Dune Management Activities On A Highly Developed Coast In New Jersey, Stacy Mccormack

Theses

Recently, local governments have started to realize the effectiveness of dune building as a form of hazard mitigation and have engineered dunes for this purpose. This study evaluates dune management at the local level; specifically, short term management practices, physical constraints, dune management participants, and sources of guidance. A review of municipal regulations, topographic surveys, and interviews with local officials were conducted in four New Jersey communities: Belmar, Spring Lake, Sea Girt and Manasquan. The results of this study indicate that dunes were established as part of local hazard mitigation planning in response to the 1992 storm, and topographic surveys …

Synchrotron Radiation-Induced X-Ray Emission To Identify Metal Ions In Preparations Of Purified Protein, Thomas Pfister, Huan Feng, Eckard Wimmer, Keith W. Jones

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The suitability of synchrotron radiation-induced X-ray emission (SRIXE) for the detection and identification of metal ions in preparations of purified, soluble proteins was tested. Glutathione S-transferase fused to the proximal zinc finger motif of human transcription factor IIIA or to the cysteine-rich motif of poliovirus protein 2C was expressed in bacteria and purified by affinity chromatography. Aqueous samples containing the purified proteins were analyzed with SRIXE, and trace amounts of zinc and iron were detected. Mutation of the zinc-coordinating residues in the cysteine-rich motif of poliovirus protein 2C resulted in the loss of the zinc-binding ability. Relative quantities of metal …

An Economic Analysis Of Predator Removal Approaches For Protecting Marine Turtle Nests At Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge, Richard M. Engeman, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Bernice Constantin, Margo Stahl, Henry T. Smith

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge (HSNWR) on Florida’s east coast provides undisturbed nesting habitat for three species of threatened or endangered marine turtles. Predation by raccoons and armadillos poses the greatest risk to turtle nests, and predator control has been identified as the most important management tool for enhancing nesting productivity. Recently, estimates of the number of nests that would have been lost in the 2000 nesting and incubation season were made using the results from four control approaches. These approaches were, in order of descending complexity: (1) refuge control enhanced by a one person-month contract with federal control specialists, …

Monetary Valuation Methods For Economic Analysis Of The Benefit-Costs Of Protecting Rare Wildlife Species From Predators, Richard M. Engeman, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Henry T. Smith, Bernice Constantin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many threatened and endangered species are negatively impacted by predation. Management of the predators that are geographically and temporally in position to threaten species of concern can greatly aid in their conservation. However, decisions on management strategies are based within economic constraints, while the success of management actions is measured by wildlife resource improvement. Here, we review methods for applying monetary valuations for threatened and endangered species so that economic analyses of management actions can be used to help guide and evaluate management decisions. A variety of applied examples are provided to demonstrate the principles.

Environmental Audit Of The Rose Hill Campus, Nicole Marshall, Maria Nissi, Brian Flaherty, Carl Van Ostrand, Ian Mcclelland

Student Theses 2001-2013

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Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Webber Pond Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Webber Pond (2002)

The Webber Pond watershed was chosen as our study site. It is a characteristic New England lake located in Vassalboro, Maine. Webber Pond is a popular site for recreation and is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Like all other lakes in Maine, it is a young lake. However, intensive human activity in the watershed contributes a substantial amount of nutrients and the lake has algal blooms anually in the summer months.

The purpose of this study was to asses the impact of land use and development on the water quality of Webber Pond. Physical and chemical …

Energy Balance Closure At Fluxnet Sites, Kell Wilson, Allen Goldstein, Eva Falge, Marc Aubinet, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Paul Berbigier, Christian Bernhofer, Reinhart Ceulemans, Han Dolman, Chris Field, Achim Grelle, Andreas Ibrom, B. E. Law, Andy Kowalski, Tilden Meyers, John Moncrieff, Russ Monson, Walter Oechel, John Tenhunen, Shashi Verma, Riccardo Valentini

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A comprehensive evaluation of energy balance closure is performed across 22 sites and 50 site-years in FLUXNET, a network of eddy covariance sites measuring long-term carbon and energy fluxes in contrasting ecosystems and climates. Energy balance closure was evaluated by statistical regression of turbulent energy fluxes (sensible and latent heat (LE)) against available energy (net radiation, less the energy stored) and by solving for the energy balance ratio, the ratio of turbulent energy fluxes to available energy. These methods indicate a general lack of closure at most sites, with amean imbalance in the order of 20%. The imbalance was prevalent …

Vadose Zone Processes And Chemical Transport, H. M. Gaber, Steven Comfort, Patrick J. Shea, Thomas A. Machacek

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Permeable zerovalent iron (Fe⁰) barriers have become an estab- lished technology for remediating contaminated ground water. This same technology may be applicable for treating pesticides amenable to dehalogenation as they move downward in the vadose zone. By conducting miscible displacement experiments in the laboratory with metolachlor [2-chloro-N-(2-ethyl-6-methylphenyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl) acetamide; a chloroacetanilide herbicide] under unsaturated flow, we provide proof-of-concept for such an approach. Transport experiments were conducted in repacked, unsaturated soil columns attached to vacuum chambers and run under constant matrix potential (-30 kPa) and Darcy flux (approximately 2 cm d^-1 ). Treatments included soil …

Novel Algorithms For Remote Estimation Of Vegetation Fraction, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Yoram J. Kaufman, Robert Stark, Don Rundquist

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Spectral properties of a wheat canopy with vegetation fraction (VF) from 0% to 100% in visible and near-infrared (NIR) ranges of the spectrum were studied in order to devise a technique for remote estimation of VF. When VF was < 60%, from emergence till middle of the elongation stage, four distinct, and quite independent, spectral bands of reflectance existed in the visible range of the spectrum: 400 to 500 nm, 530 to 600 nm, near 670 nm, and around 700 nm. When VF was between 60% and 100%, reflectance in the NIR leveled off or even decreases with an increase of VF. The decreased reflectance in the NIR, occurring at or near the midseason, can be a limiting factor in the use of that spectral region for VF estimation. It was found that for VF > 60%, the information content of reflectance spectra in visible range can be expressed by only two independent pairs of spectral bands: (1) the blue from 400 to 500 nm and the red near 670 nm; (2) the green around 550 nm and the red edge region near 700 nm. We propose using only the visible range of the spectrum to quantitatively …

Developing Industrial Ecosystems: Approaches, Cases, And Tools, Marian Chertow, Michelle Portlock

Yale School of the Environment Bulletin Series

No abstract provided.

Global Environmental Governance: Options & Opportunities, Daniel C. Esty, Maria H. Ivanova

Yale School of the Environment Publications Series

No abstract provided.

A Late Quaternary Paleoecological Record From Caves Of Southern Jamaica, West Indies, Donald A. Mcfarlane, Joyce Lundberg, A.G. Fincham

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

Studies of an unusual and diverse system of caves in coastal southern Jamaica have yielded a paleoclimatic record associated with a fossil vertebrate record that provides useful insights into the poorly documented paleoecology of latest Wisconsinan and Holocene Jamaica. Episodes of significantly increased precipitation during the Holocene have left characteristic deposits of speleothems, and have supported both faunal and archaeological communities that were dependent on these mesic conditions. Deposits of fossil bat guano preserved in the caves provide a δ¹³C record of alternating mesic and xeric climatic episodes that supports the interpretation of the faunal and archaeological record.

Resource Law Notes Newsletter, No. 53, Winter, Feb. 2002, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Resource Law Notes: The Newsletter of the Natural Resources Law Center (1984-2002)

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Research Report No.131 - Pilchard (Sardinops Sagax) Nursery Areas And Recruitment Process Assessment Between Different Regions In Southern Western Australia, Daniel J. Gaughan, Graeme Baudains, Ronald W. Mitchell, Timothy I. Leary

Fisheries Research Reports

Pilchards have been the primary target of purse seine fisheries along the south and lower west coasts of WA for nearly 15 years. Western Australia’s pilchard population consists of separate west coast and south coast breeding stocks. The adult pilchards in the south coast stock can, in turn, be further divided into three separate assemblages. These adult assemblages correspond to the purse seine fisheries at Albany, Bremer Bay and Esperance. However, while the separateness of the adult assemblages is well established, the status of the juveniles within the context of these adult groups is not understood. For example, the habitats …

Actiononaias Ligamentina As A Biomonitor In The Green River: An Unique Approach For Analysis Of Environmental Impacts, Robert Kirkland

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Biomonitoring has become an important component in bioassessment programs. It is used to maintain high water quality standards, and determine contaminant levels and biological affects in areas that have been heavily disturbed. The objectives of this research were 1) to improve and apply certain modern biomonitoring techniques and 2) to locate possible contaminant sources affecting the flora and fauna of the Green River and of Mammoth Cave. Actinonaias ligamentina (Lamarck, 1819), a freshwater mussel, was used for interpretation of these impacts as well as refinement of biomonitoring techniques. The mussels were collected in the Lawler Bend region of the Green …

Bronx River Restoration: Report And Assessment, Teresa Crimmens

Student Theses 2001-2013

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Development And Validation Of Spatially Explicit Habitat Models For Cavity-Nesting Birds In Fishlake National Forest, Utah, Randall J. Schultz, Jr., Thomas C. Edwards, Jr., Gretchen G. Molsen, Tracey S. Frescino

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The ability of USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and analysis (FIA) generated spatial products to increase the predictive accuracy of spatially explicit, macroscale habitat models was examined for nest-site selection by cavity-nesting birds in Fishlake National Forest, Utah. One FIA-derived variable (percent basal area of aspen trees) was significant in the habitat model; however, the incorporation of FIA stand structure information did not increase model accuracy. Cavity-nesting birds respond strongly to nest-tree attributes unable to be modeled spatially for this study. Future modeling efforts should focus on larger taxa (e.g., ungulates) and richness/diversity studies.

The Roswell And Carlsbad Bureau Of Land Management Field Offices And Lincoln National Forest Endangered, Threatened And Sensitive Plant Field Guide, United States Bureau Of Land Management

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

This field guide has been prepared through a combined effort of the Roswell and Carlsbad Field Offices of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Lincoln National Forest (LNF), and Ecosphere Environmental Services. This guide will help agency field personnel and public land users identify special status species found in the Roswell, Carlsbad, and Lincoln National Forest management areas.

Final General Management Plan/Environmental Impact Statement (Visitor Management And Resource Protection Plan) Zion National Park, Utah, U.S. Department Of The Interior, National Park Service

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The purpose of this conceptual plan is to describe the general path the National Park Service intends to follow in managing Zion National Park over the next 20 years. The approved plan will provide a framework for proactive decision making on such issues as visitor use, natural and cultural resource management, and park development, which will allow park managers to effectively address future problems and opportunities. In most cases, new development outside the park would take place to meet visitor needs.