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Center For Sustainable Agricultural Systems Newsletter, January/February 1999

Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems: Newsletter (1993–2000)

A Question of Sustainability!

Highlights of Upcoming New Book: Under the Blade (Part 5)

Global Perspectives on Biotechnology (or) What's This Farm Boy Doing in Brussels?

NCR SARE Producer Grants Available

University Role in Biotechnology: How Do We Set Research Priorities?

Under-Ice Diel Vertical Migrations Of Oncorhynchus Nerka And Their Zooplankton Prey, G. B. Steinhart, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

We used stationary hydroacoustics and measures of environmental conditions (water temperature, dissolved oxygen, light levels, and zooplankton) to determine what factors, foraging or predation risk, influenced diel vertical migrations of Oncorhynchus nerka during winter in three high-mountain lakes. The Sawtooth Valley lakes are deep, oligotrophic, glacial lakes located in central Idaho, U.S.A., and historically contained populations of anadromous O. nerka. In general, low light intensities limited foraging opportunities of O. nerka under ice, especially at night. In Stanley Lake, O. nerka underwent diel vertical migrations to exploit available light to feed. Oncorhynchus nerka occupied shallow water at night, where there …

The Rehabilitation Of The Tampa Bay Estuary, Florida, Usa, As An Example Of Successful Integrated Coastal Management, R. R. Lewis, P. A. Clark, W. K. Fehring, H. S. Greening, R. O. Johansson, R. T. Paul

Reports

The first suggestion that controls on eutrophication and dredging impacts were needed came in 1969. The federal Water Pollution Control Administration recommended a water quality management plan and waste abatement program to control odour and other pollution symptoms in Hillsborough Bay, and a master plan for dredging and filling the bay.

1999 File Geodatabase Containing Photo Point Locations, Aerial Photos, And Flight Maps, City Of Tampa Department Of Sanitary Sewers Bay Study Group, Pete Reehling, Richard Mckenzie

Data Sets

The Bay Study Group was created by the City of Tampa in 1976 to monitor the effects of pollution abatement that occurred in Hillsborough Bay when the city’s wastewater treatment plant was upgraded from primary to advanced treatment in 1979. The Bay Study Group documented a remarkable restoration of water quality parameters and biological indicators in Hillsborough Bay from the mid 1980s until 2009, when it was disbanded. This zip Geodatabase file contains the photo point locations, aerial photos, and flight maps for the year 1999.

1999 File Geodatabase Containing Aerial Photos, Pete Reehling, Richard Mckenzie, City Of Tampa Department Of Sanitary Sewers Bay Study Group

Images

The Bay Study Group was created by the City of Tampa in 1976 to monitor the effects of pollution abatement that occurred in Hillsborough Bay when the city’s wastewater treatment plant was upgraded from primary to advanced treatment in 1979. The Bay Study Group documented a remarkable restoration of water quality parameters and biological indicators in Hillsborough Bay from the mid 1980s until 2009, when it was disbanded. This zip Geodatabase file contains the aerial photos for the year 1999.

Impact Of Snowfall On The Utah Preventive Aerial Hunting Program, Kimberly K . Wagner, Michael R. Conover

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aerial hunting is one of the tools used by wildlife managers to reduce predation by coyotes (Canis latrans) on livestock and wildlife (Guthery and Beasom 1977, Sterner and Schumake 1978, Stout 1982. Smith et al. 1986). In research conducted by Wagner and Conover (1999), areas with preventive aerial hunting had fewer confirmed and estimated lamb losses to coyote predation and required significantly fewer hours of additional corrective predation management than areas without aerial hunting. Aerial hunting is perceived to be especially valuable for large areas and areas with rough terrain and limited access (United States Department of the …

Use Of Netted Cage Traps For Capturing White-Tailed Deer, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Jeff Beringer, Scott E. Hygnstrom

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The safe and humane live capture of deer may be an important component of management and research projects. Growing populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in both urban and agricultural settings often conflict with local human interests and present challenges to natural resource managers. Netted cage traps can be an important tool when managing deer populations where traditional control methods may not be appropriate or acceptable. Netted cage traps can also be used by researchers to acquire deer for marking, measurements, or other non-lethal purposes. We discuss the design of netted cage traps, trapping techniques, and the handling …

Ontogenetic Habitat Shifts Of Juvenile Bear Lake Sculpin, J. Ruzycki, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Bear lake sculpin Cottus extensus exhibit ontogenetic habitat shifts during their initial year of life. Distribution and habitat switching was measured with bimonthly bottom-trawl surveys repeated throughout the summer. Patterns of daily growth increments on otoliths were used to measure the history of habitat residence, individual size at the time of the habitat switch, and habitat-specific growth rates. Laboratory experiments and known-age fish confirmed daily increment formation of otoliths. After dispersing during an initial pelagic larval stage, postlarval juveniles settled in both the warm, food-rich littoral zone and the cold, unproductive profundal zone. During summer, initial profundal-zone inhabitants underwent a …

Food Habits And Diet Overlap Of Age-1 And Older Walleye And White Bass In Lake Poinsett, South Dakota, Andrew B. Starostka

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

White bass Marone chysops and walleye Stizostedion vitreum coexist in several of the large glacial lakes in eastern South Dakota. I collected age-1 and older white bass and walleye in Lake Poinsett, South Dakota during May, July and September, 1998 to determine food habits and diet overlap using percent by weight to describe diets and Schoener's index (Cxy) to determine diet overlap. Macroinvertebrates were common prey items for white bass in all length groups during all sample dates. The primary macroinvertebrates consumed by white bass were corixids, amphipods and dipterans. Fish, as a group, were second in diet importance over …

Body Mass Patterns Predict Invasions And Extinctions In Transforming Landscapes, Craig R. Allen, Elizabeth A. Forys, C. S. Holling

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Scale-specific patterns of resource distribution on landscapes entrain attributes of resident animal communities such that species body-mass distributions are organized into distinct aggregations. Species within each aggregation respond to resources over the same range of scale. This discontinuous pattern has predictive power: invasive species and extinct or declining species in landscapes subject to human transformation tend to be located at the edge of body-mass aggregations (P < 0.01), which may be transition zones between distinct ranges of scale. Location at scale breaks affords species great opportunity, but also potential crisis.

Inventory Of The Central Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecoregion Of Kansas And Nebraska, Hillary Loring, Mike Bullerman, Kelly Kindscher

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

An inventory of potential high quality mixed-grass prairie ranches and large properties within the Central Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecoregion of Kansas and Nebraska was conducted in the spring and summer of 1999. Emphasis during the inventory was placed on identification of relatively intact landscapes. Significant ranches within those untilled landscapes were visited. An interview of the owners or managers of those properties was coupled with a survey of the vegetation. Assessments of quality were based on species composition, continuity of ground cover, observations of livestock impact, and viability of the community types present.

The objectives of this study were to:

1) …

Evidence Of A Feeding Aggregation Of Humpback Whales (Megaptera Novaeangliae) Around Kodiak Island, Alaska, Janice Waite, Marilyn Dahlheim, Roderick Hobbs, Sally Mizroch

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The known summer feeding range of the North Pacific humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) extends from California, along the coasts of Oregon, Washington, and Alaska, into the Bering Sea, along the Aleutian Islands, the Sea of Okhotsk (Tomilin 1957), and to northern Japan (Rice 1977). In feeding areas of the northeastern Pacific Ocean, humpback whale photoidentification research has been concentrated off California (Calambokidis et al. 1993), southeastern Alaska (Darling and McSweeney 1985, Baker et al. 1986, 1992; Perry et al. 1990), Prince William Sound in Alaska (von Ziegesar 1992), the Oregon and Washington coasts (Calambokidis et al. 1993), and …

The Effects Of Urbanization And Human Disturbance Upon Plant Community Structure And Bird Species Richness, Diversity, And Abundance In A Natural Forested Area (Forest Park) In Portland, Oregon, Nancy Ellen Broshot

Dissertations and Theses

The effects of urbanization and continual human disturbance on the plant and avian communities of Forest Park and forested lands surrounding Portland, Oregon, were studied. I examined characteristics of plant and avian communities at 25 sites, 24 which were in Forest Park and surrounding areas and one which was in the Ancient Forest Preserve (old-growth stand) northwest of Forest Park. Data were analyzed using multiple regression, ANOV A, and Bonferonni/Dunn. Seven variables were selected representing different urbanization gradients. An additional covariable coded for the old-growth stand, allowing it to be used as a control.

Many tree variables, especially those related …

Sub-Lethal Effects Of Hypoxia/Hypercapnia On Callinectes Sapidus In The York River Estuary, Virginia, Sandra R. Hypes

Theses and Dissertations

This research examined effects of hypoxic environments on blue crabs, Callinectes sapidus in an estuarine environment. Hypoxic conditions were treated as a multiple stressor involving low dissolved oxygen (D.O.), increased carbon dioxide (hypercapnia), and low pH concurrently. The objectives were to: 1) identify hypoxiahypercapnia by monitoring D.O. and pH as an indicator of hypercapnia in shallow regions of the York River, 2) measure blue crab abundance, and 3) describe blue crab responses to hypoxiahypercapnia via field work at Taskinas Creek and lab measurements of respiration. Ambient D.O. and pH were positively correlated in the Taskinas Creek and York River sites …

Regional Ecology Of The St. Elias Mountain Parks: A Synthesis With Management Implications (British Columbia, Yukon, Alaska), Ryan Kenneth Danby

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The St. Elias region of North America occupies portions of British Columbia, Alaska, and the Yukon Territory and comprises a network of public lands and protected areas managed by a variety of agencies. This thesis characterizes and analyzes the broad- scale, or regional, ecology of these lands and provides an assessment of the implications this has for ecosystem-based management—particularly as it relates to intergovernmental cooperation. A multi-stage, map-based, multidisciplinary process is used to synthesize information on the region’s physical, biological, and institutional environments. The fields of conservation biology and landscape ecology provide theoretical foundations for analysis. The ecological synthesis and …

Comparison Of Environmental Assessments Of Two Proposed Harbor Expansions On The Mississippi River, Richard S. Grippo, Bobby Bennett, Randel T. Cox

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 requires federally funded projects to be evaluated for environmental impact to determine if a complete environmental impact statement must be prepared. Such an environmental assessment must also be included in any feasibility study for harbor enlargement and bank stabilization measures under the Water Resources Development Act. Population increases, coupled with economic growth from increased agricultural and industrial productivity, have resulted in increased Mississippi River barge transportation needs for Arkansas and Missouri. We report here two such environmental assessments of planned harbor expansions of the New Madrid County and Pemiscot County ports in the …

A Spatial And Temporal Analysis Of Riparian Vegetation Along Satus Creek On The Yakama Indian Reservation, Kathryn Gellenbeck

All Master's Theses

Satus Creek provides critical habitat for the Yakima River Basin steelhead. A diverse community of riparian vegetation is important for healthy fish habitat; vegetation changes can affect shade, cover, channel structure, water quality, and food availability. The purpose of this thesis is to analyze and illustrate riparian vegetation change, both temporally and spatially, along three separate reaches of Satus Creek. A Geographic Information Systems approach was applied to assess the vegetation change by comparing plant species composition and density on 1949 and 1995 aerial photographs. The GIS approach allowed patterns and trends in the vegetation to be identified. In less …

Field Sampling And Necropsy Examination Of Fish, A. S. Kane, A. Baya, R. Reimschuessel, K. M. St. Pé, C. A. Poukish, C. P. Driscoll

Virginia Journal of Science

This paper presents an overview of observational and fish sampling tech­niques for investigating fish lesions, morbidity and mortality. These sam­pling techniques and investigations are much like detective work and require attention to detail, common sense, technical proficiency and experience. To solve the mystery of a fish kill, the investigator must use available evidence and clues to piece together a series of events that often have long since passed. The cause of these field events may be chemical, biological or physical; more often, it is some combination of these. An initial categorization approach may be used to reduce the great number …

Pcr And Fish Detection Extends The Range Of Pfiesteria Piscicida In Estuarine Waters, P. A. Rublee, J. Kempton, E. Schaefer, J.M. Burkholder, H. B. Glasgow Jr., David Oldach

Virginia Journal of Science

PCR and fluorescent in situ hybridization probes were used to assay for the presence of the dinoflagellate Pfiesteria piscicida in 170 estuarine water samples collected from New York to northern Florida. 20% of samples tested positive for the presence of P. piscicida, including sites where fish kills due to Pfiesteria have occurred and sites where there was no historical evidence of such events. The results extend the known range of P. piscicida northward to Long Island, New York. The results also suggest that P. piscicida is common, and normally benign, inhabitatant of estuarine waters of the eastern US.

Designing An Analytic Deliberative Process For Environmental Health Policy Making In The U.S. Nuclear Weapons Complex, Seth Tuler, Thomas Webler

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Using a National Research Council Report as a centerpiece, Drs. Tuler and Webler evaluate the effectiveness of a conceptual approach to risk policy-making.

Demonstration Of Tritrichomonas Foetus In The External Genitalia And Of Specific Antibodies In Preputial Secretions Of Naturally Infected Bulls, J. C. Rhyan, K. L. Wilson, B. Wagner, M. L. Anderson, R. H. Bondurant, D. E. Burgess, G. K. Mutwiri, L. B. Corbeil

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Portions of penis and prepuce were collected from 24 bulls with current or recent Tritrichomonas foetus infection. Epididymides were collected from seven of the bulls, and seminal vesicles and prostate were collected from four. Following immunohistochemical staining with two monoclonal antibodies (34.7C4.4 and TF1.15) prepared against T. foetus surface antigens, trichomonads were identified in sections from 15 of the bulls. Organisms were most often located in penile crypts in the midshaft and caudal regions and less often in preputial crypts. Trichomonads were not observed in sections from other genitalia or in subepithelial tissue. T. foetus antigen, however, was present in …

The Use Of Bauxite Residue As A Soil Amendment In The Peel -Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment - Environmental Monitoring Report August 1999, Mark Rivers

Natural resources published reports

The Peel-Harvey Coastal Plain Catchment is located immediately south of Perth in Western Australia and covers approximately 190,000 ha. It extends from Forrestdale in the north to Harvey in the south, and west from the Darling Scarp to Mandurah on the coast. The boundary of the catchment, as illustrated in Figure 1, represents the area which has been approved by the DEP for the broadscale application of Alkaloam as a soil amendment. (This figure also indicates features and regions of importance in this project).

The region experiences a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters with most …

Nightly And Seasonal Movements Of Boiga Irregularis On Guam, Mark Tobin, Robert Sugihara, Patricia Pochop, Michael Linnell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Brown tree snakes (Boiga irregularis, BTS), inadvertently introduced to the island of Guam shortly after World War II, have had catastrophic effects on the native fauna of this U.S. territory. We used radio-telemetry to monitor daytime refugia and nightly movements of 60 BTS (30 during each of two seasonal periods) to determine the extent of nightly, weekly, and monthly movements. Eighty-three percent of subadult daytime sightings were in trees, compared to only 49% of adult daytime sightings. Most measures of movement did not vary with seasonal period, sex, or age class. BTS moved an average of 64 m …

Avon And Upper Hotham Region Natural Resource Atlas, Sarah Weaving, Jason Batory

All other publications

The Avon and Upper Hotham Region Atlas is one of a series of Natural Resource Atlases covering the agricultural region of Western Australia. The purpose of the Atlas is to provide data for local people who manage or have an interest in natural resources. This includes the members of Land Conservation District Committees (LCDC), catchment groups, local government, non-government organisations, conservation groups, schools and libraries.

The aim of this publication is to bring together land and natural resource information from a number of sources and present it in a clear and accessible way. The data covers a number of topics …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report 1998/99, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

In accordance with Section 62 of the Financial Administration and Audit Act 1985, I submit for your information and presentation to Parliament the Annual Report of the Fisheries Department for the financial year ending 30 June 1999.

The Annual Report of Fisheries WA has been prepared in accordance with the provisions of the Financial and Administration and Audit Act 1985 and Secon 263 of the Fish Resouces Management Act 1994.

Changes In Early Winter Abundance Of Four Gull (Larus) Species On Western Lake Erie, 1951-1995, Laura A. Tyson, Richard A. Dolbeer, Jerrod L. Belant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many gulls (Larus spp.) that nest on and north of the Great Lakes concentrate along the south shore of western Lake Erie in early winter. Monitoring population trends of these gulls is important because of increasing conflicts between gulls and humans. We used data from four Christmas Bird Count locations to examine population trends of four gull species on western Lake Erie during nine 5-year periods, 1951-1995. Overall, ring-billed gulls (Z. delawarensis} were the dominant species (59% of gulls counted) followed by herring (Z. argentatus, 20%), Bonaparte's (Z. Philadelphia, 18%) and great blackbacked (Z. marinus, 0.2%) gulls. Ring-billed gulls displayed …

Quantitation Of Pyrethrum Residues In Brown Tree Snakes, John J. Johnston, Carol A. Furcolow, Stephanie A. Volz, Richard E. Mauldin, Thomas M. Primus, Peter J. Savarie, Joe E. Brooks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A reversed-phase solid-phase extraction–gas chromatography (SPE–GC)–electron capture detection method is developed to quantitate individual rethrin residues in pyrethrum-exposed brown tree snakes. Aliquots (6 g) of homogenized snake tissue are extracted with 10 mL acetonitrile. The rethrins are recovered from the acetonitrile extract and concentrated using C₈ SPE. The rethrins are eluted from the SPE column with pentane, evaporated to near dryness, and reconstituted to 1 mL with 1-propanol. Individual rethrins are quantitated using GC analysis of the 1-propanol solution. Method limits of detection for rethrins range from 0.63 to 6.51 ng/g. The mean recovery for all rethrins is 70.8% …

Ontogenetic Shifts In Canion Attractiveness To Brown Tree Snakes (Boiga Irregularis), John A. Shivik, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) is a nocturnal, primarily arboreal, rear-fanged colubrid native to parts of Australasia (Savidge, 1987; Greene, 1989). Throughout their range, brown tree snakes eat a variety of prey including lizards, rats, and birds (Greene, 1989; Shine, 1991; Rodda, 1992; Rodda et al., in press). Brown tree snakes on Guam have a wide diet consisting mainly of lizards and lizard eggs, but a variety of other items were found in snake stomachs, including odd items such as cooked spareribs (Savidge, 1988). Savidge (1988) noted an ontogenetic shift in Guam brown tree snake diets; small …

Trapping Considerations For The Fossorial Pocket Gopher, Gary W. Witmer, Rex Marsh, George Matschke

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fossorial mammals such as the pocket gopher (Thomomys spp.) are well adapted to life in an underground closed burrow system. These animals can have considerable influence on ecosystems and can cause significant damage to agricultural crops, forest resources, and field machinery. The research and management of pocket gopher populations poses many challenges to land managers and research biologists. Both live-trapping for research purposes and kill trapping for control purposes are important tools for working with pocket gophers. Trapping can be an effective and efficient tool if the proper traps are used and trappers are trained to place traps properly …

Effective Of Preventive Coyote Hunting On Sheep Losses To Coyote Predation, Kimberly Wagner, Michael Conover

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aerial hunting is commonly used by agriculture agencies in the Intermountain West to reduce coyote (Canis latrans) predation on domestic sheep. We assessed the effect of aerial hunting of coyotes on sheep losses to coyotes, and the need for corrective predation management (hours of work, device nights) on the same pastures when sheep arrived for the subsequent summer grazing season (3-6 months after aerial hunting). Comparisons were made between paired pastures with (treated) and without (untreated) winter aerial hunting from helicopters. Average (x ± SE) pasture size was 45.2 ± 14.1 km² (n = 21) for treated …