Digital Commons Network^™

Ecological Study Of The Effects Of Strip Mining On The Microbiology Of Streams, Ralph H. Weaver, Harry D. Nash

KWRRI Research Reports

The microflora of Cane Branch of Beaver Creek in McCreary County, Kentucky, which drains an area that was strip-mined between 1955 and 1959, was studied and compared with that of Helton Branch which drains a comparable area where there has been no mining. Differences include: the establishment of Ferrcbacillus ferrooxidans, for which procedures were developed for direct colony isolation from the stream; fewer saprophytic bacteria; more numerous and more diversified filamentous and unicellular fungi; and characteristic differences in algal flora. Representatives of 42 genera of filamentous fungi were identified. Of these, 21 were isolated only from Cane Branch. Representatives of …

The Fish Population Of Lake Poinsett, South Dakota, As Indicated By The Catch, James C. Congdon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Gill nets, trap nets, an otter trawl, and a boom-type electric shocker were utilized to obtain samples of the fish population of Lake Poinsett, South Dakota. The species and size composition of the samples differed significantly with time of season, time of day, location on the lake, and type of gear. Decreased activity following spawning was the apparent cause of a midsummer decline in gill net and trap net catches of black bullhead, black crappie, and white crappie. A late summer increase in the catch of yearling black bullheads, crappies, white bass, carp and bigmouth buffalo was attributed to an …

Evaluations Of Techniques For Estimating Fall Age Ratios Of Canada And Snow Geese, Kenneth Frederick Higgins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Validity of flock counts, average group-size counts, cannot-net catches, and hunter-bag checks for estimating productivity of lesser snow geese (Anser caerulescens caerulescens) and small Canada geese (Branta cnadensis hutchinsii-parvipes complex) was studied at Sand Lake and Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuges during fall, 1965 and 1966. Age-ratios obtained from flock counts vaired with the number of flocks sampled, wind velocity and amount of sky cover. If adequate sampling sites are selected and weather conditions are standardized, age ratio data from flock counts are of value for assessing productivity. Variation in group composition and number contributed to the bias in average group-size …

Life History And Ecology Of The Black-Footed Ferret In The Wild, Conrad N. Hillman

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Twenty-one black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) were observed at six different locations in southwest South Dakota between April 1966, and September 1967. All observations were made on black-tailed prairie-dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) towns from 15 to 100 acres in size. Because of the proximity of towns inhabited by ferrets, it was possible that individual animals were observed in more than one location. Three litters of ferrets were studied. Young ferrets were most active during early morning and late evening hours. Ferrets remained as a group until early fall when dispersal evidently occurred. Young ferrets accepted live-tethered and dead prairie dogs, mice, cottontails …

A Survey Of Pollution On Selected Streams In The Black Hills Of South Dakota, Thomas J. Jurgens

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Seven Streams in the Black Hill of South Dakota were surveyed to determine the influence of suspected sources of pollution on these streams. The sources of pollution included both sewage treatment plant effluents and mining wastes. A comparison of the benthic fauna community below a pollution source to that above it was the primary basis for evaluating the effect of the pollution source on the stream. The results of the benthic fauna samples indicated that the streams surveyed were being polluted. The degree of pollution of each stream was also indicated by these results. Chemical analysis were sued to verify …

Limnology Of Selected South Dakota Lakes, Artwin E. Schmidt

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Physical, chemical, and biological aspects of 45 lakes in South Dakota were studied from July 1965 to July 1967. Maximum water temperature at the surface reached 28 C. Most of the lakes studied exhibited continuous circulation except when ice covered. Thermocline formation was observed in six of the lakes. Light transmission was influenced by turbidity, and varied greatly within individual lakes and among lakes. Dissolved oxygen concentrations ranged from near saturation to less than the recommended minimum for fish life. All likes studied were basic ranging from a pH of 7.1 to 11.3. Specific conductance of lakes occupying open basins …

Fishes Of The Big Sioux River, James A. Sinning

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

An understanding of the fishes and limnology of a river is essential to the effective management of the river. The climate, soils, and agricultural practices in eastern South Dakota create unusual characteristics in rivers draining that area. One of the principal rivers of the area is the Big Sioux River. Fishes of this river were first studied about 1900 by Meek and by Everman and Cox (Bailey and Allum, 1962). A later survey by Churchill and Over (1933) apparently included the Big Sioux River, but collection data were inadequate for detailed comparisons. Since that time collections of fishes were made …

Evaluation Of Runoff Coefficients From Small Natural Drainage Areas, Carlos Fix Miller, L. Douglas James

KWRRI Research Reports

The Kentucky Department of Highways, as do most other agencies which build small drainage structures, estimates flood peaks as the product of a runoff coefficient, a rainfall intensity, and the drainage area, Available procedures were applied to 39 gaged watersheds in and near Kentucky and compared with the results of frequency analysis of historical stream gage records. The methods consistently underestimated the flood peak.

Therefore, a more intensive study (using the Stanford Watershed Model) of the runoff coefficient was undertaken by dividing it into overland flow and streamflow components. A set of curves was developed based on the 50-year event …

Some Ecological Observations On The Fathead Minnow, Pimephales Promelas, In The Alkaline Waters Of Nebraska, D. B. Mccarraher, Robert Thomas

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

Populations of the fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas, were apparently common throughout the sandhills region of Nebraska, prior to the appearance of the first pioneers, for Aughey (1880) listed the species as part of the native fauna. Current data relating to the distribution (Figure 1) and gross ecology of the species throughout the sandhills, was first collected in 1954 by the authors, with continuous observances recorded since that year. The fathead minnow is a common species throughout the northern great plains and appears to reach its greatest abundance in the shallow, alkaline lakes of Nebraska. Our investigations over the past …

Distribution And Mortality Of Saskatchewan-Banded White-Fronted Geese, Harvey W. Miller, Alex Dzubin, John T. Sweet

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

At its annual spring meeting in 1959 the Technical Committee of the Central Flyway Council recognized a decreased population of the white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons). The recorded harvest in Canada and the United States had exceeded the estimated wintering population in some years. After summarizing records for the Central and Mississippi Flyways the Committee found them inadequate for management and to help fill this void, recommended banding on local concentration areas including Saskatchewan.

An Urgent Appeal For Information On Minnesota's Natural Areas

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Multiple Cropping Will Increase The Erosion Hazard, W J. Burdass

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

WITH the low price of wool and the price of wheat high in comparison, farmers need little encouragement to increase their acreage of crops.

Unfortunately with increased cropping comes the risk of increased erosion—unless there is a simultaneous increase in the use of conservation practices.

Urban Geology—A Need And A Challenge, William J. Wayne

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Urban land uses are rapidly converting open land into intensively used land. Generally, in planning those uses, a comprehensive study has included everything except an evaluation of the land in three dimensions. Geologists are eminently well equipped to supply the missing data, but they must also be aware of the needs of the urban community and the kinds of information needed by planners if they are to write reports usable by planners. Urban and environmental geology is a newly expanding field in the use of geologic data to help solve some urban problems in the planning stage. It is likely …

The Occurrence And Distribution Of Methane In The Marine Environment, Larry P. Atkinson, Francis A. Richards

CCPO Publications

The distributions of methane dissolved in the sulfide-bearing waters of the Black Sea, the Cariaco Trench, and Lake Nitinat are reported. The gas was not detected in the oxygen-deficient water of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean, in the Santa Barbara Basin, nor in the sulfide-bearing water of Saanich Inlet. Maximum concentrations observed were 70 μmole CH4/l., and the distribution tends to follow that of sulfide. The data indicate that methane is derived from organic compounds not containing nitrogen or phosphorus and that its formation is much slower than that of sulfide. The solubility coefficient in seawater (salinity = 40‰) is …

Water Quality Study Of Lake Mead, Dale A. Hoffman, Paul R. Tramutt, Frank C. Heller, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

This report presents Lake Mead Water quality data obtained from 1964 to 1966. The effect of filling Lake Powell on the water quality of Lake Mead is evaluated. General limnological principles and the present limnology of Lake Mead are discussed. Lake Mead has a warm monomictic annual temperature cycle characterized by summer stratification, fall overturn leading into a continuous circulation throughout the winter; temperatures never fall below 39 deg F (4 deg C). During stratification, lower dissolved oxygen values were recorded in the thermocline than in the epilimnion and hypolimnion. Mineral content increases from the upper to the lower end …

A Balanced Salt Culture Medium For Halteria Grandinella, Yee Wan Mark

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The animals that the writer worked with liere the unicellular organisms called liaJ,tez:ia grandil.!iilJ.a• They belong to the Pl~lum Protozoa and are placed in the Class Ciliata and the Order Oligotrichia. llftltez'A gDJ}gini•U, like most protozoa, ll ve in waters but they seem to prefer qUiet pools, lakes, and ponds in which aqua i;;!c plants are growing and in which there is much organic matter.

Proceedings: Third Vertebrate Pest Conference -- Frontmatter & Contents

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Sponsored by the California Vertebrate Pest Technical Committee

Maynard W. Cummings - Chairman

Richard H. Dana - Vice Chairman

Rex E. Marsh - Secretary-Treasurer

GENERAL CHAIRMAN OF CONFERENCE - Maynard W. Cummings, Assistant State Director, Agricultural Extension Service, University of California, Davis, California. VICE-CHAIRMAN OF CONFERENCE - Richard H. Dana, Vertebrate Pest Control Specialist, California Department of Agriculture, Sacramento, California. PROGRAM CHAIRMAN - Charles C. Siebe, Vertebrate Pest Control Specialist, California Department of Agriculture, Sacramento, California. PUBLICITY CHAIRMAN - Rex E. Marsh, Associate Specialist, Department of Animal Physiology, University of California, Davis, California. ARRANGEMENTS CHAIRMAN - Jerry P. Clark, Agricultural …

Good Practice In Vertebrate Pest Control, Philip J. Spear

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Good practice in pest control is a responsibility of several elements in our democratic, free-enterprise society. Most notably, these are: (1) the general public, (2) responsible government agencies and (3) industry. Before I comment about the responsibilities of each of these three groups, let me tell you about the work of structural pest control operators and their interests in vertebrate pest control. The pest control industry which I discussed in detail at the Second Vertebrate Pest Control Conference (1) continues to grow and expand its fields of activity. At the present time, it is our estimate (2) that 26,700 persons …

Rats, Bombs, And Paradise - The Story At Eniwetok, William B. Jackson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

At Eniwetok Atoll in the Marshall Islands, rats have been involved in an intriguing story. Polynesian rats were probably the only rodents present until after World War 11 when roof rats were brought in along with supplies and equipment for the atomic test program in the late 40's or early 50's. Some islets of the atoll, originally covered with coconut plantations, were denuded by heat, shock, and tidal waves following the detonation of devices. Initially radiation levels were high, but radioactive decay and dilution reduced the radiation hazard, and today the background radiation is well within the safe range. Many …

Blackbird Behavior, Gordon W. Boudreau

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

A knowledge and understanding of a bird's habits and behavior patterns is prerequisite to any intelligent approach toward solving problems created by that species. This also applies to associated species commonly observed with it. Since my subject today is blackbirds I will confine my observations to species in this group, particularly red-winged blackbirds. The Red-Winged Blackbird, (Agelaius phoeniceus) is numerically and economically the most important. Several sub-species or races are recognized and in California the most important of these is the Bi-colored Blackbird, (A. p. californica). The ranges of subspecies commonly overlap, particularly in the Southeast, and field identification is …

Population Control Of Herring Gulls By The Embryocide, Sudan Black*, David K. Wetherbee

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

The purpose of this experiment was to test the application of a biochemical method proposed to control the hatching of herring gull (Larus argentatus) eggs in a wild population. Sophistication was considered in terms of practicality, effectiveness, selectivity, economy, humaneness, remote application and hazards to and in the environment. The herring gull, which at the turn of the century was unknown as a breeding bird in northeastern United States, now nests abundantly along the Atlantic coast as far south as Virginia. Its phenomenal increase in numbers has resulted in conflicts with several human interests, including competition with other desirable nesting …

Birds And Airports, Erwin W. Pearson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

For all practical purposes, research in this country on the problem of bird hazards to aircraft began in 1960 with the crash of an Electra turboprop that carried 62 people to their deaths and was attributed to ingestion of starlings into the engines. In this paper I intend to review the problem and present some of the answers found by investigators in this country and, to lesser extent, abroad. The discussion will be roughly divided into two parts: 1) what: causes the problem, when, and where; and 2) what has been and is being done at airfields to reduce it. …

A Method Of Controlling Jack Rabbits On A Range Rehabilitation Project In California, Frank A. Wetherbee

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

In recent years the Bureau of Land Management's range rehabilitation program in the high sagebrush areas of northeastern California has included control of sagebrush preceded by the seeding of drought resistant grasses such as crested wheatgrass. Jack rabbit browsing and uprooting of young seedling plants has in many instances severely retarded the establishment of these grasses. Because of this it has become apparent that rabbit reduction in many of these areas is essential if a grass stand is to become established. A comparison of Figures 6 and 7 illustrates the problems jack rabbits can cause to range rehabilitation projects where …

Biotelemetry — Its Use In Vertebrate Control Studies, Wendell E. Dodge

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

Accurate evaluation of rodent control techniques has always been a laborious undertaking. It generally involves tedious pre- and post-treatment censusing by trapping, marking, track counts, reduction of activity, etc., and results, at best, must necessarily contain a significant amount of speculation by the investigator. The biologist conducting such studies has been constantly harassed by uncontrollable parameters such as trap response, immigration, emigration, predation, disease, and many others. Thus, there has been a pressing need of a more definitive technique for evaluating rodent control trials. During the last decade, a new tool called biotelemetry has become available to the wildlife biologist. …

Biological Control Of Vertebrate Pests, Walter E. Howard

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

This paper briefly introduces the subject of vertebrate pest control, integrates and interprets some important ecological principles of control methodology, and intercalates these discussions with analysis of the biological backlashes and other ecological interactions that may be created whenever troublesome species of vertebrates are controlled by biological means. Insight in this area must be deepened if we are to fulfill our primary objective of learning how to manage a healthy environment in perpetuity. One important merit of biocontrol is that most people accept carefully planned ecological dislocations in nature more readily than they do the repugnant and hazardous aspects of …

Epizootic Ecology In The Training Program Of The Vector-Borne Disease Section, Harold E. Stark

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 3rd (1967)

To fulfill the primary objective of the Vector-Borne Disease Section of NCDC to reduce the incidence of vector-borne diseases - a series of courses on vertebrates and arthropods and their role as reservoirs, vectors, and disease-causing agents is presented. Literature is prepared and a museum is maintained. One of these courses, Epizootic Ecology, illustrates some of the aspects dealt with in these courses. Definitions and concepts are presented followed by a brief review of principles of epidemiology and ecology. Specific examples constitute the bulk of the course. One of these, tularemia, is especially useful for the purposes of this course …

Occasional Papers On The Limnology Of Nebraska, D. B. Mccarraher

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

Nebraska limnological studies got under way throughout the state during 1966. Since this was the first full year of activities, field collections were made at as many sites as possible to accumulate extensive limnological data from which to determine lakes for future studies. A total of 44 reservoirs, natural Sand Hill lakes, rainbasin lakes, and Interstate 80 lakes was sampled. Methodology was perfected throughout the year in order to establish sampling techniques applicable to both natural and impounded waters.

Preliminary data revealed some conspicuous differences in physiochemical and biological characteristics from the geographically different regions of Nebraska. Distributions of properties …

American Opisthobranch Mollusks, Eveline Marcus, Ernst Marcus

Studies in Tropical Oceanography

No abstract provided.

Proceedings Of The International Conference On Tropical Oceanography, International Conference On Tropical Oceanography

Studies in Tropical Oceanography

No abstract provided.

Arkansas Water Resources: Supply, Use, And Research Needs, Jared Sparks

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

The purpose of this study is to identify Arkansas’ water resources research needs against an economic backdrop of water supply and use conditions existing in the state. In the aggregate Arkansas has an abundance of high quality water relative to present use. There are local conditions that give rise to water problems, but, in general, critical water problems in Arkansas are emergent and potential rather than actual. The causes of these problems are to be found, in large part, in the economic, legal, and social institutions surrounding water use--and particularly in the economic institutions. Research designed to improve economic efficiency …