Digital Commons Network^™

New Record Of Leucistic Blue Catfish, Ictalurus Furcatus (Siluriformes: Ictaluridae) From The Black River, Lawrence County, Arkansas, C.T. Mcallister, H.W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Blue Catfish, Ictalurus furcatus (Lesueur), the largest North American ictalurid, inhabits deep watersheds, impoundments, and main channels and backwaters of medium to large rivers, over mud, sand, and gravelly substrate. Its native range includes the Mississippi River basin from western Pennsylvania to southern South Dakota and southwestern Nebraska south to the Gulf of Mexico and in Alabama, Florida, The Rio Grande drainage of Texas and New Mexico (Page and Burr 2011). In Arkansas, I. furcatus is found throughout the Arkansas, Red, and Mississippi river drainages and has been stocked by the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission into reservoirs throughout …

Utah Growing Water Smart: The Water-Land Use Integration Guidebook For Southwestern Utah, Kelly Kopp, Joanna Endter-Wada

Utah Growing Water Smart

The Utah Growing Water Smart workshops bring together teams of key community staff and water and land use planning decision makers to help build a more resilient and sustainable water future. The workshops use a range of public engagement, planning, communication, and policy implementation tools to help community teams realize their water efficiency, smart growth, watershed health, and water resiliency goals.

This 3^rd edition of the Utah Growing Water Smart curriculum guidebook was prepared for the workshop focused on the Washington County Water Conservancy District service area and held on the campus of Southern Utah University in Cedar City, …

Late Holocene Fire History Reconstruction Of Beaver Lake In The Northwest Lowlands Of The Olympic Peninsula, Grace Mckenney

All Master's Theses

Fire is an essential component of the landscapes and forests of the Pacific Northwest, including the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula. Previous fire history reconstructions from the peninsula show that fire return intervals varied throughout the postglacial period, primarily in response to climatic changes and corresponding shifts in vegetation. However, much less is known about the fire history of the low-elevation forests of the Olympic Peninsula and the role of cultural fire regimes in these environments. The purpose of this study was to reconstruct the paleoenvironmental history of a low-elevation study site, Beaver Lake, located in the northwestern part …

Beach Erosion And Recovery Since Hurricane Ivan In 2004 Along A Headland-Bay Coast In Treasure Beach, Jamaica, Elandé Engelbrecht

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Anthropogenic climate change is causing sea-level rise and shoreline changes that threaten the environment and economy of coastal communities in Caribbean Island nations. To assess this risk, this study quantifies shoreline changes at Treasure Beach in St. Elizabeth Parish on the south coast of Jamaica from 2001 to 2023. The effects of storm events on erosion were also assessed. Over 10 km of shoreline are assessed with about half being sandy pocket beaches ranging from 300 to 900 m in length, separated by rocky headlands and beach rock outcrops. Sand beach erosion trends since 2001 are assessed for seven sandy …

Long Term Trends In Mortality Rates Of A Smallmouth Bass Population, Caleb D. Anderson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu are known as a popular sport fish for anglers. When a known smallmouth bass fishery appears to have a dwindling population, it raises questions about the population health. A common indicator of the health of the population is the mortality rate. By comparing mortality, conclusions can be made on whether smallmouth bass are dying at a different rate in the system over time. Therefore, the objective of this study was to see if there had been a significant change in smallmouth bass mortality over a span of thirty years in Round Lake (DOW:010204), Aitkin County, Minnesota. …

The Effects Of Length, Weight, Age, And Gender On Mercury Concentrations In Burbot In North-Central Minnesota Lakes, Liam Hanley

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Burbot Lota lota in north-central Minnesota lakes have the potential to reach large sizes and consume large volumes of prey. This caveat may make burbot susceptible to higher rates of biocontamination, bioaccumulation and biomagnification. The objective of this study was to determine how changes in age, length, gender, weight, and lake affect total mercury concentrations in burbot. In this experiment 28 burbot were angled from three lakes: Cass (n = 17), Winnibigoshish (n = 4), and Bad Medicine (n = 7). Then tissue samples were taken from each fish and were lyophilized and homogenized. Homogenized tissue samples were analyzed by …

Relationship Between Fishing Hours And Number Of Fish Harvested From Upper Red Lake, Dylan Ohlenkamp

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Total hours fishermen spend fishing and total amount of fish harvested per year are some of the most important pieces of knowledge gained from creel surveys. They provide crucial information that assesses fisheries mortality and pressure. MN DNR uses their results from creel surveys to improve or impose regulations, and to maintain healthy fisheries. Based on results from similar studies, there is expected to be a positive relationship between hours fished and fish harvested. To determine the relationship between these two variables on Upper Red Lake, data from two years were selected when the variables were at their highest and …

Treatment With The Immunocontraceptive Vaccine, Gonacon, Induces Temporary Fertility Control In Free-Ranging Prairie Dog Populations In Colorado, Usa, Aaron B. Shiels, Jackson Runte, Emily W. Ruell, Douglas C. Eckery, Gary W. Witmer, Daniel J. Salkeld

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context

Prairie dogs (Cynomys spp.) are rodents enjoyed by some humans; yet, they cause crop and property damage, and carry zoonotic disease. Non-lethal control of prairie dogs is of interest in urban/suburban settings. The injectable immunocontraceptive vaccine GonaCon (active ingredient is gonadotropin-releasing hormone [GnRH]) has been shown to be effective at reducing fertility in equine and deer, and is a US EPA-registered vaccine for use in these ungulate species.

Aims

To conduct a replicated field study to test efficacy of GonaCon in black-tailed prairie dogs (C. ludovicianus), and if found to be efficacious, to help facilitate …

Comparison Of Ketamine-Xylazine, Butorphanol-Azaperone-Medetomidine, And Nalbuphine-Medetomidine-Azaperone For Raccoon (Procyon Lotor) Immobilization, Shylo R. Johnson, Christine K. Ellis, Chad Wickham, Molly R. Selleck, Amy T. Gilbert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are frequently handled using chemical immobilization in North America for management and research. In a controlled environment, we compared three drug combinations: ketamine-xylazine (KX), butorphanol-azaperone-medetomidine (BAM), and nalbuphinemedetomidine- azaperone (NalMed-A) for raccoon immobilization. In crossover comparisons, raccoons received a mean of the following: 8.66 mg/kg ketamine and 1.74 mg/kg xylazine (0.104 mL/kg KX); 0.464 mg/kg butorphanol, 0.155 mg/kg azaperone, and 0.185 mg/kg medetomidine (0.017 mL/kg BAM); and 0.800 mg/kg nalbuphine, 0.200 mg/kg azaperone, and 0.200 mg/kg medetomidine (0.020 mL/kg NalMed-A). Induction time was shortest with KX (mean6SE, 10.060.7 min) and longest with NalMed-A (13.061.3 min). …

Using Prescribed Fire And Biosolids Applications As Grassland Management Tools: Do Wildlife Respond?, Brian E. Washburn, Michael J. Begier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Prescribed burning is a management tool commonly used in forested ecosystems in the southeastern United States, but the influence of this method on grassland vegetation and wildlife in this geographic region is unknown. During 2009–2015, we conducted a study to determine if the application of prescribed burning and/or long-term biosolid applications alter plant communities and/or wildlife use of grassland areas at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, Havelock, North Carolina. We monitored vegetation growth, measured plant community composition, and documented wildlife activity in four study plots for 3 years after the implementation of annual winter prescribed burns. Prescribed burning reduced …

Potential Landscape Connectivity For Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) Across The Northern Prairies Of North America, Corey J. Kramer, Melanie R. Boudreau, Ryan Powers, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Ryan S. Miller, Ryan K. Brook

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding landscape scale connectivity is an essential component in the management of invasive species since connectivity facilitates their invasion potential. Invasive wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are among the most prolific invaders on the planet, causing billions of dollars in agricultural and environmental damage annually. Newly introduced to Canada in the 1980s, we examined wild pig invasion potential across the northern prairies from western Canada into the currently wild pig-free northern U.S. states. We used GPS collar data collected in the Canadian prairies to quantify resource selection and incorporated results into an electric circuit theory framework to evaluate potential …

Rapid Point-Of-Care Testing For Detection Of Antibodies To Toxoplasma Gondii In Black Vultures And Ring-Billed Gulls From Pennsylvania, Alexa Rosypal Von Dohlen, Sydney Randall, Jordyan Grays, Mark A. Dugo, Brian J. Hunt, Justin Brown, Kyle Van Why, Sawsan Ammar, Richard Gerhold

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Toxoplasma gondii is a zoonotic protozoan parasite that infects most warm-blooded animals, including birds. Scavenging birds are epidemiologically important hosts because they can serve as indicators of environmental T. gondii levels. A rapid point-of-care (POC) test that detects antibodies to T. gondii in humans is commercially available. In this research, we assessed the ability of the human POC test to detect anti–T. gondii antibodies in 106 black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and 23 ring-billed gulls (Larus delawarensis) from Pennsylvania, USA. Serum samples were tested with the POC test and compared to the modified …

Low Secondary Risks For Turkey Vultures From A Sodium Nitrite Toxic Bait For Wild Pigs, Justin A. Foster, John C. Kinsey, Michael J. Lavelle, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan P. Snow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An acute and orally‐delivered toxic bait for wild pigs (Sus scrofa) containing sodium nitrite (SN) is being developed and tested for potential registration in the U.S. We evaluated oral toxicity of SN and risk of secondary consumption in a common avian scavenger, the turkey vulture (Carthartes aura), by 1) conducting an acute oral toxicity test (LD₅₀) for turkey vultures by oral gavage, and 2) allowing turkey vultures to feed on whole carcasses and digestive tracts of wild pigs that died from consuming SN‐laden bait. Captive tests were conducted during fall 2016 and spring 2017 in the …

A Method For Characterizing Disease Emergence Curves From Paired Pathogen Detection And Serology Data, Joshua Hewitt, Grete Wilson-Henjum, Derek T. Collins, Jourdan M. Ringenberg, Christopher A. Quintanal, Robert Pleszewski, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Thomas J. Deliberto, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Wildlife disease surveillance programs and research studies track infection and identify risk factors for wild populations, humans and agriculture. Often, several types of samples are collected from individuals to provide more complete information about an animal's infection history. Methods that jointly analyse multiple data streams to study disease emergence and drivers of infection via epidemiological process models remain underdeveloped. Joint-analysis methods can more thoroughly analyse all available data, more precisely quantifying epidemic processes, outbreak status, and risks.

2. We contribute a paired data modelling approach that analyses multiple samples from individuals. We use ‘characterization maps’ to link paired data …

Torque Teno Sus Virus 1: A Potential Surrogate Pathogen To Study Pig-Transmitted Transboundary Animal Diseases, Xiaolong Li, Brandon M. Parker, Raoul K. Boughton, James C. Beasley, Timothy J. Smyser, James D. Austin, Kim M. Pepin, Ryan S. Miller, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Samantha M. Wisely

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of transboundary animal diseases (TADs) among wild pigs (Sus scrofa) will aid in preventing the introduction or containment of TADs among wild populations. Given the challenges associated with studying TADs in free-ranging populations, a surrogate pathogen system may predict how pathogens may circulate and be maintained within wild free-ranging swine populations, how they may spill over into domestic populations, and how management actions may impact transmission. We assessed the suitability of Torque teno sus virus 1 (TTSuV1) to serve as a surrogate pathogen for molecular epidemiological studies in wild pigs by investigating …

Common Grackle (Quiscalus Quiscula) Predation Of A Great Lakes Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) Nest And Its Conservation Implications, Jade R. Arneson, Dennis A. Peloquin, Thomas G. Prestby, Sarah P. Saunders

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Common grackle (Quiscalus quiscula) was observed consuming eggs from an exclosed (protected) Great Lakes piping plover (Charadrius melodus) nest in the lower bay of Green Bay, Lake Michigan in Wisconsin, USA during June 2023. The observation, captured by a trail camera, is the first photographic documentation of grackle predation in any of the three piping plover breeding populations. This behavior adds common grackle to the suite of egg predators and has critical implications for this shorebird species, particularly in the Great Lakes region where piping plover is listed as federally endangered and common grackles are relatively …

Does Innovation Facilitate Meeting The Co2 Emission Reduction Targets Of China: A Non-Linear Approach, Yifan Wang, Nadia Doytch, Mohammed Elheddad, Wei Li, Mengna Chi

Ateneo School of Government Publications

China has been implementing energy efficiency and CO2 emission reduction schemes at the provincial level that have been embedded in the National Five Year Plans of the country. We set out to investigate the relationship between R&D expenditures and CO2 emissions in China at the province level in the context of the planned emissions reduction targets. We explore the possibility of the existence of a non-linear relationship between R&D expenditures and CO2 emissions with a non-parametric methodology, a fixed effect panel data quantile (FEQR) regression estimator applied to a panel of 30 provinces. We stratify the sample according to the …

Agricultural Groundcover Update December 2023, Justin Laycock

Natural resources published reports

Summary

• About 96% of the grainbelt had adequate vegetative groundcover (more than 50%) to prevent wind erosion in December 2023.
• In the northern half of the grainbelt, a larger-than-average area has 51–60% groundcover, which is expected to decrease to below 50% over the summer.
• Just under 4% of the grainbelt (553,000 ha) had less than 50% groundcover, which is inadequate to prevent wind erosion. West Midlands Ag Soil Zone had the highest risk of wind erosion and 11.4% of this farmland had inadequate groundcover.
• Less than 0.5% of the grainbelt had a high to very high risk of wind erosion …

Influence Of Cross-Country Skiing & Off-Leash Dogs On Wildlife Habitat Use In Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Sophie Ann Morris

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Outdoor recreation activities are seen as a type of anthropogenic stressor that can significantly impact wildlife. Despite winter recreational activities having a more negative effect on wildlife compared to summer or aquatic recreation, they are the least studied in terms of impact (Larson et al., 2016). Wildlife species can be influenced both temporally and spatially by the development of winter recreation trails and snow-based recreation (Braunisch et al., 2011; Olsen et al., 2018). This research combines natural and social science methods to assess how cross-country skiers affect wildlife activity patterns, guiding decisions about managing recreation. During two winter data collections, …

A Social-Ecological Approach To Evaluating Short-Term Water Leasing For Streamflow Conservation In Montana, Usa, Logan A. Brauer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Streams throughout Montana are increasingly caught between increasing temperatures, decreasing summer precipitation, and heavy water demand for irrigated agriculture. Amid rapidly growing urban populations and uncertain climatic futures, many watersheds in Montana may face water shortages that impact aquatic species and habitat in the upcoming years. Conservation efforts around the state are working to mitigate water stress in these streams especially during the late summer season, when streamflow is naturally lower, and/or in times of drought. One policy solution to address low flows is a concept known as temporary leasing or split season leasing programs (SSLP), whereby an entity (e.g., …

Mangroves Of The Warm Temperate Northwest Atlantic, Daniel A. Friess, Ena L. Suárez, Anna R. Armitage, Cheryl Doughty, Laura C. Feher, Ilka C. Feller, Alejandro Fierro, Kara R. Radabaugh, Lorae T. Simpson, William C. V Vervaeke, Carlos Zamora-Tovar

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

The ‘Mangroves of the Warm Temperate Northwest Atlantic’ province is a regional ecosystem subgroup (level 4 unit of the IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology). It includes the marine ecoregions of Carolinian and Northern Gulf of Mexico. The biota is characterized by 3 species of mangroves: Avicennia germinans, Laguncularia racemosa, and Rhizophora mangle, and 1 mangrove associate Conocarpus erectus, though not all species are equally distributed throughout the province. Mangroves in this province cross the USA and Mexico and are quite unique, as they exist at the latitudinal range limit of the mangrove ecosystem. The majority of mangroves in this province are …

Managing Inter-Organizational Trust And Risk Perceptions In Transboundary Fisheries Governance Networks, Evelyn Roozee, Dongkyu Kim, Antonia Sohns, Jasper R. De Vries, Owen Temby, Gordon M. Hickey

School of Earth, Environmental, & Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

Transboundary fishery management represents a significant governance challenge that requires ongoing inter-organizational communication, collaboration, and collective action to ensure sustainability. Previous research suggests that different dimensions of perceived risk, trust, and control interact in complex ways to affect inter-organizational collaborative performance, providing an administrative ‘architecture’ that enables partners to share resources, engage in teamwork, resolve conflict, and coordinate tasks and responsibilities while also allaying their concerns about the alliance. However, the extent to which different control mechanisms influence trust and mitigate the perceived risks of collaboration between the diverse organizations involved in transboundary fisheries management remains unclear. This paper presents …

Geochemical Phase Associations Of Rare Earth Elements And Lithium In Black Shales Of The Usa: A Study In The Appalachian And Haynesville Basins, Shailee Bhattacharya

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Critical elements are an indispensable part of the clean energy transition. In the race for alternative energy technologies, lithium and rare earth elements have a proven record of being few of the most sought-after minerals. Limited availability of conventional mineral ores warrants a need to explore, understand and exploit unconventional sources of these elements. To that end, several studies have attempted to understand the rock and mineral assemblages of diverse geological systems. This doctoral thesis focuses on understanding the geochemistry of REE and Li in sedimentary environments, particularly black shale basins in the US. A suite of samples from natural …

Life Cycle Assessment Of The Construction Process In A Mass Timber Structure, Mahboobeh Hemmati, Tahar Messadi, Hongmei Gu

Architecture Faculty Publications and Presentations

Today, the application of green materials in the building industry is the norm rather than the exception and reflects an attempt to mitigate the sector’s environmental impacts. Mass timber is growing rapidly in the construction field because of its long span, speed of installation, lightness and toughness, carbon sequestration capabilities, renewability, fire rating, acoustic isolation, and thermal resistance. Mass timber is close to overtaking steel and concrete as the preferred material. The endeavor of this research is to quantitatively assess the ability of this green material to leverage the abatement of carbon emissions. Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a leading …

Effects Of Timber Harvest On Understory Vegetation Succession: A Time Series Study, Reese A. Poindexter, Trevor Weeks, Chad Bishop, Akasha Faist

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Timber harvest, as a necessary and common global practice, can significantly affect the ecosystems being harvested through opening the canopy, disturbing the understory, and resetting successional trajectories. This study examined how timber harvest influenced understory plant functional group dominance, understory species richness, and understory species dominance along a 40-year, or older, harvest timeline across two forest types (mesic and xeric) in Northwestern Montana, U.S.A. In our two forest types, vegetation sampling was completed at 208 sites with 1,040 quadrats across six timber-harvest timelines. Harvest timelines varied from the most recent at 1-5 years post-harvest to over 40 years as the …

Does Earth Feel? (2021) By Marc Majewski, Alaina Gostomski

Picture Books

With spare prose and evocative paintings, author-illustrator Marc Majewski asks fourteen critical questions -- including Does Earth feel calm? Does Earth feel curious? Does Earth feel hurt? Does Earth feel heard? -- to encourage active thinking and discussion about our planet.

Hurricane (2021) By John Rocco, Peter Shea

Picture Books

This book pictures the devastation of today's powerful storms. The hurricane wrecks things and drives people from their homes. The boy in the story finds his beloved dock broken up, where he used to swim and fish. The story centers on cooperation and neighborhood resilience: people can get through disasters if they work together.

Something, Someday (2023) By Amanda Gorman, Maughn Rollins Gregory

Picture Books

When children think philosophically they inevitably will, and unquestionably should engage in social criticism. In this picture book by the first U.S. National Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman, a Black child in an urban apartment complex surrounded by garbage cleans it up and plants a vegetable and flower garden, enlisting the help of others and overcoming some setbacks. Gorman's text warns children that some adults may say they're too small, or that it’s none of their business, or that what they're trying won’t work, but she reassures them that sometimes it’s OK to ignore those people.

We Are Water Protectors (2020) By Carole Lindstrom, Peter Shea

Picture Books

We Are Water Protectors is a beautiful and partisan book, and the teacher or parent who wants to help children to think better could not find a better place to start, giving the child of whatever age the opportunity to feel the force of this plea, and then to recognize the need to understand the political context within which this issue arises, and the honest differences of opinion about policy that arise in an already disrupted world.

Analyzing Business Model Components For Solar Pv Adoption In Mexican Organizations, Erick Ruben Rascon Zapien

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The decarbonization of the energy sector is essential in the fight against climate change, making it important to analyze how to facilitate this transition towards renewable energy in society. This research focuses on Mexico, a country whose policies and initiatives demonstrate an interest in the deployment of solar energy, but with a scarcity of literature regarding its use in commercial organizations. This study aims to explore the relationship between Business Model Canvas (BMC) components and the adoption of solar photovoltaic (PV) rooftops by 45 private organizations in Mexico. The study focuses on zero generation or customer-owned PV system, where the …