Digital Commons Network^™

Managing Minnesota's Recovered Wolves, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The Minnesota wolf (Canis lupus) population was estimated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at 2,450 during winter 1997-1998 and had increased at an average annual rate of 4.5°% since winter 1988-1989. The population may be removed from the federal endangered species list by 2002, and management would then return to the state. A federal recovery team recommended a population goal of 1,250-1,400 wolves for Minnesota, with none in the agricultural region. A plan approved by the Minnesota legislature, however, continues the protection of wolves, except for pet and livestock depredation control, for at least 5 years …

The Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) Of British Columbia’S Coastal Rainforests, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet

Biogeography and Ecological Opportunity Collection

The mainland coast of British Columbia (BC) is a remote area that is comparatively free from human-caused disturbance. However, concerns about current and anticipated increases in industrial forestry activity have prompted conservation biologists to investigate the biota in this understudied region. We were commissioned by the Raincoast Conservation Society to study coastal wolves so that information could be incorporated into ongoing conservation planning and education efforts. The summer of 2000 marked the pilot season of a multi-year research project. Our team spent more than 240 person days in the field during the summer and fall seasons. We surveyed 18 mainland …

Ecological Sustainability For Pastoral Management, Hugh Pringle, Ken Tinley

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

Pastoralists and rangeland bureaucracies are now required to operate within the limits of ecological sustainability. However, while the concept of ecological sustainability has been enshrined in law and policy at State and Commonwealth levels in Australia, there has been little translation into pastoral management objectives. The introduction of the 'EMU (Ecosystem Management Unit) process', as an equal partnership between ecologists and pastoralists, promises to bring pastoralists into close dialogue with the landscapes they manage on their stations, and to acknowledge and manage for values other than pasture production. In doing so, pastoralists are likely to increase production, reduce costs, and …

Area Requirements Of Grassland Birds: A Regional Perspective, Douglas Johnson, Lawrence Igl

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Area requirements of grassland birds ha ve not been studied except in tallgrass prairie. We studied the relation between both species-occurrence and density and patch size by conducting 699 fixed-radius point counts of 15 bird species on 303 restored grassland areas in nine counties in four northern Great Plains states. Northern Harrier (Circus cyaneus), Sedge Wren (Cistothorus platensis, Clay-colored Sparrow (Spizella pallida), Grasshopper Sparrow (Ammodramus savannarum), Baird’s Sparrow ( Ammodramus bairdii)), Le Conte’s Sparrow (Ammodramus leconteii), and Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) were shown to favor larger grassland patches …

Where Have All The Voices Gone? A Case Study In Marginalization Politics At The Robert J. Bernard Field Station Of The Claremont Colleges, Yamini Bala

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis is not intended to be an indictment of our leaders — well, not entirely, anyway.

This thesis is meant to be an exercise in listening. I talked to a lot of people on every side of this issue, and tried hard to listen. I obviously have my biases, but I did my best to understand where everyone was coming from. I tried to evaluate groups instead of individuals as participants in this issue. My interviewees were requested to express views on behalf of the community group to which they belonged. I tried to find the opinions that best …

Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds: Bobolink, Jill A. Dechant, Marriah L. Sondreal, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Christopher M. Goldade, Amy L. Zimmerman, Betty R. Euliss

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus):
Breeding range
Suitable habitat
Area requirements
Brown-headed Cowbird brood parasitism
Breeding-season phenology and site fidelity
Species’ response to management
Management Recommendations
Characteristics

Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds: Marbled Godwit, Jill A. Dechant, Marriah L. Sondreal, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Christopher M. Goldade, Melvin P. Nenneman, Betty R. Euliss

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Marbled Godwit (Limosa fedoa):
Breeding range
Suitable habitat
Area requirements
Brown-headed Cowbird brood parasitism
Breeding-season phenology and site fidelity
Species’ response to management
Management Recommendations
Habitat Characteristics

Remote Sensing And Geographic Information Systems For Decision Analysis In Public Resource Administration: Case Study In A Southwestern Watershed, William G. Kepner

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Alternative futures analysis is a scenario-based approach to regional land planning that attempts to synthesize existing scientific information in a format useful to community decision makers. Typically, this approach attempts to investigate the impacts of several alternative sets of choices preferred by representative stakeholder groups relative to selected environmental or economical endpoints. Potential impacts from each of the scenarios are compared to current conditions of the region in terms of a set of processes that are modeled within a geographic information system. Future conditions are generally examined from the perspective of a recent baseline condition (versus empirically determined using a …

The Role Of Community Support Programs With Mothers And Fathers Who Are Mentally Ill, Deborah A. Hesli

Theses and Graduate Projects

Although issues faced by adults with mental illness have been visible for centuries, the implications of mental illness on parenting have only recently been considered. Consequently, service providers in the mental health field have begun to examine their roles with these families, such as balancing the rights of the parent with disabilities with the vulnerabilities of the children. This study asked service providers in the mental health field about their roles working with parents with mental illness and their children. A questionnaire was completed by twenty-one Community Support Program staff working in an urban setting with parents with a mental …

Wpa News 61 (2000), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (February 2000), number 61

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Social Disorganization Outside The Metropolis: An Analysis Of Rural Youth Violence, D. Wayne Osgood, Jeff M. Chambers

Center on Children, Families, and the Law: Faculty Publications

In order to extend the study of community social disorganization and crime beyond its exclusive focus on large urban centers, we present an analysis of structural correlates of arrest rates for juvenile violence in 264 nonmetropolitan counties of four states. Findings support the generality of social disorganization theory: Juvenile violence was associated with rates of residential instability, family disruption, and ethnic heterogeneity. Though rates of poverty were not related to juvenile violence, this is also in accord with social disorganization theory because, unlike urban settings, poverty was negatively related to residential instability. Rates of juvenile violence varied markedly with population …

Distribution And Habitat Of The Southern Two-Lined Salamander, Eurycea Cirrigera, In Will County, Illinois: Implications For Population Management And Monitoring, David Mauger, Timothy Bell, Eric L. Peters

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

The southern two-lined salamander (Eurycea cirrigera) was found to occur at numerous localities within the Kankakee River State Park in Will County, Illinois. The species is restricted to small drainages within the Kankakee River valley that have flow consisting of groundwater that discharges at seeps or springs at or within the valley bluff. Cooler water temperatures and possibly other conditions that are associated with water derived from seep or spring sources may be important factors in determining salamander abundance. This is particularly relevant to larval habitat. These observations suggest that the spring or seep-fed larval habitat may be the primary …

Do Wolves Affect White-Tailed Buck Harvest In Northeastern Minnesota?, L. David Mech, Michael E. Nelson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We used simple linear regression to analyze 8-23 years of data on a wolf (Canis lupus) population and human harvest of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) bucks in northeastern Minnesota to determine any effects of wolves on buck harvesting. Over the long term, wolves accounted for at least 14-22% inter-year variation in buck harvest in the region, but an unknown amount of variation in hunter effort have obscured any more precise estimate. For part of the area with poorest habitat, we found strong relationships (r² = 0.66-0.84) between annual wolf numbers and buck harvests from 1988 …

The Status Of The Blacknose Shiner (Notropis Heterolepis) Tn Iowa: A Preliminary Survey, Neil P. Bernstein, Michael Getting, Timothy Kamp, Stevenson Christain, Ryan Smith, Joseph Steele, Steven Steele

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

During the last 45 years, the blacknose shiner (Notropis heterolepis) has been restricted to a three county area in northwestern Iowa. We surveyed locations where this siltation-intolerant species had been captured to update the status of the fish in the state. Streams were blocked with nets on both the upstream and downstream ends of sample areas, and fish were collected with a backpack electrofisher and seines. Lakes where the blacknose shiner had been found were also sampled. No blacknose shiners were found and several possible explanations are offered for their absence from historical sites.

Density-Dependent Effects On Microhabitat Selection And Activity Of Two Species Of Larval Ambystoma Salamanders, Jeanette M. Jaskula, Robert Brodman

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

To be able to distinguish unnatural amphibian declines from natural population fluctuations we need a better understanding of the mechanisms that affect amphibian community structure. Larval pond-breeding salamanders exhibit density-dependent effects on population parameters, but little is known of the effect of density on behaviors that mediate interactions. Two species, Amby1toma tigrinum (tiger salamander) and A. laterale (blue-spotted salamander), were evaluated in laboratory aquaria for intraspecific and interspecific interactions that affect microhabitat selection and activity. Microhabitat selection was studied by partitioning containers into microhabitats that either contained or lacked refuges, and movement was recorded over a hexagonal grid to determine …

Morphological Abnormalities In Illinois Cricket Frogs, Acris Crepitans, 1968-71, Robert H. Gray

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Reports of malformed amphibians have been increasing, including external deformities such as missing or extra arms and legs, missing eyes and mandibles, and internal abnormalities involving the bladder, digestive system, and testes. Natural phenomena such as limb amputations during predation attempts by other animals, parasitism, xenobiotic chemicals (herbicides, insecticides, fertilizers and others), and UV-B or other radiation (either directly or indirectly by triggering production of toxicants from nontoxic chemicals) have all been linked to amphibian abnormalities. From 1968-71, I studied the natural history, effective breeding size, and seasonal, annual, and geographic variation in color morph frequencies of cricket frogs (Acris …

Details Of Extensive Movements By Minnesota Wolves (Canis Lupus), Samuel Merrill, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We used VHF, GPS and satellite radiocollars to study details of long distance movements by four Minnesota wolves (Canis lupus). Number of locations during our tracking ranged from 14 to 274. Farthest distances reached ranged from 183–494 km, and minimum distances traveled (sums of line segments) ranged from 490–4251 km. Numbers of times wolves crossed state, provincial or interstate highways ranged from 1 to 215. All four of the wolves returned to or near their natal territories after up to 179 d and at least two left again.

A Record Large Wolf, Canis Lupus, Pack In Minnesota, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

This report documents a pack of 22-23 Wolves (Canis lupus) in central Minnesota. This is larger than the largest pack previously observed on the mainland in the midwestern U.s. during 650 wolf pack-years. Because this record-large pack preyed on White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), one of the Wolfs smaller prey, it is evidence that pack size and prey size are not tightly related. It also indicates the size that Wolf packs can attain in the area if fully protected from human persecution.

Wolf-Bison Interactions In Yellowstone National Park, Douglas Smith, L. David Mech, Mary Meagher, Wendy Clark, Rosemary Jaffe, Michael Phillips, John A. Mack

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We studied interactions of reintroduced wolves (Canis lupus) with bison (Bison bison) in Yellowstone National Park. Only 2 of 41 wolves in this study had been exposed to bison before their translocation. Wolves were more successful killing elk (Cervus elaphus) than bison, and elk were more abundant than bison, so elk were the primary prey of wolves. Except for a lone emaciated bison calf killed by 8 1-year-old wolves 21 days after their release, the 1st documented kill occurred 25 months after wolves were released. Fourteen bison kills were documented from April 1995 through …

Dissertations And Theses Sponsored By The Department Of Sociology In The University Of Nebraska-Lincoln 1905-1999: Alphabetical And Chronological Lists, Michael R. Hill

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The year 2000 marks the centennial of the formal departmental organization of sociology at the University of Nebraska. The compilations presented here recognize and celebrate the achievements of hundreds of graduate students, my fellow alumni, who have completed masters theses and doctoral dissertations under the auspices of the Department of Sociology. These student works are constructive, often innovative additions to the advancement of knowledge, and several have been abridged in journal articles or published as books (cf., Hill 1988b). The doctoral dissertation, in particular, is a major rite de passage in the transition from student to intellectual (Deegan and Hill …

Assessing The Classification Accuracy Of Digitized National Aerial Photography Program Imagery: Comparison With Botanical Data, Mark Arthur Alexander

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The ability to acquire and use remotely sensed data has revolutionized large-scale ecological studies by reducing dependence on difficult and expensive field survey techniques for acquisition of land use and land cover data. Multispectral satellite imagery, typically from the Landsat Multispectral Scanner (MSS), Thematic Mapper (TM) and the SPOT High Resolution Visible (HRV) instruments, has proven particularly valuable in surveying and classifying vegetation cover (Frank & Thorn, 1985). Further studies have concluded that alpine vegetation communities and habitats can be mapped successfully by including the geomorphic parameters of elevation, slope, and incidence when classifying remotely sensed data.

This research analyzes …

Response Of Riparian Vegetation To Streamflow Regulation And Land Use In The Great Plains, W. Carter Johnson

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The influence of human activities on riparian zone vegetation differs markedly by ecoregion and stream size. Large rivers, dams and water diversions affect ecological processes more than local land uses do. However, for small streams, the reverse is generally true. Examples demonstrating these relationships include studies completed on the Missouri River in North Dakota, the Platte River in Nebraska, and Foster Creek in western South Dakota. On the Missouri River, damming has stopped river meandering and the regeneration of riparian forests in gaps between reservoirs. In contrast, on the Platte River, diversion of a large portion of the flow for …

Environmental Imperatives Reconsidered, Terry L. Jones, Gary M. Brown, L. Mark Raab, Janet L. Mcvickar, W. Geoffrey Spaulding, Douglas J. Kennett, Andrew York, Phillip L. Walker

Social Sciences

Review of late Holocene paleoenvironmental and cultural sequences from four regions of western North America shows striking correlations between drought and changes in subsistence, population, exchange, health, and interpersonal violence during the Medieval Climatic Anomaly (a.d. 800–1350). While ultimate causality is difficult to identify in the archaeological record, synchrony of the environmental and cultural changes and the negative character of many human responses—increased interpersonal violence, deterioration of long-distance exchange relationships, and regional abandonments—suggest widespread demographic crises caused by decreased environmental productivity. The medieval droughts occurred at a unique juncture in the demographic history of western North America when unusually large …

Review Of Ecology And Conservation Of Great Plains Vertebrates Edited By Fritz L. Knopf And Fred B. Samson, Rolf Koford

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Focusing on the plight of natural ecosystems in the Great Plains, Fritz Knopf and Fred Samson give prominent coverage to the region's “charismatic megafauna" and provide an excellent overview of the ecology and conservation of most vertebrate taxa. The editors granted their individual authors considerable leeway, resulting in contributions that are authoritative but unintegrated with each other. For example, in the Preface and most of the chapters, the Great Plains includes the tall grass prairie as well as the short and mixed grass prairie traditionally associated with the Great Plains region. In chapters on wetlands and fishes, tall grass prairie …

The Platte River Cooperative Agreement: A Basin-Wide Approach To Endangered Species Issue, Allan Jenkins

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

This paper reviews current endangered species issues associated with the development of the Platte River and the "Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats." The Platte River is an important economic resource, providing water essential for irrigation in a highly productive, but semiarid, agricultural region. However, the Middle Platte region of south central Nebraska is also recognized as a critical environmental zone for several endangered species. Thus, Platte River water users are subject to the provisions of the Endangered Species Act. In 1994, the Governors of Nebraska, Colorado and Wyoming agreed to work …

Annual Review Of The World Pheasant Association 1998/1999, World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

President's message, Keith C. R. Howman

Chairman's report, Richard P. Howard

Annual report of Council 1998/99

Treasurer's annual report and accounts, Ian F.. Hoggarth

Conservation Breeding Advisory Committee report, Han Assink

Chapters and Affiliate reports

Pheasant Specialist Group report, Peter J. Garson

Partridge, Quail and Francolin Specialist Group report, John P. Carroll

Grouse Specialist Group report, Ilse Storch

Megapode Specialist Group report, René W. R. J. Dekker

Cracid Specialist Group report, Daniel M. Brooks and Stuart D. Strahl

WPA-South Asia Regional Office, Rahul Kaul

Pheasant surveys in Pakistan, Rab Nawaz

A preliminary study of the effects of habitat isolation and …

An Interpretive Trail In Amazonian Ecuador, Bruce Evan Farnsworth

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Pqf News: Newsletter Of The Partridge, Quail, And Francolin Specialist Group 13/14-19 (1999-2003), Iucn Species Survival Commission, Birdlife International, World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

The purpose of the newsletter is to receive details of new projects, re-assessments of the status of relevant species, interesting discoveries or observations, taxonomic changes, conservation successes or threats and anything else that members might find interesting. We would like in future issues to produce a list of relevant publications which appear during the year in order to keep members up-to-date with current information. We will publish requests for contacts or information, advertisements for conferences and workshops and news of projects and project proposals.

Issue 13/14 (Spring/Autumn 1999)

Action Plan revision: A progress report, Richard Fuller

First nest records for …

Community Composition Of Dry Prairie In Iowa And Southeast Nebraska, Thomas R. Rosburg

Journal of the Iowa Academy of Science: JIAS

Results from quantitative research on the community composition of dry prairies across Iowa were consolidated from three different studies completed since 1983. Information is provided on the distribution and abundance of 204 dry prairie species. The most abundant species included little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash), big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman), side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula (Michx.) Torrey), prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis (Gray) Gray) and Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratensis L.). Multivariate analyses were completed using two independent measures of species abundance-relative cover and community constancy. When relative cover was used to determine community composition, the abundance of graminoids (tallgrasses vs. mid-grasses) …

Slavery In The Platte Region, H. Jason Combs

Nebraska Anthropologist

Missouri's bid for statehood reflected the struggle to extend the southern slave culture onto the western frontier of settlement. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 and the Missouri Compromise set specific geographic boundaries for the extension of slavery, which in turn created distinctive patterns of migration and settlement on the frontier. The Platte Purchase region of northwest Missouri is one of the areas that reflect slavery's influence on settlement. This paper will discuss slave ownership, the need for slavery, and explain the geographic distribution of slaves in the Platte region.