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Ecology Of Juvenile Salmon In Large Floodplain Rivers: The Influence Of Habitat Modification By Beavers (Castor Canadensis) On Salmon Growth And Production, Rachel Lanelle Malison

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

I investigated the influence of beavers on aquatic floodplain habitats and determined how juvenile salmon habitat use, growth, survival, movement, and production varied by habitat type in a large alluvial floodplain of the Kwethluk River in western Alaska. I also compared juvenile salmon production at the floodplain scale in the Kwethluk River (with beavers), to a very similar salmon river in Kamchatka (the Kol) that has no beavers.

Beavers modified 87.5% of the aquatic off-channel habitat of the Kwethluk River, which was composed of three successional stages of beaver ponds (early-, mid-, and latesuccessional), and beaver-influenced spring brooks. Early-successional ponds …

Psychological Adjustment And Relational Development In Ethiopian Adoptees And Their Families, Waganesh Zeleke

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The number of American families choosing to adopt a child from Ethiopia has increased exponentially since 2004. Over the past five years alone, between 2006 and 2011, 13.5% of internationally adopted children in the U.S. came from Ethiopia. The purpose of this study was to examine psychological adjustment and relational development of Ethiopian adoptees who have been adopted during 2007 -2010 and their families who reside in Montana.

Using a convenience-sampling method, data were collected from 25 adoptive parents who adopted a total of 35 children from Ethiopia. All families live in Montana and responded to questions through an online …

Hydrologic Conditions And Streamflow Change In An Evolving Semi-Arid Agricultural Watershed, Smith River, Montana, Andrea Stanley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Agricultural land and water use has modified natural flow regimes in the western US. Understanding the effect of agricultural water use on streamflow is critical to effective water management and is often limited by the available data record. This investigation evaluates agricultural water use and streamflow in the Smith River watershed (SRW), a semi-arid agricultural watershed located on the eastern slope of the northern Rocky Mountains in west-central Montana. Questions motivating this study include: (1) Has agricultural water use modified streamflow on the Smith River? (2) What aspect of agricultural activity in the Smith River watershed is having the greatest …

Escape Probability: An Alternative Risk Metric To Support And Evaluate Wilderness Fire Management Decisions, Kevin Matthew Barnett

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Inside many U.S. federally designated wilderness areas, fire suppression is the dominant management strategy largely due to the risk that fires pose to resources adjacent to the wilderness boundary. Opportunities to exploit the fuel treatment and risk-mitigation benefits of allowing wilderness fires to burn are foregone when ignitions are suppressed. Existing risk-based metrics (e.g. burn probability) produced from wildfire simulation models were not designed to inform management of wilderness fires. They focus on the management of fuels, or on suppression resource allocation, not managing ignitions through monitoring strategies for resource benefits. The purpose of this research was to develop a …

Montana Business Quarterly, Winter 2013, University Of Montana--Missoula. Bureau Of Business And Economic Research

Montana Business Quarterly, 1949-2021

This is an academic publication produced by the Bureau of Business and Economic Research (BBER) at the University of Montana’s College of Business. This is volume 51, number 4.

"Conspicuous Consumption:" Germs And Climate Cures In Denver, 1882-1915, Sydney Rene Gwinn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis argues that the health-seeker’s quest for climatic cures persisted after the germ theory of disease began to alter medical approaches to tuberculosis after its announcement in 1882. Buoyed by anti-modern sentiments and a lack of effective medicinal interventions, physicians continued to recommend that tuberculosis patients travel to Denver to seek recovery in a healthier climate. In turn, Denver’s polity and public health approaches were shaped by the influences of the migration of tuberculosis patients to the city. After 1882, new approaches focused on sanitation and isolation began to take hold among physicians and public health reformers who worked …

Psci 227.01: Issues In Global Public Health, Peter Koehn

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Pubh 580.50: Rural Health Issues In Global Context, Peter Koehn

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Geo 106n.01: History Of Life, Amy E. Singer

University of Montana Course Syllabi

No abstract provided.

Supporting Transitions To Resilient Irrigation Systems: Findings From Southern Kyrgyzstan, Peter Michael Igoe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis presents findings from research conducted in Southern Kyrgyzstan, which followed nongovernmental organization (NGO) efforts to support climate change adaptation, and to support more “resilient” community-managed irrigation systems. Findings suggest that current NGO partnerships with Water User Associations (WUAs) frequently amount to financial and technical transactions, to preserve inherited infrastructure and resist disturbance. “Enhancing resilience” is pursued in an effort to maintain existing technical configurations of canals and water resources, despite altered socio-political and environmental conditions. Findings suggest increasing disassociation between irrigation constituents and the institutions and managers that are supposed to direct their grievances through legitimate democratic channels. …

Tourism On A Scenic Byway: Destination Image And Economic Impacts Of The Beartooth Highway, Jacob Daniel Jorgenson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Many tourism destination managers know who their visitors are and how they are perceived by them. However, when new destinations begin to take shape, understanding these perceptions and meeting the expectations of visitors can be a difficult task. Destination image provides the ability to explore the perceptions of visitors at a tourism place. One such place the Beartooth Highway in south-central Montana and north-central Wyoming is a scenic byway that reaches nearly 11,000 feet in elevation. Previously, little to no research has been conducted regarding travelers that frequent this region. The purpose of this study was to understand the destination …

Forecasting Groundwater Responses To Dam Removal, Antony Ray Berthelote

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This dissertation contains three papers describing groundwater system responses to dam removals and presents current and new methodologies that managers can use to proactively forecast and mitigate those impacts. The three papers bring together literature, data gathering, data analysis, testing, and modeling techniques that apply groundwater science to forecasting the response of groundwater systems to dam removal actions. Conceptual and numerical models developed as part of this work provide scientists, environmental consultants, regulators and managers with tools to assess the consequences of the removal of stream reservoirs on the adjacent and underlying groundwater system The first chapter/paper, Responses of Groundwater …

Comparison Of Wild-Domestic Sheep Interaction Policies In Bighorn Disease Outbreak Locations In The Continental U.S., 1990-2010, Tristan Howard

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

For over 100 years, disease has significantly limited bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) in the western U.S. Interaction with domestic sheep (Ovis aries) has been a primary cause of fatal bighorn disease (typically pneumonia), which has severely reduced or eliminated entire populations. Various wild-domestic sheep interaction policies exist to address the disease problem. In this analysis, six case study locations are compared and analyzed in an effort to evaluate policy efficacy. Locations examined and their bighorn die-off dates include: the Tobin Range, NV (1991); Aldrich Mountain, OR (1991); the Highland/Pioneer Mountains, MT (1994-1995); the Tarryall/Kenosha Mountains, CO (1997-2000); the Hays Canyon …

If Rocks Could Talk: Using Central Place Foraging Theory In Lithic Production And Utilization Research, Sara Hocking

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This research addresses microeconomic decision making during the Fur-Trade Occupation at Housepit 54 of the Bridge River Site. Specifically, it addresses the lithic production in regard to field processing and technological investment at the site. Field processing considers the importance of cost in transporting lithic raw material, while technological investment examines the amount of retouch and usewear based upon the distance from the quarry. The research tests the hypothesis that: the farther away the quarry is from the village site, the more flakes will be dominated by late stage reduction while the extent of retouch and usewear per tool will …

Investigation Of Craniofacial Morphological Variation At Sully (39sl4), Elizabeth Rose Agosto

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study utilizes a theoretical framework of modern quantitative population genetics to identify factors contributing to the morphological variability between multiple, geographically distinct burial areas associated with the Sully village site (39LS4) in the Middle Missouri region of South Dakota. In particular three burial areas at Sully (A, D, and E) provide adequate samples for assessing intra-site variation. It has been a long-held belief that the observed morphological variability between burials areas is due to temporal sequencing; however, this explanation lacks hard craniometric and archaeological support. This study reassesses the assumption of temporal sequencing through the investigation of post marital …

2013-2014 Course Catalog, University Of Montana--Missoula. Office Of The Registrar

University of Montana Course Catalogs, 1895-2024

An annual catalog of courses and course descriptions offered at the University of Montana.

Opening Up The Box: Exploring The Scaling Out Of The Good Food Box Across Canada, Stephanie Lentz Laporte Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Good Food Box (GFB) program holds a great deal of promise to expand our understanding of Community Food Security (CFS). CFS represents a vision for solving hunger and other problems with the food system through an integrated approach that improves access to good and appropriate food for all while at the same time building community, strengthening local agricultural economies, and maximizing social justice. The GFB, one type of CFS program, is a community-based initiative found across Canada that provides a box of healthy food to customers at near wholesale prices; it has the potential to increase access to healthy …

A Chicken In Every Lot: The 2007 Chicken Ordinance In Missoula, Montana, Kate Margaret Sheridan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In 2007, the City Council of Missoula, Montana passed an ordinance allowing six chickens per urban lot. Missoula followed the lead of many other cities seeking to expand urban agriculture and food security opportunities through microlivestock. This paper gives context to the implementation of a specific ordinance, investigates the benefits and challenges experienced by twenty households in Missoula, and connects it back to the food system as a whole.

Analysis Of Microtopography, Vegetation, And Active-Layer Thickness Using Terrestrial Lidar And Kite Photography, Barrow, Ak, Julia Smith

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Arctic regions underlain by permafrost are among the most vulnerable to impacts from climate change. This study examined changes in the active layer of permafrost near Barrow, Alaska at very fine scale to capture subtle changes related to microtopography and landcover. In 2010, terrestrial LIDAR was used to collect high-resolution elevation data for four 10 m × 10 m plots where maximum active-layer thickness (ALT) and elevation have been monitored on an annual basis since the mid-1990s and had been monitored in the 1960s as well. The raw LIDAR point cloud was analyzed and processed into four 10 cm resolution …

Nearing The End: Reef Building Corals And Bivalves In The Late Triassic And Comparing Corals And Bivalves Before And After The End-Triassic Mass Extinction Using A Taxonomic Database, Hannah Morgan Elliott Shepherd

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

One of the most important tenants in geology is that the present is the key to the past, but it can also be said that the past is the key to the present. The five great extinction events are some of the key events that can help us to understand how changes in climate and sea chemistry can cause great changes in the ecology of our planet. Today the increase in atmospheric CO2 is causing ocean acidification, which has also been proposed as part of the system that caused the end-Triassic mass extinction. Ocean acidification can be greatly detrimental to …

Pristine Places And Passive People? Responses To Neoliberal Development And Maoist Conflict In Nepal's Northwest Himalayas, Catherine Lee Sanders

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In Humla District, Nepal, agro-pastoralists' confrontations with forces of change in the last generation have altered villagers' abilities to gain access to scarce resources. Development efforts and Nepal's recent armed conflict, in particular, introduced novel technologies and ideologies that affected Humli vulnerabilities. This dissertation is based on field research comparing two Hindu villages in northwest Nepal during 2009 and 2010. One village had more extensive ties to development than the other, and these villagers and other change agents co-created transitional contexts of vulnerability in the post-conflict setting of rural Nepal. An armed conflict dominated the political landscape in Nepal for …

City On The “River Of Awe”: An Historical & Observational Study Of Missoula’S Urban River Greenway, Sandra Burch

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Urban river greenways have the potential to serve as landscapes of civic environmentalism in the American West. Missoula’s urban river corridor is such a landscape. This study seeks to assess the history of Missoula’s urban river corridor, and the degree to which the city’s current urban river greenway meets social and environmental goals. The urban river greenway in Missoula is a successful social undertaking, and its history shows a positive change in the treatment of the river as a healthy landscape feature. In order to explore this concept, historical data was gathered on Missoula’s past relationship to the river, and …

The Constitutionality Of Campaign Finance Regulation: Should Differences In A State's Political History And Culture Matter?, William P. Marshall

Montana Law Review

In its Western Tradition Partnership decision, the Montana Supreme Court ruled that the constitutionality of state campaign finance restrictions should be reviewed with particular reference to the political history and traditions of the state enacting the regulation. In so holding, the Montana Court recognized that the states have different political cultures and that these different political cultures can lead to very different regulatory concerns. On this basis, the Montana Court concluded that a type of campaign finance restriction that may be unconstitutional when applied to national elections or to elections in one state might be constitutionally permissible when applied to …

The Development Of The First Legend For Geomorphologic Mapping Of High Mountain Environments In The United Sates, Mitchell Lee Fyock

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Geomorphological mapping is the attempt to depict the physical setting of the surface of the earth by mapping the landforms present and the processes responsible for their appearance, and is method that is practiced worldwide. Currently, there is no universally accepted legend for mapping the geomorphological features of all environments, though there have been several attempts made to develop such a legend. Instead, many different European nations have developed their own geomorphologic mapping legends for mapping the landscapes that exist within their national boundaries. In addition, certain countries have even developed highly specific geomorphologic mapping legends for specific geomorphologic environments. …

The Archaeological Investigation Of Cedar Bark Basket Trees In Western Montana: Background, Methods, And Trial Study Of Culturally Modified Trees, Dean Sonneah Nicolai

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis explores the potential for archaeological investigations of culturally modified trees (CMTs) in the northern Rocky Mountain region of Western Montana. Culturally modified trees are considered to be living artifacts, representations of traditional culture, and a lasting physical manifestation of long term use by inhabitants. The goal of this thesis is to offer an archaeological perspective for investigation of cultural modifications of the cedar basket tree (Thuja plicata), and to contribute to the development of a method for inquiry and analysis. Two primary research questions were posed: How does the study of behavioral archaeology and the methodological approach presented …

The Ethnography Of On-Site Interpretation And Commemoration Practices: Place-Based Cultural Heritages At The Bear Paw, Big Hole, Little Bighorn, And Rosebud Battlefields, Helen Alexandra Keremedjiev

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Using a memory archaeology paradigm, this dissertation explored from 2010 to 2012 the ways people used place-based narratives to create and maintain the sacredness of four historic battlefields in Montana: Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument; Nez Perce National Historical Park- Bear Paw Battlefield; Nez Perce National Historical Park- Big Hole National Battlefield; and Rosebud Battlefield State Park. This research implemented a mixed-methods approach of four data sources: historical research about on-site interpretation and land management of the battlefields; participant observations conducted during height of tourism season for each battlefield; 1,056 questionnaires administered to park visitors; and 32 semi-structured interviews with …

Responses To Climate Change In National Park Service Wilderness: What Is Happening In The Field?, Katherine E. Nelson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As scholars debate whether climate change warrants more or less active management in wilderness, this baseline study identifies what is happening on the ground. This study focuses attention on National Park Service units that administer designated wilderness. Representatives who had been identified by the superintendents from each of these units responded to an online survey (with a 94% response rate). Respondents reported on their concerns, monitoring, and management projects driven by climate change happening in their wilderness. Respondents also discussed whether and how these activities affected wilderness character. This is the first study to characterize the response to climate change …

Women’S Water, Women’S Work: Evaluating Decentralized Management Of Deep Borehole Wells For Improved Rural Water Access In Tawa Fall Village, Senegal, Tenly Elizabeth Snow

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Throughout the developing world, countries face a number of issues regarding the health and welfare of their populations. One issue that stands out with critical and growing importance is the availability-and accessibility-of water. Across the Sahel, access to potable water for domestic use, as well as contaminant-free water for agricultural and animal husbandry purposes is of growing concern. This study evaluates Government of Senegal efforts at improving rural water access through public-private operation contracts to manage deep groundwater resources. In West Africa, Senegal currently counts itself among the few Sahelian countries having sufficient freshwater supplies to support its population’s growing …

Statistical Modeling Of Rare Stochastic Disturbance Events At Continental And Global Scales: Post-Fire Debris Flows And Wildland Fires, Karin Lynn Riley

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Chapter 1: Frequency-magnitude distribution of debris flows compiled from global data, and comparison with post-fire debris flows in the western U.S. Forecasting debris flow hazard is challenging due to the episodic occurrence of debris flows in response to stochastic precipitation and, in some areas, wildfires. In order to facilitate hazard assessment, we have gathered available records of debris flow volumes into the first comprehensive global catalog of debris flows (n = 988). We also present results of field collection of recent debris flows (n = 77) in the northern Rocky Mountains, where debris flow frequency increases following wildfire. As a …

Paying To Play: Supply Management In Montana's Dairy Industry, Laura Ginsburg

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Montana’s dairy industry is unique among US states because of its supply management program, which allocates quota to limit how much fluid milk can be produced and sold within the state. The amount of quota is set and price varies with market conditions; therefore, quota adds to a farm’s production costs. This paper presents findings from in-depth interviews with 17 dairy farmers to learn how quota has affected on-farm decision-making and how they perceive the impacts of quota on the statewide industry. Farmers tend to be spilt between those who think it affected their on-farm decisions and those who felt …