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Megapode Newsletter 9(1)-10(1,2),12(1) (1995-1998), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Offshore Oil And Gas Development: A Current Awareness Bibliography, Sue Ann Gardner, D. Landry, J. Riley

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

This bibliography is a compilation of current publications (citations with abstracts) from a wide variety of electronic and print information sources relating to offshore oil and gas development.

Subject categories covered include:
Biology: Ecological, anatomical, and physiological effects of oil and/or gas, Species as biomarkers, PAH uptake and bioaccumulation, etc.
Chemistry/Geochemistry/Geology: Biochemistry, Biodegradation, Bioremediation, Hydrocarbon degradation, Environmental sampling, Soil contamination, etc.
Engineering/Physics: Technological advancements in facility/equipment design and use, Spill response and recovery equipment, Physical properties of oil and gas, etc.
Environment/Ecosystem Management/Spills: Environmental assessment and management, Oil and/or gas spill description and analysis, etc.
Socioeconomic/Regulation/General: Social and economic ramifications, …

Surveys Of The Distribution Of Seabirds Found In The Vicinity Of Proposed Geothermal Project Subzones In The District Of Puna, Hawaii, Michelle Reynolds, George Ritchotte, Anthony Viggiano, Jill Dwyer, Bonnie Nielson, James D. Jacobi

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

In 1993, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) entered into an interagency agreement with the Department of Energy (DOE) to conduct specific biological surveys to identify potential impacts of the proposed geothermal development on the natural resources of the East Rift Zone (Figure 1). This report presents information from published literature information and new field data on seabird populations on the island of Hawaii. These data are analyzed with regard to potential impacts of geothermal development on seabird populations in this area. Fifteen species of seabirds, waterbirds, and shorebirds are documented or suspected of being found using habitats within …

The Prospects And Associated Challenges For The Biological Control Of Rodents, Grant R. Singleton

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 16th (1994)

Biological control using macro- or micro-parasites is a promising research area for control of rodents. The largest impediment to progress is a dearth of high quality research, under field conditions, on wild rodents and their diseases. A major challenge is to identify a candidate control agent which is sufficiently pathogenic, has a high transmission rate and is target specific. Once this has been done, ecological studies of both the host and the disease agent, and of the epidemiology of transmission, are required. Whether the desired pathogenicity is via increased mortality and/or reduced fertility will depend on the agent and on …

Using Geographic Information Systems For Tracking An Urban Rodent Control Program, Matt Von Wahlde, Bruce A. Colvin

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 16th (1994)

Geographic information system technology is being used to help coordinate an urban rodent control program initiated as part of the Central Artery/Tunnel Project in Boston. Databases with neighborhood survey data, surface and subsurface baiting data, sanitation code violations, and public complaints are linked to base mapping, land parcel, and utility graphics. This integrated approach helps Project biologists plan control strategies and evaluate the relatedness of rodent activity to environmental conditions. Spatial querying techniques and the ability to graphically display and map variables, such as bait stations and sanitation deficiencies, help ensure that control resources are effectively targeted and tracked. This …

Biological Management (Control) Of Vertebrate Pests-Advances In The Last Quarter Century, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Thomas R. Schmaderer

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 16th (1994)

In 1967, Howard provided a review of biological control of vertebrate pests. The term "biological control" was borrowed from the field of entomology, where it has been traditionally defined as "the reduction in number or density of pests through biological processes such as predation, pathogens, habitat modification, and fertility control." Current philosophy in wildlife damage management advocates "the reduction of damage to a tolerable level" rather than "the reduction of the number or density of vertebrate pests." Therefore we abdicate the term "biological control" and encourage the use of a new term, "biological management" of wildlife damage. Advances in science …

California Ground Squirrels At Concord Naval Weapons Station: Alternatives For Control And The Ecological Consequences, Ivette Loredo-Prendeville, Dirk Van Vuren, Amy J. Kuenzi, Michael L. Morrison

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 16th (1994)

This paper presents a methodological approach that was recently developed to determine alternatives for control of California ground squirrels (Spermophilus beecheyi) and the resulting ecological consequences at the Concord Naval Weapons Station (CNWS). The U.S. Navy initiated this study upon determining a need to control ground squirrels for safety reasons. The squirrel's ecological role at CNWS was examined by estimating squirrel abundance and distribution throughout CNWS, analyzing predator diets, and determining the squirrel's relationship to the California tiger salamander (Ambystoma californiense). In addition, the efficacy of live capture and translocation of squirrels as a possible control …

The Role Of Predators In The Ecology, Epidemiology, And Surveillance Of Plague In The United States, Kenneth L. Gage, John A. Montenieri, Rex E. Thomas

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 16th (1994)

Predators play important roles in the ecology, epidemiology, and surveillance of plague in the United States. Most predators are accidental hosts of plague and, with the possible exception of grasshopper mice (Onychomys spp.), are not important sources of infection for feeding fleas. However, predators undoubtedly do play an important role in the natural cycle of plague by transporting infected fleas between different populations of plague-susceptible rodents. Predators are known to be at least accidental hosts for 40 of the 50 flea species that have been found to be naturally infected with plague in the U.S. Carnivores, including domestic cats, …

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 2-1, Winter 1994

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Work Underway at the CCWHC
CCWHC Headquarters Secretary
Newcastle disease in cormorants
Rabies update: First case in PEI, Rabies in Bats
New viral disease of lagomorphs in Europe
Investigation of pesticide poisoning
Hantavirus in North America
Mortality in Leach's storm petrels
Common loon mortality
Verminous pneumonia in red foxes
Strychnine poisoning in grackles
Leptospirosis in a raccoon
Great horned owls and porcupines
Tick species near Thunder Bay
Mercury poisoning: loons, eagle
Parvovirus in raccoons
Phorate poisoning in Yukon wildlife
Avian cholera in Manitoba

Annual Review Of The World Pheasant Association 1993/1994, World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Editor's preface, David Jenkins

President's foreword, Cheng Tso-hsin

Annual report of Council 1993/94

British Airways and the World Pheasant Association, Rod Hall

The Game Conservancy Trust, G. R. (Dick) Potts

The need for conservation action plans, Philip J. K. McGowan

Pheasant Specialist Group, Peter J. Garson

Pheasant surveys in Arunchal Pradesh, Rahul Kaul, Rashid Raza, and Rajiv Kalsi

Recent research on brown eared-pheasants at Dongling Mountain, Beijing, Li Xiangtao

Progress in research on Reeves's pheasant in China, Wu Zhikang, Li Xhumei, and Wang Jihuai

Survey and status of the Congo peafowl in eastern Zaire: Progress report (March-June 1994), John Hart …

Birds At Airports, Alfred J. Godin

Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Handbook

Birds are a serious hazard to aviation. A bird or a flock of birds that suddenly rises from a runway or surrounding area may collide with incoming or departing aircraft and cause the aircraft to crash, possibly resulting in the loss of human life. Bird collision with aircraft is commonly known as “bird strike.” Damage caused to aircraft usually results from collision of one or more birds with the engines and/or fuselage. Although most bird strikes do not result in crashes, they do involve expensive structural and mechanical damage to aircraft. The incidence of this problem worldwide makes bird strike …

Pigeons (Rock Doves), David E. Williams, Robert M. Corrigan

Prevention and Control of Wildlife Damage Handbook

Pigeons (Columbia livia) typically have a gray body with a whitish rump, two black bars on the secondary wing feathers, a broad black band on the tail, and red feet. Pigeons are found throughout the United States (including Hawaii), southern Canada, and Mexico. Pigeons are highly dependent on humans to provide them with food and sites for roosting, loafing, and nesting. Pigeons are primarily grain and seed eaters and will subsist on spilled or improperly stored grain. The common pigeon was introduced into the United States as a domesticated bird, but many escaped and formed feral populations. Pigeon …

Red Imported Fire Ant Impact On Wildlife: An Overview, Craig R. Allen, Stephen Demarais, R. Scott Lutz

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We reviewed the past 50 years of literature concerning red imported fire ant impacts on wildlife species. The red imported fire ant has had a negative impact on numerous species of wildlife. However, experimental evidence of population-level impacts is meager. We discuss potential fire ant perturbations and suggest research directions that may settle the long-standing controversy concerning the impact of imported fire ants on native vertebrates and the ecosystems they have invaded.

Restoration Of Woodland Caribou To The Lake Superior Region, Peter J. P. Gogan, Jean Fitts Cochrane

United States National Park Service: Publications

Woodland caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) historically occupied the boreal forest zone across the North American continent. The distribution and abundance of the species has declined in the past century. In particular, it has been extirpated from much of the southern limits of its historical range on both sides of the boundary between Canada and the United States (Bergerud 1974). Translocation of animals from extant populations may be used to reestablish populations in portions of the species' former range. Recently, wildlife biologists in Ontario have translocated woodland caribou to a number of sites in or adjacent to Lake Superior. …

Floristic Analysis Of The C. Bertrand And Marian Othmer Schultz Prairie, A Mixed-Grass Prairie In South-Central Nebraska, Steven J. Rothenberger

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The C. Bertrand and Marian Othmer Schultz Prairie is a 259 ha/640 ac/1 mi² tract of mixed-grass prairie in a region of loess hills in south-central Nebraska. It is on the Kansas border in Webster County, 6.5 km south and 8.1 km east of Red Cloud. A floristic study of the prairie was made during the 1993 and 1994 growing seasons. The 1993 study was accompanied by an ecological survey which determined (1) plant species importance and (2) plant-community relationships using point-step and quadrat methods. Major plant community types are Andropogon scoparius- A. gerardii- Bouteloua gracilis on shallow limy …

Communal Roosting And Foraging Behavior Of Staging Sandhill Cranes, Donald Sparling, Gary Krapu

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

Each spring more than 300,000 Sandhill Cranes (Grus canadensis) roost communally at night in river channels in the Platte River Valley of Nebraska and disperse at dawn to forage in agricultural fields. Cranes with central roosts had activity ranges double the size of those with peripheral roosts; 42% of the birds changed activity ranges prior to the onset of migration. Minimum daily flight distance generally increased during the staging period. Cranes used native grassland and planted hayland more often than expected, relative to their percentage of occurrence, and fed longest there; cornfields were under-utilized. These differences probably reflect, …

Lmmunocontraceptive Vaccines For Control Of Fertility In The European Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes), Mark P. Bradley

Contraception in Wildlife Management

This paper describes the strategies being employed in the development of an immunocontraceptive vaccine using sperm antigens, to control fox populations in Australia. It is proposed that such a vaccine will be delivered orally in a bait, thereby ultimately stimulating a mucosal immune response within the female reproductive tract. The eventual success in producing such a vaccine requires the identification of game antigens that cause immunological infertility, a detailed understanding of the reproductive immunology of foxes and the selection of the most effective form of antigen delivery system.

Research To Develop Contraceptive Control Of Brushtail Possums In New Zealand, Simon E. Jolly, Phil E. Cowan, Janine A. Duckworth

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Common brushtail possums are serious pests in New Zealand, where they threaten the survival of native plants and animals and spread bovine tuberculosis. A National Science Strategy Committee established in 1991 to coordinate possum research gave high priority to research aimed at biological control of possums, particularly contraceptive control. Surveys are identifying pathogens and potential vectors, and research has begun on immunology, gene transcription, potential contraceptive targets, and sociobiology. As there are more than 60 million possums in New Zealand, contraceptive vaccine delivery systems need to be cost effective, and they must be publicly acceptable. A vaccine could be included …

Effects Of A Bird Hazard Reduction Force On Reducing Bird/Aircraft Strike Hazards At The Atlantic City International Airport, Nj, Andy J. Montoney, H. Christopher Boggs

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 6th (1993)

Bird-aircraft strikes at the Atlantic City International Airport (ACY) increased from 18 in 1989 to 37 in 1990. The number of bird-aircraft strikes involving gulls (Larus spp.) during this time rose from 6 to 27, a 350% increase. The predominant species involved in bird strikes was the laughing gull (L. atricilla). Pursuant to an interagency agreement between the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)l Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS)/Animal Damage Control (ADC), ADC established a Emergency/Experimental Bird Hazard Reduction Force (BHFF) at ACY in 1991. An Environmental Assessment …

Proceedings Of The 6th International Grouse Symposium, David Jenkins

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Papers: Populations and habitats of snowshoe hares, Ruffed and Spruce Grouse in the southern boreal pine forest of Ontario • Populations of Capercaillie and Hazel Grouse in large natural and logged forests in northern Russia, 1950-1992 • Extrinsic factors influencing the population dynamics of Red Grouse • Hazel Grouse in the Bohemian Forest - results of a 20-year study • Studies of grouse in China • Seasonal movements by Hazel Grouse in south-central Sweden • Ecological and behavioural constraints on monogamy in the Willow Ptarmigan • Spatial distribution and habitat preference of male Capercaillie in the Pechora-Illych Nature Reserve in …

Toward Conservation Of Midcontinental Shorebird Migrations, Susan K. Skagen, Fritz L. Knopf

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Shorebirds represent a highly diverse group of species, many of which experience tremendous energy demands associated with long-distance migratory flights. Transcontinental migrants are dependent upon dynamic freshwater wetlands for stopover resources essential for replenishment of lipid reserves and completion of migration. Patterns of shorebird migration across midcontinental wetlands were detected from migration reports to American Birds and information provided by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service national wildlife refuges. Patterns in species composition and abundance varied geographically, emphasizing the uniqueness of different regions to migrating shorebirds. Smaller species and neotropical migrants moved primarily across the Great Plains, whereas larger species and …

Is The Distribution Of Sandhill Cranes On The Platte River Changing?, Craig A. Faanes, Michael J. Levalley

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

Data collected during 1957-1989 on the Platte and North Platte rivers was analyzed to detect changes in the temporal and spacial distribution of staging sandhill cranes. The data indicate that a significant west-to-east shift in crane distribution has developed since the late 1960s. The most negative changes have occurred between Lexington and Kearney, Nebraska, where vegetation encroachment has been most pronounced. A significant increase in crane numbers between the Wood River and Highway 34 bridges is attributed to the result of vegetation scouring flows and active removal of woody vegetation.

Wpa News 41 (1993), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (August 1993), number 41

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 1-3, Summer 1993

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Work Underway at CCWHC
Residents in Wildlife Pathology
Rabies in Canadian Wildlife
Drowning of herring gull chicks
Antifreeze poisoning in a raccoon
Egg binding in a cormorant and a northern gannet
Loon mortality
Unhatched piping plover eggs
Salmonellosis in ring-billed gull
Lead poisoning of swans
Loon Mortalities
Pesticide poisoning of birds
Congenital defects in piscivorous birds
Yersiniosis in beavers
Canine distemper
Botulism
Mycotoxins in blighted grain: a risk to waterfowl?
Anthrax in bison in the Northwest Territories
Duck plague in British Columbia
Strychnine poisoning in gulls
Tree swallow nestling mortality
Phorate poisoning in northern harriers

The Phylogenetic Component Of Cooperative Breeding In Perching Birds: A Commentary, Deborah A. Mclennan, Daniel R. Brooks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The study of behavioral and ecological evolution within a phylogenetic context (historical ecology; Brooks and McLennan 1991) is an important component of comparative studies in evolutionary biology. Although the number of historical ecological studies is growing rapidly, this research field is still in its infancy--an infancy whose maturation is hampered by the absence of rigorous phylogenetic hypotheses for many of the groups that have traditionally fascinated behavioral ecologists. In the absence of such critical information, behavioral ecologists are faced with the options either of forming cooperative groups with phylogenetic systematists or of investigating their ecological data based on "trees" reconstructed …

Order Matters, And Thus So Does Timing: Graphical Clocks And Process Synchronicity, F. Gregory Hayden

College of Business: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this paper is, first, to review definitions of time; second, to discuss particular dimensions of time; and third, to relate those dimensions to graphical clocks. The value of such clocks for network analysis will be discussed.' The clocks for the integration of system networks will be computerized matrices and concomitant digraphs (graphical clocks). Such networks can be used to provide a standardized system clock to determine timeliness. This places events into a common system, which is timed by sequenced events. The coordination of broadly recurring sets of meaningful events characterizes synchronicity. Thus, timeliness is defined by system …

Water-Quality Assessment Of The Central Nebraska Basins: Summary Of Data For Recent Conditions Through 1990, Ronald B. Zelt, P. R. Jordan

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Among the first activities undertaken in each National Water-Quality Assessment (NAWQA) investigation are the compilation, screening, and statistical summary of available data concerning recent water-quality conditions in the study unit. The water-quality conditions of interest in addressing the objectives of the NAWQA program are those that are representative of the general water quality of a given stream reach or area of an aquifer. This report (1) identifies which existing water-quality data are suitable for characterizing general conditions in a nationally consistent manner and (2) describes, to the extent possible, recent, general water-quality conditions in the Central Nebraska Basins. The study …

Program Review 1993: Self Study Report Department Of Biometry

Department of Statistics: Reports and Administrative Materials

The CSRS review team applauds the statistical expertise of the Biometry Department which began as the statistical Laboratory in 1957 and culminated with the current academic Department of Biometry. This enhancement has been highlighted by a significant increase in the number of faculty and staff, the initiation of a Master of Science program, and the provision of graduate assistant stipends. With the presence of seven faculty, the imminent increase from seven to fifteen graduate students, the establishment of statistical consulting with numerous IANR faculty, and the diverse research and teaching expertise of the faculty, the department is poised to provide …

Influence Of Improvement Practices On Big Bluestem And Indiangrass Seed Production In Tallgrass Prairies, Robert A. Masters, Robert B. Mitchell, Kenneth P. Vogel, Steven Waller

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Taligrass prairies provide a valuable source of diverse native plant germplasm. Seed harvested from native prairies can be used to revegetate highly erodible or marginal cropland and degraded rangeland if adequate quantities of seed can be produced. The effect of spring burning, fertilization, and atrazine [6-chloro-Nethyl-N'-(1-methylethyl)-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine] on big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman var. gerardii Vitman) and indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash] reproductive stem density and seed production was determined in 9 tallgrass prairie environments (each year by site was considered a unique environment). Studies were conducted at tallgrass prairies near Bloomfield, Lincoln, and Virginia, Nebr., from 1987 through …

Role Of Macroinvertebrates In Spring Diet And Habitat Use Of Sandhill Cranes, Craig A. Davis, Paul A. Vohs

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

In the springs of 1989 and 1990, we collected 15 lesser sandhill cranes from native grasslands along the Platte River. Macroinvertebrates constituted 89% of the diet, whereas plants constituted 11%. Scarab beetles were the predominant macroinvertebrate food. Other foods included earthworms, snail shells, sedge tubers, ground beetles, and crane fly larvae. Cranes exhibited differential use patterns on the study area; they extensively used areas composed of wet meadow and lowland grassland, but minimally used areas composed entirely of lowland grassland. Macroinvertebrate numbers and biomass were significantly different between areas extensively used by cranes and areas minimally used. Recommendations for management …