Digital Commons Network^™

Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network – Spring/Summer 2004

Nebraska Earth Systems Education Network

Content:

NATS Annual Fall Conference

Geographic Educators of Nebraska Summer Workshops

Groundwater Workshop for Secondary Earth and Environmental Science Teachers

Fatal Pine Disease Continues to Raze Trees in Nebraska By Christine Meyer

Survey Publishes Fact Sheet on Arsenic in Nebraska’s Drinking Water By Steve Ress

Fair Brings Representatives from a Variety of Natural Resource Careers By Charles A. Flowerday

Computer-Based Tools For Decision Support In Agroforestry: Current State And Future Needs, E. A. Ellis, G. Bentrup, M. M. Schoeneberger

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Successful design of agroforestry practices hinges on the ability to pull together very diverse and sometimes large sets of information (i.e., biophysical, economic and social factors), and then implementing the synthesis of this information across several spatial scales from site to landscape. Agroforestry, by its very nature, creates complex systems with impacts ranging from the site or practice level up to the landscape and beyond. Computer-based Decision Support Tools (DST) help to integrate information to facilitate the decision-making process that directs development, acceptance, adoption, and management aspects in agroforestry. Computer-based DSTs include databases, geographical information systems, models, knowledge-base or expert …

Ten Suggestions To Strengthen The Science Of Ecology, Gary E. Belovsky, Daniel B. Botkin, Todd A. Crowl, Kenneth W. Cummins, Jerry F. Franklin, Malcolm L. Hunter, Anthony Joern, David B. Lindenmayer, James A. Macmahon, Chris R. Margules, J. Michael Scott

Papers in Ecology

There are few well-documented, general ecological principles that can be applied to pressing environmental issues. When they discuss them at all, ecologists often disagree about the relative importance of different aspects of the science’s original and still important issues. It may be that the sum of ecological science is not open to universal statements because of the wide range of organizational, spatial, and temporal phenomena, as well as the sheer number of possible interactions.We believe, however, that the search for general principles has been inadequate to establish the extent to which generalities are possible.We suggest that ecologists may need to …

Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots As A Dual-Purpose Wildlife Management Strategy, George M. Linz, Dionn A. Schaaf, Philip Mastrangelo, H. Jeffrey Homan, Linda B. Penry, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The National Sunflower Association has identified blackbird damage as a key reason for growers to abandon sunflower. In the 1980s, National Wildlife Research Center scientists showed that "decoy" p1antings of sunflower can significantly reduce bird damage to nearby commercial sunflower fields. For a variety of reasons, largely logistical and economic in nature, decoy sunflower fields did not become wide-spread. Over the last decade, new federal farm programs have placed more emphasis on wildlife conservation. Thus, decoy sunflower fields planted to ameliorate blackbird damage and establish habitat for wildlife might gamer broad support from both agricultural and conservation groups. We present …

Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds: Merlin, Paul M. Konrad

United States Geological Survey: Effects of Management Practices on Grassland Birds

Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 5,500 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the breeding, year-round, and nonbreeding ranges in the United States and southern Canada. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the maps are intended to show areas where managers might concentrate their attention. It may be ineffectual to manage habitat at a site for a species that rarely occurs in an area. The species account begins with a brief capsule statement, which provides the fundamental …

High Abundance Of Nesting Long-Eared Owls In North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy, Laura J. Rosenfield, Robert N. Rosenfield, Melvin P. Nenneman

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The long-eared owl (Asio otus) is a secretive, poorly understood species in the Great Plains of the United States and Canada. In North Dakota the long-eared owl has been considered a species of special concern (Petersen 1991), due mainly to lack of information on its occurrence and nesting status. We discovered 39 long-eared owl nests while searching for Cooper's hawk (Accipiter cooperii) nests in northwestern and north central North Dakota during April and May 2000. Long-eared owl nests mainly were observed at J. Clark Salyer and Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuges (NWRs) in the Souris River …

Ecological Restoration As A Strategic Framework For Invasive Species Management Planning: The University Of Wisconsin Experience, Steve Glass

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

The UW-Madison Arboretum uses an evolving, strategic approach to invasive species management that aims to develop comprehensive, integrated protocols for removing pest plants and subsequently replacing them with appropriate native species. We seek to provide managers with the decision,making tools to develop appropriate tactics to encourage native plants and discourage pest plants. This approach relies upon: 1) a rigorous invasive species risk assessment that yields an action priority ranking matrix; and 2) invasive species management conducted within an ecological restoration framework; and 3) incorporation of research findings into management actions in an adaptive management feedback loop. I use Phalaris arundinacea …

Assessing Conceptual Models For Subsurface Reactive Transport Of Inorganic Contaminants, J.A. Davis, S.B. Yabusaki, C.I. Steefel, John M. Zachara, G.P. Curtis, G.D. Redden, L.J. Criscenti, B.D. Honeyman

United States Department of Energy: Publications

In many subsurface situations where human health and environmental quality are at risk (e.g., contaminant hydrogeology, petroleum extraction, carbon sequestration, etc.), scientists and engineers are being asked by federal agency decision-makers to predict the fate of chemical species under conditions where both reactions and transport are processes of first-order importance.

In 2002, a working group (WG) was formed by representatives of the U.S. Geological Survey, Environmental Protection Agency,Department of Energy,Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Department of Agriculture,and Army Engineer Research and Development Center to assess the role of reactive transport modeling (RTM) in addressing these situations. Specifically, the goals of the WG …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 26, No. 4, Summer 2004, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Mute Swans And Their Chesapeake Bay Habitats:Proceedings Of A Symposium, Matthew C. Perry

United States Geological Survey: Publications

The symposium “Mute Swans and their Chesapeake Bay Habitats,” held on June 7, 2001, provided a forum for biologists and managers to share research findings and management ideas concerning the exotic and invasive mute swan (Cygnus olor). This species has been increasing in population size and is considered by many to be a problem in regard to natural food resources in the Bay that are used by native waterfowl during the winter months. Other persons, however, feel that resource managers are attempting to create a problem to justify more killing of waterfowl by hunters. Some persons also believe …

Modeling Impacts On Populations: Fathead Minnow (Pimephales Promelas) Exposure To The Endocrine Disruptor 17Β-Trenbolone As A Case Study, David H. Miller, Gerald T. Ankley

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Evaluation of population-level impacts is critical to credible ecological risk assessments. In this study, a predictive model was developed to translate changes in fecundity of the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas) in a short-term laboratory toxicity test to alterations in population growth rate. The model uniquely combines a Leslie population projection matrix and the logistic equation. Application of the model requires only a life table for the organism of interest, a measure of carrying capacity for the given population, and an estimation of the effect of a stressor on vital rates. The model was applied to investigate population dynamics …

Bufflehead Breeding Activity In South-Central North Dakota, Gregory A. Knutsen, Janet C. King

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The bufflehead (Bucephala albeola) is a small, cavity-nesting diving duck that breeds primarily in the aspen parkland and boreal forest regions of Alaska and Canada (Erskine 1972, Bellrose 1976, Gauthier 1993). According to Gauthier (1993), buffleheads prefer habitat consisting of small, permanent wetlands with a scarcity of emergent vegetation and adjacent aspen or poplar (Populus spp.) stands.

University Of Nebraska—Lincoln: Fact Book 2003—2004

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Administration: Reports, Papers, Publications, and Presentations

Role and Mission Statement

The Role of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The University of Nebraska-Lincoln, chartered by the Legislature in 1869, is that part of the University of Nebraska system which serves as both the land-grant and the comprehensive public University for the State of Nebraska. Those responsible for its origins recognized the value of combining the breadth of a comprehensive University with the professional and outreach orientation of the land grant University, thus establishing a campus which has evolved to become the flagship campus of the University of Nebraska. UNL works cooperatively with the other three campuses and Central …

Hazardous Waste Site Sampling Basics, Pamela S. Innis

United States Bureau of Land Management: Staff Publications

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is responsible for addressing releases of hazardous substances on public lands under their jurisdiction. This technical note provides technical guidance to those responsible for overseeing or conducting environmental sampling activities; provides information and references to assist field personnel in implementing technically consistent and responsive analytical sampling programs at hazardous waste sites; introduces the concepts and issues related to analytical sampling at hazardous waste sites; and provides a quick reference to websites and documents that can assist field personnel in implementing a site characterization plan.

Habitat Manipulation Of The Apple Orchard Floor To Increase Ground-Dwelling Predators And Predation Of Cydia Pomonella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), Clarissa R. Mathews, Dale G. Bottrell, M. W. Brown

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

Augmenting generalist predator populations in new apple (Malus domestica Bork) plantings could potentially aid in the establishment of balanced orchard ecosystems that are less susceptible to pest outbreaks. Habitat can be an important factor in retaining predators in a system and can affect predator efficiency. We investigated the potential of increasing a complex of generalist ground-dwelling predators and enhancing biological control in a young 'Golden Delicious' apple orchard through ground habitat manipulation. We modified the orchard floor with four comparative habitat treatments: (1) detritus-rich compost mulch layer, (2) detritus-free synthetic mulch layer, (3) herbicide-treated vegetation thatch, and (4) bare …

Effects Of Management Practices On Grassland Birds: American Bittern, 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

Information on the habitat requirements and effects of habitat management on grassland birds were summarized from information in more than 4,000 published and unpublished papers. A range map is provided to indicate the relative densities of the species in North America, based on Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) data. Although birds frequently are observed outside the breeding range indicated, the maps are intended to show areas where managers might concentrate their attention. It may be ineffectual to manage habitat at a site for a species that rarely occurs in an area. The species account begins with a brief capsule statement, which …

Hydrologic Variation During The Last 170,000 Years In The Southern Hemisphere Tropics Of South America, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Paul A. Baker, Tim K. Lowenstein, Geoffrey O. Seltzer, Catherine A. Rigsby, Gary S. Dwyer, Pedro M. Tapia, Kimberly K. Arnold, Teh-Lung Ku, Shangde Luo

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Despite the hypothesized importance of the tropics in the global climate system, few tropical paleoclimatic records extend to periods earlier than the last glacial maximum (LGM), about 20,000 years before present. We present a well-dated 170,000-year time series of hydrologic variation from the southern hemisphere tropics of South America that extends from modern times through most of the penultimate glacial period. Alternating mud and salt units in a core from Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia reflect alternations between wet and dry periods. The most striking feature of the sequence is that the duration of paleolakes increased in the late Quaternary. This …

Using Geographic Information System (Gis) Software To Predict Blackbird Roosting Locations In North Dakota, Ryan L. Wimberly, Tony A. Slowik, H. Jeffrey Homan, Linda B. Penry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Cattail stands provide roosting and staging areas for large congregations of blackbirds in North Dakota in late summer and early fall. Since 1991, the U.S. Depamnent of Agriculture, Ammal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS) program has conducted a cattail management program in North Dakota to alleviate blackbird damage to ripening sunflower. To extend the capabilities of the program, a geographical mformation system (GIS) will be incorporated to help WS personnel find blackbird roosts more effectively. We will use the GIs to construct field maps showing the association between areas of moderate to hgh sunilower damage (>5%) …

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln School Of Natural Resources Review: Final Report, December 2003, Michael O'Neill, Phaedra Budy, Stephen Degloria, Ed Kanemasu, Jamie Robertson, Derrel Martin, Anne K. Vidaver, Tylr Naprstek, Donna Woudenberg

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

In July 2003, the School of Natural Resource Sciences was merged with the Conservation and Survey Division and the Water Center Nebraska State Survey. This merger produced the School of Natural Resources (hereafter referred to as the "School") in its current form. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln requested a ten-year review of the School's programs and activities. The review was administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) in cooperation with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Agriculture, and the School.

The review document is divided into nine sections. The first …

New Nesting Dates For Some Breeding Birds In North Dakota, Lawrence D. Igl, Harold A. Kantrud

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

There have been few published nest records for North Dakota (e.g., Haas 1985, Kantrud 1992, Buhl and Shaffer 2000) since Robert E. Stewart published Breeding Birds of North Dakota in 1975. For several species, we report dates for eggs, nestlings, or fledglings that occurred outside the intervals reported by Stewart (1975). For comparison, we provide nesting dates for breeding birds in South Dakota (Tallman et aI. 2002).

Paper Use And Recycling In Academic Libraries, Michele Calloway, Darren Callahan

E-JASL: Electronic Journal of Academic and Special Librarianship (1999-2009, Volumes 1-10)

Conclusions

While it is difficult to predict what the future may hold in regard to paper use and recycling, without a doubt, academic libraries are sites of enormous consumption and they should be proactive in institutional improvements in waste management. A paperless society is unlikely to become a reality for a very long time, if ever, but what can libraries do now to discourage paper waste and encourage recycling? According to the results of this survey, libraries are taking steps to divert recyclables from the garbage. In the future, as people become even more accustomed to working in the electronic …

Csrees School Of Natural Resources Comprehensive Five-Year Review

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Killer Whale Predation On Belugas In Cook Inlet, Alaska: Implications For A Depleted Population, Kim Shelden, David J. Rugh, Barbara Mahoney, Marilyn Dahlheim

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Killer whale predation on belugas in Cook Inlet, Alaska, has become a concern since the decline of these belugas was documented during the 1990s. Accordingly, killer whale sightings were compiled from systematic surveys, observer databases, and anecdotal accounts. Killer whales have been relatively common in lower Cook Inlet (at least 100 sightings from 1975 to 2002), but in the upper Inlet, north of Kalgin Island, sightings were infrequent (18 in 27 yr), especially prior to the 1990s. Beach cast beluga carcasses with teeth marks and missing flesh also provided evidence of killer whale predation. Most observed killer whale/beluga interactions were …

Predators On Red-Winged Blackbird Nests In Eastern North Dakota, Richard S. Sawin, Mark W. Lutman, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Predation has consistently been identified as the most common cause of nest failure for Red-winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus). During May and June, 2000 and 2001, we used infrared-triggered camera systems to identify potential nest predators on artificially relocated Red-winged Blackbird nests in eastern North Dakota. For some of the species observed, these observations represent the first documentation of predation on Red-winged Blackbird nests in the northern Great Plains.

American Avocet Nesting On Constructed Islands In North Dakota, Ann L. Dahl, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence D. Igl, Kathy L. Baer, Terry L. Shaffer, Michael A. Johnson, Ronald E. Reynolds

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

We related American avocet (Recurvirostra americana) nesting on 30 earthen constructed islands in wetlands of the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota to characteristics of the islands and the surrounding landscape. We found 174 American avocet nests on 10 of the 30 islands; eight islands had four or more nests each. Most (85.9%) clutches contained four eggs. The majority of nests were found in upland graminoids (57.9%) or on unvegetated ground (31.6%). We found little evidence of nest predation or abandonment and concluded that most (84.5%) clutches hatched. Islands with beaches had a higher nest density (mean number …

American Society Of Parasitologists Newsletter, V. 25, No. 1, Early Spring 2003, Scott Lyell Gardner

American Society of Parasitologists: Newsletter

An issue of the American Society of Parasitologists' quarterly newsletter, also called the Journal of Parasitology Newsletter.

Historical And Recent Records And First Nest Records Of Henslow's Sparrow In North Dakota, Jill A. Shaffer, Lawrence D. Igl, Frédérick Vanhove

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

The northwestern limit of the Henslow's sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii) breeding distribution occurs in southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin. In North Dakota, observations of Henslow's sparrows are reported infrequently, and there are no published nest records in the state. Herein, we summarize and review previous reports of Henslow's sparrows in North Dakota and document the first two nest records of Henslow's sparrow in the state.

First Report Of The North Dakota Rare Bird Committee, Dan Svingen, Ron E. Martin

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The status, distribution, and abundance of North Dakota's bird life was summarized several times during the twentieth century (e.g., Wood 1923, Bailey 1926, Stewart 1971, Stewart 1975). The most recent official North Dakota state bird list was Faanes and Stewart (1982). The state's avifauna has changed markedly since that list was published. In an attempt to document some of those changes, the North Dakota Natural Science Society formed the North Dakota Ornithological Records Committee in 1979. That committee's goals were to evaluate and archive documentations of rare bird sighting and to periodically revise the official state bird list. Herein we …

Internationalizing American Higher Education: A Call To Thought And Action, Deborah Dezure

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

In the wake of the World Trade Center disaster, many faculty developers are asking themselves what they do to promote international peace and understanding. But even before these events, there has been an indication that there was a pressing need to focus on global competencies as an important part of higher education for the 21st century. The purpose of this essay is threefold: 1) to summarize the research on the status of internationalization on American campuses, 2) to make the case for the active involvement of faculty developers in internationalizing higher education, and 3) to offer strategies with which we …

Megapode Newsletter 17(1)-21(2) (2003-2008), World Pheasant Association, Birdlife International, Ssc Megapode Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Volume 17, Number 1 (April 2003)

Editors: René W. R. J. Dekker and Darryl N. Jones

Viable population of Bruijn's Brush-turkey Aepypodius bruijnii discovered, Iwein Mauro

A new, a forgotten and a lost specimen of Bruijn's Brush-turkey Aepypodius bruijnii, C. W. Moeliker, C. J. Heij, J. N. J. Post, and E. J. O. Kompanje

Successful synanthropy in an Australian megapode, Darryl N. Jones

Monitoring the Nicobar megapode Megapodius nicobariensis: Phase I, Current status and conservation of the Nicobar megapode Megapodius nicobariensis, K. Sivakumar

Megapode Genetics Project proposal, Gillian C. Baker

Polynesian megapode Megapodius pritchardii status survey on …