Digital Commons Network^™

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 8, Nos. 1 And 2. March-June 1976

The Prairie Naturalist

THE POTAMOGETONACEAE IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ G. E. Larson

NOTES

January Record for Western Grebe at Amenia, North Dakota ▪ J. M. Wiehe and J. F. Cassel

An Observation of Possible Mallard Adoption ▪ R. A. Stromstad

Unusual Mortality in California Gulls ▪ G. R. Lingle

Great Horned Owl Predation of Penned Gray Partridge ▪ J. W. Schulz

BOOK REVIEWS

North Dakota's Own Bird Book ▪ B. and A. Gammell

North Dakota's Wildlife ▪ Staff

A New Bird Book for Minnesota ▪ D. H. Johnson

Two New Waterfowl Books ▪ T. J. Dwyer

Two Canadian Bird References ▪ Staff

Canadian …

Water Current, Volume 8, No. 3, May/June 1976

Water Current Newsletter

From the Desk of the Director
Summer Institute Planned
Research Technologist Hired
Water Research in Nebraska
Bill Introduced to Amend Water Resources Planning Act
OMB Wants "Section 80" Reviewed Again
National Commission on Water Quality Sends Recommendations to Congress
Water Assessment and Appraisal Given Top WRC Priority
Rio Grande Region: More Water Stored Underground than Above
Research Review: Physiological Aspects of Plant Water Use Efficiency

Agricultural Experiment Station News May 1976

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
FROM THE DIRECTOR'S DESK
PERSONNEL ACTIONS
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS
GENERAL NOTES
NEBRASKA AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION PUBLICATIONS – April 1976
BULLETINS PRINTED

Resonance Raman Scattering Of Light From A Diatomic Molecule, D. L. Rousseau, P. F. Williams

P. F. (Paul Frazer) Williams Publications

No abstract provided.

Laws, Rules, And Regulations Pertaining To Groundwater In Nebraska, Gerald R. Svoboda

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

This publication contains (1) Nebraska laws pertaining to groundwater, and (2) the duties assigned to or the rules and regulations developed by various Nebraska agencies charged with the regulation of groundwater use. Following public hearings, rules and regulations can be changed at any time by state agencies. Each state agency with responsibility for groundwater regulation is able to supply, upon request, its rules and regulations pertaining to groundwater use. Water legislation varies from state to state because of differences in climate, availability and utilization of water, and fundamental legal concepts inherited at the time of statehood. Some states have laws …

A New Species Of Chiroderma From Guadeloupe, West Indies (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae), Robert J. Baker, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

During the course of a study of the bat faunas of the Caribbean islands we obtained a specimen of Chiroderma from the island of Guadeloupe in the Lesser Antilles. The nearest known populations of this genus occur on Tobago and Trinidad (C. villosum and C. trinitatum). approximately 550 kilometers to the south. This specimen represents a distinct new species that appears to be most closely related to C. doriae and C. villosum. This new species is named and described.

Evaluating Germ Plasm For Beef Production, Cycle 1- Progress Report No. 3, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

Because of the large number of combinations of production resources and variations in beef market requirements, one type of cattle will not be most efficient in all production systems. The wide spectrum of cattle types available in the world offers the opportunity of quickly matching genetic resources with production and market requirements. Characterization of available genetic resources for economically important traits is necessary if we are to use this opportunity wisely. Initially, change in production characteristics can be made more rapidly by using existing variation among breeds than by selecting within breeds. However, selection within breeds remains the primary method …

Farm, Ranch And Home Quarterly Institute Of Agriculture And Natural Resources, University Of Nebraska- Lincoln

Farm, Ranch and Home Quarterly

In this issue:

3 Does Ag Research Pay?

4 Warm Season, Ornamental Turfgrasses for Nebraska

7 New Protein Sources Evaluated

8 Computer Can Analyze Your Diet

10 Photographing Rural Nebraska

13 Irrigation-From Army Ordnance to Ag Research

15 Credit Use Among Nebraska Farmers

17 Toxic Weeds Can Cause Disease in Cattle

18 Is Solar Heating Feasible for Livestock Housing?

Prevalence Of Antibodies To Toxoplasma Gondii In Wild And Domestic Animals Of New Mexico, Arizona And Colorado, Alan A, Marchiondo, Donald W. Duszynski, Gary O. Maupin

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Using the Sabin-Feldman dye test, sera from wild and domestic animals in New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado were tested for the prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii. The prevalence of positive titers (≥ 1:8) in animals from these areas was: New Mexico (178 of 569, 31%), Arizona (11 of 56, 20%), and Colorado (2 of 7, 29%). The overall prevalence of antibodies to Toxoplasma was 30% (191 of 632).

Nine of 17 fecal samples from wild zoo felines contained Toxoplasma-like oocysts which were inoculated per os and intraperitoneally into mice. Mice from six of these nine inoculations later …

Immunoglobulins Attached To And In The Integument Of Adult Schistosoma Mansoni Sambon 1907, From First Infection Of Cf1 Mice, Franklin Sogandares-Bernal

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

7S_γ2b antibody was found attached to and in the integument of adult Schistosoma mansoni removed from CF₁ white mice. With the techniques used, I_gA, I_gM, 7S_γ1, 7S_γ2a, 7S_γ3, and C3 complement were not found to be attached to the integumental surfaces. 7S_γ2b does not seem to fix C3, and it is suggested this antibody may be acting in enhancing and blocking roles which protect the worms from the host.

Water Current, Volume 8, No. 2, March/April 1976

Water Current Newsletter

From the Desk of the Director
NWRRI Research Seminar
Water Resources Activities - Agency Overview
AEEP Distinguished Foreign Lecturer
Water Research in Nebraska
Agreement Signed Between WRC and ERDA
Government's Water Pollution Program Questioned
Coal and the Powder River Basin: Five-State Groundwater Study Underway
Research Review

Controlling Damage By Forest Rodents And Lagomorphs Through Habitat Manipulation, John E. Borrecco

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Damage to coniferous seedlings and trees by forest rodents, including forest lagomorphs, is a major factor limiting prompt regeneration and causing significant losses in young stands. Manipulating the vegetation to adversely influence food and cover thereby reducing animal numbers is proposed as an approach to alleviating damage. The adaptability, high reproductive potential, opportunistic feeding behavior, and mobility of forest rodents combined with the species diversity of rodent communities, rapid recovery of vegetation, and need for long-term protection make habitat manipulation for damage control a difficult approach. However, an example is presented where herbicide-induced reduction in vegetative cover and availability of …

Training For High School Students In Animal Damage Control, Stanley Christensen, Clark P. Allen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The training program was started in 1973 for students in Advance Agriculture Occupations classes. Several state and federal agencies were involved in the planning and have since been involved in the training program. The program stresses the practical approach with a variety of field work and related classroom work. Classroom work covers all problems involved in animal damage control. The program is still in the innovative stage, but it seems to be fulfilling a need.

Pheromones In Small Rodents And Their Potential Use In Pest Control, Erik Christiansen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The paper reviews social interactions in small rodents in which pheromones have been reported to play a part. Some of the chemical messengers involved may have a potential use in control of rodent pests. Research in this field should be encouraged, because alternatives to the current control methods are highly desirable.

Conference Participants

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The Seventh Vertebrate Pest Conference drew a registered attendance of 278, with an estimated additional 50-75 persons who attended portions of the conference but did not register. As in past conferences, the attendance was made up of individuals having varying interests in vertebrate pest control problems from thirty-six states plus the District of Columbia. Participants from Canada, Denmark, Egypt, England, Mexico, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Norway, Pakistan and West Germany contributed greatly to the success of the conference and provided further exchange of information on an international level.

Deer And Reforestation In The Pacific Northwest, Glenn L. Crouch

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Deer and reforestation interact mainly during regeneration after wildfire or logging. In interior forests, browsing by mule deer often damages conifer seedlings planted on winter or transitional ranges. In the Douglas-fir region, numbers of black-tailed deer increase dramatically after forests are logged or burned, in response to improved forage supplies. Here, browsing on planted stock in clearcuts lowers forest productivity by reducing growth rates and occasionally contributes to plantation failures. Browsing damage can be controlled by fences or cages, but costs are prohibitive. Amelioration of damage by black-tailed deer could be achieved through long-range planning for concurrent deer and timber …

Management Of Pine Voles, David E. Davis

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The pine vole (Microtus pinetorum) damages apple trees in western North Carolina, sometimes spectacularly. The current research monitors populations in orchards for several years to compare damage in different management practices. Recommendations for orchard management to reduce damage are devised and used to illustrate the process of application of basic knowledge. Populations of voles were monitored by 3 simple methods. Data on reproduction were obtained. Data on home range and mortality were found in the literature. In two counties, the orchards generally had grass in the alleys and sometimes a growth of weeds under the tree canopy. In …

Modeling As A Management Tool For Assessing The Impact Of Blackbird Control Measures, Richard A. Dolbeer, Charles R. Ingram, John L. Seubert

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Attempts to reduce blackbird numbers by spraying roosts have created considerable controversy. Opinions and suppositions fuel this controversy; yet, until now, decision makers have had no quantitative tools to predict the impacts of population reduction or to aid in formulating management strategies. To improve the predictive ability, we have synthesized data on red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) populations into a computerized system, BIRDS (Blackbird Information Retrieval and Data System). Grackles (Quiscalus quiscula), cowbirds (Molothrus ater), and starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) will be added to the system later. BIRDS is designed to estimate the number …

Evaluation Of Urban Rodent Infestations—An Approach In Nepal, Stephen C. Frantz, John P. Comings

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Studies in urban areas have shown that food and shelter are primary environmental factors regulating rodent population growth. These supportive resources can be modified to reduce urban rodent damage; however, widespread adoption of environmental control techniques will require a thorough understanding of rodent-man interrelationships. This study was concerned with what factors should be monitored for making rational ecological decisions on the necessity of rodent management, establishment of priorities, choice of appropriate strategies and evaluation of effectiveness. Guidelines are given for comprehensive monitoring of habitats (social, structural and sanitary factors) and rodent populations (habitat requirements, growth characteristics and zoonosis potential).

Frontmatter And Contents

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

PROCEEDINGS SEVENTH VERTEBRATE PEST CONFERENCE

Vampire Bat Control Programs In Latin America, Rodrigo Gonzalez, G. Clay Mitchell

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Studies in Mexico in 1972 showed that diphacinone (Diphenadione)¹ (2-diphenylacetyl-1, 3-indandione) was effective in reducing both vampire bat (Desmodus rotundus) populations and the incidence of bat-transmitted rabies in cattle. Two highly selective methods were developed: treating cattle systemically and treating vampire bats topically. Since 1972, Denver Wildlife Research Center personnel have assisted Latin American Ministries of Agriculture in developing control campaigns. Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guyana, Panama, Venezuela, and Nicaragua have either undertaken or are considering operational vampire bat control programs.

The Role Of The Pest Control Advisor In Vertebrate Pest Control, James T. Hallett

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

California State legislation as passed in 1971 established the Agricultural Pest Control Advisors Licensing program with the intent of providing agriculture with competent and professional personnel who make pest control recommendations. Today, nearly 4,000 advisors are licensed in California and approximately 1350 are licensed vertebrate pest control advisors. Recent amendments to the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act will add new responsibilities to the advisor by requiring certification of both private and commercial applicators throughout the U.S. beginning in 1977. More than one-half of the vertebrate pest control advisors are employed in agrichemical sales while the remainder are employed by …

Hazards To Wildlife Associated With Underground Strychnine Baiting For Pocket Gophers, Paul L. Hegdal, Thomas A. Gatz

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Under an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contract, we evaluated the hazards associated with strychnine baiting for pocket gophers (Geomys bursarius) with the burrow-builder. On the Sherburne National Wildlife Refuge, Minnesota, we treated 662 ha (1638 acres) with 0.5 percent strychnine-treated bait. Treated fields were scattered throughout 10 sections. Control was effective--data from pocket gopher activity plots showed 87.5 ± 5.9 percent reductions in activity. Populations of other small rodents (while quite low) significantly declined on the treated area, but significantly increased on the control area. To measure secondary effects we equipped 36 raptors and 36 mammalian predators with …

A Philosophy Of Vertebrate Pest Control, Walter E. Howard

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Vertebrate pest problems are foremost economic, political and social rather than biological anomalies. Students are often turned away from vertebrate control, which is applied ecology, by professors who know only theory and do not understand the ecology of man-modified environments. Applied ecologists seeking alternative methods of vertebrate control benefit environment far more than the negative, anti-control approach based on half-truths that are used for self-serving purposes by many protectionist organizations and government leaders in CEQ, EPA and USDI. A healthy ethic, with deep ecological conscience, would be to appreciate the glory of death in nature, for death means life to …

Design: A Critical Need In Pest-Damage Control Experiments, Charles R. Ingram

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The manner in which an experiment is conducted determines the inferences that can be made from the results of the analysis of the experiment. This paper emphasizes the critical need in pest-damage control (PDC) experiments for a detailed planning process (i.e., the design of experiments) by exampling improper designs that prohibit a researcher from making valid inferences about his hypotheses of interest. Emphasis is placed on identification of experimental units, determination of restrictions on the randomization procedure, and specification of treatment forms of pest control materials. A list of some specific actions to strengthen PDC experiments is given.

Control Of The European Mole, Talpa Eruopaea, M. Lund

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Common methods for mole control are baiting with earthworms impregnated with thallium sulphate or strychnine, gassing with pellets developing phosphine, and trapping. Seasonal cycles in burrowing activity make it difficult to evaluate results of expensive control campaigns and may give a false impression of efficiency.

Review And Results Of Sodium Cyanide Spring Loaded Ejector Mechanism (Scslem) Experimental Programs , Raymond W. Matheny

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Sodium cyanide was cancelled for use in predator control in March 1972 along with strychnine and 1080 mainly because of the indiscriminate use of these poisons which posed an imminent hazard and danger to the environment. After due consideration, the EPA Administrator in January 1974 authorized approval of experimental use permits (under Section 5 of FIFRA as amended) for use of sodium cyanide in the M-44 device (SCSLEM) in order to accumulate information necessary to support registration consideration. Subsequently nine permits were issued for this purpose. In August 1975, a public hearing was held in Washington, D.C. to respond to …

Pest Bird Damage Control In Cattle Feedlots: The Integrated Systems Approach, Thomas K. Palmer

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

The cattle feedlot affords an ideal habitat for large concentrations of birds. Several species are primarily involved in feed depredations and contamination. The development of an integrated systems approach to control involves the interaction of - human attitude, cultural control practices and application of bird damage control techniques, each of which is a dynamic system in itself.

Contamination Of Forest Ecosystems By Sodium Fluoroacetate (Compound 1080)*, J.A. Peters

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

Predictive and conceptual models are used to examine the contamination, toxicology, and residues of sodium fluoroacetate (Compound 1080) in relation to its application in vertebrate pest control programs on forest and pastoral lands.

As a pesticide, the toxin appears to be neither mobile nor persistent. Exceedingly slender opportunities exist therefore for significant contamination of susceptible components of the environment.

Olfactory Responses Of Deer Mice To Douglas-Fir Seed Volatiles, C. Raymond Record, Rex E. Marsh, Walter E. Howard, Donald J. Stern

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 7th (1976)

An attempt was made to identify the olfactory cues produced by Douglas-fir seeds which attract deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) to the seeds. The olfactometers used are described, and the merits of different statistical analyses of the data are discussed. The odors produced by whole Douglas-fir seed and by the endosperm were preferred among the fractions tested to date. Deer mice were repelled by Douglas-fir turpentine, cedar oil, and, to a lesser degree, one extract.