Digital Commons Network^™

Restore The Shore: A Guide To Lakeshore Revegetation In The Great Basin, Jes V. Braun, Rae Robinson, Annie L. Henry, Karin M. Kettenring

All Current Publications

Lakeshore vegetation supports many valuable aspects of lake ecosystems: foraging areas for birds, rearing grounds for fish, nutrient cycling, carbon storage, and aesthetic, cultural, and spiritual values. Yet, the vegetation of many lakeshores has been lost or heavily impacted by humans. What can be done to restore lakeshore vegetation to ensure that lakes remain healthy for future generations? In this guide, we summarize best practices for lakeshore revegetation (i.e., the process of actively reintroducing vegetation, usually native species, to a restoration site through seeding and planting) in the Great Basin.

Education Policy Committee Agenda March 6, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes - February 6, 2025
• Subcommittee Reports
• Curriculum Subcommittee
• Academic Standards Subcommittee
• General Education Subcommittee
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00 pm

Determining Spatial Responses Of Fishers (Pakania Pennanti) To Mechanical Treatments Of Forest Stands For Fuel Reduction, Tessa R. Smith, Eric M. Gese, R. David Clayton, Patricia A. Terletzky, Kathryn L. Purcell, Craig M. Thompson

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Historical forestry practices (e.g., fire suppression, heavy timber logging) have contributed to a discernable change in stand composition of western forests in the U.S., which now comprise a tinderbox mixture of increased surface and ladder fuels, dense stands, and fire-intolerant species. Forest managers are mitigating this concern by implementing silviculture practices (e.g., selective logging, thinning, prescribed burning) to reduce fuel loads and improve stand resiliency. Concern for habitat specialists, such as the fisher (Pekania pennanti), have arisen as they may be negatively influenced in the short-term by modifications to their environment that are needed to ensure long-term habitat …

The Utah Statesman, February 3, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Lake Powell Fish Sampling: Glen Canyon Dam Forebay Area, 2022 And 2023, Phaedra Budy, Casey Pennock

Browse all Datasets

Native fishes face imperilment due to habitat loss and fragmentation, megadrought, invasive species, and synergies amongst threats. These threats coalesce at Glen Canyon Dam (GCD), which impounds the Colorado River to create Lake Powell, a reservoir inhabited by a suite of nonnative fishes. Water level in Lake Powell has declined precipitously due to water overallocation and megadrought, increasing the risk of nonnative fish entrainment through the dam, as the penstocks draw water from the epilimnion. Our goal was to characterize the distribution and abundance of nonnative fishes in the vicinity of GCD and identify environmental conditions that may increase entrainment. …

Sewing With Fur, Cory Farnsworth

All Current Publications

Today, trapping is one of the most regulated activities worldwide and is a useful tool in managing excess populations of furbearers and struggling populations of prey animals. Fur is slowly regaining popularity as people recognize it as more ethical, humane, economical, and renewable, but the ability to use fur is becoming a lost art. It is part of our heritage as a people and connects us with the land. Learning to sew fur projects can be fun and, in some cases, quite profitable, as fur sewn into an article will sell far above the price of the pelt itself. If …

Microbiome Metabolic Capacity Is Buffered Against Phylotype Losses By Functional Redundancy, Kayla Cross, Noelle Beckman, Benjamin Jahnes, Zakee L. Sabree

Biology Faculty Publications

Many animals contain a species-rich and diverse gut microbiota that likely contributes to several host-supportive services that include diet processing and nutrient provisioning. Loss of microbiome taxa and their associated metabolic functions as result of perturbations may result in loss of microbiome-level services and reduction of metabolic capacity. If metabolic functions are shared by multiple taxa (i.e., functional redundancy), including deeply divergent lineages, then the impact of taxon/function losses may be dampened. We examined to what degree alterations in phylotype diversity impact microbiome-level metabolic capacity. Feeding two nutritionally imbalanced diets to omnivorous Periplaneta americana over 8 weeks reduced the diversity …

Spatiotemporal Patterns Of Chlorophyll-A Concentration In A Hypersaline Lake Using High Temporal Resolution Remotely Sensed Imagery, R. Douglas Ramsey, Soren M. Brothers, Melissa Cobo, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The Great Salt Lake (GSL) is the largest saline lake in the Western Hemisphere. It supports billion-dollar industries and recreational activities, and is a vital stopping point for migratory birds. However, little is known about the spatiotemporal variation of phytoplankton biomass in the lake that supports these resources. Spectral reflectance provided by three remote sensing products was compared relative to their relationship with field measurements of chlorophyll a (Chl a). The MODIS product MCD43A4 with a 500 m spatial resolution provided the best overall ability to map the daily distribution of Chl a. The imagery indicated significant spatial …

The Utah Statesman, January 27, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Halogeton And Greasewood Poisoning In Cattle And Sheep In Utah, E. Jane Kelly, Stephen T. Lee, Ammon Brown, Daniel Cook

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

Halogeton (Halogeton glomeratus) is a fast-growing annual plant while greasewood (Sarcobatus vermiculatus) is a perennial shrub of the Western States. Oxalates are the toxic principle in halogeton and greasewood. Most losses occur when hungry animals are allowed to graze in heavy stands of halogeton and greasewood. Halogeton and greasewood are always dangerous and become more toxic as the growing season progresses. Here we report on two clinical cases of halogeton and greasewood poisoning in cattle and sheep. Histologically, oxalate crystals were observed in the kidneys of the cow and sheep consistent with oxalate poisoning. Oxalate was …

Refurbishing Used Gps Transmitters Improves Performance For Subsequent Deployments On Greater Sage-Grouse, Melissa S. Chelak, Michel T. Kohl, Justin R. Small, Kurt T. Smith, Aaron C. Pratt, Jeffrey L. Beck, Codi R. Backen, M. Brandon Flack, Hailey P. Wayment, Jason A. Wood, Ryan Howell, Trevon D. Strange, Lucian R. Mcdonald, Kezia R. Manlove, Shandra N. Frey, Randy T. Larsen, Brian A. Maxfield, David K. Dahlgren, Terry A. Messmer, David C. Stoner

Wildland Resources Student Research

Global Positioning Systems (GPS) radio transmitters are increasingly used across taxa to monitor animal populations. However, GPS transmitters can be susceptible to malfunctions that may result in location errors or data loss causing potential inferential bias that can have important implications for monitored species. Research using GPS transmitters on greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) has increased, but few sage-grouse studies have evaluated GPS performance. Because sage-grouse management has been subject to intense legal and political scrutiny with consequential economic implications, reliable data acquisition is central to informed decision-making for the species. We evaluated differences in the performance of …

Career: The Behavioral, Hormonal, And Neural Basis Of Coyote Monogamy, Sara M. Freeman

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

The Utah Statesman, January 13, 2025, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Agricultural Producers' Motivations And Challenges With Improving Soil Health In Utah, Peggy Petrzelka, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Matt Yost, Jenae Dean, Tony Richards, Kristy Davis

All Current Publications

The Utah Soil Health Program (USHP) developed a five-year project to increase understanding of how best to implement soil health practices into Utah’s diverse farming systems. Fifteen producers were selected to participate in the USHP On-Farm Soil Health Demonstration Project. During 2022, the trial’s first year, the participating farmers and ranchers were interviewed. We begin by discussing participant demographics and operation characteristics. Next, we turn to challenges the producers faced in implementing soil health practices in the IMW and then turn to motivations for the producers to enroll in the USHP trial. This will help (1) document what is currently …

Species Differences In The Biotransformation Of Aflatoxin B1: Primary Determinants Of Relative Carcinogenic Potency In Different Animal Species, David L. Eaton, David E. Williams, Roger A. Coulombe

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

It has been known since the early days of the discovery of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) that there were large species differences in susceptibility to AFB1. It was also evident early on that AFB1 itself was not toxic but required bioactivation to a reactive form. Over the past 60 years there have been thousands of studies to delineate the role of ~10 specific biotransformation pathways of AFB1, both phase I (oxidation, reduction) and phase II (hydrolysis, conjugation, secondary oxidations, and reductions of phase I metabolites). This review provides a historical context and substantive analysis of each of these pathways as contributors …

Utah Producers And Soil Health: Statewide Survey Results, Peggy Petrzelka, Jessica Ulrich-Schad, Matt Yost, Jenae Dean, Earl Creech, Linda Schott, Tony Richards, Kristy Davis

All Current Publications

To gain soil health perspectives and actions from a representative sample of Utah farmers and ranchers, a mail and online survey of Utah producers was conducted in 2024, focused on those who indicated they produced crops in 2023. In this report, we provide an overview of the survey results, with a specific focus on producers’ views on soil health, indicators used for soil health, factors that influence soil health adoption, and information sources used for soil health.

Evaluating Elk Distribution And Conflict Under Proposed Management Alternatives At The National Elk Refuge In Jackson, Wyoming, Gavin G. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Eric K. Cole, Jonathan D. Cook, Margaret C. Mceachran, Tabitha A. Graves

Aspen Bibliography

We evaluated measurable attributes describing the current and future distribution of Cervus elaphus canadensis (elk) across a region surrounding Jackson, Wyoming, for five feedground management alternatives proposed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as a revision to 2007 "Bison and Elk Management Plan" of the National Elk Refuge. A resource selection function evaluated measurable attributes of interest to managers, including elk use of private property and sensitive habitat types at monthly timesteps and varying winter conditions. The study area boundaries were created through an expert elicitation process and consist of the Jackson Elk Herd Unit, Grand Teton National Park, …

The Continuing Search For A Better Mouse Trap: Two Tests Of A Practical, Low-Cost Camera Trap For Detecting And Observing Small Mammals, Raymond D. Dueser, John H. Porter, Nancy D. Moncrief

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

The advent of digital wildlife cameras has led to a dramatic increase in the use of camera traps for mammalian biodiversity surveys, ecological studies and occupancy analyses. For cryptic mammals such as mice and shrews, whose small sizes pose many challenges for unconstrained digital photography, use of camera traps remains relatively infrequent. Here we use a practical, low-cost small mammal camera platform (the “MouseCam”) that is easy and inexpensive to fabricate and deploy and requires little maintenance beyond camera service. We tested the MouseCam in two applications: a study of small mammal species composition on two transects across a barrier …

Key Virulence Factors Responsible For Differences In Pathogenicity Between Clinically Proven Live-Attenuated Japanese Encephalitis Vaccine Sa14-14-2 And Its Pre-Attenuated Highly Virulent Parent Sa14, Byung-Hak Song, Sang-Im Yun, Joseph L. Goldhardt, Jiyoun Kim, Young-Min Lee

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Student Research

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a neuroinvasive and neurovirulent orthoflavivirus, can be prevented in humans with the SA₁₄-14-2 vaccine, a live-attenuated version derived from the wild-type SA₁₄ strain. To determine the viral factors responsible for the differences in pathogenicity between SA₁₄ and SA₁₄-14-2, we initially established a reverse genetics system that includes a pair of full-length infectious cDNAs for both strains. Using this cDNA pair, we then systematically exchanged genomic regions between SA14 and SA₁₄-14-2 to generate 20 chimeric viruses and evaluated their replication capability in cell culture and their pathogenic potential in …

Faculty Senate Agenda January 6, 2025, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• 3:00 Call to Order
• Approval of Minutes
• 3:05 University Business
• 3:20 New Business
• Policy 1001 | Executive Summary | Procedures for Policy
• 3:50 Faculty Senate Business
• State Statute 53B
• 4:00 Information
• EPC Report
• Policy 301 - Employee Position Types
• Policy 368 - Phased Retirement Program
• 4:15 Reports
• Council on Teacher Education Annual Report
• Scholarship Annual Report
• 4:25 Old Business
• Adjourn: 4:30 pm

Selectivity Of Invasive Species Suppression Efforts Influences Control Efficacy, Rae Fadlovich, Kevin Landom, Timothy E. Walsworth

Watershed Sciences Student Research

1. Highly fecund invaders and size-selective suppression efforts often limit the effectiveness of invasive species control programs, as compensatory processes can allow suppressed populations to recover. While population models have long explored how demographic characteristics impact management feasibility, there is a growing need to evaluate how the selectivity of suppression efforts might impact the long-term feasibility of control.
2. We use a simulation framework that integrates age-based selectivity to evaluate the effect of increasing the range of ages selected for during harvest-based invasive species control. We applied this approach to common carp in Utah Lake, the location of one of the world's …

Spatiotemporal Synchrony Of Climate And Fire Occurrence Across North American Forests (1750–1880), Ellis Margolis, Andreas Wion, John Abatzoglou, Lori Daniels, Donald Falk, Chris Guiterman, James Johnston, Kurt Kipfmueller, Charles Lafon, Rachel Loehman, Maggie Lonergan, Cameron Naficy, Marc-André Parisien, Sean Parks, Jeanne Portier, Michael Stambaugh, Ellen Whitman, A. Park Williams, Larissa Yocom

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Aim: Increasing aridity has driven widespread synchronous fire occurrence in recent decades across North America. The lack of historical (pre-1880) fire records limits our ability to understand long-term continental fire-climate dynamics. The goal of this study is to use tree-ring reconstructions to determine the relationships between spatiotemporal patterns in historical climate and widespread fire occurrence in North American forests, and whether they are stable through time. This information will address a major knowledge gap required to inform projections of future fire.

Location: North American Forests.

Time Period: 1750–1880 CE.

Major Taxa Studied: Trees.

Methods: We applied regionalisation methods to tree-ring …

Education Policy Committee Agenda January 2, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Subcommittee Reports
• Other Business
• Adjourn: 4:00pm

Curriculum Subcommittee Agenda January 02, 2025, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

• Approval of Minutes
• Program Proposals
• Semester Course Approval Reviews
• Other Business
• Adjourn

Idioms Are Indeed The Yellow Of The Egg: A Lesson Plan For Introducing German Idioms, Janelle Carter

World Languages and Cultures Activities and Assignments

Objectives:

• Introduce the linguistics of idioms.
• Assist students in identifying the appropriate situation to use a given idiom, contributing to students’ social linguistic and social competence (Parks, p. 82).
• Assist students in crossing the threshold of being an observer of the language and associated cultures, into being a participant. They will be able to “press their thumbs” for luck and understand more than just train station.

Utah People And Environment Poll 2024/25 Executive Report, Alex Theophilus, Jessica D. Ulrich-Schad

Utah People and Environment Poll (UPEP)

Utah's people and environment are currently experiencing significant changes as the population continues to grow, droughts and flooding pose threats to agriculture, air quality leads to health concerns, energy needs rise, and public lands see increased use. Action is needed to address these changes, especially given how rapidly they are occurring. Political leaders, environmental organizations, Tribal Nations, and universities play a critical role in ensuring Utah’s environment, economy, workforce, and underserved communities have a sustainable path forward. Understanding residents’ views, values, and concerns can help better craft the policy, inform infrastructure, and identify the services needed to do so. With …

Contributors, Eliana Elkhoury, Jako Olivier, Travis N. Thurston, Morgan Barker, Steven Clontz, Will Cross, Michael Tadeusz Dabrowski, Teresa Focarile, Hillary Fox, Angela George, Sharona Krinsky, Drew Lewis, Erin Mckenney, Lauren Mcmillan, Nalanda Roy, Zoë Soon, James Thibeault, David Tully, Lydia Watson, Sam Winemiller

Open Educational Resources For and As Assessment

No abstract provided.

2. Leveraging Open Pedagogy To Create An Authentic And Renewable Curriculum, Erin Mckenney, Sam Winemiller, Hillary Fox, David Tully, Will Cross

Open Educational Resources For and As Assessment

The high cost of course materials is a barrier for many students, and traditional assessments often fail to inspire engagement. To address these challenges, NC State University Libraries promotes open course materials and open-enabled practices. Since 2014, the Alt-Textbook Project has helped faculty incorporate Open Educational Resources (OER) into their syllabi, reducing textbook costs and supporting innovative educational approaches. This effort was enhanced with the Open Pedagogy Incubator, a multi- semester program bringing together librarians and interdisciplinary faculty to redesign courses around open- pedagogical practices. Dr. McKenney, an incubator participant, redesigned her advanced undergraduate course on Applied Ecology (AEC 400) …

General Catalog 2025-2026, Utah State University

University Catalogs

This catalog contains information on the Academic Departments and Programs as well as Course Descriptions for the above school year at Utah State University.

From Walking To Parkour: A Structured Survey Of Rl For Dynamic Skills In Legged Robots, Christopher Allred, Chandler Justice, Rosario Scalise, Yan Gu, Jonathan Clark, Mario Harper, Jason Pusey

Computer Science Student Research

This survey reviews recent advances in applying reinforcement learning (RL) to enable dynamic and ballistic motions in legged robots, including running, jumping, stair climbing, and parkour. Focusing on high-agility behaviors that challenge traditional control frameworks, we categorize foundational locomotion tasks and highlight the RL methods, such as Proximal Policy Optimization, curriculum learning, and hybrid model-based strategies that have proven effective. We discuss the key challenges in transferring learned policies to real-world robots, managing uncertainty, and integrating perception and proprioception. Drawing from over 150 recent works, we provide a structured taxonomy of objectives, algorithms, and platforms, and identify trends in simulation …