Digital Commons Network^™

Faculty Senate Agenda, February 7, 2011, Utah State University

Faculty Senate & Faculty Senate Executive Committee

• Instructure's Canvas the new Learning Management System (LMS) Program
• Research Council Annual Report (Brent Miller)
• Bookstore Report (Eric Worthen/David Parkinson)
• EPC Items (Larry Smith)
• PRPC Item

The Utah Statesman, February 4, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Tropical Street Trees And Climate Uncertainty In Southeast Asia, Roger Kjelgren, Yongyut Trisurat, Ladawan Puangchit, Nestor Baguinon, Puay Tan Yok

Plants, Soils, and Climate Faculty Publications

Urban trees are a critical quality of life element in rapidly growing cities in tropical climates. Tropical trees are found in a wide variety of habitats governed largely by the presence and duration of monsoonal dry periods. Tropical cities can serve as a proxy for climate change impacts of elevated carbon dioxide (CO2), urban heat island, and drought-prone root zones on successful urban trees. Understanding the native habitats of species successful as tropical urban trees can yield insights into the potential climate impact on those habitats. Species from equatorial and montane wet forests where drought stress is not a limiting …

Basics For Raising Junior Market Turkeys For Junior Turkey Show, Allan Sulser, Jim Jensen

All Current Publications

This fact sheet is constructed to be used by 4-H and FFA youth for training or as a tool to aid in the growing of market turkeys for the Utah Junior Turkey Show or for local turkey shows. The basics of the Utah Turkey Show are fairly simple. Poults (day old turkeys) are ordered from your 4-H agent or FFA advisor usually by mid May of the current year. Your order is then placed by them and your poults are received by everyone in the show on the same day. Everyone receives the same breed of poult, the same age …

Is Wildlife Going To The Dogs? Impacts Of Feral And Free-Roaming Dogs On Wildlife Populations, Julie K. Young, Kirk A. Olson, Richard P. Reading, Sukh Amgalanbaatar, Joel Berger

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

In human-populated landscapes, dogs (Canis familiaris) are often the most abundant terrestrial carnivore. However, dogs can significantly disrupt or modify intact ecosystems well beyond the areas occupied by people. Few studies have directly quantified the environmental or economic effects of free-roaming and feral dogs. Here, we review wildlife-dog interactions and provide a case study that focuses on interactions documented from our research in Mongolia to underscore the need for studies designed to best determine how dogs affect native wildlife and especially imperiled populations. We suggest additional research, public awareness campaigns, and the exclusion of dogs from critical wildlife habitat. The …

The Utah Statesman, January 31, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, January 19, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Curriculum Subcommittee Minutes, January 13, 2011, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences

• Title Change, Credit Hour Change, Course Description Change
• Title Change, Credit Hour Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change
• Delete Course

Department of Theatre Arts

• New Course

Department of Economics and Finance

• University Studies Request

Department of Special Education and Rehabilitation

• New Course

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

• Credit Hour Change, Prerequisite Change, Course Description Change

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

• Delete Course

Department of English

• New Course
• Delete Course

Department of Geology

• Semester Effective Change

USU-CEU course changes

The Utah Statesman, January 12, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

The Utah Statesman, January 10, 2011, Utah State University

The Utah Statesman

Weekly student newspaper of Utah State University in Logan.

Educational Policies Committee Program Proposal, College Of Agriculture And Applied Sciences, January 10, 2011, Utah State University

Educational Policies Committee

The Department of Animal, Dairy and Veterinary Sciences in the College of Agriculture at Utah State University requests approval to discontinue the Dairy Herdsman Program (DHP).

Utah State Magazine, Winter 2011, Utah State University

Utah State Magazine

No abstract provided.

Temperature Increase Effects On Sagebrush Ecosystem Forbs: Exprimental Evidence And Range Manager Perspectives, Hilary Louise Whitcomb

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

No abstract provided.

Mercury And Selenium Bioaccumulation In The Stromatolite Community Of The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Usa, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Annual Report: Evaluation Of Mechanical, Biological, And Chemical Treatments To Restore Sagebrush Steppe In Northeastern Utah, J. M. Taylor, Terry A. Messmer

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

One Adolescent's Construction Of Native Identity In School: "Speaking With Dance And Not In Words And Writing", Amy Wilson-Lopez, M. D. Boatright

Teacher Education and Leadership Faculty Publications

This case study describes how one eighth-grade student, Jon, asserted Native identities in texts as he attended a middle school in the western United States. Jon--a self-described Native American, Navajo, and Paiute with verified Native ancestry--sought to share what he called his Native culture with others in his school wherein he was the only Native American, despite his perception that schools have historically suppressed this culture. To study how the texts that Jon designed in school may have afforded and constrained the expression of Native identities, the authors collected three types of data over the course of eight months: (a) …

Assessingopportunities And Barriers To Reducing The Environmental Footprint Of Natural Gasdevelopment In Utah’S Uintah Basin, B. Gentry, Douglas B. Jackson-Smith, L. Belton, G. Theodori

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Development of natural gas resources in the United States has increased dramatically over the past two decades, a boom driven by favorable prices, new technological developments, and growing interest in domestic sources of energy with a smaller carbon footprint than coal or oil. Most of the expansion in U.S. natural gas production has been from so-called ‘unconventional’ reserves in which extensive natural gas resources trapped in continuous sandstone and shale formations can now be extracted using modern directional drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies. The Uintah Basin in northeastern Utah has been one of several areas in the U.S. where major …

“Getting Noticed”: Middle Childhood Incross-Cultural Perspective, David F. Lancy, M. Annette Grove

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

Although rarely named, the majority of societies in the ethnographic record demarcate a period between early childhood and adolescence. Prominent signs of demarcation are: for the first time, pronounced gender separation in fact and in role definition; increased freedom of movement for boys while girls may be bound more tightly to their mothers; and heightened expectations for socially responsible behavior. But, above all, middle childhood is about coming out of the shadows of community life and assuming a distinct, lifetime character. Naming and other rites of passage sometimes acknowledge this transition, but it is, reliably, marked by the assumption or …

Seeing The Forest For The Trees: Managing Social Conflict And Forest Restoration, Steven E. Daniels, Jens Emborg, Greg B. Walker

Sociology, Social Work and Anthropology Faculty Publications

This paper examines the role that social conflict is likely to play in forest restoration projects. A definition of conflict as “perceived goal interference among interdependent parties” serves as a point of departure for the discussion, and the nature of forest restoration conflict is systematically examined by focusing on each aspect of the definition: perceptions, goal interference, the parties, and their interdependence. Agencies undertaking restoration projects are encouraged to adopt a discourse orientation, wherein they recognize that 1) their public involvement efforts are creating a discourse that can incorporate a wide array of values and voices and 2) groups may …

Catch, Treat And Release With Limited Removal Red Desert Complex Wild Horse Herd Management Areas (Lost Creek, Stewart Creek, Green Mountain, Crooks Mountain, Antelope Hills), United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Land Management

Environmental Assessments (WY)

This Environmental Assessment (EA) has been prepared to disclose and analyze the environmental consequences of a "Catch, Treat and Release (CTR)" of wild horses in the Red Desert Wild Horse Herd Management Area (HMA) Complex. In addition to the proposed action of a CTR gather, removal of wild horses outside identified HMAs within the project area will also be conducted. The HMAs included in this complex are Lost Creek, Stewart Creek, Green Mountain, Crooks Mountain and Antelope Hills (See Area Map, Appendix 2). The EA is a site-specific analysis of potential impacts that could result with the implementation of a …

The Comparability Of Bioassessments: A Review Of Conceptual And Methodological Issues, Y. Cao, Charles P. Hawkins

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Differences in the raw data used in bioassessments and choices regarding how those data are analyzed and summarized can affect inferences regarding the status of ecological resources and, thus, the degree to which we can trust individual ecological assessments, compare assessments across different programs and regions, or share data when developing or refining new endpoint indices. Progress in addressing these issues has been hindered by lack of consensus regarding what a general definition of comparability should be in the context of bioassessments and what measures of comparability are appropriate for ecological data. In this paper, we review the state of …

Assessment Of Genome Integrity With Array Cgh Of Cattle Transgenic Cell Lines Produced By Homologous Recombination And Somatic Cell Cloning, G. E. Liu, Y. Hou, J. M. Robl, Y. Kuroiwa, Zhongde Wang

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Transgenic cattle carrying multiple genomic modifications have been produced by serial rounds of somatic cell chromatin transfer (cloning) of sequentially genetically targeted somatic cells. However, cloning efficiency tends to decline with the increase of rounds of cloning. It is possible that multiple rounds of cloning compromise the genome integrity or/and introduce epigenetic errors in the resulting cell lines, rendering a decline in cloning. To test these possibilities, we performed 9 high density array Comparative Genomic Hybridization (CGH) experiments to test the genome integrity in 3 independent bovine transgenic cell lineages generated from genetic modification and cloning. Our plan included the …

Effect Of Atmospheric Co2 Levels On Nutrients In Cheatgrass Tissue, Robert R. Blank, Tye Morgan, Lewis H. Ziska, Robert H. White

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

Rising atmospheric CO2 has resulted in declining tissue nutrient concentrations and leaf biochemicals, which has potential ramifications for animal nutrition, herbivory and litter decomposition rates. We investigated the interacting effects of atmospheric CO2 concentrations (270, 320, 370, and 420 ppmv), plant age (42, 57, 75, and 87 days), and elevation ecotype (salt desert, sagebrush steppe, and mountain brush) on aboveground tissue nutrient levels and biochemistry of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum), an important range grass in the Great Basin. Most nutrients were affected by significant (P < 0.05) interactions between CO2 level and plant age, and plant ecotype and plant age. At 87 days growth, tissue C:N ratios increased significantly and concentrations of P, K, and Mg declined, with rising CO2 levels suggesting declining forage nutrition. Tissue concentrations of Mn, K, Mg, and Ca increased with plant age and, in general, the low elevation ecotype had greater tissue nutrient concentrations than the high elevation ecotype. Hemicellulose concentration was influenced by a significant CO2 level by ecotype interaction; overall, the high elevation ecotype had greater concentrations of hemicellulose, which increased with increasing CO2 levels. The high elevation ecotype had significantly less acid detergent fiber than the low or mid elevation ecotypes. These data suggest that increasing atmospheric CO2 levels may have a profound effect on the nutritional value of cheatgrass forage, and this effect may differ among elevational ecotypes.

Process-Based Management Approaches For Salt Desert Shrublands Dominated By Downy Brome, Merilynn C. Hirsch, Thomas Monaco

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

Downy brome grass (Bromus tectorum L.) invasion has severely altered key ecological processes such as disturbance regimes, soil nutrient cycling, community assembly, and successional pathways in semi- arid Great Basin salt desert shrublands. Restoring the structure and function of these severely altered ecosystems is extremely challenging; however new strategies are emerging that target and attempt to repair ecological processes associated with vegetation change. In this paper, we review the essential processes required to reduce downy brome abundance and assist with creating suitable conditions for revegetation of Great Basin salt desert shrublands.

Moderating Livestock Grazing Effects On Plant Productivity, Nitrogen And Carbon Storage, John Carter, Julie Chard, Brandon Chard

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

Multi-year studies of plant communities and soils in the Bear River Range in southeastern Idaho and northeastern Utah found reduced ground cover and herbaceous production in areas grazed by livestock when compared to reference values or long-term rested areas. Reductions in these ecosystem components have lead to accelerated erosion and losses in stored carbon and nitrogen. Restoration of these ecosystem components, with their associated carbon and nitrogen storage, is possible by application of science-based grazing management.

Landscape Level Habitat Survey Of Mule Deer Winter Range In Eastern Montana, William H. Thompson, Paul L. Hansen, Michael R. Frisina

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

In 2006 and 2007 Environmental Solutions Group, LLC (ESG) conducted landscape level surveys of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) winter range to test new field methods for assessing degree of browse utilization, browse species condition, and large animal distribution patterns. In 2007, a site was surveyed on Big Sheep Mountain in the Cherry Creek mule deer census area north of Terry in eastern Montana, covering approximately 6,400 ac (2,590 ha). Methodology followed Frisina and Knapp (2006). Data were collected along foot travel routes in a quarter mile pattern to cover the study area, totaling approximately 54 mi (86 km) of route …

Immediate Effects Of Controlled Livestock Treatment On Reclaimed Natural Gas Well Pads, Cally Driessen, Amber Mason, Jay Norton, Calvin Strom

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

Wyoming shrublands have undergone extensive energy development in recent years. Much of this development occurs on public land designated for multiple uses. Reclamation of these areas has proven difficult due to the harsh climate and alteration of the thin, nutrient poor topsoil during development activities. Energy development and reclamation activities often lead to topsoil dilution, rapid mineralization of nutrients and soil organic matter (SOM), and loss of soil structure. These changes have the potential to degrade the suitability of the soil as a medium to sustain a desirable plant community. Reclamation of land disturbed for energy development in this area …

Is Climate Change Mitigation The Best Use Of Desert Shrublands?, Susan E. Meyer

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

In a world where the metrics of the carbon economy have become a major issue, it may come as a surprise that intact cold desert shrublands can sequester significant amounts of carbon, both as biomass and in the form of SOC (soil organic carbon). Xerophytic shrubs invest heavily in belowground biomass, placing fixed carbon in an environment where it turns over only very slowly. In order for humans to gain this important ecosystem service, desert shrublands must be kept intact and prevented from frequent burning. The biggest threat to shrubland integrity is the invasion of exotic annual grasses that increase …

Land Use And Habitat Conditions Across The Southwestern Wyoming Sagebrush Steppe: Development Impacts, Management Effectiveness And The Distribution Of Invasive Plants, Daniel J. Manier, Cameron Aldridge, Patrick Anderson, Geneva Chong, Collin Homer, Michael O'Donnell, Spencer Schell

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

For the past several years, USGS has taken a multi-faceted approach to investigating the condition and trends in sagebrush steppe ecosystems. This recent effort builds upon decades of work in semi-arid ecosystems providing a specific, applied focus on the cumulative impacts of expanding human activities across these landscapes. Here, we discuss several on-going projects contributing to these efforts: (1) mapping and monitoring the distribution and condition of shrub steppe communities with local detail at a regional scale, (2) assessing the relationships between specific, land-use features (for example, roads, transmission lines, industrial pads) and invasive plants, including their potential (environmentally defined) …

Long-Term Changes In Southern Utah Upland Shrub Communities: A Study In Repeat Photography, Charles E. Kay, Chad R. Reid

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues

To evaluate long-term range conditions in southern Utah, 1,879 repeat photographs were made on the Dixie and Fishlake National Forests, and adjoining lower elevation BLM and private lands. Repeat photographs were also made in Zion National Park, Cedar Breaks National Monument, and Bryce Canyon National Park where livestock grazing has been prohibited for many years. Of the total, 926 photo-pairs depict sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) communities and 471 depict mountain brush associations (Cercocaprus ledifolius, C. mountanus, Amelamchier utahensis, Quercus gambelii, Prunus virginiana). Sagebrush decreased in 261 photosets, increased in 386 and remained unchanged in 279, while mountain brush decreased in 10 …