Digital Commons Network^™

Examining Injury Data Reporting Practices Among Wildland Firefighters, Erin M. Boggs

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Wildland Firefighter (WLFF) Crews lack an injury surveillance program to collect information on non-traumatic and traumatic injuries. Tactical athletes including: police, military and structural firefighters all have a variety of collection systems in place for injury data collection. The lack of injury data prevents WLFF crews from identifying high-risk environments, implementing injury prevention programs, and improving the overall quality of care on the job. Over the last several decades the recent rise in wildfire occurrences and wildfire suppression costs creates a need for healthy and strong individuals in the field. The cost of firefighter salaries and medical care can be …

A Comparison Of Three Agricultural Startups, John Dindia

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

The Relationship Between Memorable Messages And Identity Construction, Raphaela P. Barros Campbell

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

A qualitative analysis is reported here, in which 22 international students were interviewed about their overall experiences studying abroad, as well as memorable messages received and the context in which those were communicated. Scholars like Larson and Gill (2017) and Alvesson (2010) have focused on the role communication plays in constructing identity. With that in mind, Knapp et al.’s (1981) concept of memorable messages informs how specific messages influence individuals’ sense of who they are. This study expands knowledge on the relationship between memorable messages and international students’ identity construction, focusing on the impact of messages exchanged before and during …

On Internalized Oppression And Sexualized Violence In College Women, Marina Leigh Costanzo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Sexualized violence on college campuses has recently entered the media spotlight. One in five women are sexually assaulted during college and over 90% of these women know their attackers (Black et al., 2011; Cleere & Lynn, 2013). Students face the highest risk of sexualized violence within their first six weeks on campus (Graves, Sechrist, White, & Paradise, 2005). The acute and delayed psychological distress caused by sexualized violence is a significant public health concern and there have been relatively few studies that have taken a longitudinal approach (Edwards, Dardis, Sylaska, & Gidycz, 2014). Historically, psychology has focused on factors within …

Matrix Of Community, Shelby A. Hanson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

ma·trix noun

Origin: Latin

Matter - Matrix - Matrix

Matr- Breeding Female Womb

1. An environment or material in which something develops,

a surrounding medium or structure.

2. A mold in which something is cast or shaped.

3. A rectangular array of quantities or expressions in rows and

columns that is treated as a single entity and manipulated according to particular

rules.

A Decade Of Governing The Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (Bcca): Community Involvement And Landscape Connectivity Through Public Private Partnerships, Alexander A. Barton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In recent decades, non-governmental organizations have acquired and established community forests and conservation areas in the U.S. However, there have been few empirical studies on their governance. This study focuses on the Blackfoot Community Conservation Area (BCCA) in the Blackfoot watershed of Montana, created in 2005. The BCCA is a 41,000 acre mosaic of private, state, and federal lands, including 5,600 acres known as the “Core” located near Ovando mountain and owned by the Blackfoot Challenge, a local watershed organization and leader in grassroots conservation. This research examined the definitions, activities and lessons learned over the past decade with regard …

The Effect Of Academic Advisor Type On Undergraduate Student Retention, Brian Patrick French

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This study was designed to examine the effect of academic advisor type on retention of first-year, full-time, four-year degree-seeking students at a mid-size research university in the western U.S., while controlling for several predictor variables identified in contemporary and seminal literature as having a potential impact on student retention. Predictor variables are: socioeconomic status, first generation in family to attend college, high school grade point average, first semester grade point average, and enrollment in developmental coursework.

In the study, a binary logistic regression model was employed to determine whether academic advisor type had a statistically significant effect on the probability …

The Effect Of Parental Involvement On Student-Athlete Academic Performance, Academic Self- Efficacy, Functional Independence, And Achievement Of Adulthood Criteria, Grace Harris Gardner

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Parental involvement in student- athletes’ lives is ubiquitous and important. Despite efforts of many to determine the best means for student-athletes to succeed academically, little is known about the relationship between levels of parent involvement and an athlete’s ability to succeed academically. Having an involved, but not over-involved, parenting relationship is key to having their children develop the necessary academic skills to be ready for the realm of collegiate athletics.

The purpose of this non-experimental quantitative analyses of NCAA Division I student-athletes in the Big Sky Conference was to examine the relationship (if any) among parental involvement, academic performance, academic …

Interpretation And Implemenation Of Director’S Order #41, Section 7.2: Determining Best Management Practices For Wilderness Climbing In The National Parks, Kerry E. Sullivan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Climbing in national parks’ wilderness areas has long created tension for mangers between providing recreational opportunities and maintaining wilderness values. This activity presents a challenge to wilderness management as managers try to balance feelings of solitude in wilderness and opportunities for unconfined recreation. Increased interest in climbing in the national parks lead to management considerations to satisfy Director’s Order #41: Wilderness Stewardship (DO41). In October 2013, the National Park Service (NPS) issued Director’s Order #41, Section 7.2, Climbing (DO41, Sec. 7.2), to clarify management of climbing in wilderness. Climbing in designated wilderness requires management due to conflicts between this growing …

Lit, Tyler Brumfield

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

LIT investigates the power of our daily visual interactions with commercial signage. The exhibition is comprised of ten individual illuminated constructions that appropriate the aesthetic strategies and design elements from commercial signage. The work offers the viewer a new aesthetic experience by nullifying the communicative and directional agendas that would normally accompany commercial signage. The viewer is free to see and experience the captivating nature of formal elements such as shape, color and light. The work explores the intersection of appropriation, minimal aesthetics and everyday experiences.

Into The Wilds: Influences From Video Games On Our Perception Of 'Nature', Toryn W P Rogers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In this paper I examine how representations of human-sparse natural environments, e.g. wilderness, influence what expectations we have when we actually engage with comparable physical places. I use Don Ihde's phenomenology of technology to describe my own experiences playing three games that take place among large photorealistic human-sparse natural environments: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, Horizon Zero Dawn, and theHunter: Call of the Wild. I also conduct a brief literature review on the effects of video games as interactive media on players. I argue that players are capable of applying their expectations of what constitutes realism from digital to physical environments, …

Wilderness Solitude In The 21st Century, Thomas C. Lang

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Recent advances in mobile communication technology have led to a decrease in opportunities for individuals to experience alone-time within daily life. As a result, the solitude offered by wilderness landscapes has become all the more valuable. Past research on wilderness solitude has been divided into two distinct frameworks: the Social-Spatial Perspective and the Humanistic Perspective. This distinction has severely limited the development of a comprehensive research model that incorporates all the possible conditions relating to wilderness solitude. This study synthesized past research and theory to create a quantitative model of wilderness solitude which includes elements from both research perspectives, while …

#Iownit, Margaret M. Hamilton

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Throughout the United States and particularly the West, public lands make up a large portion of land areaand are a vital, reusable, renewable resource that anyone can use. This body of work provides a visual representation of public land users. I’m looking at different user groups representing different activities, ages, genders, and geographic locations. My goal for this work is to make a visual impact on the public’s perspective of how these lands are use, and the people who use them.

All of these public land users have one thing in common: a sense of responsibility for the land, for …

It Takes A Village To Raise A Child: Perceived Community Support And Parenting Satisfaction And Efficacyamong American Indian Young Mothers, Ann Marie Douglas

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Although there has been a decline in teen pregnancy in White, African American, and Hispanic teens, American Indian teen pregnancies have stayed relatively stable. According to Indian Health Services (2014), young women under the age of 24 years old account for 80 percent of births in the American Indian population. With a high percent of young mothers in this population and the stigma associated with young parenting, it is important to explore American Indian young mothers’ satisfaction and efficacy associated with parenting. It is also important to see how American Indian communities can support young mothers. The present study examined …

Demographics And Growth History Of Whitebark Pine On Undisturbed Sites Across The Northern Us Rocky Mountains, Sarah Flanary

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Along with fluctuating precipitation and temperatures in the form of climate change, whitebark pine (Pinus albicaulis) has seen a territory wide increase in mortality leading to a decline in population. While the most direct influences on whitebark pine health and mortality are mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae) outbreaks, fire exclusion policies, and the spread of white pine blister rust (Cronartium ribicola), climate change can impact the intervals and severity of such beetle, rust, and fire disturbances, and may affect the growth and health of whitebark pine directly. The objectives of this study were to identify whitebark pine stands within the …

A Ceramic Analysis Of Two Terminal Classic Maya Sites: Examining Economic Ties Through Pottery, Kara B. Johannesen

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The objective of this thesis is to examine the relationship between two Maya sites, Cahal Pech and Xunantunich, during Terminal Classic (780-950 CE) through ceramic variability. Until recently the Terminal Classic (TC) was often misunderstood as a time of the “Maya collapse.” The TC period is now understood as a complex time with shifting political tides possibly due to environmental pressures. New evidence from a TC deposit at Cahal Pech known as “south of H-1” shows an abundance of a specific decorated ware known as Mount Maloney Black (MMB), a type more closely associated with the neighboring site of Xunantunich. …

Healing Self And Community: Living Pluralism In The Anishinaabe Paradigm, Andrea A. Fitzpatrick

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Abstract: Healing Self and Community: Living Pluralism in The Anishinaabe

This thesis is a study of pluralism through Anishinaabe writers Winona LaDuke, Basil Johnston, Lynn Anderson, and others, focusing on their perceptions and pedagogies and how those perceptions inform pluralistic living. Anishinaabe methodology tends to be innately interconnected, and pluralistic. As such, it can enlighten, heal self-identity structures, and perceptions of the biosphere. I will contextualize how it is necessary to investigate the stories we learn and those we tell, how it is vital to understand where they come from. Included is analysis of how pluralism shows up in mine …

Predictive Spatial Modeling Of Wildfire Occurrence And Poaching Events Related To Siberian Tiger Conservation In Southwest Primorye, Russian Far East, Conor N. Phelan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Siberian tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) populations worldwide have been drastically reduced in number over the past several decades. The Primorye region of the Russian Far East remains one of the final strongholds for the estimated 400 Siberian tigers remaining in the wild. As a flagship species, Siberian tigers play a crucial socio-economic role in helping agencies and non-profits to motivate, fund, and implement broader conservation efforts. Even while defended by organizations such as the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Siberian tigers in Primorye face an onslaught of threats to their continued existence. Profound land use changes due to the …

Lessons Learned In The Superfund Process: A Guide For Community Advisory Groups, Terri Nichols

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Superfund Community Advisory Groups (CAGs) and Technical Advisory Groups, also known as Technical Assistance Groups, (TAGs) can influence the clean-up of hazardous wastes in their communities by providing a forum for diverse community interests and concerns in the federal Superfund clean-up process. These volunteer groups may increase local input and engagement in remediation of hazardous wastes, as well as in the ultimate future of their community, through collaboration with community members, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency staff, and parties responsible for contamination. Yet most CAGs and TAGs struggle within the complex, multi-phase Superfund process. Forming a Superfund advisory group is a …

Tribal Consultation: A Critical Reminder Of Cultural Resource Management Laws And Obligations, Natasha F. Larose

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

By categorizing the National Historic Preservation Act and National Environmental Policy Act as red tape hindering infrastructure, the current Presidential administration is attempting to streamline processes to approve federal undertakings. In doing so, it threatens the government-to-government relationship between federal agencies and tribal governments. This relationship is a work-in-progress that needs to be nurtured rather than reverting to assertion of plenary powers over tribal affairs. The purpose of this research is to remind federal agencies that there are legal obligations to include tribal entities in the decision-making processes for federal undertakings. Furthermore, this research can serve as a reference for …

Impacts Of Elephant Crop-Raiding On Subsistence Farmers And Approaches To Reduce Human-Elephant Farming Conflict In Sagalla, Kenya, Sophia Weinmann

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

As human and elephant populations grow in Kenya, elephants increasingly leave parks to eat farmers’ crops while foraging, which creates epicenters of human-elephant conflict (HEC). This conflict compromises farmers’ food and economic security, impedes elephant conservation initiatives, and threatens the safety of humans and elephants. In recent years, the situation has been exacerbated by drought and national-level infrastructure development that bisects key elephant habitat. Although researchers have widely studied elephant populations, few have examined the cultural, economic, and emotional effects of HEC on subsistence farmers. This project utilized a mixed methods approach to address this knowledge gap and understand the …

Understanding Changes To Glacier And Ice Sheet Geometry: The Roles Of Climate And Ice Dynamics, Caitlyn Elizabeth Florentine

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Glacier and ice sheet geometry depend on climatic and ice dynamic processes that are coupled and often highly complex. Thus, partitioning and understanding the drivers of change to glacier and ice sheet geometry requires creative approaches.

Radiostratigraphy data document emergent layers in the ablation zone of western Greenland that emulate theoretical englacial flow paths. Yet true alignment between radar layers and the englacial flow field can be uncertain because these structures have travelled hundreds of km from their original point of deposition, have been shaped by ice deformation for millennia, and have been subjected to complex and three-dimensional ice motion …

The Power In Dice And Foam Swords: Gendered Resistance In Dungeons And Dragons And Live-Action Roleplay, Rachel M. Just

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Much of the existing research on gaming suggests that women are often excluded from or discriminated against in gaming communities. However, few scholars focus on women’s positive experiences within those communities, and even fewer examine tabletop and live-action roleplaying games. In this thesis, I utilized Jurgen Habermas’ theory of communicative action, Judith Butler’s theory of gender performativity, and James C. Scott’s theory of hidden transcripts to analyze how in-game and out-of-game comradery among players created a space in which passive resistance against normative gender expectations was possible. Specifically, the question I wanted to answer was how do women communicatively enact …

Common Condition, Georgia D. Dennison

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Rib, Taylor White

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

RIB challenges the narrative of Adam, Eve, and the Garden of Eden through the women of “SKULL,” “BONE,” “SCAR,” “SPINE,” “BLOOD” “CUNT,” “HAND,” and “HAIR.”

Impacts Of Vegetation Growth On Reach-Scale Flood Hydraulics In A Sand-Bed River And The Implications For Vegetation-Morphology Coevolution, Samuel Box

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Vegetation affects river morphology via plant effects on the flow field, sediment transport and deposition, and substrate erodibility. Changes in the flow field caused by above-ground biomass mediate geomorphic response to flooding and habitat suitability for vegetation growth. Using numerical hydraulic models that incorporate drag due to spatially heterogeneous vegetation, I quantify how changes in the antecedent characteristics of woody vegetation in the active channel lead to changes in local bed shear stress, reach-average bed shear stress, and the vegetative component of reach-average total shear stress. Flood hydraulics in turn affect channel morphology and vegetation, providing a feedback mechanism by …

Cultivating Perspective: A Qualitative Inquiry Examining School History Textbooks For Microaggressions Against Native Americans, Olivia G. Holter

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Native American youth face a number of challenges that affect their academic success and mental health (Center for Native American Youth, 2016). One way in which Native American youth currently face prejudice within the school system is through curriculum (Yosso, 2002). More specifically, Native American youth are often presented with textbooks that include stereotyped and distorted information about their peoples’ history (Loewen, 1995; Sanchez, 2007). However, there is currently a gap in the literature showing whether or not these textbooks also contain microaggressive statements towards Native Americans. The current study looked at 5 Eighth Grade level Montana history texts from …

Growing Youth Programming At Garden City Harvest Through Participatory Action Research, Hannah B. Oblock

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This professional paper presents a program evaluation and strategic plan for the youth development farming programs at Garden City Harvest (GCH), a non-profit in Missoula, Montana, which coordinates community-centered agriculture projects and facilitates sustainable agriculture education. The youth programs, Youth Harvest (YH) and Youth Farm (YF), hire adolescents of 15-18 years of age to work on their urban farms to learn about sustainable agriculture, job readiness skills, and social-emotional well-being. As the organization continues to expand, especially with the addition of a new facility, GCH administration and staff are interested in learning how the programs impact the youth employees and …

Examining The Relationship Between Traditional Ecological Knowledge And Cultural Resource Management, Erin Chiniewicz

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Insights Into The Proterozoic To Cretaceous Evolution Of The Western Clearwater Metamorphic Core Complex, Northern Idaho, Through Petrologic And Geochronologic Analysis, Nora Dwyer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Clearwater metamorphic core complex (CMCC) in northern Idaho contains a rare exposure of the contact of the basal section of the Mesoproterozoic Belt Supergroup with underlying Paleoproterozoic basement. Prior to this study, this contact had not been well documented. In addition, the rocks within the CMCC preserve a complex history of metamorphism, including both Mesoproterozoic and Cretaceous-Eocene regional events. Detrital zircon analysis of five coarsely recrystallized, clean quartzite samples at this contact reveal a bimodal age distribution with peaks at around 1800 - 1900 Ma and 2650 Ma. Several grains are younger than 1700 Ma, with the youngest being …