Digital Commons Network^™

2011-2016 Strategic Plan: Experience Osgoode, Lorne Sossin

Strategic Plans

This strategic plan calls for (1) increased emphasis on experiential education and the exploration of law in action; (2) intensification of research that shapes the public debate; and (3) greater community engagement.

The Right To Free, Prior, And Informed Consent: Indigenous Peoples' Participation Rights Within International Law, Tara Ward

Northwestern Journal of Human Rights

The right of indigenous peoples to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC) in relation to development, infrastructure, and resource extraction projects is currently being debated within international law. Particularly contentious is the question of whether the right to FPIC is an existing customary international legal principle and if so, whether this constitutes a full veto right for the affected peoples. This article examines this question by analyzing the development of FPIC within international law and applying the current international standards to two distinct case studies. The first is the Lubicon Cree in Alberta, Canada, and the second is that of …

Adding Value To Ecological Risk Assessment With Population Modeling, Valery E. Forbes, Peter Calow, Volker Grimm, Takehiko I, Hayashi, Tjalling Jager, Agnete Katholm, Annemette Palmqvist, Rob Pastorok, Dan Salvito, Richard Sibly, Julann Spromberg, John Stark, Richard A. Stillman

Valery Forbes Publications

Current measures used to estimate the risks of toxic chemicals are not relevant to the goals of the environmental protection process, and thus ecological risk assessment (ERA) is not used as extensively as it should be as a basis for cost-effective management of environmental resources. Appropriate population models can provide a powerful basis for expressing ecological risks that better inform the environmental management process and thus that are more likely to be used by managers. Here we provide at least five reasons why population modeling should play an important role in bridging the gap between what we measure and what …

Solar Energy Development On The Federal Public Lands: Environmental Trade-Offs On The Road To A Lower-Carbon Future, Robert L. Glicksman

GW Law Faculty Publications & Other Works

The federal government has endorsed more extensive use of the federal public lands for the production of solar power, both to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to climate change and to bolster the security of domestic energy supplies. Spurred by grant money made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in 2010 approved nine utility-scale solar projects on public lands in California and Nevada. These projects were designed to avoid adversely affecting the habitats of endangered and threatened species that frequent the desert southwest and cultural resources important to …

Spreadsheets Across The Curriculum, 2: Assessing Our Success With Students At Eckerd College, Laura Reiser Wetzel

Numeracy

The Spreadsheets Across the Curriculum (SSAC) library consists of activities to reinforce or teach quantitative literacy or mathematical concepts and skills in context. Each SSAC “module” consists of a PowerPoint presentation with embedded Excel spreadsheets. Each student works through a presentation, thinks about the in-context problem, figures out how to solve it mathematically, and builds spreadsheets to calculate and examine answers.

To assess the effectiveness of SSAC modules, I surveyed Eckerd College undergraduates in two separate studies. Two undergraduate research assistants and I generated pre- and post-tests for 10 SSAC modules. We hired 21 undergraduates who conducted 62 individual module …

Baldwin V. Sebelius - Petition For Writ Of Ceritorari, Steve Baldwin

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Litigation

No abstract provided.

Variations In Concentrations And Compositions Of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (Pahs) In Coals Related To The Coal Rank And Origin, Susanne Laumann, Vesna Micic Batka, Michael A. Kruge, Christine Achten, Reinhard Sachsenhofer, Jan Schwarzbauer, Thilo Hofmann

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

The release of unburnt coal particles and associated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) may cause adverse impacts on the environment. This study assessed variations in the concentration and composition of PAHs in a set of fifty coal samples from eleven coal basins worldwide. The maximum PAH concentrations at high volatile bituminous rank were recorded in samples from a single basin. Considering the entire sample, the highest PAH concentrations were in fact found outside of this rank range, suggesting that the maceral composition and thus the coal's origin also influenced PAH concentrations. The examination of the PAH compositions revealed that alkylated 2-3 …

Climate Change: The Fork At The End Of Now, Micha Tomkiewicz

Publications and Research

There are many books on global warming written entirely from a layman's perspective, and there is a great deal of scientific literature on this subject. But few if any books attempt to bridge the science to those who lack a rigorous background in mathematics, physics and chemistry-but who may be working on careers in environmental science and policy. The new text is designed to introduce the field of global climate change from a scientific perspective-but written in a way that is accessible to students with some or little science background. It reviews the basic principles of climatic thermodynamics and atmospheric …

Environmental Study Of Solid Waste Collection, Mousa Awad Maimoun

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The growing municipal solid waste generation rates have necessitated more efficient, optimized waste collection facilities. The majority of the US collection fleet is composed of diesel-fueled vehicles which contribute significant atmospheric emissions including greenhouse gases. In order to reduce emissions to the atmosphere, more collection agencies are investigating alternative fuel technologies such as natural gas, biofuels (bio-gas and bio-diesel), and hybrid electric technology. This research is an in-depth environmental analysis of potential alternative fuel technologies for waste collection vehicles. This study will evaluate the use of alternative fuels by waste collection vehicles. Lifecycle emissions, cost, fuel and energy consumption were …

Examining The Relationship Between Social Capital And The Built Environment: A Case Study In Measuring Community Sustainability, Shannon H. Rogers

Doctoral Dissertations

The concepts of sustainability and sustainable development are frequently described as having three main components, sometimes referred to as the three pillars or the triple bottom line: environmental, economic, and social. Because the origins of sustainability come from a desire to right environmental wrongs much consideration has been given to the environmental issues, especially how they interface with economic ones. Frequently mentioned but rarely examined, the social aspects of sustainability have been considered the weakest and least described pillar. This work explores the utility of social capital, the value of one's networks and connections, as a measure of sustainability. As …

From Sweetwater To Seawater: An Environmental History Of Narragansett Bay, 1636--1849, Christopher L. Pastore

Doctoral Dissertations

This dissertation examines environmental change on and around Narragansett Bay from first European settlement in 1636 to the dissolution of the Blackstone Canal Company in 1849. It uses one of the largest estuaries on the East Coast and one situated at the heart of early English settlement in New England as a means to write estuaries into Atlantic history. Examining the ecological and epistemological complexities that arose at the nexus of land and sea, where improvable space and the push of "progress" met an eternal or "profound" ocean, this study reframes estuaries as watery borderlands that people used but never …

Assessing Social-Ecological Resilience And Adaptive Capacity In The Face Of Climate Change: An Examination Of Three Communities In The Crown Of The Continent Ecosystem, Bradley B. Johnson

Doctoral Dissertations

This research examines the social-ecological resilience and adaptive capacity of the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem through a suite of three case study communities and the impacts of climate change on the ecosystem's hydrologic regime. The Crown of the Continent Ecosystem spans the U.S.-Canadian border; case study communities composed of Kalispell and Choteau, Montana and Fernie, British Columbia fall on both sides of the border.

Primary data was gathered through a "bottom-up" qualitative approach utilizing an online survey followed by a semi-structured interview process with stakeholders in natural resource dependant industries and government at the local, state, and federal levels …

An Exploratory Approach To Social Impact Assessment Of Public Policy Decisions: Multiple Stakeholders Perspectives On The Social Impact Of Overfishing In New England Groundfisheries In The 1990s, Fabienne Lord

Doctoral Dissertations

This thesis seeks to understand how stakeholders' perspectives and understanding of social impacts influence decision processes. Understanding stakeholders' comprehension of social impacts provides insight as to how they weigh these impacts against others when making decisions. Moreover, the way stakeholders influence, or are influenced by, management decisions provides information on the use and development of methodologies successful in assessing social impacts and communicating the results. Built on this information, the main objective is to explore and develop a Social Impact Assessment (SIA) approach that could capture and integrate multiple stakeholders' perspectives in predicting impacts from ongoing, renewable resource management actions. …

2011 Acropolis, Whittier College

Acropolis (Yearbook)

2011 Acropolis yearbook for Whittier College.

About The Authors, Volume 30 (2011)

To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development

About the editors and authors of volume 30 (2011) of To Improve the Academy: A Journal of Educational Development.

Understanding Environmental Deficit Phenomenon: Influences Affecting Children's Connectedness To Nature, Lauren Bates

USF St. Petersburg campus Master's Theses (Graduate)

The contemporary generation of young people experiences a childhood unlike any other previous generation. Federal funding for high achievement on standardized tests in the areas of reading and math have resulted in a narrowed school curricula focusing predominantly on these two subjects, and leaving little instructional time and resources for hands-on learning and unstructured time outdoors. Furthermore, children report spending less time outdoors and note that their parents are too busy to take them out to play. These circumstances at school and at home may indicate a decreasing value for nature experiences held by the adults who supervise children, which …

"What Change Hath God Wrought?": How Gender And The Environment Shaped New England Praying Town Identity And Created A Christian Indian Elect, Kallie Kosc

History Theses - Archive

By the 1780s, Christian Indians from praying towns throughout Southern New England accepted an invitation to reside amongst fellow Christianized Oneida in upstate New York. While all parties agreed to live as one "body" with "one head, one heart, one blood," tensions quickly arose between these Christian Indians. While the joint communities of Brothertown, New Stockbridge, and Oneida were intended by the inhabitants to be a place where Christianized natives could form a strong unifying force against Anglo land encroachment, conflict emerged over how to live the proper Christian Indian existence. The two most prominent sources of disagreement between these …

Evolution Of The Actin Gene Family In Testate Lobose Amoebae (Arcellinida) Is Characterized By Two Distinct Clades Of Paralogs And Recent Independent Expansions, Daniel J.G. Lahr, Truc B. Nguyen, Erika Barbero, Laura A. Katz

Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The evolution of actin gene families is characterized by independent expansions and contractions across the eukaryotic tree of life. Here, we assess diversity of actin gene sequences within three lineages of the genus Arcella, a free-living testate (shelled) amoeba in the Arcellinida. We established four clonal lines of two morphospecies, Arcella hemisphaerica and A. vulgaris, and assessed their phylogenetic relationship within the "Amoebozoa" using small subunit ribosomal DNA (SSU-rDNA) genealogy. We determined that the two lines of A. hemisphaerica are identical in SSU-rDNA, while the two A. vulgaris are independent genetic lineages. Furthermore, we characterized multiple actin gene copies from …

Ojibwe And Canis Lupus : Cultural, Historical, And Political Influences On Contemporary Wolf Management In The Great Lakes Region, Caitlin Williamson

Lawrence University Honors Projects

My thesis examines the relationship between the Ojibwe and the gray wolf (Canis lupus) by examining the historical, cultural, and political contexts that have shaped how Ojibwe currently view the wolf. I compare this relationship with the contemporary management of the wolf by federal and state governments. I conclude that the relationship between the Ojibwe and the wolf is complex, and draws on the cultural significance of the wolf to the Ojibwe, yet is also impacted by other driving factors. The Ojibwe management of the wolf contrasts with state management, and thus, Ojibwe have the opportunity to provide differing management …

Gordon Natural Area Tour - Guide, Kendra Mcmillin, Gerard Hertel

Gordon Natural Area-related Curricula Documents

No abstract provided.

The Leachability Of Major Elements At Different Stages Of Weathering In Dry Disposed Coal Fly Ash, S.A. Akinyemi, A. Akinlua, W.M. Gitari, R.O. Akinyeye, L.F. Petrik

Coal Combustion and Gasification Products Journal Archive

Large quantities of solid residue are generated by coal-fired power stations in many parts of the World. The disposal and management of the unused fly ash remains a major problem to the environment. The weathered dry disposed ash cores comprise of major element constituents such as Al, Si, Ca, Mg, Fe, Mn, Na+ and K+. The mobility patterns and mineralogical associations of major elements in weathered dry disposed ash dumps aged 1-year-old, 8-year-old and 20-year-old from a coalfired power station in South Africa were investigated using a modified sequential extraction scheme. The extraction sequence was as follows: (1) water soluble, …

Homestead National Monument, Vegetation Classification [Map], United States National Park Service

United States National Park Service: Publications

Color graphic vegetation map of Homestead National Monument of America in Beatrice, Nebraska, USA. Created as part of the Homestead NM of America Vegetation Mapping Project in April and May 2011. Includes a color-coded vegetation classification.

Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, Vegetation Mapping Project [Poster], Kelly Kindscher, Hayley Kilroy, Jennifer Delisle, Quinn Long, Hillary Loring, Kevin Dobbs, Jim Drake

United States National Park Service: Publications

The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve encompasses 10,894 acres in eastern Kansas, just north of Strong City. This park unit was created on November 12, 1996, and is the first to protect a nationally significant example of the once vast tall grass prairie ecosystem. Of the 400,000 square miles of tall grass prairie that once covered the North American continent, less than four percent remains, prin1arily in the Flint Hills. The park unit is primarily rocky upland prairies and deep-soiled prairies in the lowlands. It also contains some wet prairie ravines, riparian forests and some former cropland and restored prairie. These …

2011-12 Series - Convergence Of Cultures, University Center For The Humanities

University Center for the Humanities Events

This year the University Center for the Humanities focuses a lens on the contact zones between culture and power to understand the tensions, collaborations, accommodations and conversions that accompany sustained cross-cultural encounters. It considers the intersections of ethnicity, language, religion, politics, science and culture and the innovative and creative human products of that interaction. The lecture series is designed to contest stereotypes of difference and expand the understanding of complex social dynamics.

Environmental Documentary Film: A Contemporary Tool For Social Movement, Rachel Gregg

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Building a 21st century movement capable of inspiring social and structural change requires creative education, resourceful collaboration, and civic engagement. The U.S. environmental movement is in need of strategies that bring a wide spectrum of people together, facilitate appropriate interpretation of problems, and prompt innovative, forward-thinking solutions. Environmental documentary film has the ability to dramatize the reality of environmental issues and empower audiences to become an active part of the change necessary to address environmental crises. Utilizing a specific genre of environmental documentary film in novel and inventive ways, people can be gathered, educated, and inspired to become active participants …

Exploring Public Participation Decision-Making At Superfund Sites: A Mental Models Approach, Walter Steven Ackerlund

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

While public policies and programs in the United States encourage public participation in agency decisions on environmental issues, how best to engage the public remains controversial. Public participation is more challenging when complex and uncertain scientific or technical issues are involved. This research applies a mental model methodology to explore what people engaged in Superfund site cleanup decisions think about when making public participation decisions. The intent is to find better ways of engaging people in constructive processes that achieve mutual understanding and lead to better decisions.

An initial expert-informed mental model of public participation decision-making is developed based on …

From Crop To Cup; The Plight Of Coffee, Dana Lynn Foster

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Coffee is in demand across the globe and remains the second most valuable exported legal commodity on earth, only second to oil. The majority of North Americans have a type of ritual with their morning cup of coffee. However only an extremely modest percentage of those people are cognizant of where their coffee comes from or the processes undergone for it to reach their kitchen counters. This paper examines the role that direct trade coffee programs may play in helping to create long lasting, sustainable and mutually beneficial relationships between producers and roasters. The project accompanying the paper is the …

Predicting Amphibian Occurrence Based On Wetland And Landscape Level Factors In Montana, Catherine Anne Mcintyre

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Amphibians have a complex life history that requires a mosaic of habitats, including breeding, foraging, and over-wintering areas. Historically, regulators have focused on wetland breeding habitat quality to explain amphibian presence. Recently, other habitat requirements including landscape level factors have been examined. Data collected from amphibian surveys in Montana were used to determine if wetland quality factors or landscape level factors were better determinants of amphibian occurrence at breeding sites. Twenty-six habitat models were constructed a priori for eight species of amphibians in Montana. This included five models containing parameters associated with wetland quality, ten landscape level models, and ten …

Puma Dispersal Ecology In The Central Rocky Mountains, Jesse R. Newby

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The structuring of populations within a metapopulation, connected through dispersal, is important to basic and applied ecology. However, a considerable gap exists in our knowledge of the influence landscape heterogeneity has on dispersal and its consequences. We examined landscape effects on dispersal and its consequences for puma (Puma concolor) populations using data from three separate populations in the Central Rocky Mountains including the Northern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (NGYE), the Southern Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (SGYE) and the Garnet Mountains of Montana. We found human-induced mortality reduced inter-population vital rates with population consequences. The NGYE population was dependent largely on immigration for …

A Comparative Analysis Between Knowledge And Bear Safety Information Utilization By Day Hikers In Glacier National Park, Phillip Wayne Zumstein

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The purpose of this study was to identify Glacier National Park backcountry day users’ bear safety information source utilization, obtain their knowledge level of bear safety, and identify any differences in knowledge level when compared to sources used. The results of this study were intended to provide park managers with a means to more effectively implement the park’s bear safety information program. The study was conducted within Glacier National Park in Montana during the summer of 2011. A survey was given to 540 backcountry day users during their day hikes within the park. A bear safety quiz section was included …