Digital Commons Network^™

Nebline, January 2011

NEBLINE Newsletter Archive from Nebraska Extension in Lancaster County

Feature: Tightening Your Belt in Tough Times

Farm Views

Horticulture

Food & Fitness

Home & Family Living

Environmental Focus

Urban Agriculture

4-H & Youth

Community Focus

Extension Calendar

Nutrition Education Program

Family and Community Education (FCE) Clubs

and other extension news and events

Annual Report Special Pullout Section

Ncuwm Poster Abstracts 2011

Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Ncuwm Talk Abstracts 2011

Nebraska Conference for Undergraduate Women in Mathematics

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Cooperative Fish And Wildlife Research Unit—Usgs: Report Of Activities October 2010 – October 2011

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Annual Reports

INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 1

PERSONNEL AND COOPERATORS ...................................................................... 2

Unit Personnel ............................................................................. 2

Coordinating Committee Members .............................................................. 4

Cooperators ............................................................................... 5

MILESTONES ...................................................................................... 8

THESES AND DISSERTATIONS ......................................................................... 8

AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS ........................................................................ 9

OUTREACH ACTIVITIES ............................................................................. 10

RESEARCH PROJECTS............................................................................... 11

Adaptive Management for the Nebraska Natural Legacy Plan ........................................ 12

Angler Behavior in Response to Management Actions on Nebraska Reservoirs ........................... 13

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) Prevention Program ................................................ 15

Assessing Local and Landscape Constraints on Habitat Management for Upland Birds..................... 16

Assessing the Relationship between Stable Isotopes and Grassland Bird Productivity on Great Plains National Park Service Properties ....................................................................... …

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument Long-Range Interpretive Plan

United States National Park Service: Publications

Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) is a 30-minute drive via Nebraska 29 from U.S. 20 at Harrison (22 miles north) or a 45-minute drive from U.S. 26 at Mitchell (34 miles south). The communities of Gering, Scottsbluff, Alliance, and Chadron, Nebraska, are all within a two-hour drive of the monument. Denver is a 4-hour+ drive.

Fishes Of The Niobrara River At Agate Fossil Beds Natonal Monument 2011 Survey, Richard H. Stasiak, George R. Cunningham, Scott Flash, Andrea Wagner, Adena Barela

United States National Park Service: Publications

In June 2011, a fish inventory was conducted in the Niobrara River at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO). Collecting techniques and locations were similar to those used in previous surveys conducted in 1979 and 1989. Results of the 2011 survey indicated a major change in the fish community had occurred during this time period. Although absent in the 1979 and 1989 surveys, Northern pike (Esox lucius) were the dominant fish species at AGFO in 2011. White sucker (Catostomus commersoni) was the single remaining species from the fish community identified in the 1979 and 1989 inventories, …

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

United States National Park Service: Publications

Homestead National Monument was created in 1936 to celebrate the significance of the Homestead Act of 1862, which granted 160 acres of free land to claimants. This was one of the most significant and enduring events in the westward expansion of the United States. The site is the first tract homesteaded under the act by Daniel Freemen, and encompasses 184 acres in Gage County, west of Beatrice, Nebraska.

This unique site also hosts the oldest prairie restoration in the National Park system and the second-oldest tallgrass prairie restoration known. This park unit also has a small remnant of native tallgrass …

Forest Structure And Aboveground Biomass In The Southwestern United States From Modis And Misr, Mark Chopping, Crystal B. Schaaf, Feng Zhao, Anne W. Nolin, Gretchen G. Moisen, John V. Martonchik, Michael Bull

United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Publications

Red band bidirectional reflectance factor data from the NASA MODerate resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) acquired over the southwestern United States were interpreted through a simple geometric–optical (GO) canopy reflectance model to provide maps of fractional crown cover (dimensionless), mean canopy height (m), and aboveground woody biomass (Mg ha⁻¹) on a 250 m grid. Model adjustment was performed after dynamic injection of a background contribution predicted via the kernel weights of a bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) model. Accuracy was assessed with respect to similar maps obtained with data from the NASA Multiangle Imaging Spectroradiometer (MISR) and to contemporaneous …

Can Climate Sensitivity Be Estimated From Short-Term Relationships Of Top-Of-Atmosphere Net Radiation And Surface Temperature?, Bing Lin, Qilong Min, Wenbo Sun, Yongxiang Hu, Tai-Fang Fan

United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Publications

Increasing the knowledge in climate radiative feedbacks is critical for current climate studies. This work focuses on short-term relationships between global mean surface temperature and top-of-atmosphere (TOA) net radiation. The relationships may be used to characterize the climate feedback as suggested by some recent studies. As those recent studies, an energy balance model with ocean mixed layer and both radiative and non-radiative heat sources is used here. The significant improvement of current model is that climate system memories are considered.

Based on model simulations, short-term relationship between global mean surface temperature and TOA net radiation (or the linear striation feature …

Remote Sensing Of Phytoplankton Community Composition Along The Northeast Coast Of The United States, Xiaoju Pan, Antonio Mannino, Harold G. Marshall, Katherine C. Filippino, Margaret R. Mulholland

United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Publications

Satellite imagery has proven to be a powerful tool for measuring chlorophyll a in surface waters. While this provides an estimate of total phytoplankton biomass, it does not distinguish between phytoplankton groups, many of which have functional differences and therefore affect biogeochemical cycles differently. Phytoplankton pigment analysis has been used to quantify a wide range of photosynthetic and accessory pigments, and chemotaxonomic analysis (e.g. CHEMTAX) has been used to successfully quantify functional taxonomic groups in nature based on pigment distributions. Here, we combine CHEMTAX analysis with satellite-derived distributions of specific phytoplankton pigments to describe the distributions of particular components of …

Study Of A Magnetic Filter System For The Characterization Of Particle Magnetic Property, Lin Li, Paul S. Greenberg, Kenneth W. Street Jr., Da-Ren Chen

United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration: Publications

A magnetic filter system has been constructed, and its performance has been investigated, to measure the magnetic property of monodisperse γ -Fe₂O₃ particles in the size range from 100 to 300 nm. In the system, SS 430 screens are placed in the magnetic filter element and exposed to a strong external magnetic field generated by an electric coil. The high magnetic field gradient resulted frommagnetized fine wires enhances the collection of magnetic particles in addition to the particle collection via the diffusion mechanism. The particle concentrations at the upstream and downstream of the magnetic filter element were …

Pathology And Failure In The Design And Implementation Of Adaptive Management, Craig R. Allen, Lance H. Gunderson

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The conceptual underpinnings for adaptive management are simple; there will always be inherent uncertainty and unpredictability in the dynamics and behavior of complex ecological systems as a result non-linear interactions among components and emergence, yet management decisions must still be made. The strength of adaptive management is in the recognition and confrontation of such uncertainty. Rather than ignore uncertainty, or use it to preclude management actions, adaptive management can foster resilience and flexibility to cope with an uncertain future, and develop safe to fail management approaches that acknowledge inevitable changes and surprises. Since its initial introduction, adaptive management has been …

Adaptive Management For A Turbulent Future, Craig R. Allen, Joseph J. Fontaine, Kevin L. Pope, Ahjond S. Garmestani

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The conceptual underpinnings for adaptive management are simple; there will always be inherent uncertainty and unpredictability in the dynamics and behavior of complex ecological systems as a result non-linear interactions among components and emergence, yet management decisions must still be made. The strength of adaptive management is in the recognition and confrontation of such uncertainty. Rather than ignore uncertainty, or use it to preclude management actions, adaptive management can foster resilience and flexibility to cope with an uncertain future, and develop safe to fail management approaches that acknowledge inevitable changes and surprises. Since its initial introduction, adaptive management has been …

Luring Anglers To Enhance Fisheries, D. R. Martin, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Current fisheries management is, unfortunately, reactive rather than proactive to changes in fishery characteristics. Furthermore, anglers do not act independently on waterbodies, and thus, fisheries are complex socio-ecological systems. Proactive management of these complex systems necessitates an approachdadaptive fisheries managementdthat allows learning to occur simultaneously with management. A promising area for implementation of adaptive fisheries management is the study of luring anglers to or from specific waterbodies to meet management goals. Purposeful manipulation of anglers, and its associated field of study, is nonexistent in past management. Evaluation of different management practices (i.e., hypotheses) through an iterative adaptive management process should …

Using Consumption Rate To Assess Potential Predators For Biological Control Of White Perch, Nathan J.C. Gosch, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Control of undesirable fishes is important in aquatic systems, and using predation as a tool for biological control is an attractive option to fishery biologists. However, determining the appropriate predators for biological control is critical for success. The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of consumption rate as an index to determine the most effective predators for biological control of an invasive fish. Consumption rate values were calculated for nine potential predators that prey on white perch Morone americana in Branched Oak and Pawnee reservoirs, Nebraska. The consumption rate index provided a unique and insightful means of …

Woody Invasions Of Urban Trails And The Changing Face Of Urban Forests In The Great Plains, Usa, Kristine T. Nemec, Craig R. Allen, Aaron L. Alai, Gregory M. Clements, Andrew C. Kessler, Travis C. Kinsell, Annabel Major, Bruce J. Stephen

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Corridors such as roads and trails can facilitate invasions by non-native plant species. The open, disturbed habitat associated with corridors provides favorable growing conditions for many non-native plant species. Bike trails are a corridor system common to many urban areas that have not been studied for their potential role in plant invasions. We sampled five linear segments of urban forest along bike trails in Lincoln, Nebraska to assess the invasion of woody non-native species relative to corridors and to assess the composition of these urban forests. The most abundant plant species were generally native species, but five non-native species were …

Managing For Resilience, Craig R. Allen, Graeme S. Cumming, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Phillip D. Taylor, Brian H. Walker

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Early efforts in wildlifemanagement focused on reducing population variability and maximizing yields of selected species. Later, Aldo Leopold proposed the concept of habitat management as superior to population management, and more recently, ecosystem management, whereby ecological processes are conserved or mimicked, has come into favour. Managing for resilience builds upon these roots, and focuses on maintaining key processes and relationships in socialecological systems so that they are robust to a great variety of external or internal perturbations at a range of ecological and social scales. Managing for resilience focuses on system-level characteristics and processes, and the endurance of system properties …

Impacts Of Invasive Plants On Sandhill Crane (Grus Canadensis) Roosting Habitat, Andrew C. Kessler, James W. Merchant, Craig R. Allen, Steven D. Shultz

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Invasive plants continue to spread in riparian ecosystems, causing both ecological and economic damage. This research investigated the impacts of common reed, purple loosestrife, riparian shrubland, and riparian woodlands on the quality and quantity of sandhill crane roosting habitat in the central Platte River, Nebraska, using a discrete choice model. A more detailed investigation of the impacts of common reed on sandhill crane roosting habitat was performed by forecasting a spread or contraction of this invasive plant. The discrete choice model indicates that riparian woodlands had the largest negative impact on sandhill crane roosting habitat. The forecasting results predict that …

Timber Talk, Vol. 49, No. 2, June 1, 2011

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Lumber Market News ; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Green; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Kiln Dried; New Nebraska “Secondary Processor” Directory; Sand Creek Post and Beam Named 2011 Nebraska Small Business of the Year; Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac; The Trouble With Ethanol; Trends — From One Saw Doctor’s Perspective; Nebraska Forestry Industry Spotlight; The Trading Post; Timber Sales

Timber Talk, Vol. 49, No. 4, November 1, 2011

Timber Talk: Nebraska Forest Industry Newsletter

Lumber Market News; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Green; Hardwood Lumber Price Trends—Kiln Dried; The Business Plan: Critical To Start-Up And Growth; A Baker’s Dozen Marketing Tips; Nebraska Forestry Industry Spotlight; The Trading Post; Proper Method of Bore Cutting Revisited; Timber Sales.

Nebraska Forest Service Annual Report 2011, Nancy Evans

Nebraska Forest Service: Publications

No abstract provided.

Nebraska Forest Service Annual Report 2011, Nancy Evans

Nebraska Forest Service: Publications

Woody Biomass is Underutilized Resource..................................2

Conservation Education: Investing in the Future......................3

Nebraska’s Trees Face Serious Threats..........................................4

Tree Pest Detector Program: Year 2.............................................5

Tribute to a Forester: Rich Lodes..................................................5

CFSL Works to Improve Community Forests.............................6

2011 CTAP Update..........................................................................6

Record Missouri River Floods Will Have Lasting Impacts........8

NFS to Work on Cottonwood Restoration...................................9

Extreme Fires Changing Pine Ridge............................................10

NFS To Facilitate Prescribed Fire Training................................11

Grants & Cost Share Awarded to NFS Partners in 2011.........13

Contributors: Dennis Adams, Jeanne Andelt, Eric Berg, Dr. Mark Harrell,

Graham Herbst, Casey McCoy, Dr. Ralph Johnson, Dr. Scott J. Josiah,

Jessica Kelling, Karma Larsen, Doak Nickerson, Jeralyn …

The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project: State Wildlife Action Plan 2nd Edition, Rick Schneider, Kristal Stoner, Gerry Steinauer, Melissa J. Panella, Mark Humpert

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

Nebraska’s rich biological diversity is composed of thousands of plant and animal species interacting with each other and the environment. The flora and fauna of the state, along with the natural habitats they occupy, form Nebraska’s natural heritage – a legacy that should be treasured just as much as our cultural heritage. Unfortunately, populations of many once common species have declined because of a variety of stresses, including habitat loss, habitat degradation, diseases, and competition and predation from invasive species. While conservation actions in the past have had notable successes, they have not been sufficient to stem the overall tide …

Ecosystem Services Provided By Playas In The High Plains: Potential Influences Of Usda Conservation Programs, Loren M. Smith, David A. Haukos, Scott T. Mcmurry, Ted Lagrange, David Willis

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

Playas are shallow depressional wetlands and the dominant wetland type in the non-glaciated High Plains of the United States. This region is one of the most intensively cultivated regions in the Western Hemisphere, and playas are profoundly impacted by a variety of agricultural activities. Conservation practices promoted through Farm Bills by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) that influence playas and surrounding catchments impact ecosystem functions and related services provided by wetlands in this region. As part of a national assessment, we review effects of agricultural cultivation and effectiveness of USDA conservation programs and practices on ecosystem functions and associated …

Effects Of Surrounding Land Use On Playa Inundation Following Intense Rainfall, Alison B. Cariveau, David C. Pavlacky Jr., Andrew A. Bishop, Theodore G. Lagrange

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

Many isolated wetlands that fill by rainfall, such as playas, have been affected by sedimentation in heavily modified agricultural landscapes. Conservation plantings and buffers reduce sedimentation in wetlands but also may reduce the frequency of inundation. We studied the effects of surrounding landcover on the responses of playas in southwestern Nebraska to heavy rain events using aerial photography, ground surveys, and GIS landscape analyses. Using a generalized linear mixed model, we found that playas in rangeland were more likely to become inundated than playas in cropland, and both were more likely to become inundated than playas in fields enrolled in …

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy Annual Report 2010-2011

Nebraska College Preparatory Academy: Newsletters and Annual Reports

Note from Executive Director

NCPA Opportunities & Challenges

2011-2012 Initiatives

Overall Statistics

Grand Island Statistics

Omaha Statistics

High School Events & Assessment

Institute of Excellence

Mentor Assessment

Appendix A Events

Appendix B Additional Events

Nefdc Exchange, Volume 23, Fall 2011, New England Faculty Development Consortium

New England Faculty Development Consortium Exchange

Contents

Message from the NEFDC President - Tom Thibodeau, New England Institute of Technology

Creating student engagement in the university classroom - Frank Bellizzi, Quinnipiac University

Ensuring access and essential learning for diverse students - Gouri Banerjee, Emmanuel College

Without a pen: reflections on an experiment in typed assessment - Reva Kasman, Salem State University

Bringing a dialogue into the classroom - Dorothy A. Osterholt and Katherine Barratt, Landmark College

Suffolk University Course Design Institute - Kathryn Linder, Suffolk University

Colleges of Worcester Consortium Offers Certificate in College Teaching

Save the date: NEFDC 2012 Spring Conference, Fraiday, June 8, 2012, …

Genetic Monitoring Reveals Genetic Stability Within And Among Threatened Chinook Salmon Populations In The Salmon River, Idaho, Donald M. Van Doornik, Robin Waples, Melissa C. Baird, Paul Moran, Ewann A. Berntson

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Identifying and understanding temporal genetic changes within fish populations is important for the management of these populations, especially those of conservation concern. Such changes are often the result of genetic drift, which can be exacerbated when the size of a population decreases. Using molecular-genetics techniques, we monitored nine populations of Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in the Salmon River, Idaho, to determine how the genetic characteristics within and among these populations have changed over time. We found no evidence of change in the level of heterozygosity or allelic richness over three to four generations in eight of the populations. This is …

Population Genetic Structure And Life History Variability In Oncorhynchus Nerka From The Snake River Basin, Robin Waples, Paul B. Aebersold, Gary A. Winans

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

We used the variation at 64 allozyme loci to examine genetic relationships among 32 samples of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka and kokanee (resident sockeye salmon) from the Snake River basin and other North American locations. The genetic differentiation among populations was pronounced: Wright’s F_ST was higher (0.244) than has been reported in any other study of Pacific salmon. A detailed examination of the O. nerka from lakes in the Sawtooth Valley of Idaho was undertaken to help guide recovery planning for the endangered Redfish Lake population and to help resolve the relationships between the resident and anadromous forms. In …

Effects Of Maternal Growth On Fecundity And Egg Quality Of Wild And Captive Atka Mackerel, Susanne F. Mcdermott, Daniel W. Cooper, Jared L. Guthridge, Ingrid B. Spies, Mike F. Canino, Pamela Woods, Nicola Hillgruber

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Trade-offs in energy allocation between growth and reproduction can result in variations in reproductive potential in fish with differing growth patterns. Spawning biomass is often used as a proxy for reproductive potential on the assumption that fecundity is directly proportional to body weight. We examined variations in the reproductive potential of Atka mackerel Pleurogrammus monopterygius by studying the effect of differential growth and condition patterns on fecundity, atresia, and egg energy. Fecundity and egg energy were determined for fish from two geographic areas, Seguam Pass and Amchitka Island, Alaska, and compared with those of fish held in captivity. These Atka …