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The Sacrificial Ram, Charles Ebbers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Every January and February, Montana and other western states auction tags to hunt big horn sheep, moose, mountain goats, bears and other big game species to the highest bidder, at a series of hunting shows in Nevada. Some states call them “governor’s tags,” while others like Montana call them auction tags.

The purpose of the auctions is to raise funds for state conservation programs meant to keep wildlife populations healthy. In Montana, the funds raised are species specific, meaning that the proceeds from a bighorn sheep tag must be used to help bighorn sheep. Yet, the revenue from these tags …

The Way Around: Walking Into Revolution, Nicholas T. Triolo

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Way Around: Walking into Revolution

Chairperson: Phil Condon

The Way Around investigates revolution through personal accounts of pilgrimage, ecopsychology, and activism. For ten years (2006-2016), I engaged in various forms of circular travel across the world to understand the true shape of revolution—its etymology, its use throughout history, and if revolution might be some universal inertia that drives us all forward.

The journey begins in 2006, where I travel around the world for a year. I weave together discoveries of place and planet with a 500-year historical account of human circumnavigation. Returning to Portland, Oregon, I’m introduced to …

The Next Billion: Lessons In Off-Grid Electricity Development From The Global South, Peter Mcdonough

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Today about a third of the world’s population has no access to electricity, and another third has only limited access. Driven by the push for development on one hand and the reality of climate change on the other, a combination of for-profit companies, NGOs, missions, and aid organizations is looking for the silver bullet to sustainable electricity development. In order to understand the challenges facing off-grid electricity projects I used recent literature in the form of peer-reviewed journals, agency reports, news articles, and technical documents; stakeholder interviews; and on-site observations in selected case studies in Nepal, India, and Tanzania. In …

73,401 Hexagons: A Geodiversity Gap Analysis Of The Crown Of The Continent Ecosystem, Robina A. Moyer

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

The Crown of the Continent Initiative (CCI) is a transboundary collaborative of conservation groups who work to further conservation goals throughout the Crown of the Continent Ecosystem, located in Northwestern Montana and southern British Columbia and Alberta. CCI and their member groups are interested in using geodiversity as a conservation measure in the Crown Ecosystem. First suggested in 1988 (Hunter et al.), geodiversity, or land facets, are typically a combination of abiotic features used as surrogates for the overlying biotic features. Conservation planning often employs an approach of coarse and fine filters, gap analysis, and systematic reserve design to identify …

Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma Coerulescens) Population Changes At Jonathan Dickinson State Park, Emily M.N. Morton

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Each June, surveys are conducted at Jonathan Dickinson State Park in order to monitor the population status of the Florida Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma coerulescens), the only avian species endemic to the state of Florida. These birds are limited to the rare oak scrub community, a habitat that is under constant threat due to human development. Florida Scrub-Jays are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act and all of Florida’s populations are in decline. Jonathan Dickinson State Park organizes surveys that collect vital information about the species to better understand how to conserve the fire-dependent oak scrub that they …

Urban Forestry Ecosystem Services At The Fau Jupiter Campus: 2015-2016, Allie Lamb

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Trees in urban landscapes provide ecosystem services that increase air quality, remove various air pollutants, and reduce storm water run-off. This study focuses on the urban forestry of Florida Atlantic University’s campus in Jupiter, Florida. By collecting various data from each tree and using ArcGIS and the US Forest Service’s analysis tool, “i-Tree”, the 1,556 trees on the Jupiter campus were mapped and an estimate of their structural and dollar values was calculated. Ninety-one percent (91%) of campus trees were in “excellent” condition, thus providing significant annual uptake of pollutants such as carbon monoxide, ozone, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, particulate …

Modeling Burrow Choice In Gopherus Polyphemus, Christopher Olbrych

Harriet L Wilkes Honors College Theses 2010 - 2019

Gopher tortoise populations, declining due to habitat fragmentation and degradation, are in need of revised management practices that take into account the individual site’s needs and limitations. The site of concern in this research is the Greenway in Jupiter, FL, which is suffering habitat degradation due to overgrowth driven by a lack of controlled burns or alternative management methods on site. A simple econometric model is developed characterizing the effects of environmental factors that influence the occupancy of burrows by gopher tortoises. A greater understanding of environmental factors affecting gopher tortoise habitat will allow land management practices to best meet …

K. Cairns And J. Johnston, 2015, Food And Femininity, Jm Parsons

School of Law, Humanities and Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

A Park For Everyone: The National Park Service In Urban America, Sarah J. Morath

Natural Resources Journal

This article examines the National Park Service’s past and future presence in urban America. Scholars, conservationists, and park administrators agree that urban park spaces and programming must be a focus of the National Park Service in its second century. This article explains the motivations behind the National Park Service’s first urban parks and describes the National Park Service’s recent emphasis on urban areas. From designations such as Pullman Park in Chicago, to initiatives like the Urban Agenda, the National Park Service is poised to engage urban America and create a new generation of park visitors.

The Encyclopedia Of Neutrosophic Researchers - Vol. 1, Florentin Smarandache

Branch Mathematics and Statistics Faculty and Staff Publications

This is the first volume of the Encyclopedia of Neutrosophic Researchers, edited from materials offered by the authors who responded to the editor’s invitation. The authors are listed alphabetically. The introduction contains a short history of neutrosophics, together with links to the main papers and books. Neutrosophic set, neutrosophic logic, neutrosophic probability, neutrosophic statistics, neutrosophic measure, neutrosophic precalculus, neutrosophic calculus and so on are gaining significant attention in solving many real life problems that involve uncertainty, impreciseness, vagueness, incompleteness, inconsistent, and indeterminacy. In the past years the fields of neutrosophics have been extended and applied in various fields, such as: …

Contributions Of Glacier Melting To The Upper Watershed Of The Pita River, Ecuador, Teresa Munoz Martinez

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Evidence suggests that a changing global climate is accelerating glacial retreat around the world. However, there are not many studies that help to understand the influence of climate change on glaciers in the tropical Andes. In many Andean countries, populations use the water that come from the high altitude mountains, especially mountains that are ice covered. Glacial reduction minimizes water resource availability. This report focuses on better understanding the relationship between glacier meltwater, surface water runoff, and the groundwater flowing into and under the Pita River upper watershed, which crosses the base of the northeast foothills of the Cotopaxi volcano. …

Energy Justice And U.S. Energy Policy: Case Study Applications Exploring U.S. Energy Policy Through An Energy Justice Framework, Emily Prehoda

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

This thesis presents three examples of U.S. energy policy and demonstrates how these policies violate the principles of energy justice. First, requiring only Federal agencies to obtain a percentage of energy production from renewables violates the distributive energy justice principle through a lack of a federal renewable energy policy which distributes the potential for unequal electrical grid failure to populations. Second, U.S. energy policy violates the procedural energy justice principle through inequitable participation and poor knowledge dissemination that, in some cases, contributes to stagnant renewable targets during the decision-making process and inequitable distribution of the benefits associated with renewable energy …

Powering An Industry: The History Of The Calumet And Hecla Electrical System And The Environmental Consequences Left Behind, Emma M. Zawisza

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The Calumet and Hecla Copper Mining Company in Houghton County, Michigan, was established in 1865 and closed its doors in 1968. This company was a major contributor in developing secondary copper processing and used these methods to produce copper even when its underground mines were closed. C&H built its own electrical transmission system that could have rivaled many during its time. This allowed the company to have the ability to produce and control its electrical network and expand, but it had major environmental effects. Polychlorinated biphenyl compounds (PCBs), used in transformer oil and other components were produced between about 1930 …

Shipbreaking In Bangladesh: Perspectives From Industrial Ecology, Political Ecology And Environmental Policy, S.M. Mizanur Rahman

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

The international shipbreaking industry connects developed and developing countries through the spatial and temporal flow of resources, both transported by the ships and by the recycling of the ships themselves. Much of the research on this industry to date focuses on a natural science perspective, particularly related to local pollution when the ships are recycled. However, many products for the public (such as documentaries and magazine articles) focus on the workers who dismantle these ships, often with minimal protection; the appalling images of shipbreaking yard workers and their polluted surrounds have garnered immense global attention and calls for better regulations. …

A Hybrid Law Model For The Management Of Waste Electrical And Electronic Equipment: A Case Of The New Draft Law In Thailand, Panate Manomaivibool, Sujitra Vassanadumrongdee

Applied Environmental Research

Waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been high on the environmental policy agenda of many countries due to its rapidly increasing volume and concerns over its toxicity and the critical metals it holds. To date, 59 countries have passed laws for WEEE management (ex-cluding State level legislation in the USA and Canada). Most of these laws are based on the principle of extended producer responsibility (EPR) but their treatment of allocation of respon-sibility and system operation differ considerably. This study reviews the implementation models of EPR which are classified into two broad groups: producer compliance schemes and governmental funds. …

Seed Germination And Growth Parameters Of Zea Mays L. As Influenced By Municipal Solid Waste Incineration Fly Ash (Mswifa) And Sewage Sludge (Ss) Amended Soil, Pensiri Akkajit, Wannaporn Nuamkongman

Applied Environmental Research

Seed germination trials have relevance in measuring soil toxicity. The current study was there-fore conducted to investigate the effect of municipal solid waste incineration fly ash (MSWIFA) and sewage sludge (SS) from the Phuket municipal waste incinerator and wastewater treatment plant as fertilizer substitutes on seed germination and growth parameters of sweet corn (Zea maysL.). A field experiment was conducted at the National Corn and Sorghum Research Station, Na-khon Ratchasima Province, using a randomized complete block design (RCBD). The treatmentsconditions were: 1) non-amended soil, 2) 378.125 kg MSWIFA ha-1, 3) 543.75 kg SSha-1,4) 756.25 kg MSWIFA ha-1, 5) 1087.5 kg …

Species-Specific Responses Of Water Use By Urban Trees To Artificial Soil Drought: Results From A Small-Scale Study, Pantana Tor-Ngern, Somsak Panha

Applied Environmental Research

Studying tree water relations in response to soil drought improves our understanding of hydrological processes that are central to most ecosystem modelling. Urban greening is an approach to ameliorate rising carbon dioxide emissions whose effects are intensified in cities. Thus, an investigation of water relations with respect to drought of urban trees is of interest for effective watermanagement in urbangreening. This study examined responses of sap flux density, water use and stomatal conductance of potted saplings of three common street trees in Bangkok: Pterocarpus indicus (Pi), Swietenia macrophylla (Sm) and Lagerstroemia speciosa (Ls); under one-week non-irrigated treatment. Results showed that …

Using Morphology And Genomic Template Stability (Gts) To Track Herbicide Effect On Some Submersed Aquatic Plants, Kun Silprasit, Arin Ngamniyom, Patarapong Kerksakul, Sirikul Thumajitsakul

Applied Environmental Research

This study aimed to detect the genotoxiceffects of glyphosate on aquatic plants by the RAPD-PCR technique. Native aquatic plants were screened for herbicide testing. The aquatic plant amounts and species were counted and a comparison was made between natural ponds and paddy fields for a total of 17 sites; paddy fields (site 1-10), ponds beside paddy fields (site 11-14), and natural ponds (site 15-17). At each studied site, 5 randomized sampling plots of 2 x 5 m size were performed. Generally, the natural ponds contained more aquatic plant diversity than the paddy fields. However, some species such as Najas gramineaDel. …

Integrating Human Health Into Environmental Impact Assessment: Review Of Health Impact Assessment In Thailand, Phayong Thepaksorn, Wattasit Siriwong, Sathirakorn Pongpanich

Applied Environmental Research

The objective of this paper is to review the integration of health impact assessment (HIA) into environmental health assessment (EIA) or EHIA, existing legal requirements for health risk analyses, and lessons learned for integrating HIA within EIA processes. The authors undertook literature searches for EHIA practices through academic publications, reports, and websites of pub-lic organizations and related agencies in Thailand. We examined and synthesized the HIA system development, regulations, and examples of integrated EHIA. In conclusion, the implementation of EHIA still faces many obstacles, especially in such com-plex sector policy environments. The uncertainties, lack of evidence base, and challenges in …

Hermes In The Anthropocene: A Dogologue, Karen Malpede

Animal Sentience

In this dogologue, a writer and the dog who sits near her desk as she works speak. The dog is concerned about the fate of the world in the hands of humans. His urgent questions send the writer into the world of her own memories when she was a child alone with a horse in nature.

What’S The Common Sense Of Just Some Improvement Of Some Welfare For Some Animals?, Liv Baker

Animal Sentience

The goal of Animal Welfare Science to reduce animal suffering is commendable but too modest: Suffering animals need and deserve far more.

Should The United States Create Trading Markets For Energy Efficiency?, Noah M. Sachs

Law Faculty Publications

This Comment examines whether the vision for energy efficiency markets matches the reality. It explains how energy efficiency markets work, examines the handful of energy efficiency markets that have been established to date, and explores the policy challenges inherent in commodifying energy efficiency and making it a tradable good.

The Limits Of Energy Efficiency Markets In Climate-Change Law, Noah M. Sachs

Law Faculty Publications

This Article examines whether market-based policies, deployed in many areas of environmental law, should be harnessed to promote energy efficiency. Several countries in Europe and Asia have experimented with this new approach to energy efficiency, establishing markets that involve mandatory energy savings targets for firms and inter-firm trading of certificates that represent quantified energy savings. Many analysts contend that these new markets can unlock overlooked opportunities for energy efficiency improvements and could be a critical policy tool for addressing climate change. After describing the rationale for these new markets and their operation in other countries, this Article concludes that the …

No Filters, No Fridges: A Method For Preservation Of Water Samples For Edna Analysis, Kelly E. Williams, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Advancements in the detection of environmental DNA (eDNA) for detecting species of interest will likely allow for expanded use of these techniques in the field. One obstacle that continues to hinder applications in the field is the requirement of a cold chain of storage for water samples containing eDNA. While eDNA has been successfully preserved using Longmire’s lysis buffer applied to filters, it has yet to be tried with freshwater samples collected for eDNA detection of an invasive species. We tested the utility of Longmire’s solution (100 mM Tris, 100 mM EDTA, 10 mM NaCl, 0.5 % SDS, 0.2 …

Seasonal Evolution Of Active Layer Formation In Subarctic Peat Plateaux And Implications For Dissolved Organic Matter Composition And Transfer, Jennifer L. Hickman

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Peat-accumulating wetlands are ecosystems whose rate of photosynthetic production of organic matter is greater than that of its decomposition, resulting in a build up of soil organic matter that may take centuries to fully decompose. Carbon (C) stocks within these ecosystems are a function of inputs from photosynthesis, and losses from heterotrophic decomposition. Due to the short growing season and overall cold climate of boreal and tundra regions, C has been accumulating within these landscapes, mostly in soil organic matter, since the last glaciation. Climate change, predicted to result in rising temperatures and increased precipitation, has begun to degrade the …

Space-Time Modelling Of Emerging Infectious Diseases: Assessing Leptospirosis Risk In Sri Lanka, Cameron C F Plouffe

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In this research, models were developed to analyze leptospirosis incidence in Sri Lanka and its relation to rainfall. Before any leptospirosis risk models were developed, rainfall data were evaluated from an agro-ecological monitoring network for producing maps of total monthly rainfall in Sri Lanka. Four spatial interpolation techniques were compared: inverse distance weighting, thin-plate splines, ordinary kriging, and Bayesian kriging. Error metrics were used to validate interpolations against independent data. Satellite data were used to assess the spatial pattern of rainfall. Results indicated that Bayesian kriging and splines performed best in low and high rainfall, respectively. Rainfall maps generated from …

Partitioning Evapotranspiration In Forested Peatlands Within The Western Boreal Plain, Fort Mcmurray, Alberta, Canada, Elise C. Gabrielli

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Forested peatlands in the Western Boreal Plain (WBP) represent hydrologically sensitive ecosystems that often support an open-crown forest of Picea mariana and/or Larix laricina. These systems store globally significant soil carbon, containing one-fourth to one-third of the world’s soil organic carbon pool (Turunen et al., 2002),serving a critical role in regulating atmospheric CO₂. Recent studies indicate that the hydrological conditions are the critical determinant of a peatland’s carbon budget (Price et al., 2005; Aurela et al., 2007).To understand current hydrological conditions, it is essential to accurately estimate the rate of ET, due …

Japanese Encephalitis: Assessing Disease Risk Due To Landscape Factors At Multiple Scales, Julia E. Metelka

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Japanese Encephalitis is a mosquito-borne disease and is the leading cause of viral encephalitis in Asia. In many Asian countries, the geographical distribution of JE is dependent on a variety of human-environment interactions that can be conceptualized as a complex social-ecological system. The JE transmission cycle is influenced by a few primary human-landscape factors; the abundance and the spatial configuration of rice paddy fields (which provide habitat for the vector), the distribution of pig farms (which position the virus' amplifying host), and the location of a susceptible human population. Our models integrate population dynamics, landscape characteristics, and weather variables that …

Climate Change And Social Work: Our Roles And Barriers To Action, Tina Cumby

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This qualitative research project was conducted using a grounded theory research methodology and was approached with the theoretical underpinnings of social constructivism and pragmatism. The purpose of this research was to assess what role, if any, that social workers can play in dealing with environmental issues such as climate change and what barriers, if any, they will likely experience as they engage with these issues. It is important to explore these roles and barriers because social work is a profession that is well equipped to mitigate environmental issues like climate change, yet there is virtually no social work presence in …

Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (Mcda) For Agricultural Sustainability Assessment, Byomkesh Talukder

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Multi Attribute Utility Theory (MAUT), Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (PROMETHEE) and Elimination methods of Multi-Criteria Decision analysis (MCDA) are tested to assess and compare the sustainability of different agricultural systems. Indicators and composite indicators are derived from data gathered using the agricultural sustainability categories of Productivity, Stability, Efficiency, Durability, Compatibility and Equity (PSEDCE).

Agricultural systems around the world face challenges from current agricultural practices, over-exploitation of natural resources, population growth and climate change. As a result, understanding agricultural sustainability has become a global issue. Assessment is a first step in benchmarking and tracking agricultural sustainability and …