Digital Commons Network^™

Livestock And Domestic Dog Predations By Wolves In Michigan, Justin L. Edge, Dean E. Beyer Jr., Jerrold L. Belant, Mark J. Jordan, Brian J. Roell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wolves (Canis spp.) have recolonized the Great Lakes region and expanded into agricultural areas where there is increasing concern of conflict with livestock. We documented 121 wolf predation events on captive or domestic animals in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan between April 1996 and April 2009. We investigated the relationship between annual wolf abundance and predation events, seasonality of predations on livestock, and the association between previous winter severity and predations on livestock. The annual number of predations on livestock increased with wolf abundance, and overall, predations on cattle and calves increased during calving season. We observed a …

Good Fences Make Good Neighbors: Implementation Of Electric Fencing For Establishing Effective Livestock-Protection Dogs, Thomas M. Gehring, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Anna C. Cellar

Human–Wildlife Interactions

To be effective, livestock protection dogs (LPDs) must be carefully integrated with the livestock they will be protecting. Others have developed guidelines to assist producers in this training and assimilation process. In many areas fencing is necessary; however, guidelines for containing LPDs and their livestock behind electric fencing are lacking. We present results from larger projects involving LPDs where we encountered issues with fencing and preventing LPDs from roaming from their owner’s property. We found that ranging and escaping from pastures was exhibited by LPDs that were not properly introduced and trained to electric fencing at an early age. LPDs …

The "Enlightened Barbarity" Of Inclusive Fitness And Wrongful Death: Biological Justifications For An Investment Theory Of Loss In Wycko V. Gnodtke, Ryan Shannon

University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform

Wrongful death laws should permit and encourage courts and juries to consider the survivors' investment in decedents when determining wrongful death damages, given new biological justifications for this theory of loss. The investment theory of damages, which permits an award of damages based on the investment of financial resources relatives make in one another, originated in Michigan's courts in the early 1 960s, but as of present day has been largely abrogated. In the context of modern understandings of evolutionary biology, including kin selection theory and sociobiology, the investment theory of recovery accords with the goals of corrective justice as …

My 21st Century Expedition: Following The Route Of Schoolcraft 1820, 1832 To The Source Of The Mississippi River, Lorah Patterson

Honors Theses

The journal of Lorah Patterson during her expedition from Schoolcraft, Michigan, to the source of the Mississippi River. Supplemental file contains complete Herbarium. The thesis includes only a few examples.

Understanding Rural Sprawl: A Look At Osceola County, Michigan, Nate Engle

SPNHA Review

The term “sprawl” has been a part of the land use lexicon since the mid-1940s. While it has traditionally been prefixed by the word “urban,” rural sprawl has entered land use vocabulary since the 1970s. Rural sprawl can be understood as a demographic manifestation of conservative America’s rejection of the social and economic movements of the 1960s. Much of this rejection involved chastising urban centers and solidifying political bases in the suburbs. However, like the movement to escape core cities during the 1950s and 60s, the last three decades have seen a shift by many of conservative America’s members to …

Lakewood Farm: The Private Zoo That The Public Loved, Geoffrey D. Reynolds

Faculty Publications

Lakewood Farm:  The Private Zoo That the Public Loved is an article concerning the private zoo in Holland, Michigan, that was owned by Chicago coal merchant George Fulmer Getz and helped form the Illionois based Brookfiekd Zoo and John Ball Zoo of Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Driver Knowledge, Beliefs, And Attitudes About Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Southern Michigan, Alix Marcoux, Shawn J. Riley

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Deer–vehicle collisions (DVCs) are one of the most frequent and costly human– wildlife conflict throughout the range of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We conducted a self-administered, mail-back survey of Michigan drivers to determine: (1) driver attitudes and knowledge about DVCs; (2) reporting rates of DVCs; and (3) effects of being in a DVC on attitudes toward desired deer population levels. From a sample of 3,600 randomly selected licensed drivers >18 years of age in southeast Michigan, we obtained 1,653 completed questionnaires (48% response rate). Although 18% of respondents reported experiencing >1 DVC within 5 years of the survey …

Slides: Next Evolutionary Steps In State Instream Flow Programs, Lawrence J. Macdonnell

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Lawrence J. MacDonnell, attorney and consultant, Boulder, CO

27 slides

Spatial Ecology Of Raccoons Related To Cattle And Bovine Tuberculosis In Northeastern Michigan, Todd C. Atwood, Thomas J. Deliberto, Holly J. Smith, Justin S. Stevenson, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In 1995, Mycobacterium bovis, the causative bacterium of bovine tuberculosis (bTB), was detected in 5 beef cattle operations in Alcona County, Michigan, USA. In accordance with Federal law, the operations were depopulated to prevent the spread of bTB. Subsequent wildlife surveillance programs identified high prevalence of M. bovis in mesocarnivores, including raccoons (Procyon lotor), which suggested that raccoons may be complicit in vectoring the pathogen among livestock operations. Our goal was to develop an empirical basis for generating hypotheses about the likelihood for raccoons to mediate the transmission of bTB to livestock. We found intersexual differences in scale-dependent …

Sublethal Exposure To Two Alkylphenolic Compounds And Their Influence On Development, Growth And Reproductive Behavior Of Crayfish, Steven J. Gauthier, Daniel A. Bergman

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Invertebrates make up much of the world's biological diversity. Their survival is fundamental to the maintenance of all life, and their ubiquitous distribution is useful when using them as biological indicators of pollution. Many invertebrate species are under threat of extinction due to exposure to various chemical pollutants. Crayfish are an important invertebrate that is affected by chemical pollutants, such as pesticide/herbicide runoff and industrial waste effluents. Crayfish are considered keystone species because they are an important resource for other species and consequently influence diversity and abundance. For these reasons, crayfish are important in terms of better understanding the effects …

Dancing In The Ashes, Vytautas Adolph Malesh

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The following novel is the third draft of my creative thesis entitled Dancing in the Ashes . It is an exploration of the Detroit rave scene in its dying days, and it mixes real and imagined places and events in order to portray the essence of that time, if not the factuality. The bulk of the novel follows just over two weeks in the life of Thomas Kowalski, a drug dealer living with his parents in suburban Detroit. He parties constantly and seldom works except as necessary to keep his job at a local record store - an invaluable source …

Permitting Under The Clean Air Act: How Current Standards Impose Obstacles To Achieving Environmental Justice, Annise Katherine Maguire

Michigan Journal of Race and Law

Most studies about the environmental justice movement focus on the disproportionate share of environmental burdens minority and low-income populations bear, the negative effects of an unequal distribution of undesirable land uses, and how industry contributes to the adverse impacts suffered by the communities. Unfortunately, trying to prove that an injury was caused by actions of a nearby facility is difficult, and this approach has yielded few legal victories for environmental justice communities. While it is important to remain focused on how environmental justice communities are disproportionately impacted by undesirable land uses, the analysis must shift if the law is to …

Labor Market Profile Of The Central Area Michigan Works Region, Brad R. Watts, George A. Erickcek

Reports

No abstract provided.

Remarks, Delivered At The Memorial Service For Arnold Ott On June 7, 2008, Arend D. Lubbers

Presidential Speeches

Remarks, delivered at the Memorial Service for Arnold Ott on June 7, 2008 by Arend D. Lubbers, who served as President of Grand Valley from 1969-2001.

Gvsu Press Releases, 2008, Grand Valley State University

University Press Releases, 1961-Present

A compilation of press releases for the year 2008 submitted by University Communications (formerly News & Information Services) to news agencies concerning the people, places, and events related to Grand Valley State University.

Examination Of Crayfish Biodiversity And Distribution Within The Grand River, Michigan, Norrissa M. Thomas, Daniel A. Bergman

Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts

Invertebrates make up a large part of the world's biological diversity and perform essential ecological functions. Many invertebrates are under threat of extinction due to extreme transformations of habitats. Crayfish are one such threatened invertebrate. Crayfish are keystone species in many freshwater systems. Keystone species are those species most important in shaping the ecology of a system. Crayfish are an important resource for many animals and affect species diversity and abundance. Specifically, crayfish can adversely affect ecosystems by removing plants, making the water turbid. They also prey on fish eggs reducing their numbers. There are 415 species of crayfish in …

An Environmental Assessment Of Little Black Lake, Alan D. Steinman, Mary Ogdahl, Carl Ruetz

Scientific Technical Reports

A limnological survey was conducted of Little Black Lake and its tributaries during summer 2007 by researchers at the Annis Water Resources Institute of Grand Valley State University. Water quality, sediment composition, and phytoplankton, macrophyte, and fish abundance and composition were analyzed. In general, the water quality of both the inflows to, and Little Black Lake itself, was good. Nutrient concentrations occasionally exceeded existing guidelines, but no systemic problems were detected. Phosphorus concentrations did increase during stormflow conditions, but this is typical and concentrations were not considered excessive. One site in the lake had very high sediment phosphorus concentrations. Because …

Emerging Industries: Looking Beyond The Usual Suspects: A Report To Wired, George A. Erickcek, Brad R. Watts

Reports

No abstract provided.

Explaining Horizontal And Vertical Cooperation On Public Services In Michigan: The Role Of Local Fiscal Capacity, Jered B. Carr, Elisabeth R. Gerber, Eric W. Lupher

Working Group on Interlocal Services Cooperation

Michigan local governments engage in a wide range of cooperative activities. Little is known, however, about what factors motivate local governments to engage in intergovernmental cooperation and how local government officials choose among various forms of collaboration. We develop and test a theory of intergovernmental cooperation that explains differences in the factors that lead local governments to engage in horizontal cooperation with other local units versus vertical cooperation with county or state governments. Our primary focus is on fiscal capacity: we hypothesize that limited fiscal capacity leads many local governments, especially townships, to work collaboratively with state or county actors …

Sampling A Littoral Fish Assemblage: Comparison Of Small-Mesh Fyke Netting And Boat Electrofishing, Carl R. Ruetz Iii, Donald G. Uzarski, Damon M. Krueger, Edward S. Rutherford

Peer-reviewed scientific publications

We compared small-mesh (4-mm) fyke netting and boat electrofishing for sampling a littoral fish assemblage in Muskegon Lake, Michigan. We hypothesized that fyke netting selects for small-bodied fishes and electrofishing selects for large-bodied fishes. Three sites were sampled during May (2004 and 2005), July (2005 only), and September (2004 and 2005). We found that the species composition of captured fish differed considerably between fyke netting and electrofishing based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Species strongly associated with fyke netting (based on NMDS and relative abundance) included the brook silverside Labidesthes sicculus, banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus, round goby Neogobius melanostomus, mimic …

Fence-Line Contact Between Wild And Farmed White-Tailed Deer In Michigan: Potential For Disease Transmission, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michael J. Lavelle, Nathan W. Seward, Justin W. Fischer, Gregory E. Phillips

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Interactions between wild and farmed white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) along perimeter fences may play a role in the transmission of diseases like bovine tuberculosis and chronic wasting disease. However, no study has evaluated direct contact between wild and farmed deer through fences. We used animal-activated cameras to estimate rates of interaction between wild and farmed deer at 6 high-fenced commercial white-tailed deer farms in Michigan, USA, during October 2003 to January 2005. We recorded only 2 direct, naso-oral contacts between wild and farmed deer during >77,000 hours of camera monitoring. We documented little direct contact between wild and …

Slides: Forest And Rangeland Planning, Nepa Analysis And Decisions, Glenn Casamassa

The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy (Summer Conference, June 6-8)

Presenter: Glenn Casamassa, Forest Supervisor, Arapahoe-Roosevelt National Forest

17 slides

A Frightening Device For Deterring Deer Use Of Cattle Feeders, Nathan W. Seward, Gregory E. Phillips, Jared F. Duquette, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The presence of bovine tuberculosis (TB) in cattle can negatively impact a state’s economy and cattle industry. In Michigan, USA, wild white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are a reservoir for reinfecting cattle herds. Although direct TB transmission between deer and cattle is rare, infected deer may contaminate cattle feed. To mitigate this risk, we designed and evaluated a deer-resistant cattle feeder (DRCF) device for deterring deer from feeders. The device delivered negative stimuli to condition deer to avoid cattle feeders. We tested the device by conducting a comparative change experiment at a high-density captive white-tailed deer operation in northeastern …

The Road Goes On Forever And The Party Never Ends': A Response To Judge Tacoma's Prescription For A Return To Foster Care 'Limbo' And 'Drift', Frank E. Vandervort

Articles

This article responds to Judge Tacoma’s suggested changes in Michigan law. It begins with a very brief history of child welfare legislation at the federal and state levels. Next, it points out a number of errors in Judge Tacoma’s understanding of the current state of Michigan’s child welfare law.2 It is necessary to point out these errors because it seems that his misstatements of the law form the foundation for his recommended reforms. Then it will respond point-by-point to many of Judge Tacoma’s recommendations. Finally, I will off er several suggestions for addressing the problem of legal orphans that do …

Research Strategies To Reduce Bovine Tuberculosis Transmission From Wildlife To Cattle, Are R. Brentensen, Mike R. Dunbar, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is a zoonotic disease caused by Mycobaterium bovis, and is transmissible to humans, wildlife and domestic livestock. In the northern Lower Peninsula of Michigan, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) serve as a reservoir for the disease and pose a significant threat to domestic cattle and captive cervids. Scientists at USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center have designed a variety of laboratory and field studies aimed at reducing or eliminating bTB infection in cattle by interrupting the transmission of the disease from wildlife reservoirs. These strategies include reducing bTB in deer by delivery of …

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

The George-Anne

• Veazey to Open in Fall '07
• News Briefs
• Campus News
• Opinion
• Classifieds
• Sports

The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University

The George-Anne

• Time Capsule Arrives Before its Time
• Campus News
• News Briefs
• Opinion
• Classifieds
• Sports

Justifying Interlocal Cooperation: Feasibility Studies, Financing And Cost Allocation, Art Holdsworth

Working Group on Interlocal Services Cooperation

This White Paper overviews the obstacles and benefits to interlocal collaboration on public services. A major emphasis is placed on understanding the preparation of feasibility studies and the issues involved in allocating the costs of shared services among communities.

A Budgetary Process Of Michigan State Parks, Kimberly Ann Langley

SPNA Review

This analysis addresses issues of budgeting in Michigan State Parks. Understanding the budgetary process is key, especially with the current state of the economy. Today, the Michigan State Park system is 4.5 million dollars in debt, and there is no relief in sight. For the last past 3 years, increases in state park fees have been seen. However, these increases can no longer go on forever. Something other than fee increases must occur to save the Michigan State Park system. There is currently discussion about closing some Michigan State Parks because the state cannot afford to keep them open. Hundreds …

The Business Case For Interlocal Cooperation, Art Holdsworth

Working Group on Interlocal Services Cooperation

No abstract provided.