Life Sciences Commons^™

Public Access For Pheasant Hunters: Understanding An Emerging Need, Lyndsie S. Wszola, Anastasia E. Madsen, Erica F. Stuber, Christopher J. Chizinski, Jeffrey J. Lusk, J. Scott Taylor, Kevin L. Pope, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Ring‐necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus; i.e., pheasant) hunting participation is declining across North America, reflecting a larger downward trend in American hunting participation and threatening benefits to grassland conservation and rural economies. To stabilize and expand the pheasant hunting population, we must first identify factors that influence pheasant hunter participation. We used an extensive in‐person hunter survey to test the hypothesis that hunter demographics interact with social‐ecological traits of hunting locations to affect hunter decisions, outcomes, and perceptions. We built a series of Bayesian mixed effects models to parse variation in demographics, perceptions, and hunt outcomes of pheasant hunters interviewed at …

The Influence Of A Severe Reservoir Drawdown On Springtime Zooplankton And Larval Fish Assemblages In Red Willow Reservoir, Nebraska, Jason A. Deboer, Christa M. Webber, Taylor A. Dixon, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Reservoirs can be dynamic systems, often prone to unpredictable and extreme waterlevel fluctuations, and can be environments where survival is difficult for zooplankton and larval fish. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of extreme reservoir drawdown on water quality, few have examined extreme drawdown on both abiotic and biotic characteristics. A fissure in the dam at Red Willow Reservoir in southwest Nebraska necessitated an extreme drawdown; the water level was lowered more than 6 m during a two-month period, reducing reservoir volume by 76%. During the subsequent low-water period (i.e., post-drawdown), spring sampling (April-June) showed dissolved oxygen concentration was …

Assessing Landscape Constraints On Species Abundance: Does The Neighborhood Limit Species Response To Local Habitat Conservation Programs?, Christopher F. Jorgensen, Larkin A. Powell, Jeffrey J. Lusk, Andrew A. Bishop, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Landscapes in agricultural systems continue to undergo significant change, and the loss of biodiversity is an ever-increasing threat. Although habitat restoration is beneficial, management actions do not always result in the desired outcome. Managers must understand why management actions fail; yet, past studies have focused on assessing habitat attributes at a single spatial scale, and often fail to consider the importance of ecological mechanisms that act across spatial scales. We located survey sites across southern Nebraska, USA and conducted point counts to estimate Ring-necked Pheasant abundance, an economically important species to the region, while simultaneously quantifying landscape effects using a …

Exploitation Of Channel Catfish In Nebraska Flood-Control Reservoirs, Christopher Lee Wiley

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus, is a popular sportfish in North America, and is the third most-sought fish species in Nebraska. Exploitation rates of channel catfish populations have been estimated to be substantial in states neighboring Nebraska. Despite the popularity of channel catfish, little is known about the exploitation of channel catfish populations in Nebraska. The objectives of this study were to estimate the exploitation rates of channel catfish populations, identify the length bias of angling for channel catfish, and identify the self-imposed length limits for channel catfish at flood-control reservoirs of Nebraska. The software package Program Mark was used to …

Assessment Of A Rotenone Application Event At Mormon Island West Lake In Central Nebraska, Keith D. Koupal, Brian C. Peterson, Casey W. Schoenebeck

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Fisheries managers applied rotenone to Mormon Island West in August of 2010 to renovate a fish community that was hypothesized to be unbalanced (i.e., dominated with gizzard shad and common carp) based on standardized survey results. We estimated species-specific biomass following the lake renovation to provide a baseline biomass estimate for a sand pit lake and to evaluate the effectiveness of standardized sampling gears. Gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) were abundant in all sampling gears, but mostly stock-size (>175 mm total length) and larger individuals were caught in gill and trap nets and sub-stock (≤175 mm total length) …

Assessment Of Selenium And Atrazine Exposure And Effects To Wildlife At The North Platte National Wildlife Refuge, Scottsbluff, Nebraska, Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

This study evaluated selenium and atrazine exposure and effects to fish and wildlife at North Platte National Wildlife Refuge (Refuge) in Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska. Atrazine was detected in 2 of 54 water samples and at low concentrations that are not of concern. However, concentrations of selenium and strontium exceeded toxicity guidelines in water, sediment, invertebrates, whole-body fish and wood duck eggs. Concentrations of selenium in water at Refuge sites frequently exceeded a 2 μg/L total recoverable threshold for selenium bioaccumulation and were greatest at Stateline Island (9.7 μg/L) and Little Lake Alice (24 μg/L). In sediments, strontium concentrations were …

Slides: Rethinking Western Water Law: Restoring The Public Interest In Western Water Law, Mark Squillace

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

Presenter: Mark Squillace, Director, Natural Resources Law Center, University of Colorado Law School

20 slides

Slides: Water Towers In The Balance: Time For A New Water Project, Rick Cables

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

Presenter: Rick Cables, U.S. Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region

9 slides

Slides: Unquenchable, Robert Glennon

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

Presenter: Robert Glennon, Morris K. Udall Professor of Law and Public Policy, James E. Rogers College of Law, University of Arizona

56 slides

Slides: Water Needs And Strategies For A Sustainable Future, Shaun Mcgrath

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

Presenter: Shaun McGrath, Program Director, Western Governors’ Association

25 slides

Slides: Rethinking Western Water Law: Whatever Happened To The Public Interest?, Mark Squillace

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

Presenter: Mark Squillace, Director, Natural Resources Law Center, University of Colorado Law School

15 slides

Slides: "Mitaku Oyasin" Means "We Are All Related", Bob Gough

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

Presenter: Bob Gough, NativeEnergy, Inc.

72 slides

Evaluation Of Wetlands Created With Effluent From A Swine Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation Using Mallard Sentinels: Implications For Mcmurtrey National Wildlife Refuge, Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Previous work by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service identified nutrients, elemental contaminants, algal toxins, bacterial pathogens, and hormones as contaminants of concern (COCs) associated with wetlands created from the secondary effluent of a large swine concentrated animal feeding operation. In this follow-up study, COC exposure and effects to waterfowl were evaluated using game farm mallards. Mallards were kept in enclosures built on two created wetlands (treatment sites) and two reference wetlands that are federally managed for waterfowl habitat. Water quality in the created wetland enclosures had higher specific conductivity, BOD, turbidity, pH, and nutrients than reference wetlands. Algal blooms …

A Health Risk Evaluation For Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Albus) In The Lower Platte River Using Shovelnose Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Platorynchus) As A Surrogate, Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick, Donald E. Tillit, Diana M. Papoulias, Timothy S. Gross

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

Most sturgeon species worldwide have been in steep decline since the 1900s. This research evaluated shovelnose sturgeon health, reproduction, and exposure to environmental contamination in the lower Platte River. Shovelnose sturgeon served as a surrogate species for the endangered pallid sturgeon and their health was assessed by incorporating measurements of general health with hepatic, immune, and reproductive system biomarkers. Environmental contaminants were measured in water, potential pallid sturgeon food items (cyprinid minnows), and shovelnose sturgeon digesta, liver, and blood plasma. Contaminants detected in shovelnose sturgeon at concentrations of concern included PCBs, selenium, and atrazine. Total PCBs in carcasses (n = …

Contaminant Exposure And Reproductive Health Of Sandhill Cranes In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska., Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick, Karen J. Nelson, Timothy S. Gross

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The central Platte River Valley provides crucial staging habitat for the endangered whooping crane (Grus americana) and the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis). Platte River flow depletions and the conversion of native wet meadows for agriculture and other purposes has decreased the cranes natural habitat in the central Platte River Valley, and waste corn now makes up most of the cranes diet while they are in the Valley.

The purpose of this research was to measure organochlorine, elemental contaminant, and pesticide exposure to sandhill cranes from the central Platte River Valley, and to evaluate their reproductive condition. Pesticides …

Interstate Allocation Of The Platte River, J. David Aiken

Boundaries and Water: Allocation and Use of a Shared Resource (Summer Conference, June 5-7)

27 pages.

Contains references.

Agenda: Boundaries And Water: Allocation And Use Of A Shared Resource, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Boundaries and Water: Allocation and Use of a Shared Resource (Summer Conference, June 5-7)

Conference organizers and/or faculty included University of Colorado School of Law professors David H. Getches, Lawrence J. MacDonnell and Charles F. Wilkinson.

Boundaries and Water: Allocation and Use of a Shared Resource is the topic of the Center's annual summer program on water this June. Most of the major rivers in the western United States are shared between two or more states. Often tribal governments play an important role in water allocation and use decisions. International considerations also may be involved in some cases. These interjurisdictional issues extend to groundwater as well as surface water.

This conference will provide the …

Soil Erosion, Agrichemicals And Water Quality: A Need For A New Conservation Ethic?, Christine Olsenius

Water Quality Control: Integrating Beneficial Use and Environmental Protection (Summer Conference, June 1-3)

24 pages.

Contains references.

State Water Planning To Protect Public Needs, David H. Getches

Water as a Public Resource: Emerging Rights and Obligations (Summer Conference, June 1-3)

44 pages.

Interstate Transfers Of Water: Opportunities And Obstables [Sic], A. Dan Tarlock

Western Water Law in Transition (Summer Conference, June 3-5)

34 pages.

Western Ground Water Law: Overview And Recent Developments, J. David Aiken

Western Water Law in Transition (Summer Conference, June 3-5)

27 pages.

Administering Water Rights: The Permit System, Lawrence J. Wolfe

Western Water Law in Transition (Summer Conference, June 3-5)

69 pages.

Contains references.

Constitutional Restraints On Protecting State Interests In Water Rights, Charles E. Corker

New Sources of Water for Energy Development and Growth: Interbasin Transfers: A Short Course (Summer Conference, June 7-10)

33 pages.

Contains references.

South Dakota And The Etsi Experience, William J. Janklow

New Sources of Water for Energy Development and Growth: Interbasin Transfers: A Short Course (Summer Conference, June 7-10)

23 pages.

A Downstream Perspective On South Dakota’S Purported Sale Of Water To Etsi, Norman W. Thorson

New Sources of Water for Energy Development and Growth: Interbasin Transfers: A Short Course (Summer Conference, June 7-10)

29 pages (includes 2 maps).

Contains 13 attachments.

A Century And A Half Of Interbasin Diversions Or 100 Years Since Coffin V. Left Hand Ditch Co., Ralph W. Johnson

New Sources of Water for Energy Development and Growth: Interbasin Transfers: A Short Course (Summer Conference, June 7-10)

19 pages.

Contains references.

Nebraska Record Fish (As Of June 1, 1956)

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

A listing of the largest fish caught in Nebraska (as of June 1, 1956) for: largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, white bass, bluegill, buffalo, bullhead, blue catfish, brook trout, channel catfish, yellow catfish, crappie, fresh water drum, northern pike, walleye pike, perch, rainbow trout, and sauger. Includes the name of the fisherman or fisherwoman, the location of the catch, the year of the catch, the weight of the fish, and a few other details.