Life Sciences Commons^™

Double-Crested Cormorant And Ring-Billed Gull Damage Management On Lake Champlain: Are Basin-Wide Objectives Achievable?, Richard Chipman, Dennis Slate, Larry Garland, David Capen

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Ring-billed gulls (Larus delewarensis) and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorx auritus) have nested on Lake Champlain since 1949 and 1982, respectively. Recent increases in cormorant nesting populations and pioneering activities of both species to previously uncolonized islands have resulted in impacts related to accumulation of bird guano and interspecific competition with less common species. Of primary concern are: decreases in wildlife and plant diversity on islands; reduced aesthetics and property values of island associated with the loss of trees; and predation or competition for nesting space with other species such as the state-endangered common tern (Sterna hirundo …

Wildlife Damage To Agricultural Crops In Pennsylvania: The Farmers' Perspective, Margaret C. Brittingham, Walter M. Tzilkowski, James M. Zeidler, Matthew J. Lovallo

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Agricultural damage by wildlife is a major concern for both agricultural and wildlife agencies at the state and federal level. Our objective was to estimate wildlife damage to agricultural crops on a statewide basis. We sent questionnaires to 4,958 farmers and 1,003 were returned after 2 mailings. Twenty-five percent of farmers responding to our survey rated the level of wildlife damage to their crops as severe or very severe, 46% as moderate, and 29% had none or very little. Mean levels of crop loss to wildlife ranged from 6% for wheat to 10% for corn grain, and white-tailed deer ( …

Development Of The Virginia Cooperative Coyote Control Program To Protect Livestock, Martin Lowney, John Houben, Phil Eggborn

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The Virginia Cooperative Coyote Control Program was created in 1990 to address increasing livestock losses to coyotes and the inability of producers to solve such problems themselves. The eastern coyote arrived in Virginia in the late 1970s or early 1980s. Lobbying efforts of agricultural groups, such as the Virginia Sheep Federation, helped create a cost-share program administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service-Wildlife Services (USDA-APHIS-WS). The objective of the program was to educate producers about control methods and to alleviate damage by removing offending coyotes where …

Wildlife-Caused Losses For Catfish Producers In 1996, Alice P. Wywialowski

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In January 1997, the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) surveyed catfish producers about wildlife-caused losses in 1996, Of the 1,465 catfish producers in 15 states surveyed, 1,008 (68.8%) agreed to complete the survey. Surveys were conducted primarily by telephone, but some producers received mail surveys. The response rated varied among states. The majority of catfish producers were in Mississippi (n=-300), followed by Alabama (n=163), and then Arkansas (n=117). The remaining states each had < 100 respondents. Data were analyzed for 6 regions, each with a sample size of > 100 respondents. Overall, 69% of catfish producers cited a wildlife-caused loss of catfish. Producers cited losses to wildlife most frequently in Mississippi (81%), followed by states adjoining …

Nesting Populations Of Double-Crested Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, And Great Egrets In The United States And Canada: Implications For Management, Jerrold L. Belant, Laura A. Tyson

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Populations of piscivorous birds in North America are receiving increasing attention in the southeast United States because of depredations at aquaculture facilities. We obtained recent (most since 1994) estimates for the number of nesting double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), great blue herons (Ardea herodias), and great egrets (Casmerodius albus) in the United States (US) and Canada from published references and by conducting telephone interviews with state and provincial biologists. Using previously-published data, we also determined annual rates of change in the number of cormorants since about 1990. Estimates for minimum numbers of nesting pairs (minimum …

Development Of A Double-Crested Cormorant Damage Management Plan For The Southeastern United States, Keith J. Andrews, Pete Poulos, Charles Bo Sloan, Jerrold L. Belant, Paige G. Ross, Paul Debow

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In response to needs within the aquaculture industry to alleviate increasing depredation by double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, in conjunction with Federal, State, and Canadian wildlife and fisheries agencies, the aquaculture industry, and other wildlife professionals, is developing the framework for a comprehensive cormorant damage management program that uses an integrated wildlife damage management approach. This cooperative effort will produce a meaningful, mutually beneficial program that will reduce the effects of cormorants on aquaculture and sport and commercial fisheries, improve understanding of cormorant biology, and avert …

Electric Fencing Reduces Heron Predation At Northeastern Trout Hatcheries, Mark E. Tobin, James F. Glahn, Erica S. Rasmussen

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Great blue herons (Ardea herodius) are the most common avian predator at commercial trout hatcheries in the northeastern United States. We evaluated a 2-strand electric fence for excluding this species from raceways at 2 commercial trout hatcheries in central Pennsylvania. Fences consisted of high density polyethylene 400-lb strength tape supported by fiberglass posts and energized by either a battery-powered or a solar-powered fence charger. Labor and material for constructing the fences at the 2 sites averaged $1.32/m of raceway. Bird visitation at the 2 sites initially declined, but returned to pre-installation levels. However, bird use of raceways declined …

The Legal Roles And Responsibilities Of A Community Concerning Crop Depredation By White-Tailed Deer, Eric G. Darracq, Stephen R. Chapman

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The interwoven issues of the legal roles and responsibilities that landowners (i.e., farmers, foresters, and hunters) and a state agency have to control deer densities in rural areas that directly affect crop depredation and various stakeholders will be addressed in this paper. Because unmanaged deer populations severely can damage agricultural crops, the financial cost of this deer damage is borne entirely by individual private landowners. The South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) is the regulatory state agency in South Carolina responsible for annually promulgating rules and regulations pertaining to white-tailed deer harvest by hunters. Even though deer are property …

Deer Damage Incurred By Homeowners During 1995 In Virginia, Ben C. West, James A. Parkhurst

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Damage caused by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is a problem for some homeowners in Virginia. As part of a broader effort to evaluate the attitudes and perceptions of agricultural producers and homeowners toward deer damage in Virginia, a mail questionnaire was developed and implemented during the fall of 1996. The survey yielded 732 useable responses and, of those, 261 individuals indicated they were homeowners and grew at least one planting during 1995. Many homeowners (36%) indicated that deer caused damage to at least one of their plantings during 1995. Of those who had experienced damage, most (61%, n=57) …

Evaluation Of Physical And Behavioral Traits Of Llamas (Lama Glama) Associated With Aggressiveness Toward Sheep-Threatening Canids, Sandra M. C. Cavalcanti

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Canid predation poses a serious threat to the sheep industry in the United States. Llamas are becoming popular among livestock producers as part of their predation management programs but there is little information on the factors associated with llama guarding behavior. This study examined several physical and behavioral attributes of individual llamas to assess whether they might predict the aggressiveness llamas display coward canids. The study was conducted in three phases. The first involved determining some physical and behavioral traits of individual llamas. Twenty individuals were randomly assigned to one of four groups (n = 5/group) and frequencies with which …

Merits Of Using Tranquilizer Trap Devices On Leg-Hold Traps Used To Capture Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus), Duane P. Sahr

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) are frequently captured with leg-hold traps for reintroduction, relocation to reduce depredations on livestock, or as subjects for research projects. Wolves captured with leg-hold traps often sustain injuries to their feet, legs, and teeth during struggles to escape. Other studies have shown that the use of tranquilizer devices on leg-hold traps reduces such injuries to coyotes. This study (1) assessed whether use of tranquilizer trap devices (TTDs) on leg-hold traps reduced the severity of injuries sustained by captured wolves, and (2) examined the effects TTDs have on nontarget species caught during wolf capture operations. Data were …

Identification Of Belowground Woody Structures Using Molecular Biomarkers, Benny R. Bobowski

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Within the last two decades substantial progress has been made in understanding seed bank dynamics and the contribution of the soil seed bank to a post-disturbance plant community. There has been relatively little progress, however, in understanding perennial bud bank dynamics and the contribution of the soil bud bank to secondary succession. This lack of information is due primarily to the inability to reliably identify roots, rhizomes, and lignotubers that lie dormant beneath the soil surface. This scientific investigation, therefore, addressed the issue of identification of belowground woody structures.

The first objective was to develop a methodology that utilizes molecular …

The Effects Of Temperature Regime And Food Availability On Growth Rates Of Young-Of-The-Year Colorado Squawfish (Ptychocheilus Lucius) In The Green River, Utah, Craig J. Schaugaard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effects of different daily temperature regimes and food availability on growth rates of Colorado squawfish (Ptychocheilus lucius) were determined using field and laboratory experiments. Daily temperature and food gradients were observed in river backwaters (important nursery habitat for juvenile Colorado squawfish). High fluctuating temperatures (± 5-8° C) were observed daily in the shallow, terminal ends of backwaters. Where backwaters were in contact with the river (mouth), daily temperature fluctuations decreased (± 2° C). Food availability also varied spatially between the mouth and end of each backwater. To test whether Colorado squawfish growth rates varied in different areas …

Wetland Delineation Of Camp Ripley In Minnesota, Richard A. Spencer

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Department of Defense (DoD) maintains approximately 25 million acres of land that is used for military training in the continental United States. Currently, federal and state laws and regulations require that the DoD land be managed so that any activity, including training, will have a minimal effect on the natural environment.

Grazing Systems As Management Tools To Meet Multiple Objectives, Lacy Nicole Hadley

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Grazing systems have in the past been developed to increase or maintain livestock production without degrading the land (Archer and Smeins, 1991). A grazing system is a "specialization of grazing management which defines the periods of grazing and non-grazing" (Jacoby, 1989). However, these systems can be developed for other uses besides just livestock. Grazing systems can be used as management tools by manipulating vegetation in specific directions to meet desired objectives. This is done by the livestock themselves because they act as "ecosystem regulators" by having a direct impact on the vegetation (Holechek et al., 1995). Livestock can alter the …

Recreational Impacts In Alaskan Ecosystems: Abstracts Of Presentations. University Of Alaska, Fairbanks, April 15-‐‐17, 1997, Christopher Monz

Christopher Monz

No abstract provided.

Winter Activity Patterns Of American Martens (Martes Americana): Rejection Of The Hypothesis Of Thermal-Cost Minimization, Gary S. Drew, John A. Bissonette

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Despite their temperate to subarctic geographic range, American martens (Martes americana) possess a thermally inefficient morphology. The lack of morphological adaptations for reducing thermal costs suggests that marten may use behavioral strategies to optimize thermal budgets. During the winters of 1989-1990 and 1990-1991, we radio-collared and monitored the diel activity of 7 martens. A log-linear model suggested that the presence or absence of light was the only factor associated with marten activity patterns (p < 0.001). A regression of the percentage of active fixes on ambient temperature failed to detect an association (b = -4.45, p = 0.084, n = 12). Contents of marten seats suggested that their activity was consistent with the prey-vulnerability hypothesis. While martens must balance multiple life requisites, their activity patterns suggest that they accept increased thermal costs in order to increase foraging efficiency. However, the nocturnal activity of martens during winter was also consistent with the hypothesis that they may be able to limit their own exposure to predation risk. The nocturnal habits of Newfoundland martens in the winter were consistent with the hypothesis of avoidance of predation risk.

Parade Of Presidents, John L. Artz

Aspen Bibliography

No abstract provided.