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Front Matter, Elephant Editors

Elephant

No abstract provided.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 19, No. 4. December 1987

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

BREEDING BIRDS AND VEGETATION STRUCTURE IN WESTERN NORTH DAKOTA WOODED DRAWS ▪ C. A. Faanes

PRODUCTIVITY OF RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS IN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ J. F. Besser, O. E. Bray, J. W. De Grazio, J. L. Guarino, D. L. Gilbert, R. R. Martinka, and D. A. Bysart

DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE MOUNTAIN PLOVER ON THE CHARLES M. RUSSELL NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE ▪ S. L. Olson-Edge and W. D. Edge

EFFECT OF CALCULATION TECHNIQUE ON THE ESTIMATION OF LEAF AREA IN A MIXED …

Mineral-Deficient Diets And The Pig’S Attraction To Blood: Implications For Tail-Biting, David Fraser

Abnormal Behavior Collection

In two experiments, individually penned growing pigs were exposed daily to two "tail models” (lengths of cotton cord about the size of a pig's tail), one of which had been impregnated with pigs' blood. When fed a balanced "control" diet, the pigs chewed significantly more on the blood-covered model than on the plain one, but with Iarge individual differences between animals. Four weeks of receiving a diet lacking all mineral supplements (iodized salt, dicalcium phosphate, limestone, iron, zinc, manganese, copper, and selenium) caused a pronounced increase in chewing the blood-covered model, and 4 wk of recovery on the control diet …

King And Queen County Tidal Marsh Inventory, Walter L. Priest Iii, Gene M. Silberhorn, Andrew W. Zacherle

Reports

No abstract provided.

A Development Plan For The South Coast Inshore Trawl Fishery, Fisheries Department Of Western Australia

Fisheries management papers

In March 1986 discussions were commenced between officers of the Fisheries Department and the Australian Fisheries Service concerning management measures for trawl fishery in the Great Australian Bight. These measures were considered necessary as a Western Australian Company (Toskel Fishing Co.) had commenced fishing the area. Given the excess fishing capacity in other Australian trawl fisheries it was considered advisable to institute management at an early stage and control development of this deep water fishery. Concurrent with these developments, mainly directed towards the control of larger trawlers in deeper waters, several small Western Australian trawlers operating out of Esperance and …

Lake Mead Prefertilization Study: Preliminary Nutrient Enhancement Studies In Lake Mead, Richard P. Axler, Larry J. Paulson, Patrick J. Sollberger, Donald H. Baepler, U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Studies conducted by the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV), the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) have identified decreased algal production as a major factor involved in the decline of the Lake Mead sport fishery. Phosphorus-laden silt particles in the Colorado River have been sedimenting out in Lake Powell since the completion of Glen Canyon Dam 286 miles upstream in 1963. This sharp decrease in phosphorus loading to Lake Mead (>5000 tons per year) has resulted in decreased …

Classifying Oregon Lake-Watershed Ecosystems For Regional Water Resources Assessment, Randall Alan Jones

Dissertations and Theses

Natural lake-watershed ecosystems in Oregon compose a diverse and valuable assemblage of land and water resources. With an increasing demand on lakes for recreation, water supplies, and aesthetic values and an increase in available data on Oregon lake systems, there is a need for applicable and timely scientific water management information about lake conditions statewide. This thesis is an attempt to summarize some of the data collected on natural Oregon lake-watershed ecosystems.

The purpose of the thesis is to identify the most typical natural systems out of an initial data base of twenty-four variables, measured over ninety-eight lake-watershed ecosystems. The …

Categorization And Seasonal Periodicity Of Terrestrial Vertebrate Pest Control Inquiries In Virginia, Harry J. Dutton, Jefferson L. Waldon, Peter T. Bromley

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Information requests for species-specific preventive and control measures directed to the state's extension wildlife specialist were recorded by species or species group, month, day, and year, and by type of human group inquiring. Skunks (15.5%), snakes (14.7%), and bats (10.9%) were inquired about most often. Homeowners (67.4%) were the most frequent inquirers. Summer (43.5%) and spring (29.0%) were the seasons when most information requests occurred. Woodpeckers (16.0%) were the most frequently reported species in the spring. In the summer, the most frequently requested information was about bats (20.2%). Snakes (29.7%) were the most frequently reported species in the fall. Over …

Research Needs In Education And Research Institutions, Jay B. Mcaninch

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Research to support wildlife management programs has traditionally been conducted by scientists in education and research institutions. Much of this work has resulted from state and federal agency program needs or has been funded by state or federal agencies upon solicitation from scientists at these institutions. Regardless of the origin of the research, these institutions have primarily provided the investigators and staff for conducting research on animal damage problems. The priorities, duration and depth of the efforts have been dependent upon the committment to damage control research by the investigator and the quality of funding support.

Deer Damage Control Preferences And Use Decisions Of New York Orchardists, K. G. Purdy, W. F. Siemer, G. A. Pomerantz, T. L. Brown

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Previous studies in New York, the nation's second leading state in apple production, have contributed much to deer management decisions that give consideration to orchardists' concerns about crop damage. Little information, however, has been reported about orchardists' reasons for adopting or not adopting particular types of deer damage controls or their preference for various forms of possible damage control assistance. Two complementary studies, conducted in early 1987 by the Human Dimensions Research Unit, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, have addressed these information needs. A mail survey of orchardists in an important fruit-producing region of southeastern New York indicated that …

Cooperative Beaver Control: Usfws-Adc And Private/Industrial Landowners: An Overview, Kim F. Rohr

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Beaver populations in North Miss. and West Tenn. have increased rapidly. Pelt trapping has been the major control method in the past. With low demand and poor prices for southern pelts, this activity is almost nonexistent today.

Research Needs In Wildlife Damage Control: Research Needs As Perceived By State Directors In The Eastern Adc Region, Dennis Slate

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

This presentation provides a brief overview of wildlife damage-related research needs as they are perceived by Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), Animal Damage Control (ADC) State Directors in the Eastern ADC Region. There are 23 State Directors in the Eastern ADC Region who are responsible for managing operational and technical assistance animal damage programs in 31 states. Because of their collective experience with a variety of species and control techniques under various environmental circumstances, their imput and insight should be valuable in helping those in the research community more clearly define wildlife damage-related research needs.

Landowner Perceptions Of Beaver Damage And Control In Arkansas, T. B. Wigley, M. E. Garner

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Landowner perceptions of damage caused by beavers (Castor canadensis) and of beaver control programs in Arkansas were determined by mail survey. Beavers were present on lands owned by 36% of the 1,716 respondents. Girdled timber, blocked culverts and flooded timber were the first, second and third most common damages reported, respectively. Thirty-two percent of all respondents and 90% of those with beavers reported at least one form of damage. Four percent of land owned by respondents was flooded by beavers. Of landowners with beavers, 50% described damage as substantial or severe, and 46% perceived damage as unreasonable. At …

Preliminary Testing Of A Selenium-Based Systemic Deer Browse Repellent, T. R. Angradi, W. M. Tzilkowski

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Silviculturists use a variety of techniques, including repellents, to reduce browse damage by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to valuable eastern hardwood seedlings. Systemic selenium, sodium selenite, was evaluated with captive white-tailed deer for its repellency in white ash (Fraxinus americana) and black cherry (Prunus serotina) seedlings. Selenium had no effect in reducing browsing of black cherry. However, there was a reduction (p < 0.05) in the white ash browsing level.

Control Of Ring-Billed Gull Colonies At Urban And Industrial Sites In Southern Ontario, Canada, H. Blokpoel, G. D. Tessier

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

At eight urban or industrial sites in southern Ontario colonies of Ring-billed Gulls (Larus delawarensis) were controlled to ameliorate problems caused by the adults and their young. At the Nanticoke Generating Station on Lake Erie a growing colony was eliminated by collecting eggs and subsequent harassment of adults. One colony at the Stelco Yards in Hamilton Harbour was eliminated by installing a gull exclosure and collecting eggs from nests outside the exclosure and another was controlled by frequently destroying nests and eggs. At Toronto Island Airport an incipient colony was controlled by collecting eggs and harassing adults. At …

State/Federal/Private Cooperative Program Relationships In Wildlife Damage Control, Rene M. Bollengier Jr.

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

On December 19, 1985, Congress transferred the Animal Damage Control (ADC) program from Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Department of the Interior, to Animal Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). The transfer of personnel and equipment was officially completed on April 1, 1986. The transfer brought to USDA personnel with hundreds of years of collective animal damage control experience in agricultural and non-agricultural types of man/wildlife conflicts.

Use Of Drc 1339 To Control Crows In Three Roosts In Kentucky And Arkansas, Frank L. Boyd, Douglas I. Hall

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Field tests utilizing DRC 1339 (3-chloro-4-methylbenzamine hydrochloride) 98% concentrate on whole kernel com for crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos) control were conducted in January and February 1981 in Lexington and Louisville, Kentucky, and in 1982 in Ashdown, Arkansas. Treated bait was placed in staging areas near the roosts after prebaiting indicated good acceptance at the sites. The rate of acceptance varied with bait placement. Best results were obtained when bait was placed on bare ground at habitually used staging areas close to the roost site. Population reductions of up to 25% were obtained with limited baiting. DRC 1339 appears to …

The Critter Control Concept Approaches Of A Firm Specializing In Nuisance Wildlife Control, Lynn Braband, Kevin Clark

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The private sector has been involved in certain aspects of nuisance wildlife control for some time. Examples include commensal rodent control by pest control companies, capture of nuisance furbearers by trappers, and repair of structural damage by carpenters. Social trends, such as increased urbanization, increased population of certain wildlife species, and decreased government funding have combined to provide increased opportunity and need for the private sector in nuisance wildlife control.

Frogs Captured In Green Bean Harvest: Analysis Of A Pest Problem, Donald F. Caccamise

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In southern New Jersey a new agricultural pest problem has seriously impacted production of green beans for plant processing. Newly acquired harvesters inadvertently capture frogs, which are difficult and expensive to remove from harvested beans. Goals of this project were to (1) define the biological properties of the pest problem, and (2) identify biologically sound and effective methods to manage the problem.

Fowler's toad (Bufo woodhousei fowleri) was the most numerous (82%) of 9 species sorted from harvested beans, and it was also the most common in field censuses (76%). Density estimates based on field censuses were higher …

Status Of The Coyote In The Northeastern United States, Robert E. Chambers

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

This report represents a summary of information derived from responses to mail questionnaires from the state wildlife agencies in 16 northern states extending from Maine to Minnesota with minor modifications by the author where experience deemed it feasible.

The Problem Of Planting Louisiana Swamplands When Nutria (Myocastor Coypu) Are Present, W. H. Conner, J. R. Toliver

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Logging of baldcypress (Taxodium distichum) in the swamps of the southeastern United States is once again becoming common and an area of particular concern in Louisiana is the regeneration of cypress in its natural environment. One way to ensure the proper stocking of cypress is to plant seedlings, but nutria usually damage or destroy newly planted seedlings and are a deterrent to cypress regeneration in flooded areas. In 1985 cypress seedlings were planted in a flooded logged area and in an area where flooding was preventing the establishment of natural seedlings. Nutria destroyed 86% of the seedlings in …

The Urban-Suburban Canada Goose: An Example Of Short-Sighted Management?, Michael R. Conover

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

During the last 30 years, Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) populations have become established in many urban and suburban parts of North America. Most of these scattered populations were established when live geese were released in these areas or nearby rural areas by individual hunters, sportmen's groups and game agencies. The birds quickly found lawns in urban-suburban areas an abundant source of nutritious grass for grazing and discovered people willing to provide supplementary handouts. The resident goose populations thrived; in Connecticut alone their population has increased to 9,000. However, the increased populations contributed little to the hunter's take because …

Effectiveness Of Human Hair, Bgr, And A Mixture Of Blood Meal And Peppercorns In Reducing Deer Damage To Young Apple Trees, Michael R. Conover, Gary S. Kania

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We evaluated the ability of three repellents [human hair, Big Game Repellent (BGR), and a mixture of blood meal and peppercorns] to reduce deer damage on young apple trees in two Connecticut orchards. Most of the deer damage consisted of winter browsing on dormant apple buds. Little browsing occurred on leaves or buds during the growing season and only a few cases of pre-rut rubbing of trees were observed. In one orchard, buds were browsed during the winter on 52% of the untreated control trees, 45% of the trees sprayed with BGR, and 40% of the trees containing a hair …

New Uses Of Livestock Guarding Dogs To Reduce Agriculture/Wildlife Conflicts, R. Coppinger, J. Lorenz, Lorna Coppinger

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Pilot programs in several states have shown that livestock guarding dogs are 70-80% effective in reducing predation on livestock by wildlife, primarily coyotes. In order to increase that percentage, ineffective dogs were studied and new techniques tested that had the potential of turning problems into successes.

From the population of over 1,000 dogs that has been placed on farms and ranches nationwide during the past ten years under the auspices of the Livestock Dog Project at Hampshire College, data was analyzed for each of the three basic behaviors (trustworthy, attentive, protective) that a good guardian needs to exhibit. A wide …

Management Of Suburban Deer: An Emerging Controversy, Daniel J. Decker

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

During the last 10 years the presence of deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in suburban areas has become an increasing concern from the standpoint of damage and nuisance problems. It is unclear whether (a) overall deer numbers in suburban environments have increased (possibly because of residential development in "natural" settings and creation of food sources represented by residents' ornamental plantings and vegetable gardens), (b) more development in suburban areas has forced deer into adjacent remaining patches of suitable habitat, resulting in increased deer densities in certain localities, or (c) some combination of both. Regardless of the factors perpetrating the situation, …

The Bird Strike Hazard (Bash) Program, Edgardo R. Farraro, Russell P. Defusco

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The hazards birds pose to aircraft has been of concern to the Air Force for more than 20 years. After losing several aircraft due to bird strikes in the early 1960's, the Air Force formed a team to evaluate bird hazards to Air Force aircraft. The team, from the Air Force Weapons Laboratory (AFWL) at Kirtland AFB NM, handed over this mission to the Bird Aircraft Strike Hazard (BASH) Team at HQ Air Force Engineering and Services Center (AFESC) at Tyndall AFB in 1975. In 1986 (October) the BASH team moved to Bolling AFB, Washington DC.

Temporal Use Patterns Of Wintering Starlings At A Southeastern Livestock Farm: Implications For Damage Control, J. F. Glahn, S. K. Timbrook, D. J. Twedt

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The farm use patterns of individually marked and transmitter-equipped starlings at a livestock farm in south-central Kentucky were studied each month during the principal damage period (December-February) of 1982-83 and 1984-85 following a pilot study in January and February of 1980. In addition to intensive observation at the farm, sightings of tagged starlings away from the farm were solicited from the public and mapped. For each year of data on individual starlings that used the farm at least once after marking, the expected frequencies of farm occurrence were calculated and compared to observed frequencies. In all 3 years, there was …

Involving Hunting And Trapping In Cooperative Wildlife Damage Control, Ed Hackett

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The perception of a wildlife damage problem may vary greatly among groups with a stake in the problem. To the deer hunter, there is no such problem as too many deer. To the farmer, in the midst of a personal economic disaster, one deer may seem too many. To the conservation officer (CO) who has spent a career building deer populations, the farmer's problem may be a sign of success. To the USDA-APHIS-ADC staff member, solving the farmer's problem may be the most important issue. The key to resolving these conflicting views of the same event is to make each …

Urban Gray Squirrel Damage And Population Management: A Case History, J. Hadidian, D. Manski, V. Flyger, C. Cox, G. Hodge

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Lafayette Park, a 3.0 hectare national park located across the street from the White House in Washington D.C., has had a gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) density as high as 50 animals/hectare. In recent years this large population caused significant damage to mature trees and other vegetation. In keeping with the legislative mandate to protect and preserve the historic landscape in Lafayette Park, the National Park Service implemented a squirrel management program following an Integrated Pest Management (IPM) approach. The population was studied and monitored to determine the ecological bases for high squirrel numbers. Action was taken through a …

Distribution And Impact Of Canada Goose Crop Damage In East-Central Wisconsin, James Heinrich, Scott Craven

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The steady increase in the numbers of Canada geese on or near Horicon National Wildlife Refuge since its establishment in the early 1940s has resulted in many opportunities, and a few difficult problems. The problem of crop depredations has plagued the Horicon area since the mid-1960s. Each increase in goose numbers has brought with it renewed farmer concern, and each incident has resulted in some change in goose management direction. Increasing problems, more geese, lower harvest quotas, and the new Wisconsin Wildlife Damage Program combined to encourage the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) to take a comprehensive look at …