Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Proximal Remote Sensing: An Essential Tool For Bridging The Gap Between High Resolution Ecosystem Monitoring And Global Ecology, Z. Pierrat, T. Magney, W. Richardson, B. Runkle, J. Diehl, X. Yang, J Gamon Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Annual Variation In Attribute Importance To Upland Game Hunter Satisfaction In Nebraska, M. P. Gruntarod, J. J. Lusk, C. J. Chizinski

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Devising Optimized Maize Nitrogen Stress Indices In Complex Field Conditions From Uav Hyperspectral Imagery, Jiating Li, Yufeng Ge, Laila A. Puntel, Derek M. Heeren, Geng Bai, Guillermo R. Balboa, John A. Gamon, Timothy J. Arkebauer, Yeyin Shi

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Nitrogen Sufficiency Index (NSI) is an important nitrogen (N) stress indicator for precision N management. It is usually calculated using variables such as leaf chlorophyll meter readings (SPAD) and vegetation indices (VIs). However, no consensus has been reached on the most preferred variable. Additionally, conventional NSI (NSI_uni) calculation assumes N being the sole yield-limiting factor, neglecting other factors such as soil water variability. To tackle these issues, this study compared various variables for NSI calculation and evaluated two new N stress indicators in minimizing the impact of confounding water treatment. The following ground- and aerial-derived variables were compared …

Delineating Ecologically Distinct Groups For Annual Cycle Management Of A Declining Shorebird, E. C. Knight, J. Carlisle, A. J. Boyce, D. Bradley, P. Cimprich, S. Coates, L. A. Powell Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Population Increases Of The Threatened American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus Americanus) Linked To Large-Scale Collaborations In A Working Lands Ecoregion, C. P. Roberts, A. K. Ludwig, D. T. Fogarty, E. F. Stuber, Daniel R. Uden, T. L. Walker Jr., D. Twidwell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Devising Optimized Maize Nitrogen Stress Indices In Complex Field Conditions From Uav Hyperspectral Imagery, J. Li, Y. Ge, J. Gamon, L. A. Puntel Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Human Recreation Influences Activity Of A Large Carnivore In An Urban Landscape, E. C. Bolas, J. F. Benson, R. V. Blakey

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Northern Bobwhite Habitat Selection During The Nonbreeding Season In A Riparian Corridor In Colorado, J. M. Wolske, A. C. Behney, L. A. Powell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Modeling Wild Rice Bed Health: A Dual Metric Approach For Bed Strength And Invasive Impact, Seth Sisneros-Martinez

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Wild rice (mannoomin; Zizania palustris) is an aquatic grain that grows in slow-moving rivers and shallow bays throughout northern Minnesota. In Headquarters Bay on Leech Lake, wild rice has served as a cultural staple for Indigenous communities for centuries. However, its population has declined in recent years due to multiple environmental issues. One potential contributor is Eurasian watermilfoil (Myriophyllum spicatum; EWM), an invasive species that forms dense mats capable of outcompeting native aquatic vegetation, including wild rice. EWM was first recorded on the southern shoreline of Leech Lake in 2005 and has since become widespread. This study …

Seedlings Of Pacific Northwest Plants: A Photographic Guide, Gabriel E. Campbell-Martinez, Roxy Olsson

Rae Selling Berry Seed Bank and Plant Conservation Program

This document presents a visual, non-technical field guide of native and exotic/invasive seedlings that grow wild in the Pacific Northwest. It contains over 550 taxa representing a broad range of families and ecosystems, focusing on species that occur in Oregon and Washington. Species were selected to reflect ecological importance, frequency of occurrence, and relevance to land management, restoration, and conservation. It is intended for a broad audience, including restoration practitioners, land managers, botanists, ecologists, students, naturalists, and others interested in identifying plants at early life stages.

The Effect Of Zebra Mussels On Minnesota Fish Communities, Benjamin D. Strei

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Zebra mussels Dreissena polymorpha are an aquatic invasive species that has been spreading quickly throughout Minnesota water bodies since 1989. Zebra mussels are known to change certain morphological conditions in lakes such as turbidity, phytoplankton abundance, and aquatic invertebrate populations. However, studies showing impacts of the infestation of zebra mussels on the health of a fish community have been hard to prove due to a lack of repeated surveys and a suite of other confounding variables such as natural and seasonal variability, plant community, and lake morphometry. Therefore, the objective of this study is to determine whether zebra mussels have …

Investigating Woody Vegetation Recruitment Post Riparian Enhancement Extraction Along The Baduwa't, Rize Martins De Oliveira, Wiley Hughes, Owen Lenox

Forestry, Fire, & Rangeland Management Senior Capstones

The Baduwa’t River in Humboldt County, California, faces a legacy of channelization, poor land management, and severe flooding that has left high, dry floodplain terraces disconnected from the river and dominated by invasive vegetation. In response to sediment deficits during drought years, Riparian Enhancement Extractions (REEs) were introduced as an alternative gravel mining method that simultaneously presented opportunities for habitat restoration. This study evaluates five REEs along the Baduwa’t to identify the construction features and site conditions that promote successful riparian vegetation establishment. Findings show that REEs can create seasonal wetlands conducive to native riparian habitat reestablishment, when excavation is …

Navigating Wastewater: Minnesota Mining Wastewater Permit Challenges And Evolving Compliance Standards, Madelaine Adamich

Journal of Earth and Life Science

February of 2021 marked the beginning of Minnesota clearly establishing that groundwater qualifies as a Class 1 water in a legal battle involving United States Steel, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, WaterLegacy, Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa, the Minnesota Court of Appeals, and eventually the Minnesota Supreme Court (MNSC). Minnesota has a water classification system, as required by the federal Clean Water Act, with 7 classes of use. Class 1 waters are waters used for domestic consumption (MPCA 4, n.d.). According to Minnesota Statute § 7050.0220, the acceptable level for sulfate is 250 mg/L in Class 1 …

Dataset For "The Role Of Metacognition And Confidence In Quantitative Reasoning In College Biology Courses", Joseph Dauer, Anum Khushal, Brian A. Couch, Robert L. Mayes, Kent Rittschof

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Quantitative modelling is a fundamental skill for biology students with performance determined by a host of cognitive and metacognitive resources and requiring instructors to integrate key quantitative dimensions into teaching biology. Using an assessment of quantitative modelling in biology, we explored biology students’ (n = 930 higher education students) modelling practices (i.e., abilities to create, test, revise), metacognition about the nature of models and confidence in their capabilities to model. Students performed best on items related to understanding variables used in models and performed more poorly on items related to interpreting, creating, and using models to understand biological phenomena. …

Sites 45ch01104 And 45ch00402 Determinations Of Eligibility, Chelan County, Washington, Benjamin Aa Hodges

All Graduate Projects

This Master of Applied Science (MAS) project report assesses the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) eligibility of archaeological sites 45CH01104 and 45CH00402 near Wells Dam in Chelan County, Washington. Field investigations conducted in 2024 included pedestrian surveys, subsurface testing, and ground-penetrating radar (GPR) analysis to gather data on site conditions and potential cultural features. Site 45CH01104 was characterized by pre-contact lithic and fire-cracked rock (FCR) scatters and is recommended as eligible in this report for the NRHP under Criteria A and D due to its association with Indigenous subsistence activities and its potential to yield important archaeological information. It …

Nebraska Water Center Annual Report 2025

Nebraska Water Center: Administrative Materials

Training Nebraska's future water professionals, research publications, water sciences laboratory impact and know your well curriculums and community impact

Tallgrass Prairie Center 2024-2025 Highlights, University Of Northern Iowa. Tallgrass Prairie Center.

Annual Reports

Contents:

--- Staff
--- From our Director
--- Iowa Roadside Management: Enhancing our public roadsides
--- Research and Restoration: Native seeds and methods for prairie reconstruction
--- Plant Materials: A prairie pedigree for Iowa’s roadsides and beyond
--- Irvine Prairie: Restoring a piece of the original Iowa landscape
--- Prairie on Farms: Making prairie practical
--- Prairie Roots Project: A deeper appreciation of the prairie ecosystem
--- Green Iowa AmeriCorps: Service members expand TPC capacity
--- A Hidden Gem - UNI's Biological Preserves: A legacy of service and partnership
--- UNI Students at the TPC: Practical experience in support of …

2025 Environmental Flows Report, Adrian Oglesby, Anjali Bean, Martha Cooper, David Pílz

Publications

A selection from the 2025 Environmental Flows Workshop Report's Introduction: 

The term environmental flows means different things to different people. For example, environmental flows might refer to the science underpinning instream flow recommendations; or environmental flows might refer to the tools used to legally allocate water to rivers; or it might most broadly refer to the question, “how much water does a river need to stay alive?” Workshop presentations and discussions covered all these topics and others.

Destroy, Rebuild, Repeat: How To Break The Climate Disaster Cycle, Mark P. Nevitt

Faculty Articles

Climate change is fundamentally reshaping how we live, where we live, and whether we invest in or retreat from climate-exposed communities—but climate and disaster law is not changing with the climate. This legal latency is driven by antiquated statutes, doctrines, and policies that have not kept pace with the climate moment. Ex ante adaptation decisions governing where to live are life and death choices that shape ex post disaster response. Laws and policies should facilitate sound climate decisionmaking, but too often they frustrate individual and governmental decisions on whether to stay or retreat. In this Article, I argue that laws …

Using Landscape Ecology And Spatial Statistics To Examine The Impacts Of Proposed Removals To Natural Heritage System And The Agricultural System Of Ontario’S Greenbelt, Brianna Downey

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The 2022 proposed removals from the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), Southern Ontario’s Greenbelt would have resulted in negative impacts including, reductions to the size and functionality of the Agricultural System and Natural Heritage System, which are components of protected Greenbelt area. Several removal sites were located either on or in close proximity to corridor areas of the NHS, reducing connectivity and negatively impacting the surrounding ecological area. The removal of Agricultural land primarily consisted of corn and soybeans, as well as large removals of woodland, wetland, and shrubland class areas. The removal sites on local Agricultural composition and configuration were …

Fisheries Research Report No. 345: Metropolitan Monitoring Program 2024, Alissa C. Tate, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan

Fisheries Research Reports

Ongoing monitoring of recreational fisheries in the Metropolitan zone is essential to ensure the sustainable use of fisheries resources. Surveys of shore- and boat-based recreational fishers within the Metropolitan zone of the West Coast bioregion provide information on human dimensions and catch-per-fisher as well as mean length and weight of key recreationally caught species. For shore-based fishers, estimates of fishing effort, catch and harvest are also presented for key nearshore species. Information in this report is used to support ongoing assessments for key nearshore species and inform the development and evaluation of harvest strategies and other management actions, such as …

Huchum: The Legacy Of Fire Suppression, Indigenous Land Management, And Media Representation, Carolyn Coyne

Pomona Senior Theses

In my thesis, I examine how various forms of news media from the 1900s to present day in Ohlone territory have framed a particular hegemonic ideology around fire that matches early colonial journal entries – an ideology that is fueled by fear, sensationalism, and exclusion and directly commits violence against the Ohlone people. I investigate this time period because this is when modern news corporations, like The New York Times, rose into prominence. Specifically, I question how media representations of fire inform regulations over controlled burns; what are the similarities in discourse between media framing and policy? What tactics are …

Swimming In Sh*T: Quantifying Lagoon Flushing Impacts On Fecal Indicator Bacteria In Surf Zones Of Three Beaches On The East End Of Long Island, Ny, Brody C. Eggert

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis investigates how lagoon flushing influences fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) concentrations—specifically enterococcus bacteria—in the surf zones of East Hampton and Southampton, New York. Focusing on the coastal lagoons of Georgica Pond, Sagg Pond, and Mecox Bay, the study analyzes how episodic inlet openings and environmental conditions affect enterococcus levels at adjacent recreational beaches. Using over 700 observations from the Surfrider Foundation’s Blue Water Task Force (BWTF) database, I construct a series of statistical models ranging from ordinary least squares to mixed effects frameworks; this thesis shows my process in developing this model. My analysis reveals that open inlets between …

Valuating The Impact Of Unexploded Ordnance (Uxo) In Savannakhet, Laos Through Ecosystem Services Assessments, Nathan Lu

Pitzer Senior Theses

Unexploded ordnance (UXO) impact on countries is not well-documented, since post-war surveys or data collection are often hindered by a lack of appropriate funding and reparation. In Laos, UXO has hardly been cleared since 1964 and thus leaves room for spatially and temporally analyzing the severity of environmental and economic degradation in the area. This study uses the framework of ecosystem services, particularly carbon stock, as a way to provide quantitative metrics of impact to local governments and stakeholders. Through remote sensing data in Savannakhet Province, evidence-based land-use change data was spatially analyzed with geocoded UXO bomb mission locations and …

The Strategic And Governance Implications Of Solar Radiation Modification: Perspectives From Delegates Of International Climate Negotiations, Todd L. Cherry, Steffen Kallbekken, David M. Mcevoy, Wai Yan Siu

ODU Articles

The lack of progress in addressing climate change has led to increased interest in solar radiation modification (SRM)—a collection of large-scale interventions that cool the planet by managing the amount of solar radiation that reaches the earth. SRM complicates climate change governance because, in addition to advancing collective action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, governance needs to restrain unilateral SRM action while balancing diverging actor interests, ethical risks and scientific uncertainty. We survey international climate policy experts for their assessments of the potential for effective global governance of SRM and the likelihood of possible international responses to unilateral SRM scenarios. …

Examination Of Cooperative Extension As A Bridging Organization To Enhance Cross-Boundary Collaborative Water Management, Mark E. Burbach, Stephanie M. Kennedy, Weston M. Eaton, Kathryn J. Brasier, Daran R. Rudnick, Walt Whitmer

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We explored stakeholders’ familiarity with, trust of, perceived competence of, and shared vision with Cooperative Extension on water-related issues in two states to determine the degree to which Extension is positioned to be an effective bridging organization. Results of surveys in Nebraska and Pennsylvania showed that, overall, neither agricultural producers nor non-farm households were very familiar with Extension. However, both stakeholder groups perceived Extension to be trustworthy, competent, and have similar goals on water-related issues. Extension should renew efforts to bolster its familiarity among these groups to enhance its effectiveness as a bridging organization.

Mangroves: A Lesson On Modeling Changing Shorelines, Willa Skye

ENGS 15.11: Design and Education

This lesson is an overview of storm barriers, specifically mangroves and how they maintain shorelines. It is meant to offer a visual experience of coastline protection and provide a background for deeper understanding about intertidal zones and their conservation. Students will spend time creating a solution to a flooding problem by making a mock coast and storm barrier. To wrap-up the lesson, students will pair up, then reflect on their model and then individually write or draw their takeaways.

Igniting Change: Assessing Language Access Gaps For Spanish-Speaking Communities In Wildfire Preparedness Resources In Yakima County, Washington, Rebecca N. Mitre

All Master's Theses

Limited-English proficiency (LEP) individuals across the United States face barriers in accessing information and other resources relating to natural hazard resources, particularly in areas prone to wildfire. In the Pacific Northwest, wildfires are predicted to increase in frequency, severity, and intensity and may also increase the social and economic vulnerability of LEP communities. The 2023 wildfire season underscored how economic, public health, and social impacts disproportionately impact minorities and socially vulnerable communities. This research investigates the inclusion of LEP communities in the development and dissemination of local wildfire resources in Yakima County, using the disaster management cycle as an analytical …

Effects Of Round-Up On The Environment, Sandra J. Marcu

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Many people around the world have used and still currently use Roundup but are unaware of the effects it has on the environment. Roundup is a spray on application weedkiller that is widely used around the world today both residentially and commercially. It enables its user to grow a garden or a field of crops with a no-tilling approach to eliminate weeds. It is a well-known and popular choice for killing weeds that has been around since the mid 1970’s (Oca, 2017). John Franz, a Monsanto scientist discovered that glyphosate (main ingredient in Roundup) was an herbicide or weedkiller, and …

The Effectiveness Of The Minnesota Buffer Law And Its Impacts On People, Ellen P. Isakson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

In January 2015, the then-governor of Minnesota Mark Dayton announced new legislation that would require 50-foot vegetation buffers along all waterways in Minnesota; this legislation would come to be known as the Minnesota buffer law, exact requirements being “perennial vegetative buffers of up to 50 feet along lakes, rivers, and streams and buffers of 16.5 feet along ditches” (Albert, 2017; MN Board of Water and Soil Resources [MN BWSR] 4 ). A buffer in the context of vegetation and natural resource management is a strip of vegetation around a body of water “designed to intercept stormwater runoff and minimize soil …