Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Occupancy And Abundance Of Stream Salamanders Along A Specific Conductance Gradient, Jacob M. Hutton, Steven J. Price, Simon J. Bonner, Stephen C. Richter, Christopher D. Barton

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

In the Central Appalachians (USA), mountaintop-removal mining accompanied by valley fills often leads to streams with elevated specific conductivity (SC). Thus, the ionic composition of freshwaters in this region is hypothesized to be a driver of the distribution and abundance of freshwater taxa, including stream salamanders. We examined the association between SC and stream salamander populations by conducting salamander counts in 30 southeastern Kentucky streams across a continuous gradient of SC that ranged from 30 to 1966 μS/cm. We counted 2319 salamanders across 5 species and, using a hierarchical Bayesian version of the N-mixture model, found a negative association between …

Evaluating Hunting Success Of Pen-Reared And Wild Northern Bobwhite In A Reclaimed Kentucky Mineland, Jeremy P. Orange, John M. Yeiser, Danna L. Baxley, John J. Morgan, Ben A. Robinson

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) have experienced severe population declines across their distribution. In order to address population declines and to continue providing hunting opportunities, multi-state efforts have been undertaken to stabilize and restore bobwhite populations. Ongoing efforts using the National Bobwhite Conservation Initiative’s quail focus area approach have so far demonstrated success throughout Kentucky. However, population increases in the Peabody Bobwhite Focal Area, in western Kentucky, have not been correlated to increases in perceived hunter success. Consequently, some sportsmen question the effectiveness of focal area conservation. In response to hunter concerns, we tested dog hunting ability with wild …

Factors Influencing Northern Bobwhite Hunter Success On A Public Wildlife Management Area In Kentucky, Jarred M. Brooke, John J. Morgan, Danna L. Baxley, Craig Harper, Pat Keyser

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

Hunter success is a critical measure of northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) restoration. Understanding the factors influencing hunter success can guide wildlife agencies in efforts to improve success and satisfaction and sustain hunter support of conservation initiatives. We compared use of vegetation types by radiomarked bobwhite (n = 30 coveys) and hunting dogs (n = 241) equipped with Global Positioning System collars during the 2014–2015 quail hunting season on Peabody Wildlife Management Area in western Kentucky. We surveyed hunting parties (n = 252) immediately after their hunt to determine success (flushed bobwhite) and gather hunt-party characteristics. …

A Focused Habitat Approach For Northern Bobwhite Restoration In Kentucky, John J. Morgan, John M. Yeiser, Danna L. Baxley, Gary Sprandel, Ben A. Robinson, Keith Wethington

National Quail Symposium Proceedings

The Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources has measured northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) population trends since 1960. During that span, northern bobwhite steadily declined because clean agriculture, fescue-sod, plant succession, and development eroded habitat suitability. Multiple efforts have failed with regard to restoring northern bobwhite numbers. Over 3.5 million northern bobwhite were released by the Department over a three decade period. Habitat efforts on private lands were deployed for over 20 years with mixed results. Support for the habitat restoration efforts waned. In 2008, the Department unveiled a new strategy centered on restoring concentrated habitat in focal …

Survival And Cause-Specific Mortality Of White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) Neonates In A Southeastern Kentucky Population, Joseph R. Mcdermott

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Maintaining desired numbers of wildlife species requires an understanding of species-specific population dynamics. For ungulate species such as the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), understanding the neonatal survival rate of a population and factors that influence that survival rate, may be two of the most important factors to successful deer management. We examined neonatal survival in an eastern Kentucky population of deer living in relatively low densities (/ km²), with adequate habitat and supposedly poor population growth. Neonates (102) were captured in the summer birth periods of 2014 - 2016 and radio-monitored until the beginning of the …

Establishment Of Serological Reference Ranges For Elk In Kentucky And Effects Of Quarantine And Translocation On Elk, Aaron M. Hildreth

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Establishing blood serum profiles is important for understanding animal disease ecology and nutrition, the effects of capture and immobilization, and general physiological variation among individuals and populations. Elk (Cervus elaphus nelsoni) have been successfully translocated to several states for reintroduction or population augmentation, including most recently in Kentucky, where over the course of three years (2011-13) wild elk were captured, temporarily quarantined, and subsequently moved to Missouri and Virginia to establish populations in those states. I used this opportunity to collect a variety of biological samples, including blood from which I present and compare serological profiles for a …

Effects Of Mountaintop Removal Mining On Population Dynamics Of Stream Salamanders, Sara B. Freytag

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

Mountaintop removal mining (MTR) is a notorious stressor of stream ecosystems in the Central Appalachians. Valley fills (VF) lead to reduced occupancy, abundance, and species richness of stream salamanders. Multiple factors may be responsible for these reductions, but specifically habitat fragmentation and degradation may reduce colonization rates and increase local extinction rates. From 2013-2015, repeated counts of salamanders were conducted in stream reaches impacted by MTR/VF and compared to counts in reference reaches to answer the question: do stream salamander population dynamics differ between stream reaches impacted by MTR/VF and reference stream reaches? I also investigated dynamics of stream habitat …

Characterizing Groundwater Ch4 And 222rn In Relation To Hydraulic Fracturing And Other Environmental Processes In Letcher County, Ky, St. Thomas Majeau Ledoux

Masters Theses

Hydraulic fracturing of shale deposits has greatly increased the productivity of the natural gas industry by allowing it to exploit previously inaccessible reservoirs. However, previous research has demonstrated that this practice can contaminate shallow aquifers with CH₄ [methane] from deeper formations. This study compares concentrations and isotope compositions of CH₄ sampled from domestic groundwater wells in Letcher County, Kentucky in order to characterize its occurrence and origins in relation to neighboring hydraulically fractured natural gas wells. Additionally, this study tests the reliability of ²²²Rn [radon] as an alternative tracer to CH₄ in identifying processes of gas …

Twentieth Century Droughts And Agriculture: Examples From Impacts On Soybean Production In Kentucky, Usa, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Drought And Corn In Kentucky, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development And Deployment Of A Bioreactor For The Removal Of Sulfate And Manganese From Circumneutral Coal Mine Drainage, C. B. Mastin, J. D. Edwards, Christopher D. Barton, Anastasios D. Karathanasis, Carmen T. Agouridis, Richard C. Warner

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Surface mining, in the form of contour mining and mountain-top removal, is a common means for retrieving coal in the Appalachian Coal Belt region of Kentucky. Overburden or excess spoil generated by these two methods is placed in valley fills. Traditionally Constructed fills have been shown to adversely impact headwater ecosystems via stream burial and through alterations to the hydrology, sediment supply, water quality and biological composition of downstream reaches. Mine drainages emanating from the toe of valley fills often contain elevated levels of total dissolved solids and heavy metals. Drainage chemistry from Guy Cove, a valley fill located in …

Pooling For Horizontal Wells: Can They Teach An Old Dog New Tricks?, Bruce M. Kramer

Shale Plays in the Intermountain West: Legal and Policy Issues (November 12)

74 pages.

This paper was originally published as:

Bruce M. Kramer, “Pooling for Horizontal Wells: Can They Teach an Old Dog New Tricks?,” 55 Rocky Mt. Min. L. Inst. 8-1, § 8.05 (2009).

Slides: Rapanos And The Courts: Navigating Through The Fog, Jim Murphy

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

Presenter: Jim Murphy, Wetlands and Water Resources Counsel, National Wildlife Federation, VT

25 slides

Meso-Scale Weather And Climate Observations In Kentucky For Societal Benefit, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.