Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Discipline
Keyword
Publication Year
File Type

Articles 1231 - 1260 of 1625

Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

Dietary Toxicity Test For 2% Drc-1339-Treated Brown Rice On Nontarget Avian Species, John L. Cummings, Darryl L. York, Kirk J. Shively, Patricia A. Pipas, Randal S. Stahl, James E. Davis Jr. Nov 2003

Dietary Toxicity Test For 2% Drc-1339-Treated Brown Rice On Nontarget Avian Species, John L. Cummings, Darryl L. York, Kirk J. Shively, Patricia A. Pipas, Randal S. Stahl, James E. Davis Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In Louisiana and Texas DRC-l339 treated brown rice is used to manage blackbird populations that cause severe damage to newly planted rice. Non-target bird species have been observed on some DRC-1339 bait sites. We conducted dietary toxicity tests to provide additional data on the toxicity of DRC-l339 to the following non-target species observed on DRC-1339 bait sites: savannah sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis), Canada geese (Branta canadensis), snow geese (Chen caerulescens), mourning doves (Zenarda macroura), western meadowlarks (Sturnella neglecta), and American tree sparrows (Spizella arborea). During our 5-day DRC-1339 dietary …

Go to article

Amount And Economic Valuation Of Feral Hog Damage To A Unique Basin Marsh Wetland In Florida, Richard M. Engeman, Henry T. Smith, Robert G. Severson, Mary Ann M. Severson, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Bernice Constantin, Daniel Griffin Nov 2003

Amount And Economic Valuation Of Feral Hog Damage To A Unique Basin Marsh Wetland In Florida, Richard M. Engeman, Henry T. Smith, Robert G. Severson, Mary Ann M. Severson, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Bernice Constantin, Daniel Griffin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) have been introduced into many natural habitats throughout the world, and they have adversely affected the environment in most of those places. Basin marshes are unique, but dwindling ecosystems in Florida that are especially vulnerable to damage by feral hogs. We estimated the amount of hog damage to the last remnant of a basin marsh system in Savannas Preserve State Park (SPSP), and to ecotones within the marsh. We also applied an economic valuation method for the hog damage that was based on the dollar amounts that wetland regulators have allowed permit applicants to …

Go to article

Nontarget Bird Exposure To Drc-1339 During Fall In North Dakota And Spring In South Dakota, Thomas W. Custer, Christine M. Custer, Paul M. Dummer, George M. Linz, Louis Sileo, Randal S. Stahl, John J. Johnston Nov 2003

Nontarget Bird Exposure To Drc-1339 During Fall In North Dakota And Spring In South Dakota, Thomas W. Custer, Christine M. Custer, Paul M. Dummer, George M. Linz, Louis Sileo, Randal S. Stahl, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Blackbirds frequently use ripening sunflower (Helianthus annuus)as a food source in the northern Great Plains. In 1999 and 2000, the avicide DRC-1339 (3-chloro-4-methylaniline hydrochloride) was used experimentally on fall-ripening sunflower fields in North Dakota so researchers could evaluate its effectiveness for reducing crop depredations by blackbirds DRC-1339 was applied to rice and broadcast on the ground in a confined area within ripening sunflower fields. One objective of this study was to determine if nontarget birds, birds other than blackbirds, were eating rice and were exposed to DRC 1339. In 1999, 8 of 11(73%) sparrows collected by shotgun in sunflower fields …

Go to article

Understanding Blackbird Sensory Systems And How Repellent Applications Work, Scott J. Werner, Larry Clark Nov 2003

Understanding Blackbird Sensory Systems And How Repellent Applications Work, Scott J. Werner, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We reviewed the learning processes and sensory capabilities of birds, with a special emphasis on chemical repellents and wildlife damage management. Repellents include several methods and devices used to manipulate behavior of birds in attempt to reduce damage or nuisance. Effective applications of chemical repellents to reduce bird damages are dependant upon an adequate understanding of the sensory modalities and modes of animal learning that are affected by a repellent. Chemical repellents can elicit withdrawal from specific or combined sensory stimuli or by producing learned avoidance via association between adverse postingestive effects and specific sensory cues. The application of repellents …

Go to article

Timber Damage By Black Bears, Dale L. Nolte, Kimberly K. Wagner, Andy Trent Nov 2003

Timber Damage By Black Bears, Dale L. Nolte, Kimberly K. Wagner, Andy Trent

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Consequences of Bear Damage
Damage Management
Bear Removal
Silvicultural Practices
Alternative Food Sources
Alternative Approaches

Go to article

Using Fecal Glucocorticoids For Stress Assessment In Mourning Doves, Brian E. Washburn, Joshua J. Millspaugh, John H. Schulz, Susan B. Jones, Tony Mong Oct 2003

Using Fecal Glucocorticoids For Stress Assessment In Mourning Doves, Brian E. Washburn, Joshua J. Millspaugh, John H. Schulz, Susan B. Jones, Tony Mong

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fecal glucocorticoid assays provide a potentially useful, noninvasive means to study physiological responses of wildlife to various stressors. The objective of our study was to validate a method for measuring glucocorticoid metabolites in Mourning Dove (Zenaida macroura) feces. We validated the assay using standard procedures (e.g., parallelism, recovery of exogenous corticosterone) to demonstrate that the assay accurately and precisely measured glucocorticoid metabolites in Mourning Dove fecal extracts. We conducted adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) challenge experiments to validate the assay’s ability to determine biologically important changes in fecal glucocorticoids. Fecal glucocorticoid levels increased significantly approximately 2–3 hr after administration of ACTH …

Go to article

Effects Of Radio-Transmitters On Fecal Glucocorticoid Levels In Captive Dickcissels, Kimberly M. Suedkamp Wells, Brian E. Washburn, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Mark R. Ryan, Michael W. Hubbard Oct 2003

Effects Of Radio-Transmitters On Fecal Glucocorticoid Levels In Captive Dickcissels, Kimberly M. Suedkamp Wells, Brian E. Washburn, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Mark R. Ryan, Michael W. Hubbard

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We determined the effects of a leg-harness transmitter on fecal glucocorticoid levels of wild male Dickcissels (Spiza americana) in captivity. During the post-breeding season of 2001, we captured 10 male Dickcissels in central Missouri and housed them in individual pens of an outdoor aviary. We radio-tagged five birds; the other five were captured and handled, but were not radio-tagged. We collected fecal samples every other day prior to attachment (31 July– 21 August) and after attachment (24 August–20 September). Body condition and morphology were similar between control and transmitter-equipped birds. We observed a significant interaction between transmitter attachment …

Go to article

Detection Of West Nile Virus Infection In Birds In The United States By Blocking Elisa And Immunohistochemistry, Martine Jozan, Richard Evans, Robert Mclean, Roy Hall, Basil Tangredi, Lisa Reed, Jamesina Scott Oct 2003

Detection Of West Nile Virus Infection In Birds In The United States By Blocking Elisa And Immunohistochemistry, Martine Jozan, Richard Evans, Robert Mclean, Roy Hall, Basil Tangredi, Lisa Reed, Jamesina Scott

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A blocking ELISA targeting an immunodominant West Nile epitope on the West Nile Virus NSI protein was assessed for the detection of West Nile-specific antibodies in blood samples collected from 584 sentinel chickens and 238 wild birds collected in New Jersey from May-December 2000. Ten mallard ducks (Anus platyrirynchos) experimentally infected with West Nile virus and six uninfected controls were also tested. The ELISA proved specific in detecting WNV antibodies in 9/10 chickens and 414 wild birds previously confirmed as positive by Plaque Reduction Neutralization test (PRNT) at the Center for Disease Control, Division of Vector Borne Diseases, …

Go to article

Evaluation Of An Animal-Activated Scarecrow And A Monofilament Fence For Reducing Deer Use Of Soybean Fields, Jeff Beringer, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Joshua J. Millspaugh Oct 2003

Evaluation Of An Animal-Activated Scarecrow And A Monofilament Fence For Reducing Deer Use Of Soybean Fields, Jeff Beringer, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Joshua J. Millspaugh

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We measured the efficacy of an animal-activated scarecrow (AAS) and a 5-strand monofilament fence (MF) at reducing white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) use of 0.4-ha soybean plots in Missouri, USA. Our study design consisted of 9 soybean plots; 3 served as controls, 3 were surrounded by an MF, and 3 were surrounded by an AAS. Data collected for each protected plot included soybean height and weight taken from within and immediately adjacent to 10 unprotected, equally spaced 1 -m2 exclosures. A measure of deer use for each plot was collected with video cameras. A mixed-effects analysis of variance …

Go to article

Spring Distribution Of Ring-Necked Pheasants (Phasianus Colchicus) Following Cattail Reduction With Glyphosate Herbicide, H.J. Homan, G. M. Linz, R.C. Carlson, W.J. Bleier Oct 2003

Spring Distribution Of Ring-Necked Pheasants (Phasianus Colchicus) Following Cattail Reduction With Glyphosate Herbicide, H.J. Homan, G. M. Linz, R.C. Carlson, W.J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

To reduce blackbird (Icteridae) damage to field crops in the north-central United States. dense stands of cattail (Typha spp. ) are thinned with glyphosate herbicide. The stands become unusable as roosting and loafing sites, which helps to protect susceptible crops nearby, particularly sunflower (Helianthus annus). Landscape-level impacts of cattail management on non-target avian species have not been studied. We measured use of upland breeding territories by male ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchieus) following cattail reduction in wetlands used by pheasants for overwintering. In August 1992, glyphosate was applied to all wetlands with ≥70% cattail coverage in …

Go to article

Stored-Crop Loss Due To Deer Consumption, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michael J. Pipas, Phil Peterson, Scott F. Beckerman Oct 2003

Stored-Crop Loss Due To Deer Consumption, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michael J. Pipas, Phil Peterson, Scott F. Beckerman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Deer (Odocoileus spp.) cause an estimated loss of $100 million in United States agricultural production each year (Conover 1997). In 1984 the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection surveyed producers in the state and estimated that white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) damage to all agricultural products exceeded $36 million annually (Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection 1984). Nationwide, for stored crops alone, wildlife reportedly caused $26 million in losses in 1989 (Wywialowski 1994). Despite sometimes biased producer estimates of the value of wildlife-caused losses (Wywialowski 1994), many landowners are willing to accept a …

Go to article

Use Of Frightening Devices In Wildlife Damage Management, Jason M. Gilsdorf, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Kurt C. Vercauteren Sep 2003

Use Of Frightening Devices In Wildlife Damage Management, Jason M. Gilsdorf, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife is often responsible for causing extensive damage to personal property, human health and safety concerns, and other nuisance problems because of their feeding, roosting, breeding, and loafing habits. Frightening devices are tools used in integrated wildlife damage management to reduce the impacts of animals, but the effectiveness of such devices is often variable. An animal’s visual and auditory capabilities affect how the animal will respond to a stimulus. Frightening devices include pyrotechnics, gas exploders, effigies, lights, lasers, reflective objects, guard animals, bioacoustics, and ultrasonic devices. We examined scientific literature on the use of frightening devices to reduce bird and …

Go to article

Blackbird And Starling Strikes To Civil Aircraft In The United States, 1990-2001, Scott C. Barras, Sandra E. Wright, Thomas E. Seamans Sep 2003

Blackbird And Starling Strikes To Civil Aircraft In The United States, 1990-2001, Scott C. Barras, Sandra E. Wright, Thomas E. Seamans

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird-aircraft collisions (bird strikes) pose hazards to aircraft and cost civil aviation hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs and logistical expenses annually in the United States. Blackbirds and starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in particular have caused some of the most devastating aircraft accidents related to bird strikes in the United States and Europe. To determine the impacts of blackbirds and starlings to aviation in the United State, we searched the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) National Wildlife Strike Database for all reported strikes involving these species. During 1990-2001, 1,704 strikes involving blackbirds and starlings were reported to the FAA …

Go to article

The Role Of Research In Expanded Regional Management Of Double-Crested Cormorants, Scott C. Barras, Mark E. Tobin Sep 2003

The Role Of Research In Expanded Regional Management Of Double-Crested Cormorants, Scott C. Barras, Mark E. Tobin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The number of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) breeding in the Great Lakes states and provinces has increased during recent decades. Their abundance and foraging habits have thrust this species into conflict with the aquaculture industry and fisheries interests. The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service proposed a change in the management of double-crested cormorants recently to alleviate these conflicts, especially with aquaculture, natural resources, and federal fish hatcheries. Research activities should be an integral component of these expanded efforts to manage cormorants, including further investigations on cormorant impacts to the aquaculture industry and evaluations of the added benefits …

Go to article

An Economic Analysis Of A Simple Structural Method To Reduce Road-Kills Of Royal Terns At Bridges, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Henry T. Smith, Alice M. Bard, Terese V. Harbor, Richard M. Engeman Aug 2003

An Economic Analysis Of A Simple Structural Method To Reduce Road-Kills Of Royal Terns At Bridges, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Henry T. Smith, Alice M. Bard, Terese V. Harbor, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Royal terns (Sterna maxima) in Florida are listed as a “species of special concern” by the Florida Committee on Rare and Endangered Plants and Animals (Egensteiner et al., 1996). These birds live along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida throughout the year (Egensteiner et al., 1996); their winter range along the Atlantic Coast of the United States is from North Carolina south through Florida (Clapp et al., 1983), with the Florida population augmented by terns migrating from breeding colonies farther north. Collisions with vehicles cause many marine bird road-kills at some coastal roads and bridges in Florida …

Go to article

Adult Male Emigration And A Female-Based Social Organization In Swift Foxes, Vulpes Velox, Jan F. Kamler, Warren B. Ballard, Eric M. Gese, Robert L. Harriqson, Seija Karki, Kevin Mote Aug 2003

Adult Male Emigration And A Female-Based Social Organization In Swift Foxes, Vulpes Velox, Jan F. Kamler, Warren B. Ballard, Eric M. Gese, Robert L. Harriqson, Seija Karki, Kevin Mote

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Members of the family Canidae are distinguished from other carnivore families by pair bonding and male care of the young. Because of the importance of food provisioning and territorial defence by males, social structure among canids is shared or even dominated by males. However, small, insectivorous species of canids show little male parental care, although whether social structure differs from other canids is unknown. We combined data from three independent research projects on a small canid, the swift fox, to help elucidate the social organization of this species. Based on data on movements of 35 adult mated pairs and the …

Go to article

Monitoring Predators To Optimize Their Management For Marine Turtle Nest Protection, Richard M. Engeman, R. Erik Martin, Bernice Constantin, Ryan Noel, John Woolard Aug 2003

Monitoring Predators To Optimize Their Management For Marine Turtle Nest Protection, Richard M. Engeman, R. Erik Martin, Bernice Constantin, Ryan Noel, John Woolard

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The fundamental conservation focus for Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge (HSNWR), Florida is to provide protected nesting habitat for three threatened or endangered marine turtle species. Turtle nesting and hatching spans from early spring to fall each year. Left unchecked, nest predation by raccoons and armadillos would destroy most turtle nests. Predators are removed to protect nests, primarily with a one person-month contract using control specialists. We maximized the efficiency of predator removal by using a passive tracking index to: (1)optimize the timing and strategy for predator removal, (2)minimize labor by identifying areas where predator removal would have maximal effects, …

Go to article

West Nile Virus: Emerging Threat To Public Health And Animal Health, Robert G. Mclean Aug 2003

West Nile Virus: Emerging Threat To Public Health And Animal Health, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

West Nile virus (WNV) is in the genus Flavivirus, family Flavioiridae, and is closely related to other members of this genus: Japanese encephalitis virus in Southeast Asia, Murray Valley encephalitis virus in Australia, and St. Louis encephalitis (SLE) virus in North and South America. The principal vertebrate hosts for these arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) are wild birds, and the primary vectors are mosquitoes. Little clinical disease or mortality has been reported previously in wild birds from natural infection with these viruses, although significant morbidity and mortality has occurred in humans and domestic animals. West Nile virus (WNV) previously occurred …

Go to article

Pseudemys Peninsularis (Penisula Cooter). Estuarine Observation And Interaction With Giant Land Crabs, Henry T. Smith, Richard M. Engeman Aug 2003

Pseudemys Peninsularis (Penisula Cooter). Estuarine Observation And Interaction With Giant Land Crabs, Henry T. Smith, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

At 0710 h, 11 June 2002, a Pseudemys peninsularis was found in a Giant Land Crab (Cardisoma guanhumi) colony on an isolated isthmus of sandy spoil in a large bulkheaded estuarine canal (Intracoastal Waterway) near Woolbright Road in Boynton Beach, Florida. The spoil site was adjacent to the concrete seawall of the canal and rose < 0.5 m above the mean high tide level. The turtle was found on its back, partially covered by a fallen palm frond, and was surrounded by 20-25 easily visible crabs within 10 m, and three were within 15 cm at the initial sighting. The turtle was deeply retracted into its shell, and its right rear foot exhibited soft tissue damage apparently inflicted by crabs. It was released at ca. 0713 h into 0.25 m deep water adjacent to the island, where it remained submerged and deeply retracted into its shell when observations ended at 0720 h.

Go to article

Hlanagement Of Carnivore Predation As A Means To Reduce Livestock Losses: The Study Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In North America, Eric M. Gese Aug 2003

Hlanagement Of Carnivore Predation As A Means To Reduce Livestock Losses: The Study Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In North America, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Many carnivore populations throughout the world are declining due to expansion of human populations, habitat loss, illegal poaching, legal hunting, disease, habitat fragmentation, declines in native prey, and increased competition with livestock and other human land uses. A major obstacle facing conservation efforts, reintroduction programs, and recovery plans for many carnivore species throughout the world is the continual issue of depredations by carnivores on agricultural interests (hlech 1996). In the United States, efforts to reintroduce and/or recover wolves (Canis lupus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arcios) in the northern Rocky Mountains has been met with much opposition …

Go to article

The Deer Boom: Discussins On Population Growth And Range Expansion Of The White-Tailed Deer, Kurt C. Vercauteren Aug 2003

The Deer Boom: Discussins On Population Growth And Range Expansion Of The White-Tailed Deer, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is the most common and sought-after North American big game animal. More whitetails are harvested each fall than all other deer species (elk, mule deer, moose, and caribou) combined. Whitetails are popular for two main reasons, 1) their broad distribution, and 2) their abundance. The vast majority of bowhunters live in whitetail range and whitetails have experienced a population boom over the last century. Both in terms of numbers and densities, whitetails are far more abundant now than at any time during our lifetime. That is the keypoint, "during our lifetime." If the …

Go to article

An Individual-Based Model Of Canid Populations: Modelling Territoriality And Social Structure, William C. Pitt, Paul W. Box, Frederick F. Knowlton Aug 2003

An Individual-Based Model Of Canid Populations: Modelling Territoriality And Social Structure, William C. Pitt, Paul W. Box, Frederick F. Knowlton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The management of canid populations has been at the forefront of wildlife management worldwide for much of the last century. Effective management depends on the ability to integrate species biology, the environmental aspects upon which those populations depend, and the factors controlling species abundance. Further, managing canid populations requires consideration of territoriality and dominance, which may have a significant effect on population dynamics. To better understand the effect of social structure on canid populations, we developed an individual-based computer model using Swarm to mimic natural coyote population dynamics. We selected the Swarm simulation environment because it is ideally suited for …

Go to article

Characteristics Of Grit In Canada Goose Gizzards, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michael J. Lavelle, Kirk J. Shively Jul 2003

Characteristics Of Grit In Canada Goose Gizzards, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Michael J. Lavelle, Kirk J. Shively

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In many localities, Canada geese (Branta canadensis) have habituated to urban settings and their populations are increasing. Reproductive inhibitors contained in synthetic grit could play a role in integrated Canada goose management. We describe and quantity the physical characteristics of natural grit collected from the gizzards of Canada geese from 4 regions of the United States. The average grit sample had a weight of 14.26 g, a volume of 2.45 ml, a grit-particle count of 1,419, and a soil weight of 6.85 g. The average grit particle measured 2.02 mm long and 1.52 mm wide, and had an …

Go to article

More On The Need To Get The Basics Right: Population Indices, Richard M. Engeman Jul 2003

More On The Need To Get The Basics Right: Population Indices, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

On the grounds of "the need to get the basics right in wildlife field studies," Anderson (2001:1294-1297) recently included a general condemnation of the use of population indices. My purpose in this brief note is to add a few paragraphs of my thoughts to the comments by Anderson (2001) with respect to indexing animal populations. In general, I agree with the quantitative concepts described by Anderson (2001); however, I would like to place his comments into a broader perspective of general statistical rigor, without condemning the use of population indices if they are appropriately constructed.

Go to article

Red Lasers Are Ineffective For Dispersing Deer At Night, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Michael J. Pipas, Paul B. Fioranelli, Scott J. Werner, Bradley F. Blackwell Jul 2003

Red Lasers Are Ineffective For Dispersing Deer At Night, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Michael J. Pipas, Paul B. Fioranelli, Scott J. Werner, Bradley F. Blackwell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and the number of deer-human conflicts have increased in recent years, emphasizing the need for efficient and inexpensive methods to reduce site-specific deer damage. Recent research using laser technology to disperse a variety of bird species has yielded promising results, prompting wildlife professionals and the public to question whether lasers could play a role in reducing damage and conflict with mammals, primarily deer. We evaluated 2 red lasers (63-650 nm) to determine their effectiveness as devices to frighten deer. No differences occurred in flight response between lasers or between the control and …

Go to article

Lethal Control Of Red-Winged Blackbirds To Manage Damage To Sunflower: An Economic Evaluation, Bradley F. Blackwell, Eric Huszar, George M. Linz, Richard A. Dolbeer Jul 2003

Lethal Control Of Red-Winged Blackbirds To Manage Damage To Sunflower: An Economic Evaluation, Bradley F. Blackwell, Eric Huszar, George M. Linz, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the northern Great Plains of the United States, conflicts between red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) growers have intensified since the late 1960s due to the expanded commercial production of sunflowers. We studied the potential population effects of the removal of up to 2 million red-winged blackbirds annually under a 5-year program of baiting during spring with DRC-1339 (3-choloro-4-methalalanine)-treated rice. We also examined whether lethal control, in combination with current levels of breeding-habitat management, would be cost-effective in decreasing depredation of sunflower crops during late summer. We evaluated the cost-benefit ratio for 4 …

Go to article

Is It A Pocket Gopher Or Mole?, Wendy M. Arjo Jul 2003

Is It A Pocket Gopher Or Mole?, Wendy M. Arjo

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Depending on where you are, the term “gopher” is applied to a variety of mammal species including ground squirrels, prairie dogs and moles. The true pocket gopher is actually very distinguishable once you recognize their appearance and sign, or indicators of the animal. Pocket gophers are burrowing rodents named for their external fur-lined cheek pouches. Unlike mole mounds, which have been characterized as miniature volcanoes, gopher mounds are fan-shaped in appearance. Pocket gophers are distributed throughout the Pacific Northwest, but occur more frequently in the drier climates of eastern Washington and Oregon.

Go to article

The Role Of Toxicants In Forest Management, Wendy M. Arjo Jul 2003

The Role Of Toxicants In Forest Management, Wendy M. Arjo

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Although the emphasis of the Olympia Field Station is on the development of non-lethal methods to control pest species, sometimes lethal methods are necessary. Toxicants can be an effective means of quickly reducing high populations of some problem animals or maintaining acceptable population densities. Depending on their mode of action, toxicants are classified into three categories: fumigants, acute toxicants and chronic toxicants.

Go to article

Direct Analysis Of Plasticizers In Aqueous Samples By Atomspheric Pressure Chemical Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (Apci-Ms-Ms, Bruce A. Kimball, Thomas M. Primus, John J. Johnston Jul 2003

Direct Analysis Of Plasticizers In Aqueous Samples By Atomspheric Pressure Chemical Ionization-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (Apci-Ms-Ms, Bruce A. Kimball, Thomas M. Primus, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The widespread manufacture of plastics requires the similarly ubiquitous use of plasticizers. Plasticizers such as bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DOA) and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DOP) enhance polymer strength and flexibility and are found in polymeric products such as cosmetics, detergents, and building and storage products (1). However, these additives are not bound to the polymer matrix and are subject to leaching. A recent Health Canada report warned that DOP may leach from medical devices and cause harm to infants, young boys, pregnant women, and nursing mothers (2). The United States Environmental Protection Agency (US. EPA) estimates that over 450,000 pounds of DOA were …

Go to article

Population Monitoring In Support Of A Rabies Vaccination Program For Skunks In Arizona, Richard M. Engeman, Kevin L. Christensen, Michael J. Pipas, David L. Bergman Jul 2003

Population Monitoring In Support Of A Rabies Vaccination Program For Skunks In Arizona, Richard M. Engeman, Kevin L. Christensen, Michael J. Pipas, David L. Bergman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Three population monitoring methods were evaluated in support of a trap/vaccinate/release program for controlling a bat variant of rabies virus in skunks (Mephitis mephitis) in Flagstaff, Arizona (USA). Skunks were the primary species targeted for population monitoring during the program, but feral cats were also monitored as they represented an abundant secondary vector species capable of rabies transmission. Skunks were vaccinated and released, except for a subset tested for rabies. All captured cats were placed in the local animal shelter. Spotlight surveys essentially did not detect skunks, and were not able to detect reductions in the cat population. …

Go to article

First Prev Next Last