Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

A Web-Based Outreach Tool For Aquatic Vegetation Management, Michael P. Masser

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

Most private impoundments have multiple uses for either livestock watering, irrigation, aquaculture, and/or recreation. Infestations of aquatic vegetation can have negative impacts on these multiple uses by 1) hindering feeding and harvesting operations, 2) reducing recreational access, 3) clogging irrigation systems, 4) increasing evaporation rates by as much as 30%, 5) increasing eutrophication rates by 2- to 3-fold, 6) negatively impacting water quality for fish and wildlife species, 7) shifting the balance of the fish population (e.g., stunting), and 8) increasing breeding areas for mosquitoes and other insect pests. Many of the most noxious aquatic plants are non-indigenous invasives. Aquatic …

An Internet Survey Of Private Pond Owners And Managers In Texas, Michael P. Masser, April E. Schonrock

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

The primary emphasis of this survey was to determine what specific problems Texas private impoundment owners/managers confront, how widely these problems occur, and where owners/managers get their information on pond management. A secondary emphasis was to examine the potential utilization of the Internet to gather information and distributed outreach materials. A random sample of 2,999 private impoundment (i.e., no public waters) applicants for Triploid Grass Carp Permits from Texas Parks and Wildlife was utilized as the survey mailing list. A 49-question survey was developed and placed on a secure web site. Each questionnaire contained five sections: general pond characteristics, physical …

Sage-Grouse Restoration Project: Evaluating The Effects Of The Farm Bill Conservation Practices On Sage-Grouse, Terry A. Messmer

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

The Office of Management and Budget is demanding increased accountability of funds used to implement conservation practices and strategies. Although current Farm Bill policy provides priority funding for projects that are designed to enhance species conservation, it does not allocate funds to conduct the evaluations needed to document the effect of conservation practices on wildlife. The Sage-Grouse Restoration Project (SGRP) is a cooperative agreement with the Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS), designed specifically to facilitate evaluations to determine the effect of conservation practices and technologies implemented under the 2002 Farm Bill on restoring or enhancing sage-grouse habitat on private lands. …

The “We Know, We Believe, And We Feel” Approach To Implementing Projects Under The Farm Bill To Benefit Sage-Grouse, Terry A. Messmer

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

Sage-grouse occupy less than 8% of their historic range. To address these declines, the western states and provinces have implemented sage-grouse management plans. These plans identified the need for local working groups (LWGs) to develop and implement conservation plans to address high priority issues. To facilitate LWGs in Utah, the Division of Wildlife Resources entered into a cooperative agreement with Utah State University Extension in 2001 to develop a Utah Community-Based Conservation (CBCP) program. Because sage-grouse occupy diverse landscapes each exhibiting different land ownership patterns, each of the sage-grouse management areas are somewhat unique. Thus, we believe the success of …

Saving The World One Native Plant At A Time, Christopher E. Moorman, Christopher S. Deperno

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

Wildlife habitat is lost as the human population and land clearing for development increase in the South. Remaining habitats are fragmented and contain high numbers of invasive, exotic plants. Suburban, manicured landscapes often lack the plant diversity and complex vegetation structure important to wildlife. Generally, developers and homeowners replant cleared grounds with exotic plants that don’t provide quality wildlife habitat. Instead, individual home or property owners can mitigate wildlife habitat loss in urban areas by landscaping with native plants following proper design principles. Furthermore, many people taking action over a large area (e.g., across a neighborhood) will help connect small …

Best Management Practices For Aquatic Vegetation Management In Lakes, Joseph E. Morris, Richard D. Clayton

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

Aquatic plants are an important component of well functioning lake ecosystems. Plant abundance is influenced by sediments, nutrients and water clarity. Given the dominance of agriculture in Iowa, nutrients and soil lost from “leaky” watersheds combine to create ideal habitat for growth of aquatic plants in lakes and ponds and hasten eutrophication. Under these conditions, plant growth can become a nuisance and reduce recreation, especially shoreline angling and boating. These nuisance growths present special problems to lake managers and those interested in lake-based recreation. Given the complexity of the aquatic vegetation often found in lakes, there is no one long-term …

The Above-Ground Movement And Dispersal Of The Plains Pocket Gopher (Geomys Bursarius), Craig Panich

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

The Plains pocket gopher has the largest range of its genus, and it is the gopher that inhabits much of Wisconsin. Gophers are fossorial herbivores that have a dramatic impact on natural and agricultural ecosystems. Throughout the summer of 2005, I completed a population analysis of the plains pocket gopher in a variety of habitats in Buffalo and Trempealeau Counties, Wisconsin, that provided valuable insight into the complex population dynamics of the gopher and served as a foundation to this project. Pocket gophers are known to be strictly subterranean; however, it is not uncommon to find their remains inside the …

The Center For Human-Wildlife Conflict Resolution At Virginia Tech: A Model Of Future Use, James A. Parkhurst

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

The Center for Human-Wildlife Conflict Resolution, located at Virginia Tech, was created in mid-2004 to bring together representatives of state and federal agencies, private sector practitioners, non-governmental organizations, researchers, educators, and other stakeholders common to most human-wildlife conflicts as a means to facilitate and expedite the process of attaining realistic and publicly acceptable solutions to human-wildlife conflicts. The Center has four critical missions: coordination, information transfer, research, and training. Participating partners (i.e., members) in the Center adopted upon an Advisory Board organizational model and operate under a “majority rule” protocol. Increased awareness and understanding of the missions, regulatory mandates, and …

Breaking Through The Food Plot Mentality, Christopher E. Moorman, Craig A. Harper, Christopher Deperno

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

Landowners and other wildlife enthusiasts often desire instant gratification when attempting to attract wildlife to their properties. Advertisements distributed by television programs, outdoor publications, and conservation organizations have played a large part in creating the desire for a quick and easy fix. Landowners are erroneously led to believe food plots or plantings of nonnative shrubs and trees will raise the carrying capacity for target wildlife species, even though the typical privately-held property contains overstocked, high-graded timber, intensively maintained croplands, mowed roadsides and drainage ditches, fire-suppressed woodlands, and pastures vegetated with non-native grasses that provide no cover and poor-quality forage. In …

Approaches For Delivering Integrated Forestry And Wildlife Extension Programs: The Missouri Woodland Steward Short Course And Missouri Master Wildlifer Program, Robert A. Pierce Ii, H. E. Stelzer

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

Extension educational programs related to the stewardship of Missouri’s natural resources have been identified as a priority in the MU College of Agriculture Food and Natural Resource’s “Extension Base Program” (MU CAFNR 2001). Citizens own approximately 94% of the land in the state and therefore manage most of the natural resource base, including forests, agricultural lands, prairies and grasslands, wetlands, streams, and other natural habitats. Abundant natural resources, renewable and nonrenewable alike, provide for agriculture and timber production as well as recreational opportunities, each of which are directly or indirectly responsible for a majority of the economic activity within Missouri. …

Integrating Northern Bobwhite And Grassland Bird Habitat Enhancement Practices On University Of Missouri Agriculture Experiment Stations: An Educational Model That Puts Knowledge Into Action Through Use Of Demonstrations, Tim Reinbott, Robert A. Pierce Ii, Bill White, Brad Jacobs, Nadia Navarrete-Tindall

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

Over the past 50 years, advances in agricultural production negatively influenced habitats for bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) and grassland bird species. Farming systems, once beneficial for bobwhite, greater prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido), Henslow’s sparrow (Ammodramus henslowii), eastern meadowlark (Sturnella magna), and many other wildlife species, provided a diversity of early successional habitats. With increases in farm size, intensive cultivation, chemical weed and insect pest control and more efficient harvest practices, many producers have been able to stay in business, but quality habitats for many species have been reduced.

An Introduction To The Revised Southern Region 4-H Wildlife Projects, Renee Strnad, Chris Moorman

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

During the 1970s, a partnership between the United States Department of Agriculture and the National 4-H Council led to the creation of the Southern Region Wildlife Project materials. Fifty-one publications, based on a variety of fish and wildlife-related subject matter, were created. In 1999, the North Carolina Department of 4-H and Youth Development received a grant from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service to revise the publications. Twenty-four of the original 51 publications were selected for revision by Extension Specialists and other wildlife biologists in several southern states. Content and format for the projects were updated in the revised …

Coyotes Nipping At Our Heels: A New Suburban Dilemma, Robert M. Timm

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

In the 1970s, coyote attacks on humans in urban and suburban environments began to occur, primarily in Southern California. Such attacks have increased in number, and since the late 1980s coyote attacks on people have been reported from at least 16 additional states and 4 Canadian provinces. Attack incidents are typically preceded by a sequence of increasingly bold coyote behaviors, including attacks on pets during daylight hours. In suburban areas, coyotes can habituate to humans as a result of plentiful food resources, including increased numbers of rabbits and rodents, household refuse, pet food, water from ponds and landscape irrigation run-off, …

Managing Kentucky Fee Fishing Operations, Forrest Wynne

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

Management strategies for operating fee fishing operations in Kentucky are described. Recommendations are given for stocking rates of catfish, hybrid bream, and trout; aeration, pond depth and shape, supplemental feeding, and other management considerations. Marketing considerations discussed include pricing, and amenities such as restrooms, fish-cleaning services, and concessions including rental or sale of tackle and supplies.

China Civil Aviation Birdstrike Prevention, Li Jing, Lu Xianfeng

2006 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 8th Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO

This article initially analyses the subject of bird strike of China civil aviation and introduces bird strike incidents in these years on quantity, damage, flight phase and height, season, time and other characters. Measures are subsequently presented which were taken by China civil aviation to reduce the hazard of bird strike and ensure aviation safety. First, regulations and advisory circular were issued to qualify and direct bird strike prevention at airports. Then, systematical research on bird strike prevention was done. Birdstrike Prevention Guidance Manual has been compiled to direct aerodrome, airlines, air traffic control and other agencies to cooperate on …

Analiza Możliwości Ograniczenia Emisji Zanieczyszczeń Powietrza Z Instalacji Spalania Odpadów Medycznych W Tarnowie, Robert Oleniacz

Robert Oleniacz

The paper presents initial research of effects of some factors on the amount of gaseous pollutants formation during medical waste incineration in a two-stage starved air fluidised bed reactor. In the research was included the impact of such factors as oxygen contents in flue gases, frequency of waste loading, momentary mass flow of waste and temperature in the secondary combustion chambers. Measurements showed that the waste incineration in large amount periodically caused excessive emissions incomplete combustion products (CO, HC), especially during wrong operation of the combustion system. The work demonstrated that the essential importance for CO and HC formation reducing …

Usda-Extension Wildlife And Fisheries Educational Programs 1978-2000, James E. Miller

11th Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference (2006)

This paper provides a brief overview of the history of USDA-Extension wildlife and fisheries programs at the national level, with emphasis on the years 1978-2000. Portions of the earlier history of Extension wildlife and fisheries programs at the national level can be found in previous proceedings of these National conferences and in other publications (see Miller 1981). This review of programs conducted or influenced by the National Program Leader (NPL) during the period is a brief snapshot in time regarding the presence of an experienced and motivated professional serving in the NPL wildlife and fisheries position.

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study, Volume 22, October 2006, Number 3

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

The final rule on Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) Herd Certification Program and Interstate Movement of Farmed or Captive Deer, Elk, and Moose was published in the Federal Register by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on July 21, 2006 (SCWDS BRIEFS, Vol. 22, No. 2). SCWDS researchers recently received research support from the U.S. Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for a project entitled “Avian Influenza Viruses in the Environment: What is the Probability of Human Contact and Transmission?” We have had a large number of isolations of bluetongue virus (BTV) and epizootic …

Emisja Zanieczyszczeń Powietrza Z Procesu Grafityzacji Wyrobów Drobnych, Marian Mazur, Robert Oleniacz, Marek Bogacki, Przemysław Szczygłowski

Robert Oleniacz

The paper presents the research results of the air pollutant emissions from the graphitising process of fine carbon products in the Acheson furnace (discharge capacity 5,5 Mg). Research was performed for two kinds of raw material inputs (based on petroleum coke and pitch coke). Approximately 40-hours measurement series were carried out for each material including mainly such substances like carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, sulphur dioxide, hydrogen sulphide, carbon disulphide, ammonia, benzene, toluene, xylenes, total dust, tar substances and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Both average and maximum concentrations and mass streams in the flue gases and average emission factors were presented …

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships - Interagency Volunteer Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Volunteer database increased 9.5% over last quarter. Database now contains 2,698 records.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 42,488 hits per month, with an average of 4,435 pages viewed per month (3.6% decrease in pages viewed).
• Volunteer recognition ceremony scheduled for November 4 at the Renaissance Hotel, Las Vegas.
• Fall 2006 volunteer training schedule finalized.
• National Public Lands Day volunteer projects successfully executed at Red Rock Canyon NCA and Lake Mead NRA, with a total of 232 community volunteers contributing more than 1,000 hours toward clean-up and restoration of Southern Nevada’s public lands.
• Team charter presented to the federal …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Team members have been meeting regularly with other interagency teams to plan for the upcoming messaging campaign roll-out event, set for October 12, 2006.

• The Interagency Anti-Litter Team recycled over a ton of paper this quarter.

• A task order modification request was completed, submitted, and approved this quarter. The request will make more funds available for the messaging campaign.

• A multi-pronged media buy for the messaging campaign has been planned this quarter and will be initiated in October.

• The Anti-Litter Team worked with the Nevada Division of Forestry to complete Phase Two of a clean-up …

Don’T Trash Nevada: An Anti-Litter Strategy For Southern Nevada, Public Lands Institute

Anti-littering Presentations

• Increase public awareness about the desert dumping and urban littering.
• Increase the media’s awareness of the dumping and littering problem.
• Over the life of the campaign, modify behavior to reduce littering and dumping by Clark County residents and visitors.

Community Engagement, Education & Research, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI)

The Public Lands Institute is dedicated to strengthening the national fabric that is essential for the protection, conservation, and management of public lands.

Refuge Update – September/October 2006, Volume 3, Number 5

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Birds On Every Refuge, page 5 New Refuge System Birding Initiative aims to help birders fully appreciate the importance of refuges in the lives of their favorite species.

Focus on . . Farm Bill, pages 10-16 America’s farmers and ranchers play a critical role in sustaining healthy fi sh and wildlife populations, making the Farm Bill an especially important issue.

Where Has All the Cordgrass Gone, page 21 Sudden wetland dieback is the rapid loss of vegetation in salt marshes. So, why does it happen?

Less Than “Purr-Fect” in the Wild, page 26 Feral cars threaten birds …

The Growing Together Guide: A Companion Resource To The New England Environmental Finance Center/Melissa Paly Film, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

What local leader or public official wants to be faced with an SOS the “same old story” of public discord and confrontation over growth and development in one’s community? That situation has become a problem for efforts to promote smart growth. Investments are needed in the walkable, compact, traditional‐streetscape and mixed use neighborhoods and developments that are more sustainable and healthy than sprawl, for both people and the landscape. Yet attempts at such change all too often end up mired in costly public controversy and stalemate.

Proceedings Of 8th Bird Strike Committee Usa/Canada Annual Meeting: 21-24 August 2006

2006 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 8th Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO

Includes abstracts of 26 papers and 12 poster sessions. Complete in one document (39 pages).

The Use Of Radar To Augment Visual Observations In Wildlife Hazard Assesments, Robert C. Beason, Michael J. Begier

2006 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 8th Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO

Assessing wildlife hazards to aviation in the airport environment is typically initiated by conducting a Wildlife Hazard Assessment (WHA). Ecological relationships between wildlife populations and habitat are usually discerned through observations during the course of one annual cycle. Although proximate hazards, on the airport, are well defined during the WHA process, off-airport features also can attract wildlife. Wildlife species can transit airport property traveling to and from habitat attractants. During a WHA, common wildlife sampling techniques are employed to determine species, their approximate numbers, and through association an index of potentially attractive habitat. Continuous observations could provide a more complete …

The Airport Is Not A Wildlife Refuge!, Russell P. Defusco, Robert L. Dogan

2006 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 8th Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO

Airports must eliminate or minimize bird and other wildlife attractants to maintain safe operating conditions. Unfortunately, all too often this is not the case. Outside pressure, political or economic decisions, and lack of awareness of appropriate management practices lead to many airports becoming safe havens for wildlife by accident or incredibly, by design. Airport tenants, airlines, or other users are often at the mercy of the airport operator or owner and believe they have little control over the situation where they operate. Proper habitat management is the basis for any wildlife or bird strike reduction program. Vegetation management is at …

Airport Canopies Become Starling Roosts – Two Airport Case Studies, Sharon Gordon, Randolph J. White

2006 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 8th Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO

For aesthetic purposes and to protect passengers from weather, airports often construct glass canopies over roadways. These structures can provide roosting opportunities for large numbers of European starlings, which can pose a significant strike hazard to aircraft. Both Portland International Airport (Oregon) and Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (Ohio) have recently had to address this problem, using different methods to find an effective solution. Portland installed 200,000 square feet of exclusion netting in its large canopy structure while Cleveland Hopkins used a combination of tree removal and harassment to disperse their starling roost. These two cases demonstrate the importance of considering …

Evaluation Of Bird-Strike Risk In Two Colombian Airports: A Standard Methodology To Rank Species And Propose Management Priorities, Juan David Amaya-Espinel, Sergio Córdoba-Córdoba, Guillermo Rico-Hernández

2006 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada, 8th Annual Meeting, St. Louis, MO

We conducted avian evaluations at two Colombian airports to assess, through a standard methodology, the risk of bird strikes. Evaluations were conducted at “Aeropuerto Perales” (AP), Department of Tolima, 1030 m a.s.l. Tropical Dry Forest and, “Aeropuerto Palonegro” (APN), Department of Santander, 1188 m a.s.l. Humid Pre-mountain Forest. Forty-seven species of 12 different families, 3,998 individuals were encountered at AP through 1284 records. In contrast, 33 species of 16 families, 1,112 individuals in 396 records were found at APN. The Whispering ibis (Phimosus infuscatus) was the most abundant species with more than 50% of all individuals followed by the Black …