Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Refuge Update – November/December 2004, Volume 1, Number 5

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

In the Eye of the Storm, page 3 Bon Secour Refuge biologist details a storm’s aftermath.

Looking Beyond the Ecology to the Human History, page 5 Archaeology students survey Fish Springs Refuge.

Focus on . . . Water and Its Impact on Refuges, pages 8-19 Water is essential for all ecological processes. Nowhere is that more evident than on national wildlife refuges.

Sharing an Appreciation for Nature, page 6 Those who are visually disabled can appreciate any refuge.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 20, Number 3 (October 2004), Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

The Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study (SCWDS) is conducting surveillance for exotic ticks on wildlife in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico in cooperation with USDA-APHIS-Veterinary Services.
West Nile Virus in a South Carolina Deer
Persistence and Fate of Bird Carcasses: The findings from this study will provide information useful in interpretation of dead bird surveillance data and the potential for oral exposure to WNV among both avian and mammalian scavengers. These investigations constitute the M.S. project for Marsha Ward, a Warnell School of Forest Resources student affiliated with SCWDS.
Recent Cases of Hantavirus in West Virginia & Map …

Abstracts Of Papers From 6th Annual Meeting, Baltimore 2004

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 6th (2004)

Abstracts of 39 papers and 19 poster presentations.

Technical Program For 6th Annual Bird Strike Committee Meeting, Baltimore 2004

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 6th (2004)

The Technical Program has 36 oral presentations and 20 Poster Presentations.

Exhibitors List For 6th Annual Bird Strike Committee Meeting, Baltimore 2004

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 6th (2004)

21 exhibitors, with product and contact information.

Refuge Update – September/October 2004, Volume 1, Number 5

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Prairie Science Class Celebrates Anniversary, page 16 Program integrates environmental education into routine public school curriculum.

Focus on Hunting, page 8-15 While the National Wildlife Refuge System has been shaped by a variety of public concerns, hunters were among the early, substantive voices.

Texas Brochures Turned Some Heads, page 17 South Texas Refuge series of brochures are notable for their beauty and more.

Forty Years for the Wilderness Act, Page 18 National Wilderness Preservation System protects more than 105.7 million acres, including more than 20 million acres on 65 refuges.

Certalert

Other Bird Strike and Aviation Materials

This Certalert clarifies the roles of, and relationship between the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the United States Department of Agriculture/Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service/Wildlife Services (WS) with regards to wildlife hazards on or near airports.

Advisory Circular: Hazardous Wildlife Attractants On Or Near Airports, David L. Bennett

Other Bird Strike and Aviation Materials

This Advisory Circular (AC) provides guidance on certain land uses that have the potential to attract hazardous wildlife on or near public-use airports. It also discusses airport development projects (including airport construction, expansion, and renovation) affecting aircraft movement near hazardous wildlife attractants. Appendix 1 provides definitions of terms used in this AC.

Livestock Depredation By Wolves, Michael Francis

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

The state of Colorado expects recovering and dispersing wolf (Canis lupus and C. l. baileyi) populations to reach the state in the near future. Likewise, the western Distinct Population Segment of recovering gray wolves may be delisted soon. In preparation for this eventuality, the Colorado Division of Wildlife (CDOW) has initiated the development of a state wolf management plan in an effort to deal with the many controversial issues surrounding this topic, which includes the possible depredation upon livestock and other domestic animals by wolves. This paper deals specifically with cowcalf and sheep depredation and examines the actual …

Refuge Update – July/August 2004, Volume 1, Number 4

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:
Historic Voyage through Hawaiian Islands, page 8
Focus on Fire Management, page 10-17
A Circle of Trees, page 19
First Friends in Montana, page 22

Scwds Briefs: Volume 20, Number 2 (July 2004), Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

National Veterinary Services Laboratories in Ames, Iowa, confirmed vesicular stomatitis (VS) in horses at one premises in Texas. As of July 21, 2004, infected animals were identified on a total of 45 premises in Colorado (11), New Mexico (21), and Texas (13). These are the first reports of VS in livestock in the United States since the 1998 epizootic.
SCWDS VS Studies
Chronic Wasting Disease Developments: nearly 118,000 wild white-tailed deer, mule deer, and elk were tested in the United States from October 2002 to September 2003, with 592 animals testing positive for the CWD prion. More than $38,000,000 was …

Refuge Update – May/June 2004, Volume 1, Number 3

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:
Recreation Fees Change the Face of Refuges, page 4
Focus on Cultural Resources, page 8
“Ambassadorship” is Thriving in Texas, page 15
BayScaping: Conserving Views and Habitats, page 16

Restoration And Management Of Gray Wolves In Central Idaho - Progress Report 2003, Curt Mack, Jim Holyan

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is restoring endangered gray wolves to the northern Rocky Mountains including ongoing efforts in 3 restoration areas: Northwest Montana, the Greater Yellowstone Area, and Central Idaho. Gray wolves naturally recolonized northwest Montana and were down-listed to threatened status under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 2003. Nonessential experimental population areas were established for the Greater Yellowstone and Central Idaho Areas where wolves were actively reintroduced under the ESA. This special designation allows for management flexibility to address public concerns such as wolf-livestock conflicts.

In 2003 the USFWS reclassified gray wolves across the lower …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 20, Number 1 (April 2004)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• First Culture of the STARI Agent for Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensulato, the most common tick-borne disease of humans worldwide and the most frequently reported vector-borne disease in the United States.
• Unusual wild elk mortality that began in late January to early February 2004 in the Red Rim area southwest of Rawlings, Wyoming, has been preliminarily diagnosed as lichen (Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa) toxicosis.
• During 2003, hemorrhagic disease (HD) was documented in seven states through virus isolation at SCWDS. Most of our isolations were associated with an outbreak in western Idaho and adjoining eastern Washington. Both epizootic …

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2004 Annual Report

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) population in the Northern Rocky Mountain (NRM) states (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) continued to increase in distribution and numbers (Figure 1, Tables 4a, 4b). Estimates of wolf numbers at the end of 2004 were 452 wolves in the Central Idaho Recovery Area (CID), 324 in the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Area (GYA), and 59 in the Northwest Montana Recovery Area (NWMT) for a total of 835 wolves (Figure 1, Table 4a). By state boundaries, there were an estimated 422 wolves in the state of Idaho, 260 in Wyoming and 153 in Montana (Table 4b). …

Coyote Attacks: An Increasing Suburban Problem, Robert M. Timm, Rex O. Baker, Joe R. Bennett, Craig C. Coolahan

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 21st (2004)

Coyote attacks on humans and pets have increased within the past 5 years in California. We discuss documented occurrences of coyote aggression and attacks on people, using data from USDA Wildlife Services, the California Department of Fish & Game, and other sources. Forty-eight such attacks on children and adults were verified from 1998 through 2003, compared to 41 attacks during the period 1988 through 1997; most incidents occurred in Southern California near the suburban-wildland interface. Attack incidents are typically preceded by a sequence of increasingly bold coyote behaviors, including: nighttime coyote attacks on pets; sightings of coyotes in neighborhoods at …

Refuge Update – March/April 2004, Volume 1, Number 2

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:
An Encyclopedia for the Refuge, page 4
Awarded for Excellence, page 5
MBNA Donates for Refuge System Projects, page 16
The Thoughts of a Detailee, page 19

Ogallala Aquifer, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Ogallala Aquifer, or High Plains Aquifer, is a porous body of complex sediments and sedimentary rock formations that conducts groundwater and yields significant quantities of water to wells and springs. The principal sediments and rocks of the aquifer range in age from 33 million years old to sediments being deposited today, but the majority is less than 12 million-years old. Much of the aquifer is composed of the Ogallala Group or Formation. The dominant sediments in the Ogallala and the other hydrogeologic units in the aquifer are riverand wind-deposited sands. The aquifer underlies about 174,000 square miles of the …

National Water Quality Inventory: Report To Congress 2004 Reporting Cycle

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Table of Contents

Section Page

List of Figures.............................................................................................................................iv List of Tables...............................................................................................................................iv List of Acronyms..........................................................................................................................v Executive Summary..........................................................................................................................1

I. Background...................................................................................................................5

About the Water Quality Assessment and TMDL Information Database (ATTAINS)..........................................................................................................................5

Assessing Water Quality................................................................................................................................7

II. Findings.......................................................................................................................13 Rivers and Streams...........................................................................................................................13 Lakes, Ponds, and Reservoirs.......................................................................................................................16

Bays and Estuaries.........................................................................................................................20 Other Waters..............................................................................................................................23 Coastal Resources.......................................................................................................................23

Great Lakes.....................................................................................................................24 Wetlands..........................................................................................................................24

III. Probability Surveys of Water Quality.......................................................................26

National Coastal Assessment....................................................................................26

The Wadeable Streams Assessment.......................................................................27

Survey of the Nation’s Lakes.......................................................................................29

National Rivers and Streams Assessment.............................................................30

National Wetland Condition Assessment...............................................................30

State-Scale Statistical Surveys..................................................................................31

South Carolina..............................................................................................................32 Indiana............................................................................................................................33 Florida.............................................................................................................................34 IV. Future Reporting......................................................................................................36

V. References………………………………………………………………………….37

Refuge Update – January/February 2004, Volume 1, Number 1

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Refuge Summit Vol 1, No 1 Will Continue Promises Vision
The Refuge Road to Freedom
Our Focus is on Our Friends
Division of Realty Honors Three

Scwds Briefs: Volume 19, Number 4 (January 2004)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) virus (H5N1) recently has been reported among domestic poultry in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. This virus also has been responsible for 23 confirmed human cases, including 18 deaths.
• U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ann Veneman announced a “presumptive positive” case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in a dairy cow from the state of Washington.—Report on completed investigation.
• Proposed Rule in the Federal Register regarding a chronic wasting disease (CWD) herd certification program and interstate shipping requirements for captive deer and elk.
• Another BIG Year for …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 19, Number 3 (October 2003)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• Johne's Disease and Southeastern White-tailed Deer: Paratuberculosis or Johne's disease, caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (Mptb), occurs worldwide and is recognized as a significant health problem for domestic ruminants, wild ruminants in zoological collections, and farmed cervids. SCWDS recently completed a culture and serologic survey for Mptb infection among white-tailed deer populations in the southeastern United States.
• SCWDS has been involved in exotic tick research and surveillance throughout the United States and the Caribbean region for over 25 years, and surveillance efforts now are being expanded in the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico. One …

The National Wildlife Strike Database For The Usa: 1990 To 2002 And Beyond, Sandra E. Wright, Richard A. Dolbeer

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 5th (2003)

The National Wildlife Strike Database for Civil Aviation in the USA became operational in 1995 with the initiation of data entry of all strikes beginning in 1990. Since 1995, approximately 46,600 reported strikes from 1990-2002 involving civil aircraft in the USA or for USA carriers in foreign countries have been entered into the database. About 97% of the reported strikes have involved birds and 3% have been with mammals or reptiles. Over 2,000 reported strikes have indicated substantial damage to the aircraft. The database has proven to be an extremely useful source of objective information on the extent and nature …

Through A Bird’S Eye – Exploring Avian Sensory Perception, Robert C. Beason

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 5th (2003)

For too many birds their environment includes airfields and aircraft. Knowing avian sensory abilities, researchers can design experiments and develop new devices and techniques to deter birds from aircraft on and away from airfields. How birds perceive the world about them determines many choices, including foraging, predator avoidance, and flight. Most experiments to investigate the sensory abilities of birds have been developed and analyzed using only human sensory capabilities, which often differ markedly from those of birds. My objective is to review and synthesize what is known and what is unknown about avian sensory capabilities. Compared with humans, birds can …

Risk-Based Modeling To Develop Zoning Criteria For Land-Use Near Canadian Airports, Rolph A. Davis, Terry Kelly, Richard Sowden, Bruce Mackinnon

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 5th (2003)

Land development in the vicinity of airports often leads to land-use that can attract birds that are hazardous to aviation operations. For this reason, certain forms of land-use have traditionally been discouraged within prescribed distances of Canadian airports. However, this often leads to an unrealistic prohibition of land-use in the vicinity of airports located in urban settings. Furthermore, it is often unclear that the desired safety goals have been achieved. This paper describes a model that was created to assist in the development of zoning regulations for a future airport site in Canada. The framework links land-use to bird-related safety-risks …

Towards Multi-Stakeholder Cooperation In Wildlife Management, Brian E. Henshaw

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 5th (2003)

Wildlife management at airports presents a myriad of challenges. Familiar to many in the field, is the outwitting of wily coyotes, the outsmarting of persistent birds and the outflanking of troublesome deer. Deterrents to barriers, dogs to pyrotechnics, habitat management to habitat removal, an array of increasingly effective measures can be used as part of integrated wildlife management programs to meet the challenge of increasing suburban wildlife populations and their interactions with air traffic. On or off the airfield, the objectives of all stakeholders will not be consistent with best management practices for wildlife management. This is increasingly likely outside …

Are Birds Scared By Rotating Mirrors?, Thomas W. Seamans, Scott C. Barras, Zachary J. Patton

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 5th (2003)

Blackbirds (Icteridae) create human health and safety concerns when roosting in large numbers near airports or other urban areas. Therefore, there is considerable demand for effective nonlethal techniques to deter these birds. We tested the effectiveness of rotating mirrors (Peaceful Pyramid®) to keep blackbirds away from decoy traps. Mirrors were in place on traps for 5 consecutive days with control traps having similar a device in place but without mirrors. The total number of birds captured in traps with clear mirrors and control traps did not (P = 0.62) differ. When red mirrors were used, the total number of birds …

Fear And Loathing: The Modulatory Effect Of Stress On Memory Formation And Its Wildlife Management Implications, Arla G. Hile

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 5th (2003)

An ongoing challenge for wildlife managers is that target species habituate to or forget about hazing, even though the animals must be somewhat stressed by the hazing. Although stress and efficient memory formation/retrieval are considered to be incompatible, research suggests that the effect of stress on memory is complex. Mild and intense stress can impair memory formation and chronic stress can disrupt memory retrieval. Intermediate stress, however, actually enhances the formation of new memories, particularly long-term memories. Unfortunately, these conclusions are based data from only a very few domesticated species under highly controlled conditions. In nature the variation in baseline …

Risk Analysis Of High-Speed Aircraft Departures Below 10,000 Feet, Bruce Mackinnon, Richard Sowden (Capt.), Terry Kelly

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 5th (2003)

This paper abridges a Canadian study that examined bird-related safety risks to aircraft climbing to 10,000 feet MSL (mean sea level) at speeds in excess of 250 kias (knots indicated airspeed). The study employed a risk-based framework to examine ornithological information, bird strike data, aircraft-certification standards, aircraft climb performance and aircraft flight profiles. Foremost among its findings, the study determined that populations of high-risk bird species are increasing, that many of these species flock at the altitudes in question, and that aircraft exposure to risk will increase in part because of projected increases in aircraft movements. Examining the appropriateness of …

An Automated Acoustic System To Monitor And Classify Birds, C. Kwan, K. Ho, G. Mei, Y. Li, Z. Ren, R. Xu, G. Zhao, M. Stevenson, V. Stanford, C. Rochet

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 5th (2003)

Collisions between aircraft and birds have become an increasing concern for human health and safety. More than four hundred people and over four hundred aircraft have been lost globally in recent years, according to a FAA report. To minimize the number of birdstikes, microphone arrays have been used to monitor birds near the airport or some critical locations in the airspace. However, the range of existing arrays is only limited to a few hundred meters. Moreover, the identification performance in low signal-to-noise environment is not satisfactory. Under the support of the US Air Force, Intelligent Automation, Incorporated (IAI) and the …