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Full-Text Articles in Environmental Health and Protection

The Role Of Knowledge In Developing People Skills, Ben C. West Jan 2007

The Role Of Knowledge In Developing People Skills, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As I noted in the last issue of Human–Wildlife Conflicts, wildlife professionals have historically been lambasted for poorly-developed people skills (West 2007). Moreover, I suggested that full development of any skill relies on knowledge, practice, and feedback. To become a top-notch golfer, for example, one must intellectually understand many things, including rules of the game, layout of golf courses, biomechanics of swinging a golf club, situational advantages and disadvantages or different sized clubs, and many other things. However, to have that knowledge is not enough to be a great golfer; one must also apply that knowledge to the game …


Birth Control Is Not For Everyone (Or Everything), Elizabeth Bingham Jan 2007

Birth Control Is Not For Everyone (Or Everything), Elizabeth Bingham

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Conservationists and wildlife managers often look for the silver bullet in dealing with human–wildlife conflicts. While most in this profession would agree there is no silver bullet, a great amount of financial and scientific emphasis has been placed on the technology of contraceptives for wildlife to appease the victims of damage caused by wildlife and the public at large. With increasing frequency, general public opinion of what should be done to solve wildlife damage oft en weighs heavier than the feelings and perspective of the actual victim. Agriculturists oft en find themselves at odds with general public opinion because agriculturists …


Why This Journal Was Created, Johan T. Du Toit Jan 2007

Why This Journal Was Created, Johan T. Du Toit

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The publication of this second issue of Human–Wildlife Conflicts is something of a triumph, not only because it reflects the continued support of the journal by contributing authors, but also because it confirms the journal’s ability to survive through lean times. The Jack H. Berryman Institute is dependent on Congressionally directed federal funding passed through USDA/ APHIS/Wildlife Services, but that was disrupted by the power shift that occurred in the U.S. Congress in January. The resolution of Congress to withhold approval of most spending bills until presentation of the fiscal 2008 budget later this year meant that the Berryman Institute’s …


Ecology And Management Of Feral Hogs, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Ben C. West Jan 2007

Ecology And Management Of Feral Hogs, Stephen S. Ditchkoff, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) have been present in North America since the arrival of the earliest settlers in the sixteenth century. Colonists originally released hogs because of the animals’ ability to survive on their own and to serve as a ready food supply for settlers. Since that time, hogs have expanded their range and now are present in 40 of the 50 United States and parts of Canada. Their rapid expansion is similar to that of other introduced species, and, as a result, they are generally classified as an invasive exotics, along with hundreds of other plant and …


A Landscape-Level Survey Of Feral Hog Impacts To Natural Resources Of The Big Thicket National Preserve, Pedro M. Chavarria, Roel R. Lopez, Gillian Bowser, Nova J. Silvy Jan 2007

A Landscape-Level Survey Of Feral Hog Impacts To Natural Resources Of The Big Thicket National Preserve, Pedro M. Chavarria, Roel R. Lopez, Gillian Bowser, Nova J. Silvy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We conducted a survey of the impact of feral hog (Sus scrofa) on the natural resources of the Big Thicket National Preserve (BTNP), a unit of the National Park Service. We worked in 3 management units: Lance Rosier, Big Sandy, and Turkey Creek. Random stratified sampling was conducted to assess impacts from hog damage on resources by vegetation type at a landscape scale. Landscape features such as topography, soil moisture, soil type, and dominant vegetative cover types were used to predict hog damage. The overall damage to vegetation from hog rooting or wallowing averaged 28% within the 3 …


Hogs Gone Wild, William H. Clay Jan 2007

Hogs Gone Wild, William H. Clay

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife damage management professionals deal with very few animals that pose as many conflicts or threats as those caused by feral hogs. Whether it’s crop damage, livestock predation, environmental degradation, or disease transmission, feral hogs play a substantial role. Earlier this year, headlines in major newspapers and other media outlets highlighted the latest incidence of an E. coli outbreak in California; more than 200 people across the United States became sick, and 3 people died as a result of eating fresh spinach contaminated with this bacteria. The source of the outbreak was traced back to feral hogs in California.


Effi Cacy Of Cpth-Treated Egg Baits For Removing Ravens, Peter S. Coates, Jack O. Spencer, Jr., David J. Delehanty Jan 2007

Effi Cacy Of Cpth-Treated Egg Baits For Removing Ravens, Peter S. Coates, Jack O. Spencer, Jr., David J. Delehanty

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Human-altered landscapes have provided resource subsidies for common ravens (Corvus corax) resulting in a substantial increase in raven abundance and distribution throughout the United States and Canada in the past 25 years. Ravens are effective predators of eggs and young of ground-nesting birds. During 2002–2005, we tested whether chicken egg baits treated with CPTH (3-chloro-p-toluidine hydrochloride) could be used to manage raven numbers in an area where raven depredation was impacting sharp-tailed grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) and greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) populations in Nevada. We performed multiple raven surveys at a treatment site and …


A Tribute To Frederick F. Knowlton, William H. Clay Jan 2007

A Tribute To Frederick F. Knowlton, William H. Clay

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Dr. Fredrick F. Knowlton officially retired on March 31, 2007, with well over 45 years of service to the USDA/Wildlife Services. Fred worked at Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Research Center Field Station in Logan, Utah, for 35 years alone! His work on coyotes and other species has had an extraordinary impact on the science and management of coyotes. Things that we take for granted today about the life history of coyotes were the result of Fred’s tireless ambition to understand these animals and to improve our ability to manage them. One of our agency’s first Ph.D. hires, Fred produced about …


Hazing Of Canada Geese Is Unlikely To Reduce Nuisance Populations In Urban And Suburban Communities, Robin A. Holevinski, Paul D. Curtis, Richard A. Malecki Jan 2007

Hazing Of Canada Geese Is Unlikely To Reduce Nuisance Populations In Urban And Suburban Communities, Robin A. Holevinski, Paul D. Curtis, Richard A. Malecki

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Growing populations of resident Canada geese (Branta canadensis) have caused increased nuisance problems in urban and suburban communities. Hazing, or persistent harassment, is often recommended as a nonlethal management strategy to alleviate these problems. Does hazing simply cause a local redistribution of birds, or can it solve nuisance problems by pushing geese to rural areas where hunting mortality could reduce the population? To answer this question, we marked 368 adult and 400 juvenile geese with leg bands in 1 urban and 1 suburban community in western New York State during June 2002 and 2003. This sample included 30 …


In The News, Fall 2007, Joe N. Caudell Jan 2007

In The News, Fall 2007, Joe N. Caudell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Tribune-Democrat of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, reported several disturbing trends about the state’s 2006 feral hog hunt. Initially, it was thought that feral hogs existed only in small, isolated pockets within the state, consisting of <30 individuals per pocket. But, during the fall 2006 hunting season, at least 200 hogs were taken from 2 counties. USDA/ APHIS Wildlife Services has been studying the feral hog population and believes that there are at least 3,000 hogs in the state, and it has found evidence that the hogs are breeding in several counties. Wildlife biologists theorize that additional hunting pressure put on the hogs by large hunting parties is causing the hogs to disperse over a larger area than when they are pursued by individual hunters.


Berryman Institute Addresses Feral Hog Problems, Bruce D. Leopold Jan 2007

Berryman Institute Addresses Feral Hog Problems, Bruce D. Leopold

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Congratulations to Dr. Conover for such a great inaugural issue of our journal!! I have received nothing but very positive accolades about the quality of our first issue. Mike and our managing editor, Phil Parisi, have done a fantastic job!!! This second issue is equally as radical as the first. This issue deals with a subject that is growing in importance throughout the southeastern United States: feral hogs. Being in Mississippi, I am all too familiar with the importance (and negative impact) of this invasive species. Berryman East has consistently funded numerous research projects on this subject. We also have …


Book Review: The Beast In The Garden: A Modern Parable Of Man And Nature, Nicole Mccoy Jan 2007

Book Review: The Beast In The Garden: A Modern Parable Of Man And Nature, Nicole Mccoy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

When I first read The Beast in the Garden shortly aft er the release of the hardback edition in 2004, I was reminded of the exchange quoted above in the movie, “The Matrix.” Neo (Mr. Anderson) survived. Scott Lancaster, a teenage athlete running in the hills outside of his Colorado high school, died. He probably never heard the mountain lion that stalked and killed him, but after reading David Baron’s book, I believe we should have. Had our ears been attuned to the proper frequency, the mountain lion’s approach would have been as loud as the subway train that spelled …


Appreciating Feral Hogs: Extension Education For Diverse Stakeholders In Texas, Dale Rollins, Billy J. Higginbotham, Kenneth A. Cearly, R. Neal Wilkins Jan 2007

Appreciating Feral Hogs: Extension Education For Diverse Stakeholders In Texas, Dale Rollins, Billy J. Higginbotham, Kenneth A. Cearly, R. Neal Wilkins

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Texas harbors the largest population of feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in the United States, with populations estimated at >2 million. Depending on one’s perspective, feral hogs are either a pariah (from the farmer’s standpoint) or a popular sporting animal (from a hunter’s standpoint). As feral hogs increase in range and density, conflicts among stakeholders are sure to increase. Texas Cooperative Extension (TCE) initiated educational programs in 1991 to address concerns regarding the presence and management of feral hogs. Since that time, we have developed various workshops, symposia, and educational materials (e.g., print, videotape, and website) as means of …


Book Review: Living With Coyotes: Managing Predators Humanely Using Food Aversion Conditioning, John A. Shivik Jan 2007

Book Review: Living With Coyotes: Managing Predators Humanely Using Food Aversion Conditioning, John A. Shivik

Human–Wildlife Interactions

I was initially worried after receiving a phone call from a predator advocate who told me that I must see the new book that explained how conditioned food avoidance (CFA) could be used to solve the problem of coyote predation. “New?” I thought, recalling the acrimonious debates over CFA in the journal Appetite and elsewhere in the 1980s. On reading the book, however, I was pleasantly surprised to find that Living with coyotes by Stuart Ellins is not an extension of the ongoing diatribes that started so long ago. Instead, the book acknowledges that many of the previous heated debates …


Land-Use Pattern, Urbanization, And Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Alabama, Anwar Hussain, James B. Armstrong, David B. Brown, John Hogland Jan 2007

Land-Use Pattern, Urbanization, And Deer–Vehicle Collisions In Alabama, Anwar Hussain, James B. Armstrong, David B. Brown, John Hogland

Human–Wildlife Interactions

With the rise in deer–vehicle collisions across the United States, the associated costs also have risen. Increasingly, however, researchers are learning that these collisions are not a random phenomena but follow a systematic pattern. Building on this insight, we explored the role of county characteristics in influencing the pattern and incidence of white-tailed deer- (Odocoileus virginianus) related auto collisions. Using county level data from 1994 to 2003 in Alabama, we tested several data models with the above mentioned factors …


Developing People Skills In The Human–Wildlife Conflict Community, Ben C. West Jan 2007

Developing People Skills In The Human–Wildlife Conflict Community, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As I travel across the country talking with wildlife professionals about leadership and communication, I often ask groups this question: “How many of you decided to become a wildlife biologist because you just love working with people?” Believe it or not, I’ve never witnessed the raising of a single hand.