Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering October 1 – December 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased 8% over last quarter. The database now contains 6,431 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 56,013 hits per month, an increase of 6% from last quarter, with an average of 5,211 pages viewed per month.
• Volunteer fall training has been completed.
• Three National Public Land Day and National Family Events have been completed.
• Two hundred and five people attended the Volunteer Recognition Event.

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Report, Period Ending December 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1: Technical input has been provided at four advisory team meetings attended this quarter.

Project 2: A formal report titled, Surface Water Monitoring for Indicator Bacteria in High-use Sites of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, has been prepared; an accompanying poster presentation for the Lake Mead Science Symposium is in preparation.

Project 3: A draft document titled, “Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (I-MAP): Quagga Mussels in Lakes Mead and Mohave” has been presented to an interagency core group to review and input. Six oral presentations related to quagga mussels are in preparation by this group for the Lake Mead …

Comparison Of The Fuel Needed To Transport Plastic Recyclables Verses Aluminum Recyclables From Yellowstone National Park, Melissa Dejonge

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Research has provided no definitive answers on whether PET plastic bottles or aluminum cans are a more environmentally sustainable choice as soda containers. This paper researches the fuel used in recycling each of these materials from Yellowstone National Park to processing locations. The data is used to determine which of these alternatives use less fuel in this process. It was found that plastics use more fuel when transported from Yellowstone National Park to the processing center. Aluminum uses less fuel per ton to transport from Yellowstone to the processing center. The conclusions from this research may have implications on which …

Inaugural Conference Of The Mosakowski Institute For Public Enterprise- Program, Jim Gomes

Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise

Program for University Research and the American Agenda: Discovering Knowledge, Enabling Leadership. The Inaugural Conference of the Mosakowski Institute for Public Enterprise.

Refuge Update – November/December 2008, Volume 5, Number 6

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Do-It-Yourself Project Makes Sparks, page 3 The Departments of the Interior and Energy spotlight San Andres Refuge’s innovative (and largely homemade) renewable energy program.

In Oregon, a Refuge Teaches Teachers, page 5 Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge’s ambitious environmental education program acquires a solid reputation.

Focus on . . . International Conservation, pages 6-11 National resource managers around the world look to the Refuge System for on-the-scene advice and training.

Taking Pride, page 16 A former refuge complex project leader in Texas and a super-volunteer in Georgia win 2008 Take Pride in America Awards.

Seasonal Changes In A Eutrophic Lake, Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Richard D. Stockwell, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

WilgreenLake (Madison County, Kentucky) covers ~169 acres, formed in 1966 by damming Taylor Fork. The Wilgreen watershed drains residential developments, modified woodlands, cattle pasture, and some industrial/urban areas in the city of Richmond. The lake is deemed “nutrient impaired” by the EPA.

Our main objective is to document the seasonal changes in key lake parameters from summer stratification through fall overturn over 4 months of sampling, August through November, 2008. We collect temperature, oxygen, pH, and conductivity data from 19 stations at depth intervals of 1 meter using an YSI multi-probe. Concurrent with collecting these framework data, we take water …

The University As Your Partner: Adding Value To Conservation Initiatives, Margaret N. Rees, Public Lands Institute

Presentations (PLI)

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

Some Significant Wildlife Strikes To Civil Aircraft In The United States, January 1990 – September 2008, Sandra Wright

Other Bird Strike and Aviation Materials

The U.S. Department of Agriculture, through an interagency agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration, compiles a database of all reported wildlife strikes to U.S. civil aircraft and to foreign carriers experiencing strikes in the USA. We have compiled over 82,057 strike reports from 1,418 USA airports and 207 foreign airports for January 1990 through December 2007 (7,666 strikes in 2007), but estimate that this represents only about 20% of the strikes that have occurred. The following examples from the database are presented to show the serious impacts that strikes by birds or other wildlife can have on aircraft. These examples, …

Hybridization Among Three Native North American Canis Species In A Region Of Natural Sympatry, Frank Hailer, Jennifer A. Leonard

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery Annual Reports

Background: Population densities of many species throughout the world are changing due to direct persecution as well as anthropogenic habitat modification. These changes may induce or increase the frequency of hybridization among taxa. If extensive, hybridization can threaten the genetic integrity or survival of endangered species. Three native species of the genus Canis, coyote (C. latrans), Mexican wolf (C. lupus baileyi) and red wolf (C. rufus), were historically sympatric in Texas, United States. Human impacts caused the latter two to go extinct in the wild, although they survived in captive breeding programs. Morphological data demonstrate historic reproductive isolation between all …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 5, 2008 – October 5, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Take Pride in America in Southern Nevada wins national Take Pride in America Award for best state program and Senate recognition

• Zia Engineering begins work on Recycling Plan

• Name the Mascot contest drawing interest and support

• Dumping and litter prevention information for Northern Nevada added to web site

• Three events conducted this quarter

• Team reaches milestone of 60 events since inception

• Agreement with Spring Mountain Youth Camp finalized

Town Of Salisbury Harbor Plan -- Phase 1, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Urban Harbors Institute Publications

This document presents information developed during the first phase of the planning process to develop a Harbor Plan for the Town of Salisbury, Massachusetts. The initial phase consists of compiling and mapping existing information on natural resources, uses of the waterways and shoreline, relevant government regulatory programs and jurisdictions, identifying issues, and conducting some analyses of recreational boating-related needs. A mooring plan and mooring field delineation plan are required by the Harbor Management Plan and will be periodically updated as needed. This phase concludes with a preliminary identification of long-term goals and the development of recommendations for next steps in …

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, Jennifer Vaughan

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 24, Number 3 (October 2008), Gary L. Doster , Editor, Scwds Briefs, Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Table of Contents:

Piroplasmosis in Florida Horses

Bovine TB Update

Newcastle Disease in Cormorants

Frog Virus in a Box Turtle

SCWDS Vesicular Stomatitis Research Update

Faculty and Staff Changes at SCWDS

Lead Study Results Reported

Lead Ammo and Tackle Review

Our Energizer Bunny

New Book Chapter Reviewing Mojave Desert Revegetation Practices Is Forthcoming, Scott R. Abella

Public Policy and Leadership Faculty Publications

I was invited to write a chapter for a forthcoming book on Arid Environments to be published by Nova Science Publishers. This book is anticipated to appear in late 2008 or early 2009, and we will be able to provide additional details about the entire book at that time. I co-authored our chapter on revegetation with Alice Newton, Vegetation Manager at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. We systematically reviewed 23 published studies of planting or seeding native species in the Mojave Desert.

Corallivorous Reef Fishes As Potential Vectors Of Coral Disease Based On A Study Of Dietary Preferences, Tanya Rogers

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The prevalence of coral disease appears to be increasing worldwide, although little is known about how these diseases are transmitted between coral colonies. To examine whether corallivorous fishes could potentially act as disease vectors, this study examined whether and which fish species feed on diseased coral, and whether these fishes actively target diseased coral sections. Branches of Acropora muricata with brown band disease were filmed in the field, and bites taken by fishes on different sections of the coral (live tissue, tissue margin, disease band, dead skeleton, and algae) were recorded. For each fish species, electivity indices were calculated for …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering July 1- September 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased 10% since June, 2008. The database now contains 5,706 records.
• Website activity decreased, recording an average of 48,361 hits per month, a decrease of 28% from last quarter, with an average of 4,925 pages viewed per month.
• Fall volunteer training has been scheduled.
• Fall events have been scheduled.

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Report, Period Ending September 30, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1: Technical input has been provided at eight advisory team meetings attended this quarter. Broad, overarching “Issues of Concern” developed for the Boulder Basin Adaptive Management Plan are currently under review by Drs. David Wong and Shawn Gerstenberger. A Selenium Management Plan is also under review.

Project 2: Data collected by the Southern Nevada Water Authority has been synthesized to summarize bacteria counts in high-use areas of Lakes Mead and Mohave. This information will be documented and interpreted for management use in a formal report in the upcoming quarter.

Project 3: A draft document titled “Suggested Standard Methods for …

Refuge Update – September/October 2008, Volume 5, Number 5

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Rebuilding after Hurricane Ike, page 3 Texas and Louisiana refuges were severely damaged in mid-September.

A Crane Species Rebounding, page 5 At a Mississippi refuge, the world’s longest-running crane reintroduction program is succeeding.

Focus on. . . Refuge System Wetlands, pages 8-13 The Refuge System manages wetlands to enhance their value for migratory waterfowl and shorebirds, threatened and endangered species and a myriad of native fish, wildlife, and plants.

Fluttering Close to Extinction, page 17. Antioch Dunes Refuge is out to save the Lange’s metalmark butterfly.

Farm Gate Nutrient Balances In South West Western Australia – An Overview, Rebecca Ovens, David Weaver, Nardia Keipert, Simon Neville, Robert Summers, Martin Clarke

Conference papers and presentations

Farm-gate nutrient budgets can be used to identify the efficiency of nutrient use within and between individual enterprises and catchments, and may be used to represent a component of the risk that particular landuses represent to water quality. Over the past 5 years, more than 400 farm-gate nutrient balance audits have been conducted across a range of catchments and landuses in southwest Western Australia (WA). Values for nutrient use efficiency and surpluses across landuses and catchments are reported. Patterns of nitrogen and phosphorus signatures closely reflect one another across landuses, though nitrogen input, output and surplus values are consistently higher …

Organizational Efforts In Aviation Wildlife Mitigation – University Story, Paul Eschenfelder, Archie Dickey

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Wildlife strikes to aircraft in the USA have increased to over 35,000 per year, costing airlines millions of dollars in damage and general aviation/corporate aviation the lives of seven people in the last year. While various government programs are in place, the number and seriousness of bird strikes is not declining. Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, an accredited university which also offers flight training, has originated seven initiatives which serve to educate the aviation community regarding wildlife hazards, document the hazard, supplement the government’s efforts and reach out to the aviation community. These initiatives are fairly low cost and, for the …

The Bird Strike Risk, To Be Countered Or Contained?, Arie Dekker

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Chronologically bird strike prevention has gone through a number of phases. In the beginning of aviation bird strikes were relatively rare and considered unavoidable. With the introduction of faster jet engines, the problem became more prominent and birds were scared away from the runway environment. It was soon recognized that these re-active, corrective measures had to be accompanied by a pro-active, preventive approach in the form of habitat management. Nowadays, bird strike prevention is part of legislation, auditing and Safety Management Systems. It is however, still characterized to a great extend by measures that counter the problem instead of containing …

Comparison Of Non-Lethal Versus Lethal Control Methods For Red-Tailed Hawks And Other Bird Species At The Waste Management Outer Loop Recycling And Disposal Facility, Louisville, Kentucky, Usa, Russell P. Defusco, Kevin M. Mieczkowski, C. Jared Quillen

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Removal of red-tailed hawks and other raptors by trapping and relocating, euthanasia, or other techniques is often used by airport managers to address hazardous birds, however many professionals disagree about the effectiveness of this approach. Relocating birds has drawbacks due to expense, site fidelity leading to returning birds, and other issues. Lethal control methods suffer from permitting requirements and may lead to adverse public opinion. Removing birds by relocation or lethal means often results in other individuals, including inexperienced juveniles, attempting to fill vacated territories, with smaller territories, higher densities, and birds that may be less adept at avoiding aircraft …

A Population Of Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallapavo Sylvestris) In Relation To Air Traffic Hazards At Pease International Airport, Angelic Debutts, Marsha Barden, Peter Pekins, Mark Ellingwood

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

In 2003 a wild turkey (Meleagris gallapavo sylvestris) was ingested into the engine of a KC-135E military refueling tanker at Pease International Airport causing more than $3M in damages. USDA Wildlife Services initiated emergency harassment and removal of wild turkeys inside the airport fence. This incident prompted a 2-year research project to better understand the local wild turkey population, concentrating on size and status as well as seasonal use of the airport. A total of 72 turkeys was radio-collared and tracked from 2006 to 2008. Results suggest that there are between 125-185 birds using the study area, which …

Sms And Bird/Wildlife Management Programs, Nicholas Carter, Samuel Hautequest Cardoso

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

As ICAO implements the new SMS (Safety Management Systems) requirements for all international airports with its amended Annex 14 and the FAA moves to a more formally delineated requirement to implement SMS at all Part 139 airports, airport managers will soon have to face the development of full-fledged SMS programs for their airports. As an integral part of an airfield’s SMS, bird and wildlife management will also need to be incorporated into the SMS. With a dearth of literature on SMS and wildlife management and without an abundance of long-term experience at North American airfields, airport managers will not have …

Quantifying Vulture Activity At Marine Corps Air Station, Beaufort, Nc, Michael L. Avery, John S. Humphrey, Rudolph Daughtery, Michael Milleson

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Vultures represent a serious hazard to military and civilian aircraft throughout much of the USA. According to the Breeding Bird Survey, populations of black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) in South Carolina are growing exponentially. Safety concerns in light of burgeoning vulture populations prompted the initiation of a 2-year study of vulture movements and activities at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) in Beaufort, SC. We trapped and outfitted turkey vultures and black vultures with solar powered GPS satellite transmitters. Each hour the location, altitude, and speed of each transmittered bird were recorded. …

The Us Air Force (Usaf) Smr (Small Radar Program): An Overview And Status Report On The Operational Use Of Dedicated Avian Radar Systems At Usaf Airfields And Ranges, Eugene Leboeuf, Ted Wilkens, Ronald Merritt

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Aircraft-bird strikes present a significant safety hazard to military aviation. The USAF began researching small mobile radars (SMRs) in the late-1980’s to provide close-in detection and tracking of hazardous bird activity on and around military airfields. Lessons learned from early field studies validated the ability of marine radar to detect and track birds, but identified requirements to automate detection and tracking for operational use. The first airfield to deploy a SMR for real-time bird detection for air traffic control was the Royal Air Force (RAF) base Kinloss in Scotland which installed a Geo-Marine MARS unit in 2002. Validation of the …

The Use Of Endophytic Turf Grass To Reduce Bird And Small Mammal Presence At Airports, Theresa Kissane, Jeff Brawn, Bruce Branham

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Opportunities exist to develop airport environments that are unsuitable for wildlife and assist in long-term management of aircraft strike hazards. As part of a multiple year cooperative effort between the University of Illinois Center of Excellence in Airport Technology and the O’Hare Modernization Program, efforts are underway to design a wildlife unfriendly airport. One of the project elements is to consider vegetation selection. Some grasses contain endophytic fungi that produce toxic alkaloids. These alkaloids make the grass less palatable to both birds and mammals. To assess the utility of several grasses for wildlife control, fifteen field plots were established at …

Aircraft Birdstrike Avoidance Radar Systems – Looking Forward: Next Generation Advancements In The Technology, T. Adam Kelly

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Over the past decade development of specialized avian radar systems for use as real-time aircraft birdstrike avoidance systems has moved from research and development into active deployment of the technology as an operational tool by airfield managers, bird control units and air traffic controllers. Today there are some 50+ known avian radar systems in operation worldwide supporting aviation safety and environmental applications with a number of systems being used daily by air traffic controllers for airfield flight safety. When manufacturers such as Geo-Marine and DeTect initially committed to developing production model systems for real-time operational use, market studies indicated that, …

The Florida Statewide Airport Stormwater Study, Abdul Hatim, John J. Sansalone, Scott T. Brady

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Florida is one of twelve or fewer states that regulate storm water quality on a statewide basis. The most commonly used design for water quality management is a vegetated, permanently wet pond that is presumed to meet water quality standards. Also, typical designs fully convey extreme rainfall events to the same wet ponds, which must then be sized for flood attenuation. These design features can and do attract birds and other wildlife that can be hazardous to flight. The Florida Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration fund the Florida Statewide Airport Stormwater Study to develop data and approaches …

Assessing Movement, Site Preferences, And Environmental And Social Impacts Of Canada Geese Across An Urban Landscape, M. Elizabeth Rutledge, Christopher Deperno, Christopher Moorman, Michael Begier, Brian E. Washburn

2008 Bird Strike Committee USA/Canada,10th Annual Meeting, Orlando, Florida

Resident Canada goose (Branta canadensis maxima) populations have increased, causing many human-goose conflicts. These include decreased water quality, aggressive behavior towards humans and pets, the risk of disease from fecal contamination, and the potential for bird strikes to aircraft. To better understand these human-goose conflicts and potential risk to airport safety, we will examine Canada geese movements, habitat use, human attitudes toward geese, and disease transmission on the Piedmont-Triad International airport and surrounding areas of Greensboro, North Carolina. We will use a variety of tools, such as color-marking with auxiliary neck bands, satellite telemetry with global positioning system …