Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Control Of The African Striped Ground Squirrel, Xerus Erythropus, In Kenya, Gillian E. Key

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

The African striped ground squirrel, Xerus erythropus (E. Geoffroy), has been found to constitute a serious pest to maize seed at the planting stage, causing mean losses of 9.7% and accounting for 57.3% of total damage found. A feature of ground squirrel damage is its unpredictable nature. Methods of reducing losses of planted maize seed to X. erythropus at the subsistence farmer level in southern Kenya were investigated. Constraints affecting a control program by farmers were identified as follows: low standards of living and education, limited financial resources, strong individualistic attitude of farmers and small field size in relation to …

Adc Guarding Dog Program Update: A Focus On Managing Dogs, Jeffrey S. Green, Roger A. Woodruff

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

One hundred dogs were placed with sheep producers in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming during summer 1987 through summer 1988 as part of the APHIS-ADC livestock guarding dog program. Mortality as of February 1990 from culling and accidents is 39% and was evenly split between the first and second year of life. The 60 dogs currently working were rated as follows: 78% good, 12% fair, and 10% poor. All dogs rated good or fair were judged to have reduced predation or helped to keep predation minimized. Success of the dogs was breed-related but did not differ between pasture and rangeland …

Rodents As A Food Source, Lynwood A. Fiedler

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Rodents, one of several kinds of vertebrates included in the human diet, are very suitable as human food. More than 71 genera and 89 species of rodents, mostly hystricomorphs, have been consumed by man. Some have even been domesticated for private or commercial production of food for human consumption. Rodents in the temperate world serve only as a supplement to the regular diet of humans; but in the tropical world, they are widely accepted and a popular source of protein. Although harvesting field rats for human food is beneficial, it is not an effective pest control strategy. Consuming rodents in …

The Human Element In Wildlife Damage Situations, Ron J. Johnson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

The field of prevention and control of wildlife damage is changing and evolving along with clientele needs, pressures from user and non-user groups, and other factors. A theoretical overview of the field may offer an action model regarding changing trends and potential responses. I propose that three things happen every time a wildlife damage problem occurs: 1) A human activity, desire, or need is interfered with, 2) the experience fosters an opinion about a wild animal - usually negative, and 3) a decision is made to tolerate the situation or to control it. If control is selected, availability and effectiveness …

Rabies Control For Urban Foxes, Skunks, And Raccoons, Richard C. Rosatte, Michael J. Power, Charles D. Macinnes, Kenneth F. Lawson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Rabies is currently enzootic in many cities of southern Ontario. The Ministry of Natural Resources is utilizing two different tactics for the control of rabies in urban wildlife rabies vectors-oral immunization with baits (foxes) and vaccination by injection following live-capture (skunks and raccoons). Between 47 and 79% of the skunks and 61 and 76% of the raccoons were captured and vaccinated (Imrab) in a 60-km2 urban area of Metropolitan Toronto during 1987, 1989. Only three cases of rabies in skunks have been reported since control began in 1987. Population increases of 120% for skunks and 40% for raccoons were noted …

Exclusionary Methods And Materials To Protect Plants From Pest Mammals--A Review, Rex E. Marsh, Ann E. Koehler, Terrell P. Salmon

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Protecting individual plants or small clumps of plants with some type of protective material or device represents a positive nonlethal approach to damage prevention that is often much less expensive than fencing an entire garden or crop or netting over the entire area to prevent damage by such species as deer (Odocoileus spp.), rabbits (Lepus spp., Sylvilagus spp.), and ground squirrels (Spermophilus spp.). This review article does not include fencing or the netting or screening of entire crops, which are subjects unto themselves.

Tree trunk guards or protectors include commercial tree wraps and other materials affixed directly …

Use Of Alpha-Chloralose To Remove Waterfowl From Nuisance And Damage Situations, Paul P. Woronecki, Richard A. Dolbeer, Thomas W. Seamans

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

From 1988 through early 1990 alpha-chloralose (A-C) was successfully used in the United States to immobilize and remove 70 Canada Geese (Branta canadensis), 315 mallard, domestic and hybrid ducks (Anas platyrhynchos), and 348 coots (Fulica Americana) from 17 commercial and residential sites including golf courses, pools, and ponds. Field trials and baiting techniques with bread and corn are described. The optimum dose of A-C for geese, ducks, and coots, using orally administered bread and corn baits, was about 20-30 mg/kg. We are currently pursuing registration of A-C as a bird control chemical with the …

Frightening Methods And Devices/Stimuli To Prevent Mammal Damage-- A Review, Ann E. Koehler, Rex E. Marsh, Terrell P. Salmon

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Various frightening stimuli, primarily visual and acoustic, have been used to prevent or alleviate damage by depredating mammals (e.g., deer (Odocoileus spp.), raccoons (Procyon lotor), tree squirrels (Sciurus spp.), coyotes (Canis latrans). Frightening methods are most appropriate for use where a crop or situation needs protection from pest mammals for only a period of a few days or weeks. The ability of animals to habituate to such stimuli limits their long-term usefulness. Against nocturnal species, various types of lights and noisemakers are the most useful. Combining acoustic and visual stimuli can enhance effectiveness, while …

Communal Starling Roosts: Implications For Control, Donald F. Caccamise

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Roosting behavior is common to most avian pests of agriculture. Movements from highly aggregated distributions in roosts to highly dispersed distributions on foraging grounds determine pattern and severity of avian pest problems. This research seeks an understanding of how roosting behavior influences the dispersion of avian agricultural pests and the damage they cause. My focus is on why birds form communal roosts and how communal roosting influences the selection of foraging sites. I document patterns of roosting behavior in European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) through population level studies, followed by analysis of individual behavior using radio telemetry. Starlings maintain …

Planning Rodent Control For Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project, Bruce A. Colvin, A. Daniel Ashton, Wellard G. Mccartney, William B. Jackson

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

A comprehensive rodent control program is being planned for a $4.4 billion highway-construction project in Boston, MA This IPM program will include broad participation by project personnel, city and state agencies, and community groups. Surveys, public education, and sanitation improvements will begin more than a year before construction; baiting will begin approximately 3 months before construction. All control activities will be maintained until construction is complete. Mitigation of community impacts during construction projects is a growing concern, and improved approaches to construction-related rodent control are needed.

Differential Toxicity And Taste Aversion To Strychnine Of Three Subspecies Of The California Ground Squirrel (Spermophilus Beecheyi), Walter E. Howard, Stephen D. Palmateer, Rex E. Marsh

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Three subspecies of the California ground squirrel (Spermophilus beecheyi) were studied. In the first test of Experiment 1, Beechey (S. b. beecheyi), Douglas (S. b. douglasii), and, for comparative purposes, Sierra (S. b. sierrae) ground squirrels were each offered a drinking tube containing one of three H₂0 solutions of strychnine sulfate (0.01, 0.05, or 0.5%) after being deprived of water for 23 hr. In Test 2 the survivors of Test 1 were offered for 24 hr a free choice of distilled water and two of the above concentrations of strychnine …

The Use Of Rainfall Patterns In Predicting Population Densities Of Multimammate Rats, Mastomys Natalensis, H. Leirs, R. Verhagen, W. Verheyen

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

During 3 years we studied a population of multimammate rats, Mastomys natalensis (Smith 1834), in Morogoro, Tanzania. Data were collected in both removal and capture-recapture schemes. We present evidence that patterns of growth and reproduction were related to onset and abundance of rains. This partially explains differences in densities. Additionally, we investigated available literature data and related them with climatological data. A scenario is presented which enables us to predict how densities of multimammate rats may evolve in the following year and whether there will be a risk of outbreaks. The use and implications of this scenario in planning control …

Assessment Of Bird Damage To Early-Ripening Blueberries In Florida, Curtis O. Nelms, Michael L. Avery, David G. Decker

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Bird damage to early-ripening Florida blueberries was estimated to be approximately 17% in 1988 (2 sites) and ranged from 17% to 75% in 1989 (3 sites) when a late winter freeze severely reduced expected yield. Monetary loss due to bird damage in 1989 may have exceeded $4500/ac at one site. In Florida, birds appear to have a significant impact on the early season fresh market blueberry industry. The problem is likely to worsen as the planting of high-value, early-ripening varieties spreads to other parts of the state and ripening times overlap with wintering frugivorous birds.

Registration Status Of Vertebrate Pesticides With Emphasis On 1080 And Strychnine, Steve D. Palmateer

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

A review of currently registered vertebrate pesticides is reported with by far the major weight given to strychnine and 1080. The author searched the Agency's label files and has listed most of those pesticides that have claims against at least one vertebrate animal.

Rancher Use Of Livestock Protection Collars In Texas, Murray T. Walton

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

With U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's approval of certification and training of sodium monofluoroacetate (Compound 1080) Livestock Protection Collar applicators by the Texas Department of Agriculture in April 1988, use of collars by ranchers was made possible. This paper presents data from 1988 and 1989 on use of Livestock Protection Collars to protect domestic sheep and goats subject to coyote (Canis latrans) predation. Information concerning coyote puncture of collars, loss of collars to other factors, and targeting strategies used by ranchers are discussed. Success of collar use is compared to other predator control methods used by ranchers.

The Development Of A Policy For The Management Of Dingo Populations In South Australia, R. J. Downward, J. E. Bromell

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Competing concerns between conservation and sheep-growing interests in South Australia over problems associated with the naturalized dog,Canis familiaris dingo, prompted the development of a policy for the management of this subspecies. The background to the development of this policy is outlined. The policy provides for a compromise between the need to protect the livestock industry while ensuring the continued survival of the dingo as a wildlife species.

A Resource Inventory And Impact Analysis Of Great Bog And The Horse Point Delta/Esker System, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Biologists Organized For Ecosystem Assessment, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Other Area Studies

In May of 1990, Tilcon-Maine, Inc. submitted an application to mine gravel on the east side of Horse Point Road on Horse Point in the Town of Belgrade. The project site covers 46 acres and the proposed excavation covers 16 acres. An estimated 740,000 cubic yards of material will be removed over a period of six or seven years (Pfister, pers. comm.). According to Tilcon (Timson et al., 1990) the maximum depth of the pit will be 78 feet and the bottom of the pit will be a minimum of 6 feet above the water table. At the present time …

The New Materialism: Managing Minnesota's Materials As If Matter Mattered, David Morris

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

The 1987 Chesapeake Bay Agreement: A Model Of Intergovernmental And Multi-State Cooperation In Estuary/Coastal Resource Management, John F. Faltus

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

The 1980s witnessed an increased awareness of the problems of estuary and coastal water pollution. The medical waste problems of 1988 heightened public awareness of this problem and showed that coastal pollution is not just isolated but rather is a regional problem which requires regional solutions. During the 1980x the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the States of Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania, and the District of Columbia worked together to forge two agreements, one in 1983, and more significantly a broader agreement in 1987, in which they agreed to work together to develop specific goals and objectives to address and solve …

Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion: (Otec) Outlook For The Future, John M. Kroft

Marine Affairs Theses and Major Papers

The temperature differential between the tropical ocean surface and deep waters represents tremendous energy potential. Ocean thermal energy conversion (OTEC) systems represent an environmentally sound method to extract that energy resource. Included in this paper is a review of the history of OTEC, basic thermodynamic principles involved and major components of the system. The three basic types of OTEC systems are discussed, citing the various advantages and disadvantages of each. The resource extent and possible environmental impacts are examined from the U. S. perspective. After reviewing the conflicting ocean use interest involved, comparative cost calculations of energy types, and the …

Hawaii's Rainforest Crunch: Land, People, And Geothermal Development, Paul Faulstich

Pitzer Faculty Publications and Research

One hundred and forty-one people, led by Native Hawaiians, were arrested on 25 March 1990 as part of the largest demonstration yet against geothermal development in Hawaii. The gathering was intended to focus attention on Native Hawaiian rights and the ecological consequences of drilling geothermal wells in the near-pristine Wao Kele O Puna rain forest. The energy project, undertaken by True Geothermal Company and endorsed by Hawaii's governor and other imposing figures, has already invaded the largest intact tropical lowland rain forest in the United States.

Fisheries Research Report No. 84 - The Marine Open Shelf Environment: Review Of Human Influences, D. A. Hancock

Fisheries Research Reports

For the purpose of this review, the marine environment has been classified into three physical zones - the littoral zone, the open-shelf environment and the coral reef. Since the boundaries are arbitrary, there will inevitably be some overlap, but for this review the subject matter will be related to the area between low water of ordinary spring tides and the edge of the continental shelf; i.e., to a depth varying to 200 metres.

Human influences may have a dual role in affecting the marine environment, firstly in a causative manner and secondly in providing a remedy, in which case the …

La Conservation Des Forêts Au Népal: Encourager La Participation Des Femmes, Augusta Molnar

Poverty, Gender, and Youth

Ce numéro de SEEDS porte sur les moyens mis en oeuvre pour faire participer les femmes à un programme gouvernemental visant à preserver et à restituer la forêt au Népal. Comme il arrive fréquemment lors de la mise en place de projets aussi vastes ayant une portée generale, les femmes n'étaient pas un centre d'intérêt spécifique au moment de la conception du projet. Cependant, lorsque les activités ont demarré, les responsables népalais du projet et leurs collègues de l'étranger se sont tres vite rendus compte que le succès du programme dépendait de la participation directe des femmes aux activités du …