Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Cooperative Conservation: Increasing Capacity Through Community Partnerships -- Interagency Volunteer Program: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• Volunteer database increased 8% over last quarter. Database now contains 2,923 records.
• Website activity increased, recording an average of 51,568 hits per month, with an average of 4,985 pages viewed per month (12.4% increase in pages viewed).
• Team charter approved and signed by federal managers and IVP team.
• Volunteer orientation and training in 11 subject areas delivered to 80 volunteers.
• Recognition Banquet and Awards Ceremony recognized 180 volunteers.
• Volunteer event list revised for 2007.

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Don’t Trash Nevada roll-out event held on October 12, 2006.

• Program website launched.

• 74 people have taken the on-line anti-litter and dumping pledge.

• Public-private partnership with Republic Services of Southern Nevada generated $11,917.97 in donations to Don’t Trash Nevada.

• Conducted 3 volunteer and 1 alternative workforce clean-ups this quarter.

• Fulfilled deliverable of 12 clean-ups for 2006 (9 volunteer / 3 alternative workforce).

• 16 volunteer clean-ups scheduled for 2007. • Two tons of agency-generated paper recycled this quarter, saving 14,000 gallons of water, 34 trees, and almost 8 cubic yards of landfill space.

• …

Factors Contributing To Dust Emissions In Clark County, Nevada Annual Performance Report: Period Ending December 29, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Dust Emissions from Public Lands

1. A comparison of actual accomplishments with the goals and objectives established for the period, the findings of the investigator, or both. Whenever appropriate and the output of programs and projects can be readily quantified, such quantitative data should be related to cost data for computation of unit costs.

• University of Nevada, Public Lands Institute has met the requirement of section III.A.1 of Task Agreement FAA010017 to recruit and hire a postdoctoral scholar (or equivalent position) with research expertise in dust management issues. Dr. Dirk Goossens has extensive and specific experience in dust emissions research and will begin work on January …

Grassland Songbirds In A Dynamic Management Landscape: Behavioral Responses And Management Strategies, Noah G. Perlut, Allan M. Strong, Therese M. Donovan, Neil J. Buckley

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

In recent decades, earlier and more frequent harvests of agricultural grasslands have been implicated as a major cause of population declines in grassland songbirds. From 2002 to 2005, in the Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York, USA, we studied the reproductive success of Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) and Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) on four grassland treatments: (1) early-hayed fields cut before 11 June and again in early- to mid-July; (2) middle-hayed fields cut once between 21 June and 10 July; (3) late-hayed fields cut after 1 August; and (4) rotationally grazed pastures. Both the number of …

Policy Tools For Smart Growth In New England, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

Across New England communities have been experiencing a rapid outward surge of development away from our community and downtown centers. Effects of sprawl include a loss of wildlife habitat, farm and timber lands; increased costs of community services and higher taxes; auto-dependency, longer commutes, and increased congestion; increases in air and water pollution; a sedentary lifestyle and increased obesity; and losses to one’s sense of place and social ties.

State-level responses to sprawl have surfaced throughout New England in recent years. This report describes 11 examples of these responses, representing all six New England states and a diversity of recent …

Gray Wolf Biology Questions And Answers

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

1) Why was the gray wolf listed as endangered?
2) What types of habitat do wolves use?
3) Do wolves need wilderness areas to survive? Can they survive near urban areas?
4) How far do wolves travel?
5) What do wolves eat?
6) If wolf numbers get too high will deer and elk be eliminated?
7) How do wolves in an area affect deer hunting?
8) Do wolves really take the old, young, sick, starving, or injured animals?
9) Do wolves kill more than they can eat?
10) Does the presence of wolves affect the numbers of animals other than …

Refuge Update – November/December 2006, Volume 3, Number 6

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Least Bell’s Vireos Are Back, page 3 San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge hosted totally unexpected residents last year.

Managing Ocean Wildlife, page 5 A new agreement should help in managing marine resources.

Focus on . . . Endangered Species, pages 10-21 Whether it’s the fastest land mammal or the tiniest mussel, refuges work on behalf of endangered species.

Peeping at Peeps, page 24 Shorebirds can be tough to identify. Classroom and fields trips helped.

Preliminary Results Of A Nutrient Source Study In Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky, Walter S. Borowski, Erin C. Jolly

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Wilgreen Lake (Madison County, Kentucky) is an eutrophic lake formed by damming Taylor Fork, part of the Silver Creek watershed. Two principal tributaries drain urban areas of the city of Richmond, agricultural land typified by cattle grazing, and a high-density residential area using septic systems. The lake is “nutrient impaired,” so it is likely that anthropogenic nutrient loading is affecting water quality. Our study aims to first characterize the physical characteristics and water quality of the lake (2006), and then determine the specific proportion of nutrient inputs (2007) to the lake with the aim of remediating any possible degradation of …

Factors Contributing To Dust Emissions In Clark County, Nevada Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending October 15, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Dust Emissions from Public Lands

• Hiring of post-doctoral scholar completed.
• Modification to task agreement approved.

Growing Quality Stewardship For Natural Resources In Tennessee, Aubrey L. Deck, Craig Harper

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

A primary goal of Extension Wildlife in Tennessee is to steer youth in a direction that will increase their chance of successful recruitment into society and make a positive difference in the way the public views and manages our natural resources. Tennessee’s 4-H Wildlife Project is in its 35th year of growing quality stewardship by 1) teaching the basic principles of wildlife ecology and management, 2) helping students understand the importance of wildlife in our environment, and 3) promoting citizenship/leadership. These efforts may lead to informed participation in natural resource conservation and land-use decision making.

The University of Tennessee has …

Bringing Extension Into The Classroom, Christopher Deperno, Christopher E. Moorman

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

The dissemination of research-based information has been a hallmark of North Carolina State University’s (NCSU) land grant mission for more than 100 years. Through county Cooperative Extension Centers, NCSU maintains a strong relationship with the citizens of North Carolina. However, many students do not understand the importance of the mission of a land grant university, and most do not know that North Carolina State University has an extension program. Furthermore, students do not understand the extension mission, administrative structure, or approach to educate the public. There are many ways to bring extension into the undergraduate classroom and to encourage graduate …

Extension’S Role In Endangered Species Management, R. Dwayne Elmore

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

Cooperative Extension is an ideal facilitator for volatile wildlife issues such as endangered species management on private lands. Often, lack of trust in government agencies or fear of Endangered Species Act regulations hinders conservation efforts on these private lands. Extension personnel have close ties to local affected communities and thus can be instrumental in educating landowners regarding options that may be available to them in regards to sensitive, candidate, threatened, or endangered species. While in the past these species have been regarded as liabilities to landowners, in many cases they can actually be assets. However, state and federal agencies are …

Bass Management Symposia: Managing Ponds And Lakes For Better Fishing, Billy Higginbotham, Michael Masser, Peter Wood

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

Texas contains more than one million privately owned ponds and reservoirs comprising some one-half million surface acres. Interest in managing these ponds for recreational fishing, especially for largemouth bass is high. In order to respond to this educational need, a series of symposia designed to provide information on intensive largemouth bass management was conducted. Symposia were conducted in Athens (2001), San Marcos (2003), and Conroe (2005). The fee-based programs ($50 pre-registration, $75 at the door) attracted 601 participants from Texas and several other states. Each participant received a copy of the symposia proceedings. Exhibitors providing private water management products and …

With One Stroke Of The Pen: How Can Wildlife Extension Specialists Involve Developers And Policy-Makers In Wildlife Conservation?, Mark Hostetler

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

Residential developments have a huge impact on natural resources and wildlife, and sustainable or “green” communities are beginning to be built throughout the United States with goals to conserve wildlife habitat, to create healthy lifestyles, and to promote a sense of community. Buzzwords can be heard in the media and in town meetings: sustainability, smart growth, new urbanism, low impact development, and conservation subdivisions. Ultimately, with one stroke of a pen, developers and policymakers can determine how a community will look and feel for many years to come. Plus, citizens make day-to-day decisions that determine whether a community operates as …

Extension Wildlife Programs: Thoughts And Ideas, Jeffrey J. Jackson

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

The following commentary is a summary of some personal thoughts, reflections, and opinions on extension wildlife programming based on my experience at the University of Georgia as Extension Wildlife Specialist during the years between 1976 and 2001. I hope it will be of some value to new specialists. Because I was the only Extension Wildlife Specialist, I was in a unique position to develop an overview of the entire wildlife management field. Along the way, I had the opportunity to be full time within Extension, have a split appointment, and be assigned to an academic department.

Protecting And Enhancing River And Stream Continuity, Scott Jackson

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

As long linear ecosystems, rivers and streams are particularly vulnerable to fragmentation. There is growing concern about the role of road crossings – and especially culverts – in altering habitats and disrupting river and stream continuity. The River and Stream Continuity Project began in the year 2000 with a startup grant from the Massachusetts Watershed Initiative. The University of Massachusetts took the lead in convening a group of people from a variety of agencies and organizations who were concerned about the impact of road-stream crossings on fish and other aquatic organism passage. Since its beginning, the River and Stream Continuity …

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

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (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 …

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

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (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 …

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

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (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 …

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

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (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.

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

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (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.

First-Stop Planning And Communication For Landhelp, Delwin E. Benson

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

I developed an Internet-based, planning and communication system for professional and private users to make plans for their lands, which is branded as LandHelp (www.LandHelp.info). The project was funded by grants from the Renewable Resources Extension Act, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Wildlife Habitat Management Institute, Colorado State Forest Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (USDA SARE) from the Western Region, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agro-forestry program with the NRCS. Currently, LandHelp contains links to 31 broad categories of information that then link to 2,613 more resources. Major topics include, but …

One Way To Handle A Split Appointment, Peter T. Bromley

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

Wildlife and fisheries extension specialists typically hold split appointments. Identification of significant natural resource problems or opportunities and integration of research and teaching methods with extension programming can produce results that simultaneously satisfy extension program expectations as well as meet desired evidence for university-level scholarship. The wildlife-agriculture applied research and extension program, with emphasis on restoration of northern bobwhite quail populations on intensely farmed lands, illustrates the benefits of an integrated approach.

Extension: A Modern Day Pony Express?, David Drake, Ben West

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

The Smith-Lever Act of 1914 established the Cooperative Extension Service for the purpose of “diffusing among the people of the United States useful and practical information on subjects relating to agriculture, home economics, and rural energy”. Since then, much has changed. Just over 92 million individuals lived in the United States in 1910, with 31% of the population employed as farmers. As of 2005, America’s population had increased to nearly 297 million people, with only 3% of the population earning a living on the farm. More telling, about 80% of America’s population now lives in a suburban/urban environment. Currently, the …

Qualifying Native Warm-Season Grasses And Early Succession Habitat, Craig A. Harper, Christopher E. Moorman

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

Tall fescue and other non-native perennial cool-season grasses (such as orchardgrass, timothy, bromegrasses, and bluegrass) provide poor wildlife habitat. Native warm-season grasses (nwsg), especially big and little bluestem, indiangrass, and switchgrass, have been promoted to replace non-native cool-season grasses and enhance quality early succession habitat. Initially, problems associated with establishing nwsg and landowner misperceptions slowed the progress of early succession habitat enhancement on private lands. More recently, improvements in planting equipment, herbicides, and seed quality have increased establishment success. Wildlife response to native grass plantings generally has been positive, especially when an abundance of wildlife-friendly forbs and scattered shrubs occur …

Extension: A New Opportunity For On-Line, Issue-Based Programming, Paul D. Curtis, Robert H. Schmidt, Greg K. Yarrow, Raj Smith, Stephen Vantassel

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

Individuals and groups interested in educating the public about human-wildlife interactions should consider joining one of the various working groups (Communities of Practice) involved with eXtension. eXtension is a national Extension program designed to unify Extension’s presence on the Internet. eXtension provides collaborative tools for the development and management of content that can be published on the world wide web. Experts can participate in several ways, including answering visitor questions, submitting content (including text, images, and video), and reviewing content. Currently, of the 21 identified Communities of Practice, only one, Wildlife Damage Management, is focused on fisheries and wildlife programming.

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

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (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 …

The Florida Master Naturalist Program: Creating, Implementing, And Evaluating A Successful Statewide Conservation Education Program, Martin B. Main

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

The Florida Master Naturalist Program is an educational program with a well-developed curriculum that encourages but does not require volunteer service. Its history, development, administration, curriculum, and target audiences are described. It presently consists of three modules: Freshwater Wetlands, Coastal Systems, and Upland Habitats. Considerations regarding program training, how instructors are recruited and selected, and how program impacts are evaluated are summarized.

Take Action! The Past, Present, And Future Of Sage-Grouse Conservation In Utah, Sarah G. Lupis, Terry A. Messmer, Todd A. Black, S. Nicole Frey, Dean Mitchell, Joan Degiorgio

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

Utah has a 10-year history of local conservation planning for sage-grouse populations. The San Juan County Gunnison Sage-Grouse Local Working Group (SWOG) was formed in 1996 and completed a local conservation plan in 2000; the Parker Mountain Adaptive Resource Management Local Working Group (PARM) was established in 1998 and has been a model for sagegrouse conservation planning throughout the state. In July 2006, most of Utah’s 12 adaptive resource management local working groups completed local conservation plans for sage-grouse that address the unique issues affecting their respective areas. Each local working group is made up of diverse stakeholders including landowners, …

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

Triennial National Wildlife and Fisheries Extension Specialists Conference: 11th (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 …