Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

A Weather-Resistant Tracking Board, D.S. Shepherd, J.H. Greaves

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

The main practical limitation of tracking boards for the study of small mammals is that the sensitive surface is very vulnerable to damage by rain or dew. A tracking board is described that is easily prepared for use in the field, is resistant to rain and running water, and is sensitive enough to record the footprints of mice. The literature on tracking board techniques is reviewed briefly.

The Use Of Wild Carnivore Serology In Determining Patterns Of Plague Activity In Rodents In California, Charles R. Smith, Bernard C. Nelson, Allan M. Barnes

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

Carnivores obtain plague infection through ingestion of infected rodents or rabbits or via flea bite. Most are resistant to infection, show little or no symptoms, and produce antibodies to Yersinia pestis which may persist for several months. Consequently, carnivores can be used as serological plague sentinels using the specific passive or indirect hemagglutination test in the laboratory. A carnivore serology program for plague detection began in California in 1974. The program is a cooperative effort incorporating state and federal vector-borne disease units and state and federal predator animal control personnel. The program has proven to be an important tool in …

Aldehyde Volatiles For Use As Coyote Attractants, Jerry H. Scrivner, Walter E. Howard, Roy Teranishi

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

This study was designed to evaluate the attractiveness of eight aldehyde volatiles (octanal, nonanal, decanal, undecanal, dodecanal, tridecanal, tetradecanal, and hexadecanal) found in sheep liver extract and coyote (Canis latrans) estrous urine to determine their potential for use as odor attractants in predator control. The odors were presented to captive coyotes at the Hopland Field Station and the length of time coyotes responded to the odors was recorded. Octanal, nonanal, decanal, and undecanal all elicited as much sniffing and rub-rolling as did a known coyote attractant, trimethylammo-nium decanoate (TMAD). Generally male and female coyotes were equally attracted to …

A New Concept In Pocket Gopher Control, Allen D. Tunberg, Walter E. Howard, Rex E. Marsh

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

A new concept in pocket gopher control is advanced which relies on two behavioral traits common to pocket gophers: 1) gophers are quick to invade unoccupied burrow systems when the previous occupant has been killed by a rodenticide; and 2) the invading animal will use existing food stores (i.e., baits) left by the previous gopher. With long-lasting (i.e., durable) baits containing sufficient toxicant, several pocket gophers can be controlled by a single baiting. This new approach assists in improving gopher control, for control is extended beyond the initial baiting results. Pocket gophers missed in the original treatment or gophers invading …

The White-Eyes Eradication Effort In California, Valerie Van Way

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

Upon discovery in 1980 in the San Diego area of a feral population of Indian White-eyes (Zosterops palpebrosa palpebrosa), a prohibited species in California, an eradication program was begun by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA). Mist-netting and shooting proved to be the most successful of the capture methods explored. After three and one-half seasons of retrieval effort and 330 birds taken, fewer than a dozen birds now have been detected in the wild. Within the remainder of the fiscal year, CDFA is conducting intense survey and retrieval. Whether eradication is feasible and applicable to other …

History And Status Of Predator Control In Texas, Dale A. Wade, Donald W. Hawthorne, Gary L. Nunley, Milton Caroline

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

A historical review of predatory animal damage and the development of the Texas animal damage control (ADC) program is provided, including a discussion of predator species, methods of control and limitations caused by laws, regulations and policies. Recommendations are made for improvements to permit a more comprehensive program with adequate funding, personnel and control methods.

Rodent Control In China, Deng Zhi, Wang Cheng-Xin

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

Rodent pest problems and their control in China are reviewed. Three commensal species, Rattus norvegicus, R. flavipectus and Mus musculus, are important pests both in urban and rural regions. Mus musculus is the most widely distributed species in China. Its population density is cyclic, unique for a commensal species in being found in the arid Xinjiang (Sinkiang) Autonomous Region in Northwest China. In South China, R. losea and Bandicota indica are serious problems in rice and cane fields. Many different genera of field rodents are considered pests to agriculture and/or are reservoirs of rodent-borne diseases. These include Citellus, Marmota, …

Predator Management For Ducks On Waterfowl Production Areas In The Northern Plains, Alan B. Sargeant, Phillip M. Arnold

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

In 1961, Congress initiated the Accelerated Wetland Acquisition Program, which has resulted in purchase of about 2,450 scattered small Waterfowl Production Area (WPA) management units in the Prairie Pothole Region of Minnesota, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The WPAs are administered by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS); increased duck production is a major management objective. Duck recruitment rates in much of the four-state area are very low because of high predation, especially on nests. Principal predators responsible for the predation are six mammalian carnivores and one rodent. The actions of predators on WPAs, especially in central and …

Acute Rodenticides In The Control Of Rodent Pests In China: A Review, Zuwang Wang

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 11th (1984)

In China, the earliest record, "The Book of Song," vividly describes that farmers complained of rodent damage and earnestly hoped rodents did not eat their crops. It will be seen from this that since the spring and autumn period (770-476 B.C.), rats, mice and voles have been among the major problems of China. It is said that there are 400 species of mammals in China and 150 species of them are rodents, of which 25-30 species of rodents are usually considered serious pests. Large amounts of grassland, forests and agricultural crops are destroyed or seriously damaged every year. There is …

Las Vegas Wash Multispectral Scanner Survey, T. H. Mace, M. V. Olsen, Environmental Protection Agency

Publications (WR)

At the request of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, Boulder City, Nevada, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Monitoring Systems Laboratory at Las Vegas collected multispectral scanner imagery of Las Vegas Wash on October 1, 1982. A combined maximum likelihood classification and editing procedure was used to classify the multispectral scanner imagery into 12 categories of land cover. The classification identified four categories of marsh vegetation, one category of riparian, two categories of mixed scrub, and two desert categories. Turbid water and cultivated land formed an "other" category. Area tabulations were formed by georeferencing the classification to the Universal Transverse …

Acid Rain: A Complex Issue For Minnesota

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Alternative Land Uses, D A. Morrison, B. C. Mattinson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

One aproach to minimise the high nutrient content and associated algal pollution of the Peel-Harvey estuarine system is to reduce phosphorus losses at their source. Farmers can do this by changing land use is such a way thar phosphorus run-off fromthe catchment soils into drainage is prevented or at least reduced.

The department of Agriculture is investigating the economics of alternative uses, particularly substituting forestry with Pinus pinaster or Eucalyptus globulus (Tasmanian blue gum) for present beef and sheep enterprises. P. pinaster is used for logging and E. globulus for pulping.

Feral Donkeys : An Assessment Of Control In The Kimberley, S H. Wheeler

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Feral donkeys are one of the major limitations to increased pastoral production in many parts of the Kimberley area of Western Australia, where they compete with cattle for food. In addition donkeys are aggressive animals, driving cattle from watering points and better grazing areas. They eliminate perenial plants by overgrazing and therefore reduce the carrying capacity of the range.

Originally introduced as draught animals, donkeys were released when cars arrived; since then they have bred up to large numbers in many areas.

For several years the Agricultural Protection Board has undertaken a programme of donkey shooting from helicopters. Since this …

Algal Problems Of The Estuary, E. P. Hodgkin, P. B. Birch

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The Peel-Harvey esturine system study began in 1976 because people living near Peel Inlet complained about the accumulation of water weeds and algae on the shores and the smell of hydrogen sulphide (rotton egg gas) that resulted from their decomposition. From 1974 efforts had been made to control this 'algal problem' by raking up the weed with tractors and carting it away. This 'cosmetic activity had little impact on the problem.

The immediate cause was obvious: a carpet of green algae covering about 20square kilometres of the bottom of Peel Inlet. From time to time this 'goat weed' floated to …

Algal Growth And The Phosphorus Cycle, Arthur J. Mccomb, K. S. Hamel, A. L. Huber, D. K. Kidby, R. J. Lukatelich

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Larger algae and microscopic phytoplankton foul the waters of the Peel-Harvey estuarine system, upsetting the fishery and polluting the beaches.

These aquatic plants grow in response to phosphorus runoff from drainage, trapping phosphorus in the estuary and using it in their growth. When they die this phosphorus remains in the system to be recycled for further plant growth.

Algal pollution in the estuary can be lessened by reducing the amount of phosphorus entering the system, increasing phosphorus losses to the ocean, or in some way blocking the trapping and recycling processes.

Soil Improvement With Bauxite Residues, W H. Tacey, S. C. Ward, K. J. Summers, N. J. Barrow

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The sandy soils of the Peel-Harvey catchment hold water and nutrients very poorly. The Gavin ridges dry out quickly during rainless periods and this severely limits pasture growth. These ridges and the lower lying Joel and Coolup sands also lose a large proportion of the phosphorus, sulfer and potash fertilisers applied to them. Normally the sands lack clay materials to bind and hold the nutrients so rainfall leaches them out.

The Peel-Harvey Study Group, CSIRO, Alcoa and Murdock University have studied the use of a residue from bauxite mining to help overcome these problems. The treated residue has a texture …

Causes Of Soil Acidity, W M. Porter

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

The introduction of agriculture into australia has caused many of our soils to become more acid faster than they would have otherwise.

In Europe and other parts of the world, soil acidification is accepted as a normal by-product of a successful agricultural system. Lime* is widley used to neutralise the acids added as a result of agricultural practices.

In Western Australia, lime applications will be needed more frequently in the future, although maybe not in the same volumes as in Europe.

Tackling The Problem Off The Farm, C M. Croft

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

Methods of redusing phosphorus losses from the catchment soils of the Peel-Harvey esturine system have been discussed in other articles in this Journal.

This article briefly discusses a range of 'off the farm' techniques to improve phosphorus flushing from Peel Inlet or Harvey Estuary to the sea and to treat the phosphorus and the algae. These techniques were among more than 100 management options evaluated by the Peel-Harvey Study Group.

The Response Of Invertebrates In Temporary Vernal Wetlands To Altosid Sr-10 As Used In Mosquito Abatement Programs, Ronald W. Lawrenz

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

Three temporary vernal wetlands on the Bayport Wildlife Management Area in eastern Washington County, Minnesota, were divided by sandbag barrier into treatment and control areas. Designated areas were treated with Altosid® SR-10 briquets at standard mosquito control rates. Invertebrate populations were monitored weekly using net sweeps, column samples, and ocular estimates.

The development of Eubranchtpus bundyi, Lyncerus sp, and Daphnia sp., the three major components of the invertebrate fauna, was delayed by as much as one week in site 47. Similar developmental lags were noted for E. bundyi populations in the treated portions of sites 6 and 32. Delay of …

Soil Testing For Acidity, I R. Wilson

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

One of the most important aspects of the soil acidity research programme is the accurate analysis of soil and plant materials.

A soil acidity problem cannot be simply diagnosed with one test. Although the soil pH test is used for the initial evaluation of soil acidity, it does not measure the other factors which affect plant growth as a result of this acidity.

For example, plant growth on a coastal soil with pH 4.3 (in water) may not be affected by applying lime, but growth may improve markedly on a central wheatbelt soil of pH 4,8 (in water).

Another two …

Modifying Fertiliser Practices, J S. Yeates, D. M. Deeley, M. F. Clarke, D. Allen

Journal of the Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, Series 4

If modified fertiliser practices are adopted phosphorus losses from the Peel-Harvey catchment can be reduced. Farmers can save money on fertiliser applications and the need for more expensive catchment management measures to reduce algal pollution of the estuary will be avoided.

Research data available so far indicate that, with farmer co-operation and the use of the new slow release fertiliser New Coastal Superphosphate, long-term phosphorus application rates can be reduced by 30-40 per cent - and possibly even halved - without lowering agricultural production. This will also reduce phosphorus loss to drainage water.

Although much of the research since 1982 …

Las Vegas Wash Advanced Water Quality Study: Final Report, Richard A. Roline, James J. Sartoris, U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

The purpose of the Las Vegas Wash Advanced Water Quality Study is to determine the existence, extent, and mechanisms of nutrient and toxin stripping in Las Vegas Wash under present conditions and under future conditions, both with and without construction of the proposed salinity control unit as described by the Bureau of Reclamation (USBR, 1982b). This study was performed for the Lower Colorado Region Division of Planning by personnel of the Environmental Sciences Section of the Division of Research and Laboratory Services, E&R Center, Denver, Colorado. Work on the study began in February 1983. The general approach adopted for this …

Investigations And Research In Nevada By The Water Resources Division, U. S. Geological Survey, 1982-83, Terry Katzer, Otto Moosburner, William D. Nichols

Publications (WR)

The Water Resources Division, U.S. Geological Survey, is charged with (1) maintaining a hydrologic network in Nevada that provides information on the status of the State's water resources and (2) engaging in technical water-resources investigations that have a high degree of transferability. To meet these broad objections, 26 projects were active in Nevada during fiscal year 1982 in cooperation with 36 Federal, State, and local agencies. Total funds were $3,319,455, of which State and local cooperative funding amounted to $741,500 and Federal funding (comprised of Geological Survey Federal and cooperative programs plus funds from six other Federal agencies) amounted to …

A Decade Of Usda-Ars Predator Research, 1972-1982, Jeffrey S. Green

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

Federal government restrictions in 1972 on several widely-used forms of predator control stimulated research on alternative methods of reducing depredation on livestock. In the same year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture began predator research through the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and designed the U.S. Sheep Experiment Station CUSSES, near Dubois in southeastern Idaho as the principle location for the investigations. At the outset, the objective of ARS research was to examine non-lethal methods for reducing depredation, primarily by coyotes (Cants), on sheep. During the first several years, while predator research facilities were constructed at the USSES, ARS funds were primarily …

Table Of Contents, William F. Andelt

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

Proceedings

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Award Recipients

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

Award Recipients

Removing Rattlesnakes From Human Dwellings Using Glue Boards, James E. Knight

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

A method using glue boards to remove rattlesnakes (Crotalus soo.) is being tested. Preliminary results of tests conducted in controlled situations indicate the method may be very effective. The glue boards are cardboard or plastic rectangles covered with a sticky material similar to fly-paper glue. The glue boards are tacked on anchored plywood approximately 24 x 16 x 1/4 inches (61 x 40.6 x 0.6 cm). The glue boards are arranged to form a minimum area of 12 x 6 inches (30.5 x 15.2 em). It is important to avoid attaching anything the snake can use for leverage that might …

Rodent-Agriculture Interactions In No-Tillage Crop Fields, Kent E. Holm, Ron J. Johnson, Walter W. Stroup

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

Acreage in reduced- and no-tillage farming systems has increased markedly in recent years, a trend that is expected to continue. However, small rodent populations thrive in these fields and at times dig and consume newly planted seeds and seedlings. During 1983, no-tillage corn, wheat and grain sorghum fields in western (Red Willow Co.) and eastern (Saline and Jefferson Cos.) Nebraska were evaluated to determine the distribution and food habits of the rodent species present, the damage to crops, and the availability of alternate rodent food sources. During June (post-emergence) and August (maximum corn height), 676 rodents were captured in 11 …

Keeping Squirrels And Roof Rats Out Of Structures, Jonathan W. Linn

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

component of any total pest control program. There are many species of rodents that enter buildings, usually for the purpose of shelter and/or food. They may enter in the fall to survive the winter weather, or in the spring to have a safe place to give birth to their young. Much has been written about rodent-proofing buildings to keep out both native and introduced rats and mice. This article will try and cover methods that can be used to keep out our native squirrels, which include the eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus), the eastern …

Current Events In Extension Wildlife Damage Control In The United States, James E. Miller

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

The Cooperative Extension Services (CES) within each state and territory of the United States and their federal partner, the Extension Service, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), have long recognized the need for, and responsibility of, providing educational programs in wildlife damage control to both rural and urban clientele. The system employed to implement these educational programs was established early in this century dating back to passage of the Smith-Lever Act in 1914. Through the years since that time, the strengths of this system have been the recognition of the need for a continuing spirit of cooperation with other federal …