Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons^™

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

• Research assistant hired for Relict Leopard Frog conservation project.
• High school minority intern hired to assist with research efforts.
• Nocturnal visual encounter surveys for Relict Leopard Frogs conducted at all established natural sites and at 6 of 7 translocation sites.
• Vegetation management conducted to decrease tamarisk cover along the stream at the Pupfish Refuge Spring – a Relict Leopard Frog translocation site.
• New draft guidelines and field count protocols developed for midwinter bald eagle count.
• Preliminary analysis and modeling of thrasher habitat selection conducted and sampling assessed
• Call-broadcast surveys for thrasher species conducted at 43 points countywide, focusing on vegetation …

Final Technical Report: Integrated Restoration Strategies Towards Weed Control On Western Rangelands, Robert Nowak

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Invasive species are having severe ecological (Mack et al. 2000) and economic (Pimentel et al. 2005) impacts on ecosystems around the world. Invasive species can alter many ecosystem processes (Crooks 2002, Walker & Smith 1997) including: water and nutrient availability, such as form and amount of N if the soil (Evans et al. 2001, Sperry et al. 2006); primary productivity, through shifts in growth rates or efficiency of resource use; disturbance regimes, including the type, frequency, and severity of disturbances such as fire (D’Antonio 2002); and community dynamics, such as species replacements (Alvarez & Cushman 2002). The economic losses and …

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 …

Annual Pastural Land Condition Report: 2005 / 2006 Financial Year, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia

Natural resources published reports

The following 2005/06 Annual Report to the Western Australian Pastoral Lands Board presents an assessment of overall land condition on pastoral properties throughout the Rangelands of Western Australia.

The Western Australian Rangelands pastoral estate consists of 466 Stations covering approximately 910 000 km2. This equates to 42% of the States Rangelands. The total number of pastoral leases has continued to decline from the previous reporting period and there are currently 478 stations (525 Leases).

The Rangelands are made up of a diverse range of climates from the semi arid tropics in the north to the arid south. Topography and rainfall …

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 …

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 …

Data Summary From The Tampa Bay Interagency Seagrass Monitoring Program Through Year 2005, Walt Avery, Roger Johansson

Reports

Results regarding seagrass species abundance, distribution, and zonation over time are presented for the 1997-2005 period in Hillsborough Bay (HB, Figures 17-27) and the 1998-2005 period for Old Tampa Bay (OTB, Figures 3-14), Middle Tampa Bay (MTB, Figures 29-41), Lower Tampa Bay, including Terra Ceia Bay (LTB, Figures 43-57), and Boca Ciega Bay (BCB, Figures 59-69). For each transect, results are presented in a graphic format illustrating annual species composition, abundance, and distribution. Seagrass abundance is presented as percent coverage within a square meter using the Braun Blanquet coverage class system.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area National Park Service: Final Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

This task agreement was awarded by the National Park Service (NPS), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), to the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) on October 1, 2005. This monitoring, research, and management project consisted of several project elements focused on: bald eagles, peregrine falcons, rare songbird species (including southwest willow flycatcher); aquatic birds, relict leopard frog, desert tortoise, and bighorn sheep. In general, actions associated with this project focused on the development and implementation of inventory and monitoring programs to determine the distribution, status, abundance, trends, and potential threats to these animals, …

The Growing Together Guide: A Companion Resource To The New England Environmental Finance Center/Melissa Paly Film, New England Environmental Finance Center

Smart Growth

What local leader or public official wants to be faced with an SOS the “same old story” of public discord and confrontation over growth and development in one’s community? That situation has become a problem for efforts to promote smart growth. Investments are needed in the walkable, compact, traditional‐streetscape and mixed use neighborhoods and developments that are more sustainable and healthy than sprawl, for both people and the landscape. Yet attempts at such change all too often end up mired in costly public controversy and stalemate.

Inventory And Monitoring Of Aquatic Bird Species On Lakes Mead And Mohave 2004 - 2006, Joseph Barnes

Wildlife Monitoring

This project was completed as part of a task agreements awarded by the National Park Service (NPS), Lake Mead National Recreation Area (LAME), to the Public Lands Institute (PLI) at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). This final report was completed under a task agreement ending on September 30, 2006, and was completed in support of an NPS project funded by the Southern Nevada Public Lands Management Act (PLMA) to inventory and monitor shoreline and near-shore natural resources on Lakes Mead and Mohave (DOI 2005). This report details inventory and monitoring efforts on shoreline and aquatic bird species between …

Seagrass Transect Data Summary And Analysis From A Six-Year Period: 1999 - 2004, Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center, Inc, Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves Florida Department Of Environmental Protection

Reports

This report contains a summary and analysis of data from a seagrass transect monitoring project begun in 1998 by the Charlotte Harbor Aquatic Preserves, Florida Department of Environmental Protection. Seagrass abundance and distribution data at twenty-six locations around Upper Charlotte Harbor, Gasparilla Sound / Lemon Bay, and the Peace and Myakka Rivers have been collected annually each year since 1999 to characterize the local and regional abundance of seagrasses. The purpose of this report is to summarize the dataset, to detect changes (if any) in seagrass abundance and distribution which may have occurred over time, to suggest mechanisms that may …

Mansfield Ct: Planning A New Village Center, Maggie Jones, Richard Barringer

Planning

The case follows the development of a plan for a new village center in Storrs, the central village of Mansfield, Connecticut. A process that was transparent and inclusive of the community members yielded a plan that gained the approval of the Town, the landowner (the University of Connecticut), and the citizenry. The process relied on the mending of fences, the leadership of key participants, and an innovative strategy that included development of a nonprofit corporation and creative use of grant money. While zoning changes are still in the works, the first stage of building goes forward.

Augusta Me: The New Bridge Begets A New Planned Neighborhood, Molly Pulsifer, Richard Barringer

Planning

Construction of a new Third Bridge over the Kennebec River in Augusta offered the prospect of a new and handsome gateway to the city. Further, the resulting change in traffic patterns offered the City the chance to plan for a pattern of development quite different from what the city had experienced for the past half-century. The case study describes the planning and construction of the new bridge and corridors that re-routed traffic out of Augusta’s downtown and older neighborhoods, and created the opportunity for planned development adjacent to the corridor created by the new bridge. It goes on to describe …

Sustainability With Globalization: An Unsustainable Proposition, Daniel B. Reader

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Globalization is recognized as a world-encompassing phenomenon, even as its benefits are debated. Sustainability, the capacity to maintain high standards of living through generations, is at stake. This paper examines the problems of sustainability with globalization from several perspectives. High statistical correlation between indices of globalization and environmental degradation (r2 = 0.977, p < .001) is found using multi-dimensional scaling software. The socially destabilizing, culture flattening effects of globalization are examined, and the terms ‘nationalism’ and ‘terrorism’ are defined. On the basis of its medial position among the indices of both globalization and environmental degradation, Chile is explored in a case study of the interaction. Conclusions regarding Chile’s vulnerabilities are reached, and the country’s environmental, social, and economic ‘weak spots’ are identified. The ethical positions of globalization and sustainability are considered, and the conclusion that there is very little that can be done to alter the nature of the interaction is drawn. It is suggested that globalization minimizes the prospects of success in efforts toward sustainability by maximizing vulnerabilities among sustainability’s components.

Benthic Biological Monitoring Program Of The Elizabeth River Watershed (2005), Daniel M. Dauer

Elizabeth River Reports

Executive Summary

Macrobenthic communities of the Elizabeth River watershed have been quantitatively sampled since summer 1999. This report presents the data from the seventh year of sampling in 2005. The three objectives of the Benthic Biological Monitoring Program of the Elizabeth River watershed are: (1) To characterize the health of the tidal waters of the Elizabeth River watershed as indicated by the structure of the benthic communities. (2) To conduct trend analyses on long-term data at 14 fixed-point stations to relate temporal trends in the benthic communities to changes in water and/or sediment quality. Trend analyses will be updated annually …

Evidence Of An Active Enso And Pdq During The Mid-Holocene From A Costa Rican Speleothem, April D. Azouz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Although the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) is the most important source of inter-annual climate variability in the tropics, its Holocene history is poorly understood, particularly in Central America. A high resolution (-3.8 years/sample) paleoclimate record of Central American rainfall variability has been reconstructed from a U /Th-dated stalagmite (7890 to 6490 yrs B.P.) from Costa Rica to constrain the onset and variability of ENSO throughout the Holocene, and to determine its role in generating regional climate anomalies. I suggest drier conditions, forced by El Nino, are represented by higher 5180 values, and are correlative with higher 513C values, indicating that …

Influences Of Watershed Urban Development On Habitat Heterogeneity And Native Fish Diversity In A Ridge And Valley Stream In Southeastern Tennessee, Nicholas B. Cookson

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

The present study examined relationships of landscape features with instream environmental conditions and fish assemblage attributes in a third-order Ridge and Valley stream in the Chattanooga, Tennessee area. Stream water quality, habitat, and fish assemblages were sampled in May-June 2005 at seven sites (drainage areas <17 km2) in the Mountain Creek system (Tennessee River drainage). Watershed urban land use (predominantly residential) ranged from 1.62 % to 18.97 % and housing density from 49 housing units/km2 to 72 housing units/km2. Natural riparian land cover at the sites ranged from 26.9 % to 53.1 %. A total of22 species offish and 3,686 individuals was found at the seven sites. Native species richness per drainage area ranged from 0.12 species/km2 to 1.15 species/km2 at the individual sites. Species evenness ranged from 0.56 to 0.79. Index of biotic integrity ratings varied from poor to good. Watershed urban land use was negatively correlated with species richness, species evenness, variation in stream shape, and variation in current velocity. Housing density in the watershed was positively correlated with sediment depth and negatively correlated with species richness, substrate diversity, and variation in stream shape. Riparian natural cover was positively correlated with variation in current velocity. Results of this study emphasize the negative influence of watershed residential land use on stream habitat heterogeneity and native fish diversity.

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

Dust Emissions from Public Lands

• Hiring of post-doctoral scholar is currently being finalized.

• Modification to task agreement has been processed.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Sensitive Wildlife Species Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending June 30, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

• Tortoise and tortoise habitat monitoring was conducted on the Northshore Road construction project, on the Southern Nevada Water Authority intake pipe project, the Frontier Telephone-Willow Beach project and the movie film at Temple Bar.
• A total of 25 tortoise education classes were given to 90 individuals.
• Evaluation of 3 potential sites for relict leopard frog translocations conducted but sites were not recommended.
• Head-starting and translocation efforts for relict leopard frogs continued. 1183 animals translocated so far this year.
• Relict Leopard Frog Conservation Team meeting held and yearly report completed.
• Continuation of data management and QA of GPS collar information from …

Lockhart Catchment Appraisal 2005, Susan Murphy-White, P Leoni

Resource management technical reports

The Lockhart Catchment is the largest subcatchment of the Avon River Basin covering just over 3.56 million hectares, including 15 Shires running from Quairading and Bruce Rock in the north to Pingrup and Lake King in the south. This document aims to give the reader a starting point from which to further assess larger scale areas of the catchment for the purpose of planning to reverse and improve land degradation and sustainable farming in Western Australia.

Quality Management Plan - Mine Waste Technology Program, Mse Technology Applications, Inc.

Silver Bow Creek/Butte Area Superfund Site

No abstract provided.

Science & Research Strategy Charter, Public Lands Institute

Interagency Science and Research Strategy

• Cooperatively established tools to measure ecosystem health are implemented
• Common methodologies for data management are agreed to and implemented
• Compatible database methods are utilized
• Award of funding is fair and transparent
• Establishment of a long-term strategy with tested and implemented proposal process

Odonates At The Clark County Wetlands Nature Preserve: A Look At Habitat And Relative Abundance, Erin Jolley

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to identify the various species, relative abundance and habitat of dragonfly and damselfly larvae at the Clark County Wetlands Park Nature Preserve (WPNP). An accurate assessment of these insects can be useful in interpreting potential indications of environmental problems at the Wetlands. From this data, necessary improvements can be made to the dragonfly habitat as well as the habitat of other surrounding organisms. Habitat identification is considered especially important because it is "structured by instream and surrounding topographical features, and is a major determinant of aquatic community potential" (Southwood, 1977). For purposes of this …

Presentation To Snap Board Of Directors, Public Lands Institute

Interagency Science and Research Strategy

• Conduct survey and produce a written report on the various alternative workforce suppliers available to the federal agencies for land management activities; include descriptions of each type of supplier, types of work each can supply, and costs and reimbursement requirements.
• Identify required agreements and/or contracts and suggested adjustments needed in agency staffing to support alternative workforce capabilities.

Amherst Ma: A New Village Plan For Atkins Corner, Maggie Jones, Richard Barringer

Planning

The case study describes a successful smart growth initiative in the town of Amherst, Massachusetts, at an intersection known as Atkins Corner. The initiative grew from two motivating factors: the necessity of realigning Route 116, a major north-to-south artery through the town, to decrease traffic accidents at the intersection and improve pedestrian safety; and a desire on the part of Hampshire College and the Town to create a village center at the intersection. Through a consensus-building process involving key town officials, Hampshire College, neighbors, and the design firm of Dodson Associates, agreement on the project was reached with local stakeholders …

Invasive Species Definition Clarification And Guidance, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

Summary

Invasive species are those that are not native to the ecosystem under consideration and that cause or are likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal, or plant health. Plant and animal species under domestication or cultivation and under human control are not invasive species. Furthermore for policy purposes, to be considered invasive, the negative impacts caused by a non-native species will be deemed to outweigh the beneficial effects it provides. Finally, a non-native species might be considered invasive in one region but not in another. Whether or not a species is considered an invasive …

Colorado College State Of The Rockies Report Card, Walter E. Hecox, Bryan Hurlbutt, Caitlin O'Brady

Publications (SD)

Welcome to Colorado College’s third State of the Rockies Report Card. Building upon a strong start in 2004 and continuing through 2005, the Rockies Project this year provides a fresh look at key challenges to this beautiful but fragile region. This Report Card and the companion April 2006 State of the Rockies Conference are significant outreach activities of Colorado College: Vision 2010, an agenda to strengthen our college and our engagement in the region.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Sensitive Wildlife Species Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending March 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

• Research Assistant Professor hired to oversee NPS wildlife monitoring programs and serve as overall program coordinator for UNLV monitoring programs at Lake Mead National Recreation Area.
• Final report completed for 2004-2005 desert tortoise monitoring project.
• Final report completed for 2004-2005 relict leopard frog management.
• Recommendations for vegetation management research to improve relict leopard frog habitats at North Shore springs made to NPS Management Team
• Breeding surveys for relict leopard frog and egg collections for head-starting program completed.
• Final report completed of 2004-2005 monitoring efforts on peregrine falcons.
• Final report completed on 2004-2005 bald eagle monitoring.
• Bald eagle survey for 2006 …

Scoping Summary Report: Development Of Lower Basin Shortage Guidelines And Coordinated Management Strategies For Lake Powell And Lake Mead, Particularly Under Low Reservoir Conditions, U.S. Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamation

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) acting on behalf of the Secretary of the Department of the Interior (Secretary) proposes to take action to adopt specific Colorado River Lower Basin shortage guidelines and coordinated reservoir management strategies to address operations of Lake Powell and Lake Mead, particularly under low reservoir conditions. This proposed Action will provide a greater degree of certainty to all water users and managers in the Colorado River Basin by providing more detailed guidelines for the operation of Lake Powell and Lake Mead and by allowing water users in the Lower Basin to know when, and by how …

Summary Of Public Scoping Comments For The Oil Shale And Tar Sands Resources Leasing Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement, Argonne National Laboratory

All U.S. Government Documents (Utah Regional Depository)

Section 369(d)(1) of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, Public Law 109-58 (H.R. 6), enacted August 8, 2005, directs the Secretary of the Interior to prepare a programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS) for a commercial leasing program for oil shale and tar sands (OSTS) resources on public lands in Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming (see Figure 1). Through the Oil Shale and Tar Sands Resources Leasing PEIS, the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will evaluate decisions regarding which public lands will be open for leasing in the three-state area and under what constraints. The PEIS will …