Natural Resource Economics Commons^™

Abstracts Volume 1 2014 Korean, The Editors

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Abstracts to Volume 1 2014 in Korean

Abstracts Volume 1 2014 French, The Editors

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Abstracts to Volume 1 2014 in French

Abstracts Volume 1 2014 Portuguese, The Editors

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Abstracts to Volume 2014 in Portuguese

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 19, 2015, Brad Rippey

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 19, 2015 (5/19/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 12, 2015, Brian Fuchs

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 12, 2015 (5/12/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, May 5, 2015, Mark D. Svoboda

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for May 5, 2015 (5/5/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 28, 2015, Anthony Artusa

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 28, 2015 (4/28/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 21, 2015, Anthony Artusa

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 21, 2015 (4/21/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Estimating The Recreational Value Of Portland’S Forest Park, Randall Bluffstone, Ryan Burchett, Kahtan Eiwaz, Emma Ingebretsen, Peter Schaffer, Steve Toth, Szeto Yan Weng, Jordan Drinkhouse, Dat Huynh, Charles Maxwell, Joel Schutte, Tiffany Tram, Thananan Yupparit

Economics Faculty Publications and Presentations

Using the travel cost method, this study estimates the per-trip value and total annual value of recreational visits to Portland’s Forest Park. Based on the opportunity cost of visitors’ time and the estimated costs of travel, we derive a demand function for visits to Forest Park on the assumption that visitors value their trips to Forest Park at least as highly as the alternative uses of their time and money. The Portland Parks and Recreation Department supplied survey data for 2277 Forest Park visitors, of which we use 1626 observations.

We find that a truncated negative binomial regression best fits …

U.S. Drought Monitor, April 14, 2015, Michael J. Brewer

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for April 14, 2015 (4/14/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

An Outdoor Classroom To Improve The Student Experience And Connect The Community, Chelsea Malacara

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

An opportunity to learn outdoors unites students to their surroundings and closes the gap between human and nature. Outdoor spaces contribute to ecological literacy and are critical to a well-rounded education. The University of Southern Maine community places emphasis on environmental stewardship through classroom instruction and campus projects. The Gorham campus has 9 acres of wooded area plus unused greenspace. I am proposing the construction of an outdoor classroom. The proposal will include interviews from various stakeholders, a site assessment, and a digital and 3D model of the outdoor classroom that will be created per the Site Planning and Design …

Cost-Availability Curves For Hierarchical Implementation Of Residential Energy-Efficiency Measures, Roman Villoria-Siegert, Philip Brodrick, Kevin P. Hallinan, Robert J. Brecha

Physics Faculty Publications

Historical residential electricity data and natural gas consumption data were collected for, respectively, 1,200 and 178 residences in a small town in the USA. These data were merged with local building and weather databases, and energy consumption models were developed for each residence, revealing substantial variation in heating and cooling intensity. After estimating approximate physical building characteristics, energy profiles for each residence were calculated, and savings from adoption of the most cost-effective energy-efficiency measures for each residence were estimated. Effectively, we wish to leverage commonly available data sets to infer characteristics of building envelopes and equipment, without the need for …

Development In Alaska/British Columbia Transboundary Watersheds: A Campaign For International Joint Commission Involvement, Elizabeth Purdy

Capstone Collection

This case study in policy advocacy examines a campaign based in Southeast Alaska known as “Salmon Beyond Borders.” Run by a regional coalition of environmental organizations, indigenous tribes, local municipalities, commercial and sport fishing groups, policy experts, scientists, and concerned citizens, the Salmon Beyond Borders (SBB) campaign seeks a formal referral for International Joint Commission (IJC) involvement from the U.S. Department of State and the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs. SBB would like the IJC to study the cumulative impacts of mining development in the region’s transboundary watersheds and offer non-binding recommendations from which the U.S. and Canada can negotiate …

The Adequacy Of Programs In Nsw In Supporting Vulnerable Households To Transition To Renewable Energy, Madison Dell

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Rising electricity prices in Australia have caused low-income households to take drastic measures to reduce their energy consumption, cutting back on essential needs like food and heating. At the same time, prices for renewable energies like solar PV are decreasing, making renewable energy a more viable option for low-income households than grid electricity. In support of increasing the nation’s supply of renewable energy, the New South Wales government is funding the Zero Net Energy Town (Z-NET) project. The Z-NET project is a new initiative to create Australia’s first town that supplies all of its energy through renewable energy sources, using …

Taming The Teesta: Exploring The Holistic Effects Of Hydroelectric Dam Development On The Teesta River Through Documentary Film, Taylor Graham

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since time immemorial, the Lepcha people have called the Himalayan region that makes up the modern state of Sikkim their home and have held sacred the rivers, mountains, and forests that make up the biologically diverse region. Over the past two decades, India’s rapid development has generated a powerful thirst for electricity, and the country has increasingly looked to the cold, powerful rivers thundering from the Himalayas to supply that desired power. Hydroelectric projects have been proposed and implemented throughout the Himalayan region. Nowhere, however, are the dams as numerous or their effects as acutely felt as in India’s northwestern …

The Himalayan Gold Rush The Untold Consequences Of Yartsa Gunbu In The Tarap Valley, Noah Stone

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Despite the fact that it has been used in tradition medicine for centuries, the caterpillar fungus known as yartsa gunbu (Othiocordyceps sinensis), has only become a popular medical supplement in the last fifteen years. Demand in China has driven what has been dubbed ‘the Himalayan gold rush’, a scramble for the fungus that has utterly transformed the agro-pastoral economies of the remote Himalayan regions where cordyceps is found. In many cases, the locals have prospered economically from the commodification of yartsa gunbu. In one such region of Nepal, the Tarap valley of the Dolpa district, while the villagers have benefitted …

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 31, 2015, Eric Luebehusen

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 31, 2015 (3/31/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Governance Of Land And Natural Resource For Sustainable Development In Botswana: Possible Lessons For The Agricultural And Tourism Sectors, David Sebudubudu, Patricia M. Makepe, Kgomotso Montsi, Keratilwe Bodilenyane

International Journal of African Development

Realizing sustainable development is a major challenge for most African countries. Economic growth in most African countries is largely centered on the extraction of natural resources, particularly minerals. Rather than facilitate development, the extraction of natural resources in most countries, has been a source of adverse outcomes. That is, natural resources led to ‘the resource curse’, partly because of bad governance and leadership. Through governance and leadership, Botswana emerged differently. The country transformed itself to a middle income status through the prudent utilization and management of mineral (non-renewable) resources; making Botswana one of the few resource rich countries that have …

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 24, 2015, Eric Luebehusen

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 24, 2015 (3/24/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 17, 2015, Chris Fenimore

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 17, 2015 (3/17/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 10, 2015, Matthew Rosencrans

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 10, 2015 (3/10/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

U.S. Drought Monitor, March 3, 2015, David Simeral

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of U.S. for March 3, 2015 (3/3/15) plus: U.S. crop areas experiencing drought (map), Approximate percentage of crop located in drought, by state (bar graph), Percent of crop area located in drought, past 52 weeks (line graph) for: Corn, Soybeans, Hay, Cattle, Winter wheat.

Signed Peer Reviews As A Means To Improve Scholarly Publishing, Linwood H. Pendleton

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Peer review is a necessary process with a long history of complaints, including over-solicitation of a small number of reviewers, delays, inadequate numbers of reviewers, and a lack of incentives to provide strong reviews or avoid reviews with little helpful information for the author. In the era of Web-based distribution of research, through working paper or project reports, anonymous peer reviews are much less likely. The Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics will use signed peer reviews and an open communication process among authors, reviewers, and editors. This approach, to be developed over time, should lead to stronger communication of …

The Journal Of Ocean And Coastal Economics: An Introduction And Invitation, Charles S. Colgan

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

The Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics publishes research, literature reviews, and application reports that use the theories and methods of economics to shape the understanding of oceans and their resources, and coastal regions. The Journal is intended for a broad audience of scholars and practitioners in economics and ocean and coastal management. "Oceans" includes the major oceans, bays, and estuaries, but other definitions may be proposed. Articles addressing both economic values and the measurement of economic activity in "ocean industries" are included, along with articles addressing the economy of coastal regions. The Journal uses an open peer review system …

Nebraska’S Natural Resources Districts: An Assessment Of A Large-Scale Locally Controlled Water Governance Framework, Ann Bleed, Christina Hoffman Babbitt

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

In 1972 the State of Nebraska created the Natural Resources Districts (NRDs) to consolidate a multitude of single-purpose local natural resource districts into a more comprehensive, holistic, and efficient natural resources governance system. While consolidation and efficiency was important, so was the concept of maintaining local control. Thus, Nebraska rejected the governance framework of a single top-down state agency, preferring to create NRDs that are each governed by a locally elected board. The locally elected governing boards of the NRDs were given broad authorities over many of the state’s natural resources, including groundwater. Such a governance structure was, and to …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2014 Annual Report, Michael Prowatzke, Stephen K. Wilson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2014 at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the fourth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited six plant community monitoring plots to collect data on the vegetation at AGFO. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort that will sample six of 15 randomly located upland plots every year, so that each plot is visited for two consecutive years and then rested for three years, on a five-year rotating basis. NGPN staff captured data …

Slides: Practicing Sustainability In Natural Resource Industries, Gary D. Libecap

Natural Resource Industries and the Sustainability Challenge (Martz Winter Symposium, February 27-28)

Presenter: Gary D. Libecap, Bren School of Environmental Science and Management and Economics Department, University of California, Santa Barbara, National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER)

10 slides

Abstracts Volume 1 2014 Chinese, The Editors

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

Abstracts for 2014 Volume in Chinese

U.S. Drought Monitor, February 24, 2015, Richard R. Heim Jr.

United States Agricultural Commodities in Drought Archive

Drought map of the United States for February 24, 2015 (2/24/15) plus: United States crop areas experiencing drought (map), an approximate percentage of crop located in drought by state (bar graph), and the percentage of crop area located in drought during the past 52 weeks (line graph) for corn, soybeans, hay, cattle, and winter wheat.

The Evolution Of Non-Market Valuation Of U.S. Coastal And Marine Resources, Douglas Lipton, Dan K. Lew, Kristy Wallmo, Peter Wiley, Anthony Dvarskas

Journal of Ocean and Coastal Economics

At the federal level, particularly within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), regulatory and programmatic needs have driven the continued development and application of non-market valuation approaches to marine and coastal resources. The evolution of these valuation approaches not only entails adopting the recommendations of the 1993 NOAA blue ribbon panel on contingent valuation, but also an expansion of stated preference approaches with increased use of stated preference choice experiments. Revealed preference approaches have also advanced with more sophisticated random utility models. We provide an overview of this evolution in the areas of natural resources damage assessment, protected resources, …