Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System For Grasslands: Field Manual, Andrew Craig, Philip Thomas

Bulletins 4000 -

Western Australian Rangeland Monitoring System (WARMS) sites are designed to provide defined areas for repeated photography and collection of vegetation composition, shrub/tree cover and landscape function (soil surface assessment) data. This manual defines the procedures for installing and monitoring WARMS sites in the grasslands of northern Western Australia. It provides a documented reference of site stratification at regional scale, and site allocation at station (property) scale. Different procedures apply for sites in the shrublands of the southern pastoral zone. WARMS is designed to be interpreted at the vegetation type or regional scale, rather than lease (station) scale. Information gathered is …

Methods And Tools For Drought Analysis And Management, Cody L. Knutson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Drought is an ambiguous concept. It is often difficult to tell when you are in a drought because of its slow, protracted nature and lack of news-grabbing impacts— such as water inundating communities or buildings burning—associated with other natural disasters. It is equally difficult to track the effect of drought on people, their livelihoods, and the environment because of the ubiquitous role that water plays in our world. As a result, we often wait until we are in the midst of a water crisis to seek ad hoc solutions, which can be costly, inefficient, and highly politicized.

To overcome the …

Impacts Of Human Physical Disturbance Of Benthic Communities In Tributaries Of The Niobrara National Scenic River, Kimberly D. Laing

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

Community Forests: Needs & Resources For Technical Assistance In Northen New England, Misha Mytar

Muskie School Capstones and Dissertations

The Community Forest Collaborative seeks to expand community ownership and management of forestland in northern New England and has documented the value of community forests both as a community investment strategy and as a component of regional landscape conservation strategies.

Research conducted over the last three years has determined that there needs to be a concerted effort to develop an infrastructure of support communities that want to acquire own and manage forestland. Two principle actions were recommended:

Expand resources for acquisition and management

and

Expand formalize and institutionalize technical assistance

Water And The Future Of Your Community: Agenda (April 30, 2008 Meeting), Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Public Meetings

No abstract provided.

Water And The Future Of Your Community: Introductary Slideshow (April 30, 2008 Meeting), Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Public Meetings

No abstract provided.

Stream Buffer And Habitat Analysis (April 30, 2008 Meeting), Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Public Meetings

No abstract provided.

Village Center Districts: A New Approach To Zoning For Sustainability (April 30, 2008 Meeting), Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Public Meetings

No abstract provided.

Water Budget Analysis And Low Impact Development (April 30, 2008 Meeting), Horsley Witten Group, Inc.

Public Meetings

No abstract provided.

Baselines Newsletter, No. 2, Spring 2008, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Baselines: The Natural Resources Law Center Newsletter (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

Arauco Y Sus Políticas De Rse En La Viii Región Del Bío Bío (Una Comparación Entre Sus Políticas Medio Ambientales Y La Situación Real), Jamie Warner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The purpose of my independent research project is to find out whether the written Corporate Social Responsibility environmental policies of Arauco Forests are actually enacted in the eight region (Bíobío). My hypothesis is that even though Arauco has implemented these policies, it does not have a sustainable model for its forest industry. Arauco continues to damage the land, water, and air in the Biobió region, which is in turn affecting the lives of the people that live in the region, the natural flora and fauna, and the workers. I have chosen to focus on the VIII region because it has …

Renewable Energy And Agriculture: Promoting Biogas In The Rural Communities Of The Lashihai Wetland Nature Reserve, Amanda Lee

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

“China’s economic miracle will end soon because the environment can no longer keep pace.” – Pan Yue, deputy environmental director (Larson, 21)

In recent years, the causes and impacts of global warming have increasingly garnered press on an international scale. Scientists have confirmed global warming as being mostly anthropogenic (Rosenthal and Revkin; Xuequan). More wildlife species have become endangered or extinct (Roach) and natural disasters such as storms have increased in severity (“New study”; Schmid). With the 2008 Beijing Olympics quickly approaching, the international community has turned its eye to China and its policies, including those towards the environment. Since …

Atravesando La Amazonía: Carreteras, Desarrollo, & El Camino Del Desastre, Olivia De Lancie

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Road construction in the Amazon has greatly impacted its floral and faunal inhabitants. The opening of a new road in a previously isolated region exposes its populations to the economy for the first time, and to the possibility of enriching themselves through the extraction of their products. Unfortunately, this exchange of goods results in the aculturization of indigenous groups, and in the loss of their unique culture. The migration that the roads near indigenous communities encourages increases access to education and sources of work, but results in a nearly complete destruction of these communities’ social fiber. Economic and cultural exchanges …

Droughtscape, Spring 2008, Kelly Smith

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

San Angelo, April 24

Winter Sees Little Change in U.S. Drought

News Stories Reveal Array of Mitigation Strategies

NIDIS Wants You!

Sea Surface Temperatures Can Help Predict Drought

About DroughtScape

Recent Travels

Preferences For Rural Amenities In Lancaster County, K. Koehler-Cole

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

No abstract provided.

The Current State Of Populations Of Diadema Antillarum On Isla Colón In Bocas Del Toro, Panamá, 25 Years After Mass Mortality, Leah T. Ritz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In January 1983, the worst recorded die-off of any marine animal hit the Caribbean beginning near the mouth of the Panama Canal and eventually wiping out nearly 99% of one of the most important herbivores in coral reef communities, Diadema antillarum—the long-spined sea urchin or Diadema. No populations of Diadema in the Western Atlantic are known to have escaped the drastic population declines. The loss of Diadema throughout the Western Atlantic has had long-lasting impacts on the structure and composition of many types of communities including coral reefs, mangrove roots, sea grass beds, and sand flats. Though the mortality was …

A Reassessment Of Avian Assemblages Along The Lakes Corridor In The Atherton Tablelands, North Queensland, Shaina N. Stewart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Forest fragmentation is the process by which large areas of continuous forest are replaced by foreign ecosystems that restrict native growth to isolated patches. Biota remaining within these fragmented environments often suffer consequences that stem from reduced forest area. Wildlife corridors—linear patches of habitat that connect remnant fragments—have frequently been proposed to alleviate fragmentation effects by facilitating biotic movement between forest patches. Initiated in 1998, the Lakes Corridor on the Atherton Tablelands in North Queensland, Australia, connects the two formerly isolated sections of Crater Lakes National Park with the goal of promoting wildlife dispersal between them. This study monitored avian …

Post-Fire Demography Of A Dry Eucalypt Forest In The Midlands, Tasmania: A Pilot Study, Christine Urbanowicz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

There have been many efforts to regenerate the threatened and declining dry eucalypt forests found within the Midlands of Tasmania. This pilot study was completed as part of a larger research project on eucalypt regeneration. Researchers need to know where recruits are most successful in order to appropriately place regeneration microsites. I have begun characterizing the baseline demography of a recently burnt remnant forest. I had two objectives: 1. to characterize the stand structure where recruits are successful, and 2. to describe where the recruits are within this structure. Data on location, size, and life history stage of trees were …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, January 1— March 31, 2008, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• The Weed Sentry program surveyed 104 miles of transportation corridors on federal land in Clark County for incipient populations of exotic plants.
• Seven manuscripts attained in-press or published status and two manuscripts were submitted for review this quarter. Among other in-press manuscripts, are one documenting Sahara mustard germination patterns (Western North American Naturalist), one assessing exotic species distributions in Clark County (Environmental Monitoring and Assessment), and another is a synthesis of burro effects on Mojave Desert vegetation (Environmental Management).
• Staff delivered four presentations this quarter at conferences or at agency meetings. Twenty-six Las Vegas bearpoppy sites were assessed …

Agenda: Securing Environmental Flows On The Colorado River In An Era Of Climate Change: Issues, Challenges, And Opportunities, Western Water Policy Program, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, Nature Conservancy (U.S.), Trout Unlimited, Environmental Defense (Organization), Western Water Assessment (Program), Western Resource Advocates, United States. Bureau Of Reclamation

Securing Environmental Flows on the Colorado River in an Era of Climate Change: Issues, Challenges and Opportunities (March 21)

The Colorado River is the primary surface water resource of the Southwest, providing water to approximately 30 million residents. Studies and policy decisions associated with a recently completed EIS point to an ever-tightening water supply due to longstanding growth pressures exacerbated by significant climate change impacts. Given these trends, how can the river’s environmental needs be satisfied?

On March 21st, the Center’s Western Water Policy Program brought together four leading Colorado River experts along with an audience of approximately 70 water professionals to discuss “Securing Environmental Flows on the Colorado River in an Era of Climate Change: Issues, Challenges, and …

Fisheries Research Report No. 170 - Biomass And Commercial Catch Estimates For Abalone Stocks In Areas Proposed As Sanctuary Zones For The Capes Marine Park, A. Hesp, Neil R. Loneragan, Norman G. Hall, H T. Kobryn, A.M. Hart, Frank Fabris, Jeremy Prince

Fisheries Research Reports

This study was undertaken to estimate the biomasses, biologically sustainable catches and current average annual commercial catches of three fished species of abalone, Haliotis roei (Roei), Haliotis laevigata (Greenlip) and Haliotis conicopora (Brownlip) in the proposed sanctuaries of the Capes Marine Park, south-western Australia. The current annual, catch estimates represent the catches that would be foregone by commercial fishers if the sanctuaries are implemented and will be used to evaluate the potential compensation to fishers (not part of this study). The biomass and catch estimates for each species in the proposed sanctuaries were estimated from a combination of scientific survey …

Fisheries Research Report No. 173 - Evaluation Of The Effectiveness Of Reducing Dolphin Catches With Pingers And Exclusion Grids In The Pilbara Trawl Fishery, Peter Stephenson, S. Wells

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC Report – Project 2004/068

“Savewave” acoustic pingers were trialed on one vessel to determine if they would deter dolphins entering the trawl net. During daylight hours, the pingers were deployed on alternate shots in the configuration recommended by the manufacturer. On the other alternate shots, no pingers were deployed. A video camera in an underwater housing was attached to the headrope facing downstream for 18 trawl shots. On the 14 shots where usable video footage was obtained (11 with pingers deployed and 7 with pingers not deployed) the number of dolphins viewed in the camera frame was counted …

Trends In Twentieth-Century U.S. Snowfall Using A Quality-Controlled Dataset, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Michael Palecki, Leslie Ensor, Kenneth Hubbard, David Robinson, Kelly Redmond, David Easterling

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A quality assessment of daily manual snowfall data has been undertaken for all U.S. long-term stations and their suitability for climate research. The assessment utilized expert judgment on the quality of each station. Through this process, the authors have identified a set of stations believed to be suitable for analysis of trends. Since the 1920s, snowfall has been declining in the West and the mid-Atlantic coast. In some places during recent years the decline has been more precipitous, strongly trending downward along the southern margins of the seasonal snow region, the southern Missouri River basin, and parts of the Northeast. …

Trends In Twentieth-Century U.S. Extreme Snowfall Seasons, Kenneth E. Kunkel, Michael A. Palecki, Leslie Ensor, David Easterling, Kenneth Hubbard, David Robinson, Kelly Redmond

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Temporal variability in the occurrence of the most extreme snowfall years, both those with abundant snowfall amounts and those lacking snowfall, was examined using a set of 440 quality-controlled, homogenous U.S. snowfall records. The frequencies with which winter-centered annual snowfall totals exceeded the 90th and 10th percentile thresholds at individual stations were calculated from 1900–01 to 2006–07 for the conterminous United States, and for 9 standard climate regions. The area-weighted conterminous U.S. results do not show a statistically significant trend in the occurrence of either high or low snowfall years for the 107-yr period, but there are regional trends. Large …

Equilibrium Sampling Used To Monitor Malodors In A Swine Waste Lagoon, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Eco-Geomorphic Implications Of Hillslope Aspect: Inferences From Analysis Of Landscape Morphology In Central New Mexico, Erkan Istanbulluoglu, Omer Yetemen, Enrique R. Vivoni, Hugo A. Gutierrez-Jurado, Rafael L. Bras

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We investigate the influence of hillslope aspect on landscape morphology in central New Mexico, where differences in soils, vegetation, and landforms are observed between mesic north-facing and xeric south-facing slopes. Slope–area and curvature–area relations, derived from a Digital Elevation Model (DEM), are used to characterize the opposing hillslope morphologies. In all geologies and elevation ranges studied, topographic data reveal significantly steeper slopes in north-facing aspects, and shallower slopes in south-facing aspects. North-facing slope curvatures are also greater than south-facing curvatures. Using a conceptual slope-area model, we suggest that for a given drainage area, steeper north-facing slopes imply lower soil erodibility. …

Buffered, Lagged, Or Cooled? Disentangling Hyporheic Influences On Temperature Cycles In Stream Channels, Alicia S. Arrigoni, Geoffrey C. Poole, Leal A. K. Mertes, Scott J. O'Daniel, William W. Woessner, Steven A. Thomas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We monitored summertime base flow water temperatures of hyporheic discharge to surface water in main, side, and spring channels located within the bank-full scour zone of the gravel- and cobble-bedded Umatilla River, Oregon, USA. Diel temperature cycles in hyporheic discharge were common, but spatially variable. Relative to the main channel’s diel cycle, hyporheic discharge locations typically had similar daily mean temperatures, but smaller diel ranges (compressed by 2 to 6°C) and desynchronized phases (offset by 0 to 6 h). In spring channels (which received only hyporheic discharge), surface water diel cycles were also compressed (by 2 to 6°C) and desynchronized …

Application Of A Routing Model For Detecting Channel Flow Changes With Minimal Data, Jozsef Szilagyi, Nicholas Pinter, Rob Venczel

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Comment On "Comparison Of 15 Evaporation Models Applied To A Small Mountain Lake In The Northeastern Usa", Jozsef Szilagyi

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Riparian Zone Evapotranspiration From Diurnal Groundwater-Level Fluctuations, Zoltan Gribovszki, Peter Kalicz, Jozsef Szilagyi, Mihaly Kucsara

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.