Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Welcome By The Editor, Nathan W. Chan

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

No abstract provided.

Missing The Trees For The Forest: The Socioecological Significance Of Dispersed Farmland Trees In Northern Ethiopia, Jacob A. Wall

Honors Theses

Scattered trees are prominent features in the agricultural landscape of the Ethiopian highlands. The dry Afromontane forests of the Amhara Region in northern Ethiopia have faced centuries of deforestation - the FAO estimates only 3% of the region is forested today. The remaining landscape has been largely converted into agricultural and grazing lands, with the exception of some limited government-protected lands, as well as thousands of small forest fragments left around Orthodox Churches (“church forests”). But while a growing body of scholarship has highlighted the ecological and cultural importance of church forests and other natural forest fragments, the roles of …

The Roles Of Introduced Eucalyptus In The Conservation And Expansion Of Ethiopian Orthodox Church Forests In The Northern Ethiopian Highlands, Janice Liang

Honors Theses

Species of the genus Eucalyptus (common name eucalyptus) are widely planted all across Ethiopia – including on large areas of land previously allocated to food production. In recent decades eucalyptus has also increasingly been planted on lands around and within “church forests,” sacred groves of old-aged Afromontane trees surrounding Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido churches. These revered holy sites have long been recognized for their cultural values and also for their ecosystem services – including their potential to support species conservation and restoration, as church forests are some of the only remaining sanctuaries for many of Ethiopia’s indigenous and endemic plant and …

Using Choice Experiment Valuation Methods To Measure Public Preference For A New National Park In Maine, Alexander G. Wilsterman

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

With global population increasing faster than ever, the need to protect land from development is at an all-time high. This paper seeks the measure the public preference for a new national park located in northern Maine. A national park will both protect the land and inject a much-needed economic stimulus to the surrounding communities. The study uses the choice experiment valuation method to quantify its results. Through this revealed preference we can quantify which characteristics are most important to the public so that these characteristics may be considered if the project is ever approved.

Golf Courses In Maine: Land Type Valuation Versus A Hedonic Pricing Analysis, Gregory Ladd, Jason Buco

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

Many studies have been conducted analyzing the economic impact of golf courses on the local communities. These studies examine economic impacts of tournaments, endorsements, and vacation expenses of the major golf courses in the United States. However, there is little research conducted on the environmental impact of Golf courses, specifically in Maine. This paper performs a hedonic pricing analysis using housing prices in proximity to golf courses and compares it to the valuation of various land types in Maine. Housing prices were collected in the towns of Auburn, and North Yarmouth both near and distant from the local golf course. …

Converting Croplands To Grassland: A Spatial Analysis Of The Economic Feasibility Of Soil Greenhouse Gas Mitigation In Midwest, United States, Paco C. Defrancis

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

The global agriculture sector is responsible for close 20% of the aggregate anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions emitted since the start of the industrial age. Much of these emissions are attributed to the degradation of soils due to land use change when native ecosystems were converted to agricultural fields. Soil organic carbon (SOC) has been found to decrease in temperate soils when the native (such as a forest or grassland) ecosystem is replace by croplands. The aggregate amount of organic carbon stored in soils globally is estimated be 3.3x the size of the atmospheric carbon pool. Further soil degradation and …

Cost Benefit Analysis Of Café Standards Compared To The Alternative Fuel/Carbon Tax, Brian Levinson

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

The Cafe Standards were introduced in 1975 following the Oil Embargo. The goals of this program were simple. To reduce co2 emissions in vehicles by increasing a mandatory average mpg level for car manufacturers in the United States. Recently, in 2012, the Obama Administration set new Cafe Standard requirements for car manufacturers. By 2025, all new cars on the road in the United States must average 54.5 miles per gallon, which would double the current 27 mpg average in place right now. While the intentions of this policy are to reduce co2 emissions while at the same time increasing savings …

The Economics Of The Audubon Society's Sanctuary Program For Golf Courses, Dan Hyszczak

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

Millions of people play golf every year, and in 2011 Golf Courses gained $22 billion dollars in revenue. This statistic combined with golf’s inherent place in the natural environment lead to questions of value and development for golf course owners. In 1991, The Audubon Society created their Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses (ACSP) to promote environmentally sustainable practices for golf courses and to recognize the courses that are the most environmentally in both the United States and around the world.

This paper builds off of prior research that connects golf course beauty with revenue by examining the effects of …

Preferences For Coral Reef And Fishery Management In Okinawa, Japan, Nils Carlson

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This study is an example of how a nonmarket valuation method – a choice experiment – can be used to influence and guide ecosystem conservation efforts. Using a choice experiment survey, this study estimates the willingness to pay (WTP) for certain hypothetical attributes of a restored and conserved coral reef in Okinawa, Japan. I find that an increase in the amount of fish available to catch in ten years as well as an increase in the extent and health of the coral reefs and the number of marine biodiversity found in the Okinawan waters after ten-years, both positively affect respondent’s …

An Exploratory Statistical Analysis Of The External And Internal Effects Of Art Museums In The United States, John Eder

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

An Exploratory Statistical Analysis of the External and Internal Effects of Art Museums in the United States

The Effects Of Land Conservation On Productivity, Robert Mccormick, Carolyn Fuwa

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

In this research the relationship between productivity of land conservation is analyzed using panel data of the GDP and acres conserved of all 50 U.S. states from 1998-2005. Two main theories of the conservation productivity relationship exist. The first maintains that conservation impedes productivity because it does not allow land cultivation. Conversely, the second theory maintains that land conservation has a positive effect on GDP due to the recreation and tourism it creates. Through the use of fixed effects and random effects regressions, the amount of land conserved per state is not a significant predictor of state GDP The GDP …

A Survey On Climate Change: How Beliefs Shape Responsibility, Connor P. Clancy, Sarah Beth Solomon

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

This paper examines the lack of awareness and feelings of personal responsibility for climate change. Previous literature suggests that while part of the United States population may be aware of climate change, they do not feel personally responsible for causing it despite feeling climate change’s effects just like everyone else. Furthermore, studies suggest that individuals also do not believe climate change will affect them now, but rather it is an issue for future generations. Using a survey, we examine which demographics and personal factors are most important in eliciting awareness for climate change, and furthermore, personal responsibility for its effects. …

The Value Of Dune Width In Avalon, New Jersey: A Hedonic Pricing Analysis, Matt Mignon

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

Previous research on the economics of coastal housing markets has proven that housing values along the east coast of the United States capitalize on the attributes of local beaches. These recent studies document two important findings: that beach width positively affects coastal property values and that there is a proximity effect, in which distance from the beach plays a significant role in the capitalization of local beach attributes. This paper builds upon these findings to explore the influence that dune width has on coastal property values in Avalon, New Jersey. I hypothesize that as dune width increases, local property values …

Invited Introduction To Jerec, Noelwah Netusil

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

No abstract provided.

Welcome By The Editor, Sahan T. M. Dissanayake

Journal of Environmental and Resource Economics at Colby

No abstract provided.

Assessing The Carbon Impacts Of Colby College’S Biomass Plant, Alice Hotopp

Honors Theses

Biomass energy plants are considered to be carbon neutral systems under some definitions. However, this concept of carbon neutrality needs to be rethought in order to understand the true carbon impact of biomass plants upon global climate change. A biomass plant’s wood source, the extent to which the biomass plant emits carbon dioxide, and the timescale over which the biomass plant emits carbon should all be taken into account. In this study, I consider the Colby College biomass plant’s role in carbon cycling. Colby’s Physical Plant Department provided me with information on how much carbon (tons of woodchips) is used …

Far And Near: The Conservation Movement Is Taking Hold In Unexpected Sectors, And Colby Alumni Are At The Forefront, From Tanzania To Maine, Sara Blask

Colby Magazine

There was a time not so long ago, says Sharon Treat, when environmental initiatives almost always took the form of mandates handed down by lawmakers. Green was merely a color, not a movement. Business and industry saw environmentalists as the enemy—and vice versa.

Times have changed.

The Kennebec River: A Historic Maine Resource, Elise Begin

Historical Ecology Atlas of New England

The Kennebec River has been considered one of Maine’s most important resources for at least the past 6-8 thousand years; its basin is located in west central Maine and drains 5,893 square miles, an area that is approximately one-fifth the area of the state. The river originates at Moosehead lake and runs 170 miles to the Atlantic Ocean. The river can be divided into two basins: the upper basin, which spans from Moosehead Lake to Waterville; and the lower basin, which spans from Waterville to the ocean.

Before the arrival of Europeans in 1606, the Abenaki Indians controlled the entirety …

The Happy Valley, Cassie Raker

Historical Ecology Atlas of New England

On the Connecticut River in Western Massachusetts, there exists the Happy Valley. Surrounded by the humble Holyoke Range, today you will find a bustling New England settlement dominated by local colleges and universities. But it was not always so. The picturesque Mount Holyoke and its accompanying hotel, known as the Summit House, have overlooked the area for hundreds of years, watching it change from forest to farmland to industry to the modern landscape it is today.

Changing Water Quality In Great Pond: The Roles Of Lake Sediments, Invasive Macrophytes, And The Watershed, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Great Pond (2012, 2010, 1998)

Eutrophication as a result of human activity is a threat to lake water quality globally and within the state of Maine. Great Pond, in the Belgrade Lakes region of Maine, has traditionally been an oligotrophic lake that is experiencing early signs of eutrophication and is currently classified as a mesotrophic lake. In the fall of 2012, the Colby Environmental Assessment Team (CEAT) measured the primary sources of nutrient loading to Great Pond including the catchment and the lake sediment, current water quality in Great Pond, and the potential impact of the variable milfoil invasion on the lake’s water quality. An …

Cameras, Satellites, And Surveys: A Multi-Platform Approach To Monitoring Lake Conservation Behavior, Daniel D. Homeier

Honors Theses

Shoreline buffers are essential to maintaining lake water quality and there are numerous methods for their assessment. There is uncertainty in the benefits and drawbacks of different shoreline buffer assessment methods. In this study I explore three methods of remotely assessing shoreline buffers in the Belgrade Lakes Region of Maine: household surveys, geotagged shoreline photos, and satellite imagery. By comparing these three methods I will evaluate their accuracy and applicable scale when used to assess the presence and quality of shoreline buffers.

I used both parametric and non-parametric analysis to (1) evaluate the relative accuracy of 154 household surveys in …

Learning The Lay Of Their Land: Data Recording By Maine Land Trusts, Patrick John Roche

Honors Theses

Land trusts have led the recent, rapid expansion in private land conservation in the US. As they have grown, many questions have emerged as to the value of their conservation efforts, especially in the long-term. To address this data gap, studies have evaluated easement restrictions and the characteristics of land trust protected property. I take a novel approach by investigating the data that land trusts record about their protected properties and its impact on their capacity to protect conservation values. I surveyed 55 land trusts operating in Maine about data they record in baseline documentation reports. A majority (82%) had …

Factors Influencing Conservation Success Or Failure In Tiger Range States, Megan C. Saunders

Honors Theses

Tigers are currently found in 13 countries. Three of eight recognized subspecies are extinct and the other subspecies are considered endangered throughout their range. Major threats to tigers include habitat and prey loss and poaching. Most studies of tiger decline, to date, have explored direct threats. This study uses a range-wide approach to explore possible underlying drivers of tiger decline. I used recent tiger population estimates and identified 6 biological measures and 27 socioeconomic measures to ask why some countries are more successful in conserving tigers than others. Data were analyzed using correlation and regression analyses in SPSS. Higher rates …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Webber Pond Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Webber Pond (2002)

The Webber Pond watershed was chosen as our study site. It is a characteristic New England lake located in Vassalboro, Maine. Webber Pond is a popular site for recreation and is home to a wide range of flora and fauna. Like all other lakes in Maine, it is a young lake. However, intensive human activity in the watershed contributes a substantial amount of nutrients and the lake has algal blooms anually in the summer months.

The purpose of this study was to asses the impact of land use and development on the water quality of Webber Pond. Physical and chemical …

Water Quality In East Pond: Factors Contributing To Algal Blooms And Strategies For Remediation, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

Human activity within the watershed can greatly accelerate the eutrophication process by increasing the rate at which nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen enter the lake (Fernandez et al. 1992). Increased nutrient loading causes dramatic increases in algal populations resulting in algal blooms. Many New England lakes develop a greenish tint because of algal blooms during early summer or early fall (Smith, 1992). Populations of bacteria which feed on organic material rise because of increased food supply. Bacterial activity decreases the level of dissolved oxygen in the lake (Henderson-Seller and Markland, 1987). This process has occurred in East Pond and …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The North Pond Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: East and North Ponds (2011, 1999, 1996, 1991)

Human activity within the watershed can greatly accelerate the eutrophication process by increasing the rate at which nutrients such as phosphorus and nitrogen enter the lake (Fernandez et al. 1992). Increased nutrient loading causes dramatic increases in algal populations resulting in algal blooms. Many New England lakes develop a greenish tint because of algal blooms during early summer or early fall. Populations of bacteria which feed on organic material rise because of increased food supply. Bacterial activity decreases the level of dissolved oxygen in the lake (Henderson-Seller and Markland, 1987). A sharp decrease in dissolved oxygen levels can cause massive …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Long Pond, South Basin Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Long Pond, South (2007, 1995)

Long Pond, South Basin receives nutrient inputs from a variety of sources, including roads, construction projects, logging practices, and human waste from subsurface waste disposal systems. If any of these sources are near tributaries or the shoreline, the nutrients can be easily transported into the lake itself. The lake is also used recreationally for boating, fishing and swimming, and is utilized as a source of drinking water for seasonal shoreline residences. The watershed contains the Mt. Vernon and Belgrade transfer stations, and the dump has been capped at each of these stations.

Historically, Long Pond, South Basin has not suffered …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Long Pond, North Basin Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Long Pond, North (2006, 1994)

Long Pond has been used recreationally over time for boating, fishing and swimming. Additional uses include drinking water and various types of waste disposal. In past winters, sawdust from lumber mills has been placed on the ice that covers the north basin of Long Pond (Ed Mayer pers. comm.). This may raise total phosphorus levels at depth and could lead to problems in the future. Activities which raise organic sediments input into the lake should be avoided.

A major purpose of our study was to analyze the present water quality of Long Pond, North Basin, including the biotic and abiotic …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Salmon Lake Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Salmon Lake and McGrath Pond (2009, 1993)

Salmon Lake has a history of algal blooms which have decreased the recreational and aesthetic value of the lake (Nichols et al. 1984). As early as the 1920’s, Salmon Lake was reported to have poor water quality. Algal blooms were reported throughout the 1970’s. Numerous complaints led to a study in 1975 by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection (MDEP) and another in 1984 by the U.S. Geological Survey to determine the cause of the accelerated algal growth in the ponds. Both studies concluded that the primary cause of these algal blooms was high concentrations of phosphorus in the water. …

An Analysis Of The Pattee Pond Watershed In Relation To Lake Water Quality, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Water Organization For Mending Yesterday's Nature, Colby College, Student Land Use Group Study, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Pattee Pond (2008, 1992)

The purpose of this study was to analyze the water quality of Pattee Pond and to determine the factors that influence it. The study was divided into two major portions: 1) an assessment of land use practices that influence the water quality of the pond, and 2) an assessment of actual water quality of the pond and its tributaries. The investigation of the land use practices in the Pattee Pond watershed focused on determining the extent to which humans influence the water quality of the lake. Water from Pattee Pond and its tributaries was sampled and analyzed in the second …