Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Cost Comparisons For White-Tailed Deer Live Capture Techniques, Robert L. Pooler, Paul D. Curtis, Milo E. Richmond

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

During March 13 - July 16, 1996, we captured 75 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) using dart guns, rocket nets, and Clover traps on the Seneca Army Depot in Romulus, New York. We compared the labor and cost efficiency of these trapping techniques and reported on mortalities. Darting from a vehicle ($196/deer), and rocket-netting ($172/deer) were similar in time and cost efficiency. Darting from a blind was more costly ($358/deer) due to minimal time devoted to the technique and a high initial material investment. Clover traps were relatively inefficient (15.2 hours/deer) and costly ($895/deer), primarily due to a lack …

An Evaluation Of Farmer Applications Of Deer Damage Controls, Peter A. Fritzell Jr., Glenn Dudderar, R. Ben Peyton

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Damage to agricultural crops caused by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) continues to be a significant concern of farmers in Michigan and elsewhere in the United States. Policy changes that promise to reduce deer numbers may be long in coming, but better application of available damage control techniques may be an immediate alternative for farmers awaiting relief. Conversations with farmers, extension agents, and wildlife professionals suggest that some damage control techniques are underutilized by Michigan farmers, whereas other techniques are applied with little success despite promising field trials. We investigated producers’ practices to identify common weaknesses in how deer …

The Press And Citizen Participation: A Content Analysis, Lisa Pelstring, James Shanahan, Ben Perry

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We conducted a content analysis of regional New York State newspapers to assess media coverage of the Department of Environmental Conservation’s (DEC) deer management program. The goal of this analysis was to ascertain media depiction of DEC’s deer management program during the 1985-97 time period. Specifically, this research examines how deer management issues were portrayed both prior to and after implementation of a DEC public participation program (the Citizen Task Force [CTF] process) to determine if deer management issues received more favorable coverage after CTFs were implemented.

Bird Abundance At Accomack County Southern Landfill, Melfa, Virginia, In Relation To Various Management Activities, Laura Francoeur, Martin Lowney

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Birds, especially gulls (Larus spp.), are attracted to landfills, and when landfills are close to airports, birds can pose a threat to aircraft safety. We conducted a 1-year ecological study to address concerns of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Accomack County, Virginia, officials over potential wildlife hazards caused by the Accomack County Southern Landfill. During 48 surveys conducted from December 1995 to December 1996, we observed 112,693 birds at the landfill (x̄=503). Nine species represented 97% of all observations. Bird numbers varied during the year, increasing during winter and declining during summer. Bird abundance appeared unaffected by …

Characteristics Of Gray Squirrel Release Sites Selected By Kentucky Nuisance Wildlife Control Operators, Sara Steen-Ash, Thomas G. Barnes, Jeff T. Hutchinson, Jeffery L. Larkin, Brian E. Washburn, Jason L. Weese, Henry F. Yacek Jr.

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

A telephone survey of Kentucky nuisance wildlife control operators (NWCOs) (n=66) was conducted in April of 1997 to assess their knowledge and practices regarding nuisance gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) release-site habitat. Thirty-three percent of NWCOs (n=22) trapped and relocated >1 nuisance gray squirrel in the previous year and these individuals/companies were selected for the survey. NWCOs trap and release >1,700 squirrels annually in Kentucky. Sampled release sites varied in size from 18 to 5,200 acres, and >70% were classified as poor to marginal habitat. Three of the release sites sampled provided adequate to optimum gray squirrel habitat. Actual …

Conservation Of A Dinosaur In Modern Times: South Carolina’S Alligator Management Program, Walter E. Rhodes

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) conservation is necessary given the animal's role in wetland ecosystems and its economic value. Although the alligator appears to be no longer threatened with extinction, the reptile’s perceived reputation and a burgeoning human population combine to create a management paradox. Alligator management in South Carolina consists of a Nuisance Control Program, a Private Lands Harvest Program, and public education. Annually, over 750 alligator complaints are received by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR), and harvest averages about 250 animals. To address alligator/human interaction in rural habitats, a harvest on private lands was …

Effects Of Flow Augmentation On Channel Morphology And Riparian Vegetation In The Upper Arkansas River Basin, Colorado, Dewitt S. Dominick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined historic change of riparian plant communities and fluvial geomorphic response of gravel-bedded streams and their floodplains to over 50 years of hydrologic disturbance. Four tributary basins of the Arkansas River were analyzed. Lake Creek, Clear Creek, and Cottonwood Creek are drainages similar in area, physiography, and vegetation composition. However, Lake Creek may receive an instantaneous discharge of approximately 28 m3sec^-1 from the Twin Lakes tunnel, over three times the normal flow of the stream during spring runoff. By contrast, Clear Creek and Cottonwood Creek, nonaugmented streams, were used as controls to compare the historic and present …

Proceedings Of The Second Biennial Conference On Research In Colorado Plateau National Parks, National Park Service

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

Providing baseline scientific information on the physical, cultural, and natural resources of the Colorado plateau.

Historical Vegetation On National Forest Lands In The Intermountain Region, U.S. Forest Service

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

culmination of multiyear effort to summarize information concerning the presettlement vegetative ecology of the national forests in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming.

Shrub-Grassland Small Mammal And Vegetation Responses To Rest From Grazing, Steven S. Rosenstock

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

Between 1989-1991, I studied the effects of livestock grazing on vegetation and small mammals in semiarid shrub-grassland habitats of south-central Utah. Responses were measured at 2 spatial habitat scales; patches and macrohabitats. Patch-scale data were obtained from 4 small (<1 ha) livestock exclosures and nearby grazed areas. Macrohabitat-scale data were collected at 4 actively grazed sites and 4 comparable, excellent condition sites, ungrazed for 30+ years. Ungrazed patch and macrohabitat sites had more surface litter, greater perennial grass cover, and taller perennial grass plants, but treatment response varied among sites. Small mammal responses were apparent only at the macrohabitat scale, where ungrazed sites had 50% greater species richness and 80% higher abundance. Small mammal reproductive activity and biomass were not affected by rest from grazing at either scale. Small mammal community composition varied greatly among sites and within treatments. This variability has important implications for ecological monitoring efforts involving these species.

The Yellowed Archives Of Yellowcake, Ken Silver

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

Extensive historical documentation of exposures and releases at government-owned energy facilities is a unique and valuable resource for analyzing and communicating health risks. Facilities at all stages of the atomic fuel cycle were the subject of numerous industrial hygiene, occupational health, and environmental assessments during the Cold War period. Uranium mines and mills on the Colorado Plateau were investigated as early as the 1940s. One such facility was the mill in Monticello, Utah, which began operation as a vanadium extraction plant in 1943 and was later adapted to recover uranium from camotite ores. The mill ceased operation in 1960. The …

Sixty Years Of Change In Tree Numbers And Basal Area In Central Utah Aspen Stands, U. S. Forest Service

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

Plots established in three separate aspen stands in central Utah were inventoried at irregular periods over a 64 year period.

Pine Valley Ridge Source: A Superior Selected Germplsm Of Black Sagebrush, U.S. Forest Service

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

This document establishes the basis for the release of Pine Valley Ridge Source, a superior selected germplasm of black sagebrush

Vandalism Of Rock Art For Enhanced Photography, S. D. Chaffee, M. Hyman, M. W. Rowe

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

Direct radiocarbon dating of pictographs has recently become possible. The authors report here the deleterious effects on such dating of hydrocarbon contamination of a pictograph in southeastern Utah. In order to enhance contrast between a pictograph and its rock substrate, some photographers have wetted pictographs with kerosene or similar substances; such 'enhancement' renders radiocarbon dates useless. Some treatments proposed for rock art deterioration may cause similar problems.

Tamias Rufus, Stephanie L. Burt, Troy L. Best

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Probability Of Fire-Stopping Precipitation Events, U.S. Forest Service

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

The possibility that a useful probability for fire stopping precipitation could be developed from historical weather records was investigated.

Revegetation Of Disturbed Semiarid Grassland In Canyonlands National Park, Susan B. Goldberg

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

A grassland restoration project was conducted in Canyonlands National Park on an area recently disturbed due to construction. Two native grasses (Oryzopsis hymenoides and Stipa comata) were seeded with 18 different soil treatments. Stipa density and relative mycorrhizal colonization were measured. None of the soil treatments resulted in significantly greater Stipa density than the control treatment of seeding only plus water. There was very little correlation between Stipa density and mycorrhizal colonization based on the treatments (r2= 0.011 p = 0.05). Three treatments produced 3 to 5 times the VAN colonization as the control including spring cryptobiotic soil crusts, with …

Preserves At Risk: An Investigation Of Resource Management Strategies, Implications And Opportunities, R. J. Lilieholm

Elusive Documents

Human activities already threaten the globe's physical and biological systems. Worldwide, species extinction rates are estimated to be one thousand times what they would be in the absence of human activity (Wilson 1988). Raven (1988) estimates that 25% of the world's plant and animal species existing in 1985 may be extinct by 2015, with most extinctions occurring in tropical regions. While these extinction rates are staggering, global warming would greatly accelerate extinction rates that some scientists believe may already exceed those accompanying the decline of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago (Wolf 1987).

Idaho River Systems Management Study Wetlands Report, United States Department Of The Interior, Bureau Of Reclamations

Natural Resources-Planning, Management, and Conservation

The Bureau of Reclamation is cooperating with the Idaho Department of Water Resources and others in the formulation of a comprehensive water plan for the conservation, development, management, and use of waters within the state's river basins. The impact that wetlands may have on the use of water in the state is a major consideration.

This report identifies opportunities that exist for private citizens, corporations, government agencies, and others to work together to slow the rate of wetland loss and to improve the quality of remaining wetlands. To work together effectively, these groups must reach an understanding of what comprises …

Fuel Moisture As Measured And Predicted During The 1988 Fires In Yellowstone Park, U.S. Forest Service

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

Fine fuel moisture content, relative humidity, air temperature, and fire behavior were observed hourly for 48 hours on the North Fork fire in Yellowstone National Park from August 25 to August 27, 1988.

Mineral Resources Of The Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Area, White Pine County, Nevada, And Millard County, Utah, Michael F. Diggles, Gary A. Nowlan, H. Richard Blank, Jr., Susan M. Marcus, Richard F. Kness, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Bureau Of Mines

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

The 19,150-acre Marble Canyon Wilderness Study Area (NV-040-086) was evaluated for mineral resources (known) and mineral resource potential (undiscovered), and field work was conducted in 1987. The acreage includes 6,435 acres that is now designated as part of the Mount Moriah Wilderness under the Nevada Wilderness Protection Act of 1989 (S. 974), most but not all of which is included in 8,300 acres fro which the U.S. Bureau of Land Management requested a mineral survey. In this report, the "wilderness study area," or simply "the study area" refers to the entire 19,150-acre tract. The area in underlain by quartzite shale …

Test Of Rpa Production Coefficients And Local Assumptions For The Pinyon-Juniper Ecosystem In Central Utah, U.S. Forest Service

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

This study fields test production assumptions, such as those for herbage and shrubs, developed in response to the Resources Planning Act.

A Model Of Energy Expenditure In White-Tailed Jackrabbits (Lepus Townsendii) Based On Integrated Studies Of Energetics And Field Ecology, Gordon L. Rogowitz

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Field and laboratory studies were conducted to develop a model of energy expenditure in a population of white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii). Field work in southwestern Wyoming during 1985-87 showed that the breeding season commenced at snowmelt and ceased during late- July drought. Adult females reproduced relatively synchronously and produced a mean of three litters annually. Greatest fetal production occurred in the second litter period. Collections indicated a 1:1 sex ratio, few jackrabbits >2 years-old, and a density of 7 animals / km² in the population. Postnatal growth was sigmoidal, culminating in heavier adult females than males. Using …

Colorado River Salinity Control Program Final Environmental Impact Statement For Big Sandy River Unit, Sublette And Sweetwater Counties, Wyoming, United States Department Of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service

Environmental Assessments (NV)

No abstract provided.

Successional Trends In An Ungrazed, Arid Grassland Over A Decade, Edgar F. Kleiner

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

A study has been made of the vegetational condition of a formerly grazed area, Chesler Park, in Canyonlands National Park. A comparison was made with the same area 10 years earlier. The 10-year successional changes are also compared to baseline data of 10 years earlier from Virginia Park, an adjacent ungrazed area. Because of inaccessibility and long isolation from disturbances, Virginia Park is presumed to be in climax condition and is the control for this study. Chesler Park shows a successional trend after 10 years toward the vegetational condition of Virginia Park. This is exemplified, with only one major exception …

The Visual Decision Making Process As A Technique For Redistributing Outdoor Recreation Use, Martha Gail Hahn

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The demand for recreation on public lands has been growing steadily, resulting in undesirable impacts on certain resources as well as recreation experiences. The problem addressed by this research is the uneven distribution of recreational use that causes a concentration of impacts. This thesis describes the development and testing of a method to reduce the uneven/concentrated recreation use occurring on the public lands.

The basic objectives of the study were to determine the effectiveness of redistributing recreationists by the use of photographs and a decisional process using photographic information and to identify its potential as a tool in meeting management …

Eleven Year Vegetational Comparison In An Arid Grassland, Edgar F. Kleiner

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

A study has been made of the vegetational condition of two graben valleys in Canyonlands National Park. The sites, formerly subjected to relatively heavy grazing pressure, were originally investigated in 1970 and analyzed again in 1981, providing an eleven-year record of succession. Comparisons are made to successional trends noted in related studies of disturbed and pristine areas. The graben valleys, with few exceptions, show a successional trend over eleven years toward the climax vegetational condition of an area that has never been disturbed.

Factors Influencing Development Of Cryptogamic Soil Crusts In Utah Deserts, David C. Anderson, Kimball T. Harper, Ralph C. Holmgren

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

The relation of some physical and chemical soil characteristics to cryptogamic crust development was determined from sites in semidesert regions of southern Utah. The effects of grazing on cryptogamic crust development also was examined. Electrical conductivity, percentage silt, and soil phosphorus were found to be correlated with well-developed cryptogamic crusts. Both total cryptogamic cover and the number of cryptogamic species decreased under grazing pressure. The management of rangelands, especially in arid regions, would be strengthened by understanding the role of cryptogamic crusts and considering them in range management decisions.

Permit Requirements For Development Of Energy And Other Selected Natural Resources For The State Of Utah, Camp Dresser And Mckee, Inc.

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

This guidebook is one of a series prepared for every State. The purpose of the guidebook is to summarize environmental and land-use permits issued by the State for the development of energy and other natural resources. The guidebook is intended not only for private developers and interest groups, but also for regulatory officials of Federal, State, and local government as well.

Relationship Between Rainfall And Storm Runoff For Selected Arizona Watersheds, Robert James Anderson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The relationship between rainfall and runoff was examined for twelve selected Arizona watersheds. Expedient runoff volume model coefficients and runoff curve number model parameters were examined using standardized structure, with modifications to adjust the model for small initial abstractions and large watershed storage capacity.

Forest-land management practices were examined for their effects on curve number coefficients. The effects of rainfall characteristics were also evaluated with respect to changes they induce in curve number populations.

Evaluations included a runoff fraction, a simple multiplier of storm volume to produce runoff volume. The accuracy of this model is promising for more permeable watersheds.