Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Representational Analyses Of Conservation Lands In Maine, Stephanie Orndorff

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The three studies reported here (i.e., statewide, southern Maine, and state and federal wildlife areas) identify what areas should be conserved to represent the natural diversity of Maine. Geographic Information System (GIs) technology was used to conduct the analyses comparing the distribution of abiotic and biotic variables representing natural diversity on and off conservation lands. In the statewide analysis, 10 environmental variables were compared on and off conservation lands using ArcGrid with a cell resolution of 1.86 x 1.86 km. The areas found to contain variables that were underrepresented were. combined to identify and map regions with under-represented characteristics. The …

Examination Of Small Mammal Diversity In The Riparian Areas Of Walden, Tennessee, Forrest Brown Vanderbilt

Masters Theses and Doctoral Dissertations

Vanderbilt, Forrest B. Examination of Small Mammal Diversity in the Riparian Areas of Walden, Tennessee Thesis under the direction of Robert D. Keller, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biology It has been hypothesized that riparian zones are prime conservation habitats and can be used as indicators of general ecosystem health (Montgomery 1996). Riparian zones, comprising a range of habitat types, typically exhibit higher biotic diversity when compared to adjacent upland hardwood forests (Batzli 1977, Cross 1985a, Cross 1985b, Doyle 1985, Knopf et al. 1988, Doyle 1990, Naiman and Decamps 1997, Ellison and van Riper III 1998, Olson and Knopf 1998). Therefore …

Application Of The Tracking And Analysis Framework (Taf) To Assess The Effects Of Acidic Deposition On Recreational Fishing In Maine Lakes, Petra Warlimont

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Burning fossil fuels releases sulfur and nitrogen oxides (No_x) into the atmosphere where they convert to sulfic and nitric acids. Deposition of these acids is now widely accepted as the major cause of environmental damage to forests, streams and lakes. The 19990 Clean Air Act Amendments (CAAA) require reduction in airborne sulfur and NO_x, with an estimates cost of $2 billion. The purpose of this study is to place an economic value on the impact of acid rain on recreational fishing in Maine lakes. This thesis builds on the work of Englin et al. (1991) who …

The Resurrection Of A River: The Umatilla And Its Salmon, Christopher Ward Shelley

Dissertations and Theses

Until the 1990s, salmon had been extinct from the Umatilla River for over 70 years. The struggle to bring salmon back to this river is a compelling story that exemplifies some of the new relationships in Columbia River Basin salmon management.

The Umatilla River and the disappearance of its salmon was a local issue. Irrigation interests had used the river so thoroughly it ceased to flow during the late summer and fall months-precisely when salmon needed it for migration. The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation saw decided that they would change that: they would figure out a way …

Use Of High Pressure Liquid Chromatography To Detect And Quantify Oxytetracycline Marks In Walleye Otoliths And Dorsal Spines, Michael J. Hawkins

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oxytetracycline (OTC) is used to chemically mark calcified structures in walleye Stizostedion vitreum fry and fingerlings. Current visual methods for detection of these marks are subjective, and biologists are unable to quantify the amount of OTC in a sample. The goal of this study was to determine if high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) is a feasible and superior alternative for detecting and quantifying OTC in otoliths of fry-marked and spines of fingerlingmarked walleyes. Study objectives were to validate methodology of extraction of OTC from calcified tissue, detect and quantify extracted OTC using HPLC, and determine a cost comparison of current …

River Basin Ecosystem Restoration: A Comparison Of Conservation Authority Efforts (Ontario), Wilfred Gregory Tschirhart

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This thesis reviews a series of river basin ecosystem restoration/enhancement projects carried out under the direction of three individual southern Ontario conservation authorities in their respective river basins. The three authorities are the Grand River Conservation Authority, the Maitland Valley Conservation Authority, and the Upper Thames River Conservation Authority. A review from the published literature dealing with river basins, ecosystems, and environmental management supports the analysis of restoration projects. The criterion by which the literature articles were selected was that they have relevance to the type of environmental issues that are common to the river basins in the study areas. …

Exploring Visitor Experiences On Going-To-The-Sun Road In Glacier National Park, Robert N. Giordano

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Going-to-the-Sun Road (GTSR) is one of the premier road facilities in the world. As the only cross-mountain route through Glacier National Park, the road brings nearly two million visitors a year into the heart of Montana wilderness. How to meet this demand for travel while protecting the nature of the visitor experience and the pristine setting for which the experience exists is a challenge of on-going complexity.

This research was designed to assist park managers in determining future changes to GTSR by describing and analyzing the experiences on the road today. Through 40 onsite interviews at Logan Pass (the pinnacle …

Ecosystem Health And Sustainable Livelihoods: Exploring The Prospects In Community-Based Resource Management In The East Mamprusi District, Ghana, Wuni P. Dasori

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Institutional processes, social and economic trends play a role in defining the outcomes of people’s interaction with and use of their ecosystems. The resource use decisions of households influence the livelihood and health dimensions of ecological change. This thesis identifies community assets and activities, and examines how they both affect human and ecological health, productivity and community sustainability. It studies the relationship between changing biophysical conditions and community well-being in terms of health and livelihood by examining how agro-ecosystem based resource use systems influence community environmental change and vulnerability to health and livelihood problems inherent in their ecosystem. Three communities …

Effects Of Habitat Fragmentation On The Utilization Of Eelgrass (Zostera Marina) By Mobile Epifauna And Macrofauna, Scott R. Marion

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The threat to biodiversity posed by increasing rates of anthropogenic habitat fragmentation necessitates an understanding of the consequences of spatial pattern for natural communities. Reduction of patch size, loss of habitat, changes in the quantity and proportion of habitat edge, and reduced connectivity among habitats can all shape ecological processes and faunal behavior. Seagrass habitats provide a natural model system for examining spatial inf1uences on marine fauna, but separating the effects of habitat structure, environmental conditions, and spatial pattern is difficult because shoot density, percent cover, and hydrodynamic regime often co-vary with patch size. This study used experimentally manipulated seagrass …