Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Sensitivity Of Planetary Boundary Layer Atmosphere To Historical And Future Changes Of Land Use/Land Cover, Vegetation Fraction, And Soil Moisture In Western Kentucky, Usa, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Soil Moisture: A Central And Unifying Theme In Physical Geography, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Heat Flux Measurements And Modeling Of Malodorous Compounds Above An Anaerobic Swine Lagoon, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Land Use/Land Cover Changes And Climate: Modeling Analysis And Observational Evidence, Roger A. Pielke Sr., Andy Pitman, Dev Niyogi, Rezaul Mahmood, Clive Mcalpine, Faisal Hossain, Kees Klein Goldewijk, Udaysankar S. Nair, Richard Betts, Souleymane Fall, Markus Reichstein, Pavel Kabat, Nathalie De Noblet

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

This article summarizes the changes in landscape structure because of human land management over the last several centuries, and using observed and modeled data, documents how these changes have altered biogeophysical and biogeochemical surface fluxes on the local, mesoscale, and regional scales. Remaining research issues are presented including whether these landscape changes alter large-scale atmospheric circulation patterns far from where the land use and land cover changes occur. We conclude that existing climate assessments have not yet adequately factored in this climate forcing. For those regions that have undergone intensive human landscape change, or would undergo intensive change in the …

River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) Use Of Phragmites Australis And Density Estimation Using Genetic Techniques, Amy R. Williams

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

River otters were extirpated in Nebraska in the early 1900’s. In 1986 Nebraska Game and Parks Commission began reintroducing otters. In support of developing an otter management plan, I conducted research on two aspects of otter ecology in Nebraska. First, I examined otter use of habitats dominated by the non–native aquatic plant, Phragmites australis, in the Big Bend reach of the Platte River. Sixteen otters were trapped, radio–tagged, and tracked between 2006 and 2009. I identified 517 den/resting locations, 127 of which were unique locations. I compared den/resting site habitat use to availability to determine if otters were using …

Consolidated Public Safety Dispatch Centers: Us Case Studies, Daila Shimek, Scott Winograd, Kimberly Renee Vining

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report includes case studies of consolidated dispatch centers in the United States. Each case study includes descriptions of the governing and operating structure, consolidation process, funding and fee structure, and the successes, challenges and lessons learned by each entity. The results suggest that, although the experiences among consolidated dispatch centers varied, the elements that should contribute to a successful transition are strong leadership, communication with affected employees, ability to compromise, consistency in treatment of employees, development of standard operating procedures, stakeholder inclusion, and beginning consolidation with a clear plan that treats all participants as equal partners.

Consolidated Dispatch Center Feasibility Study: Ohio Case Studies, Daila Shimek, Scott Winograd, Kimberly Renee Vining

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

This report describes the outcome of case study research of consolidated dispatch centers in the state of Ohio. Each case study includes descriptions of the governing and operating structure, consolidation process, funding and fee structure, and the successes, challenges, and lessons learned by each entity. The results suggest that while the experiences among consolidated dispatch centers varied, the elements that should contribute to a successful transition are building strong relationships, involving a center director and other stakeholders (including affected employees) in the planning process, having a willingness to compromise, providing training for dispatchers developing of standard operating procedures, and establishing …

Feasibility Study Of Consolidating Public Safety Dispatch For The City Of Wooster, City Of Ashland, And Wayne County, Ohio, Daila Shimek, Eugene Kramer, Patrick Johnson, Scott Winograd, Kimberly Renee Vining, Thomas Cozzens, Kevin E. O'Brien

All Maxine Goodman Levin School of Urban Affairs Publications

No abstract provided.

Plant Growth In Soil Amended With Drilling Mud, Satoshi Takaki, Duane C. Wolf

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Extraction of natural gas generates drilling fluid and drilling mud that contain high concentrations of salts. Land application of the fluid and mud can have negative impacts on plant growth and soil properties. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of drilling mud on plant growth, plant chemical concentrations, and soil chemical properties. Sudangrass (Sorghum sudanense [Piper] Stapf [Piper]) and bermudagrass (Cynodon dactylon L.) were grown in a Roxana loam soil amended with 0%, 5%, or 10% (w/w) drilling mud in a 6-wk greenhouse study. Plant biomass production and concentrations of elements in biomass were determined. Electrical …

A Multi-Model Approach To Stakeholder Engagement In Complex Environmental Problems, Elizabeth A. Fulton, T. Jones, Fabio Boschetti, M. Sporcic, William De La Mare, Geoffrey J. Syme, Peta Dzidic, R. Gorton, L. R. Little, G. Dambacher, Kelly Chapman

Research outputs 2011

We describe the different types of models we used as part of an effort to inform policy-making aiming at the management of the Ningaloo coast in the Gascoyne region, Western Australia. This provides an overview of how these models interact, the different roles they cover, how they fit into a full decision making process and what we learnt about the stakeholders involved in our project via their use. When modelling is explicitly used to address socio-ecological issues, the key determinant of success is whether the models, their results and recommendations are taken up by stakeholders; such uptake in turn depends …

State Of The River Report For The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, And Contaminants 2011, Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

The Need To Quantify Ecosystem Services Provided By Birds, Daniel G. Wenny, Travis L. Devault, Matthew D. Johnson, Dave Kelly, Cagan H. Sekercioglu, Diana F. Tomback, Christopher J. Whelan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

What are the birds worth--what is their actual dollar value to human society? To most of us in the ornithological community, birds are invaluable. But in these times we need more specific rationales to convince policy makers and business leaders to include bird conservation in land-use and development decisions. Over the past two decades, awareness of our dependence on a variety of ecosystem services (natural ecological processes that benefit human society) and of their importance and prevalence has progressed toward the goal of making conservation a mainstream value. Building strategies for the protection of ecosystem services into conservation and land-use …

New Mexico’S Major Reservoirs: An Overview, Susan Kelly, Diego Urbina

Water Matters!

This paper describes the salient facts about the major water storage reservoirs in New Mexico. For each reservoir, we address the purposes of water storage allowed by law, storage capacity, the responsible operating agency, and some key operational issues. This is by necessity a vast simplification of the topic.Books, articles, research reports, operation manuals, and other materials on these topics run into the hundreds. Millions of dollars have been spent on technical studies and computer models to understand,and sometimes alter, the operations of various dams and reservoirs.

Rodents And Other Vertebrate Invaders In The United States, Michael W. Fall, Michael L. Avery, Tyler A. Campbell, Peter J. Egan, Richard M. Engeman, David Pimentel, William C. Pitt, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contents

Introduction

Assessing impacts of rodents and other vertebrate invaders

Accounts of some important vertebrate invaders
Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus)
Roof rat (Rattus rattus)
Polynesian rat (Rattus exulans)
House mouse (Mus Musculus)
Nutria (Myocastor coypus)
Gambian giant pouched rat (Cricetomys gambianus)
Feral swine (Sus scofa)
Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes javanicus)
Rock pigeon (Columba livia)
House sparrow (Passer domesticus)
European starling (Sturnus vulgaris)
Monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus)
Brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis)
Burmese python (Python …

Regulated Commercial Harvest To Manage Overabundant White-Tailed Deer: An Idea To Consider?, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Charles W. Anderson, Timothy R. Van Deelen, David Drake, W. David Walter, Stephen Vantassel, Scott E. Hygnstrom

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Declines in hunter recruitment coupled with dramatic growth in numbers of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) have challenged our ability to manage deer populations through regulated hunting. We review the efficacy of current regulated hunting methods and explain how they are unable to reduce deer numbers sufficiently in some environments. Regulated commercial harvest would provide an additional tool to help state wildlife agencies manage overabundant populations of white-tailed deer. We outline potential means to govern regulated commercial deer harvest and explain how it is compatible with the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. We identified several benefits, including reduced …

Hector's Helpers Program: Project Compendium, Hector's Helpers

Anti-littering Programs

The Final Project Report reflects activities and accomplishments that occurred during the course of the Task Agreement within BLM Youth Initiative Hector’s Helpers: Youth Combating Litter and Desert Dumping. The project was funded by the Department of Interior, Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Nevada State office, on behalf of the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV). The agencies have jointly worked together for several years under the Great Basin Cooperative Ecosystems Studies Unit (GBCESU) master agreement FAA060058 in order to develop a strategic plan to combat litter and desert dumping.

The Hector’s Helpers program provides an opportunity to bring environmental …

The Carbon Footprint Associated With Water Management Policy Options In The Las Vegas Valley, Nevada, Eleeja Shrestha, Sajjad Ahmad, Walter Johnson, Jacimaria R. Batista

Civil and Environmental Engineering and Construction Faculty Research

A system dynamics model was developed to estimate the carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions associated with conveyance of water from the water source to the distribution laterals of the Las Vegas Valley. In addition, the impact of several water management policies, including water conservation, reuse, and population growth rate change was evaluated. The results show that, at present, nearly 0.53 million metric tons of CO₂ emissions per year are released due to energy use for water conveyance in distribution laterals of the Valley from Lake Mead, located 32.2 km (20 miles) southeast of the Las Vegas at an …

The Effects Of Invasion By Reed Canarygrass (Phalaris Arundinacea) On Avian Communities And Nesting Success In Minnesota Wetlands, Emily J. Hutchins

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Invasive plants are a primary contributor to loss of biodiversity worldwide. In southern Minnesota, many wetlands have been invaded by reed canarygrass (Phalaris arundinacea). The current perception among ecologists and resource managers is that these wetlands are of little value to wildlife, yet little is known about the effects on birds of the widespread conversion of diverse wetlands to apparent monocultures of P. arundinacea. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of P. arundinaceamediated changes in the wetland plant community on avian communities and nesting success. During 2006 and 2007, I studied four diverse sedge wetlands paired …

Analysis Of The Genetic Structure Of Bithynia Tentaculata Snail Populations In Wisconsin And Minnesota, Sarah J. Whalen

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

In recent years, there have been tens of thousands of waterfowl mortalities in Wisconsin and Minnesota. An invasive species of snail, Bithynia tentaculata, is a host for the trematode parasites (Cyathocotyle bushiensis and Sphaeridiotrema globulus) that have caused these deaths. A microsatellite-enriched genomic library was detected using DNA from a B. tentaculata specimen from Lake Onalaska (Pool 7 of the Upper Mississippi River). Seven polymorphic microsatellite loci were used to genotype snails collected from Lake Butte des Morts, Shawano Lake, and Lake Onalaska in Wisconsin, as well as Lake Winnibigoshish in Minnesota. The genetic diversity of each population was measured …

The Myth Of Endless Accumulation: A Feminist Inquiry Into Globalization, Growth, And Social Change, Martha Freymann Miser

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This theoretical dissertation examines the concept of growth and its core assumption—that the continual accumulation of wealth is both socially wise and ecologically sustainable. The study challenges and offers alternatives to the myth of endless accumulation, suggesting new directions for leadership and social change. The central question posed in this inquiry: Can we craft a more ethical form of capitalism? To answer this question, the study examines conventional and critical globalization studies; feminist scholarship on standpoint, political economy, and power; and the Enlightenment notions of progress and modernism, drawing on a number of works, including Aristotle on the three intelligences, …

Ecological Benefits Of Mitigation On A Large River Mainstem In An Intensively Mined Appalachian Watershed, Eric Mitchell Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Large scale surface mining in the central Appalachians causes significant alteration of headwater catchments, and these impacts may be offset through implementation of stream restoration projects. As an example, several habitat enhancement structures (cross-vanes and j-hooks) were constructed along a 13.7 km section of the Little Coal River as mitigation for mining impacts in the region. The objectives of our study were to: 1-quantify changes in channel morphology, habitat quality, sediment composition, bank stability, biological communities and organic matter processing in response to habitat enhancing structures; 2-relate changes in structural and functional attributes of the Little Coal River mainstem to …

The Role Of Nature In John Muir's Conception Of The Good Life, Randy R. Larsen

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Aristotle says our best moral guidance comes from considering the lives of exemplary individuals. I explore John Muir, as an exemplar of environmental virtue, and consider the role of Nature in his conception of the good life. I argue his conception consists of a web of virtue including various goods, values, and virtues. I suggest three virtues are cardinal: attentiveness, gratitude and reverence. I explore how Muir cultivated these virtues in Nature.

I argue Muir sought freedom from a popular conception of the good life, grounded in the gilded age values of money and materialism, and was sensitive to the …

Dormant Ethnobotany: A Case Study Of Decline In Regional Plant Knowledge In The Bull Run Mountains Of Virginia, Susan Rene Leopold

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This dissertation introduces and applies the concept of dormant ethnobotany, a concept that helps explain the socio-economic, cultural and ecological aspects and implications of the transition away from active use of ethnobotanical knowledge and the factors that may lead to its re-emergence. Dormant ethnobotany is the study of relationships between people and plants that are inactive, but nonetheless still alive in memories, the historic record, and folklore and thereby capable of reemergence in support of the transition to a more sustainable society. The dissertation extends the field of ethnobotany from its current roots in the dynamic ethnobotany of indigenous peoples. …

Can Salmonids (Oncorhynchus Spp.) Be Identified To Species Using Vertebral Morphometrics?, Harriet R. Huber, Jeffery C. Jorgensen, Virginia L. Butler, Greg Baker, Rebecca Stevens

Anthropology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Remains of anadromous Pacific salmon and trout (genus Oncorhynchus) are common in archaeological sites from California to Alaska; however, morphological similarity generally precludes species identification, limiting the range of questions that salmonid remains can address in relation to past human use and ongoing efforts in conservation biology. We developed a relatively simple, rapid, and non-destructive way to classify salmon and trout vertebrae from archaeological contexts to species using length, height and the ratio of length to height. Modern reference material was obtained from all seven anadromous Oncorhynchus species native to the west coast of North America. A minimum of ten …

The Sociology Of Landowner Interest In Restoring Fire-Adapted, Biodiverse Habitats In The Wildland-Urban Interface Of Oregon's Willamette Valley Ecoregion, Max Nielsen-Pincus

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In many parts of the world, the combined effects of wildfire, climate change, and population growth in the wildland-urban interface pose increasing risks to both people and biodiversity. These risks are exemplified in western Oregon’s Willamette Valley Ecoregion, where population is projected to double by 2050 and climate change is expected to increase wildfire risk. Restoring elements of the region’s historic fire-adapted prairie, savanna, and woodland habitats may help to reduce future wildfire risk and help conserve the region’s threatened biodiversity. We report on a mail survey (n = 939) examining the socio-demographic factors influencing private landowners’ likelihood of restoring …