Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Ua66/6/2 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Biology Publications, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Publications created by and about Biology.

Ua66/6/1 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Biology Administration, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the administration of the Biology Department.

Ua66/8/2 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Geography & Geology Centers & Institutes, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about Centers and Institutes administered by the Geography & Geology Department. Including:

• Center for Cave & Karst Studies
• Center for Local Government Services
• Hoffman Environmental Research Institute
• Kentucky Climate Center
• Resources Management Institute
• Small Public Water System Technology Center

Ua66/8/1 Ogden College Of Science & Engineering Geography & Geology Events, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created for Geography & Geology department events.

Teaching Styles And Student Outcomes In Undergraduate Food, Energy, And Water Systems (Fews) Courses, A. Sommers, H. White, A. Alred, J. M. Dauer, C. Forbes

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Flexible Stocking With Grass-Cast: A New Grassland Productivity Forecast To Reduce Weather Uncertainty, D. Peck, J. Derner, W. Parton, M. Hartman, B. Fuchs

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Agroforestry Strategic Framework, Fiscal Years 2019-2024, Susan Stein

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

America’s farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners are integrating trees with agriculture to address a variety of conservation and production goals. A unique land management approach, agroforestry provides opportunities to integrate productivity and profitability with environmental stewardship to support healthy, sustainable agriculture systems, economies, and communities.

Distributed Renewable Energy, K.K. Duvivier

Sturm College of Law: Faculty Scholarship

For individuals, the heating and cooling of buildings is the second largest source of U.S. CO2 emissions after transportation. This chapter suggests pathways to help deploy the two most promising categories of U.S. distrib­uted renewable energy resources to reduce these emissions—photovoltaic solar matched with storage and ther­mal sources for hot water and for heating and cooling buildings. Distributed generation is probably the energy source most impacted by different levels of government and nongovernmental actors. However, distributed generation is also most immediate to consumers, especially with new technologies or rate structures that give them feedback about their own individual generation and …

The Evolution, Propagation, And Spread Of Flash Drought In The Central United States During 2012, Jeffrey B. Basara, Jordan I. Christian, Ryann A. Wakefield, Jason A. Otkin, Eric H. Hunt, David P. Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

During 2012, flash drought developed and subsequently expanded across large areas of the Central United States (US) with severe impacts to overall water resources and warm-season agricultural production. Recent efforts have yielded a methodology to detect and quantify flash drought occurrence and rate of intensification from climatological datasets via the standardized evaporative stress ratio (SESR). This study utilizes the North American Regional Reanalysis and applied the SESR methodology to quantify the spatial and temporal development and expansion of flash drought conditions during 2012. Critical results include the identification of the flash drought epicenter and subsequent spread of flash drought conditions …

Implications Of Channel Catfish Movement In An Internationally Managed System, Henry Hansen

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

The large-scale movements and spatial behavior of channel catfish in the Red River of the North, have direct interactions with geopolitics, anthropogenic structures, and ecosystems. Investigating the spatial dynamics and exploitation of this mobile and internationally managed fish species provides opportunities for resource managers to design evidence­-based policy for the diverse interest groups that utilize the fishery. My thesis comprised two parts: 1) characterize system­wide movement and survival patterns using mark­-recapture methods and acoustic telemetry and 2) project the interaction of hypothetical exploitation scenarios and alternative movement methodologies to assess the fishery from an ecosystem service flow perspective. Channel catfish …

Estimating The Use Of Public Lands: Integrated Modeling Of Open Populations With Convolution Likelihood Ecological Abundance Regression, Lutz F. Gruber, Erica F. Stuber, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We present an integrated open population model where the population dynamics are defined by a differential equation, and the related statistical model utilizes a Poisson binomial convolution likelihood. Key advantages of the proposed approach over existing open population models include the flexibility to predict related, but unobserved quantities such as total immigration or emigration over a specified time period, and more computationally efficient posterior simulation by elimination of the need to explicitly simulate latent immigration and emigration. The viability of the proposed method is shown in an in-depth analysis of outdoor recreation participation on public lands, where the surveyed populations …

Using Dna To Identify The Source Of Invasive Mongooses, Herpestes Auropunctatus (Carnivora: Herpestidae) Captured On Kaua‘I, Hawaiian Islands, Darren J. Wostenberg, Matthew W. Hopken, Aaron B. Shiels, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Two small Indian mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) were live-captured in 2012 at separate locations on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua'i, which was previously considered to be free of this invasive species. Genotypes from these two individuals were compared to genotypes of H. auropunctatus from the islands of Hawai'i (n =39), O'ahu (n =91), Maui (n = 39), and Moloka'i (n = 19) to determine the island of origin of the Kaua'i individuals. Genotypes were generated from each individual using five microsatellite loci. Genetic clustering was estimated by Bayesian inference of spatial clustering of individuals and …

Reducing Prairie Dog Populations And Damage By Castration Of Dominant Males, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) occur widely across the prairie states of North America. They compete with livestock for forage, transmit plague, and damage lawns, landscaping, and property. Interest in non-lethal methods, such as immunocontraception, is growing; however, reductions in the population due to contraception may be offset by increases in survival because adults and yearlings are not subject to the energetic demands of reproduction, and lower densities may increase the amount of resources available to growing offspring. Surgical sterilization provides a means for modeling these effects. Thus, we castrated males prior to the 1998 breeding season to simulate the …

An Information Theory-Based Approach To Assessing Spatial Patterns In Complex Systems, Tarsha Eason, Wen Ching-Chuang, Shana Sundstrom, Heriberto Cabezas

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Given the intensity and frequency of environmental change, the linked and cross-scale nature of social-ecological systems, and the proliferation of big data, methods that can help synthesize complex system behavior over a geographical area are of great value. Fisher information evaluates order in data and has been established as a robust and effective tool for capturing changes in system dynamics, including the detection of regimes and regime shifts. The methods developed to compute Fisher information can accommodate multivariate data of various types and requires no a priori decisions about system drivers, making it a unique and powerful tool. However, the …

The Future Of Recreational Fisheries: Advances In Science, Monitoring, Management, And Practice, Jacob W. Brownscombe, Kieran Hyder, Warren Potts, Kyle L. Wilson, Kevin L. Pope, Andy J. Danylchuk, Steven J. Cooke, Adrian Clarke, Robert Arlinghaus, John R. Post

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Recreational fisheries (RF) are complex social-ecological systems that play an important role in aquatic environments while generating significant social and economic benefits around the world. The nature of RF is diverse and rapidly evolving, including the participants, their priorities and behaviors, and the related ecological impacts and social and economic benefits. RF can lead to negative ecological impacts, particularly through overexploitation of fish populations and spread of non-native species and genotypes through stocking. Hence, careful management and monitoring of RF is essential to sustain these ecologically and socioeconomically important resources. This special issue on recreational fisheries contains diverse research, syntheses, …

Elemental Ratios Link Environmental Change And Human Health, R. Paseka, A. Bratt, K. Macneill, A. Burian

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Human-Wildlife Conflict And Coexistence In A More-Than-Human World: A Multiple Case Study Exploring The Human-Elephant-Conservation Nexus In Namibia And Sri Lanka, Cynthia Castaldo-Walsh

Department of Conflict Resolution Studies Theses and Dissertations

This qualitative multiple case study explored human-elephant conflict-coexistence relationships and issues of conservation in Namibia (Damaraland) and Sri Lanka (Wasgamuwa) from a posthumanist, multispecies perspective. Within each region, conflict between humans and elephants is considered high, elephants are considered endangered and are of high conservation priority, the human population has grown significantly, and community-based organizations are implementing holistic approaches to increase positive relations between humans and elephants. This study was guided by research questions that explored the current landscape of the human-elephant-conservation nexus within each region, the shared histories between humans and elephants over time, and the value in utilizing …

Development Of Poly-Vinyl Alcohol Stabilized Silver Nanofluids For Solar Thermal Applications, James Walshe, George Amarandei, Hind Ahmed, Sarah Mccormack, John Doran

Articles

Nanofluids offer the potential to address the low thermal conductivities found in conventional heat transfer fluids, through their unique electrical, optical and thermal properties, but their implementation remains restricted due to absorption and stability limitations. Here, we characterize and exploit the distinctive plasmonic properties exhibited by polyvinyl-alcohol stabilized silver nanostructures by tuning their absorption and thermal properties through controlling the nanoparticle size, morphology and particle-size distribution configuration at the synthesis stage. The photo-thermal efficiency of different water-based silver nanofluids under a standard AM1.5G weighted solar spectrum were explored, the influence of each of these components on the resulting fluids performance …

Advancing Urban Wildlife Research Through A Multi-City Collaboration, Seth B. Magle, Mason Fidino, Elizabeth W. Lehrer, Travis Gallo, Matthew P. Mulligan, María Jazmín Ríos, Adam A. Ahlers, Julia L. Angstmann, Amy Belaire, Barbara Dugelby, Ashley Gramza, Laurel Hartley, Brandon Macdougall, Travis J. Ryan, Carmen M. Salsbury, Heather Sander, Christopher Schell, Kelly Simon, Sarah St. Onge, David Drake

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Research on urban wildlife can help promote coexistence and guide future interactions between humans and wildlife in developed regions, but most such investigations are limited to short-term, single-species studies, typically conducted within a single city. This restricted focus prevents scientists from recognizing global patterns and first principles regarding urban wildlife behavior and ecol- ogy. To overcome these limitations, we have designed a pioneering research network, the Urban Wildlife Information Network (UWIN), whereby partners collaborate across several cities to systematically collect data to populate long-term datasets on multiple species in urban areas. Data collected via UWIN support analyses that will enable …

Quantifying Signpost Usage By Captive Male White-Tailed Deer, Cassie L. Auxt, Eric S. Michel, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) use rubbing of signpost structures to communicate during the breeding season. Rubbing of signpost structures allows deer to communicate via visual and chemical cues, which allows them to establish dominance hierarchies and maintain hierarchal status throughout the breeding season (Moore and Marchinton 1974, Miller et al. 1981, Hewitt 2011). Once a living tree is rubbed, the exposed light-colored sapwood creates a stark contrast in wooded areas, increasing visibility and further enticing deer to investigate the structure (Oehler et al. 1995). Anatomically, the tubular apocrine sudoriferous glands of white-tailed deer are located at the antler …

The Quest Of Vision: Visual Culture, Sacred Space, Ritual, And The Documentation Of Lived Experience Through Rock Imagery, Aaron Robert Atencio

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This document will approach the multifaceted concepts that arise through the study of rock art and the cultivation of culture and belief through vision. Through this document the audience will encounter conceptual ideas regarding belief systems, ritual, experience, cognition, sacredness, and space/landscape — and how these are all essential dynamics that take place in the processes that cultivate the Shoshone visual culture. This document will employ an anthropological lens on the mentioned subject matters, while also approaching these concepts with an interdisciplinary curiosity of how they intermingle; creating a cohesive experience that focuses on these processes which empowered these people[s] …

Developing A Predictive And Dynamic Moose-Vehicle Collisions Model In Maine, Yue Yu

Honors Theses

Wildlife-vehicle collisions are a major form of human-wildlife conflict. Predictive animal-vehicle collision models have been developed to identify collision hotspots in Maine and guide mitigation strategies. However, most current models are static and unable to produce dynamic forecasts that incorporate changing climate and weather. The goal of my study was to develop a predictive and dynamic model of animal-vehicle collisions in Maine, USA. More than 6,700 moose-vehicle collisions (MVC) occurred from 2003 to 2017 in Maine, raising road safety, socio-economic, and wildlife conservation concerns. I sought to identify factors that contribute to a higher probability of MVCs by comparing two …

Ua12/2/19 Energy For Student Awareness, Wku Archives

WKU Archives Collection Inventories

Records created by and about the Energy for Student Awareness Group.

Controlling Lonicera Maackii (Amur Honeysuckle): Basal Bark And Prescribed Fire Efficacy And Impacts, Kaleb Baker

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Lonicera maackii is a non-native shrub that has invaded eastern and midwestern North American deciduous forests, altering the ecosystem functions and reducing biodiversity. Managers tasked with controlling L. maackii, being resource limited, require effective methods that are quick and easy to use without inflicting extensive nontarget damage. This study explores prescribed fire and seasonal basal applications of triclopyr as control methods and examines their extent of off-target damage. Paired-split plots were established to implement seasonal basal bark treatments within burned/unburned units where individual L. maackii were tracked to determine mortality and the hyperlocal impacts of management. Basal bark treatments were …

Gateways-Nd: Building The Institutional Infrastructure Towards Viable Postsecondary Stem Education Reform, J.M.D. Motschenbacher, M. Vosen Callens, J. Nyachwaya, E. Berg, J. Ladbury, R. Reichenbach, P. Kelter

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

Age-0 Walleye Sander Vitreus Display Length-Dependent Diet Shift To Piscivory, Christopher S. Uphoff, Casey W. Schoenebeck, Keith D. Koupal, Kevin L. Pope, W. Wyatt Hoback

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The ontogenetic diet shift to piscivory can be energetically beneficial for fish growth and allows larger, more energetically profitable prey to be consumed. A shift to piscivory may be easier for longer individuals within a cohort due to larger gape size, and an early shift is likely advantageous, potentially leading to increased growth rates and survival. Such length-dependent ontogenetic diet shifts may explain the intracohort variability in length that is common for age-0 walleye (Sander vitreus). The objectives of this study were to describe seasonal intracohort variability in length, identify the timing of the shift to piscivory and …

Ecosystem Size Predicts Social-Ecological Dynamics, Mark A. Kaemingk, Christopher J. Chizinski, Craig R. Allen, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Recreational fisheries are complex adaptive systems that are inherently difficult to manage because of heterogeneous user groups (consumptive vs. nonconsumptive) that use patchily distributed resources on the landscape (lakes, rivers, coastlines). There is a need to identify which system components can effectively predict and be used to manage nonlinear and cross-scale dynamics within these systems. We examine how ecosystem size or water body size can be used to explain complicated and elusive angler-resource dynamics in recreational fisheries. Water body size determined angler behavior among 48 Nebraska, U.S.A. water bodies during an 11- year study. Angler behavior was often unique and …

Droughtscape, Winter 2019, National Drought Mitigation Center

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

Contents

From the Director

Drought intensified in California and Nevada, eased elsewhere

Year in Review: Drought spread and intensified in the West; record precipitation in the East

Drought impact summary for 4th quarter 2018

Drought impact summary 2018

Five states began drought plan updates in 2018

New web-based form makes submitting drought observations easier

FEMA risk assessment process tailored for drought

Upcoming events

Effects Of Grazing And Fire On Soil Microbial Communities And Hydrological Processes In The Northern Great Plains Grassland, Jacob Comer

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Historic grazing and fire regimes have been altered with the development of the livestock industry in the Northern Great Plains and have resulted in a reduction of diversity across all scales. As alternative land surface disturbances are developed to combat the loss of diversity, their potential to serve as a sustainable land surface disturbance should be evaluated. To determine the ability of an alternative grazing strategy to serve as a sustainable land surface disturbance, the reaction of the soil microbial community and soil hydrological processes should be evaluated. Objectives of this study were to: 1) evaluate the impact of alternative …

Soil Health Assessment In Reclaimed Mine Soils, Katie Danielle Stutler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

West Virginia is one of the top coal-producing states in the nation, which has resulted in over 500,000 acres of highly disturbed, anthropogenic mine soils caused by surface mining. Mine soils are often rocky and contain low organic matter content, low plant-available nutrients, and toxic metals, which could result in poor soil health and low productivity. Soil health has been defined as the continued capacity of soil to function as a living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans. It is assumed that with time since reclamation, mine soil properties and related functions may change, and soil health will improve …