Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Evidence Of American Martens Populating The Turtle Mountains Of North Dakota, Amber J. Bagherian, Dorothy M. Fecske, Maggie D. Triska, Joseph A. Bishop, Dean J. Berezanski, Sandra K. Johnson, Robert P. Brooks, Thomas L. Serfass

The Prairie Naturalist

American martens (Martes americana) were native to northeastern North Dakota but were considered extirpated by the early 1800s. Although there is no historic evidence of martens occurring beyond the northeast, forested habitat potentially suitable for martens exists in the Turtle Mountains region of northcentral North Dakota and southwestern Manitoba. From 1989– 1991, the Turtle Mountain Trappers Association translocated 59 martens into the Canadian portion of the Turtle Mountains. During summer 2007, we used covered track-plates and/or remotely-triggered cameras placed at 123 survey sites distributed among 41 1-km2 grid cells (a GIS-generated layer imposed on electronic maps of the study region) …

Topographic Home Range Of Large Mammals: Is Planimetric Home Range Still A Viable Method?, W. David Walter, Justin W. Fischer, Teresa J. Frink, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Jonathan A. Jenks, Kurt C. Vercauteren

The Prairie Naturalist

Topography influences movement trajectories, quality of forages used, and behavioral response of large herbivores to anthropogenic disturbances, but research is lacking on the influence of terrain complexity on size of home range. Size of home range usually is based on planimetric area and therefore rarely accounts for the true surface area traversed by an animal. We conducted radiotelemetry on bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) equipped with VHF collars at three sites from 2002 to 2006 to document size of home range in areas that ranged from 400 …

Chlorophyll-Based Approach For Remote Estimation Of Crop Gross Primary Production: From In Situ Measurements To Satellite Imagery, Yi Peng

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

The synoptic and accurate quantification of crop gross primary production (GPP) is essential for studying carbon budgets in croplands and monitoring crop status. The objective of this dissertation is to develop a quantitative technique to estimate crop GPP using remotely sensed data collected from close range to satellite altitudes. In this study, a model based on a recently developed paradigm, which relates crop GPP to a product of total crop chlorophyll content and incident radiation affecting vegetation photosynthesis, was justified for the remote estimation of GPP in crops. The model was tested with ground-observed incoming photosynthetically active radiation (PAR_{in …}

Reducing The Enviromental Impact Of Horse Keeping, Amanda R. Shere

Social Sciences

No abstract provided.

Notes: Red-Tailed Hawk Predation Of A Striped Skunk, Steven G. Platt, Thomas R. Rainwater

The Prairie Naturalist

Skunks (Mephitidae) are capable of projecting pungent, oily musk from paired anal glands (Verts 1967), which acts as a central nervous system depressant (Wade- Smith and Verts 1982), and can incapacitate birds of prey if directed into the eyes (Garcelon 1981). Consequently, few raptors are known to prey on striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis). Great horned owls (Bubo virginianus) are the only raptor that regularly preys on skunks (Bent 1938b, Lowery 1974, Houston et al. 1998), although occasional instances of predation by golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos; Olendorff 1976, Palmer 1988a), bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalis; Broley 1952, Wade-Smith and Verts 1982), northern …

Least And Merriam’S Shrews From Banner County, Nebraska, Jennifer N. Merlino, Alexandra R. Frohberg, Jamie Harmon, Keith Geluso

The Prairie Naturalist

Four species of shrews occur in the panhandle of western Nebraska – the masked shrew (Sorex cinereus), Merriam’s shrew (S. merriami), dwarf shrew (S. nanus), and least shrew (Cryptotis parva; Genoways et al. 2008). Little information is known regarding the distribution and habitat of those species due to few captures of individuals throughout the region (e.g., Jones 1964, Freeman et al. 1993, Benedict et al. 1999, 2000, Geluso et al. 2004). To date, no shrew has been reported from the southwestern part of the panhandle in Banner, Kimball, or Cheyenne counties. Here we present distributional records for the least shrew …

Grass And Canada Goldenrod (Solidago Canadensis) Competition And Implications For Management In The Northern Tallgrass Prairie, Alexander J. Smart, Gary E. Larson, Peter J. Bauman

The Prairie Naturalist

Canada goldenrod (Solidago canadensis L.) is a native perennial forb that can form dense clonal patches and become weedy in pastures of the Northern Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion. Our objectives were to determine 1) the competitive effects between Canada goldenrod and grass, 2) the relationship between Canada goldenrod stem density and grass biomass, and 3) the distribution of Canada goldenrod stem density at the pasture scale. We used regression analysis to develop a relationship between Canada goldenrod stem density and grass biomass. Additionally, we estimated the frequency distribution of Canada goldenrod stem density categories using three evenly distributed 100 × 100-m …

Spatiotemporal Variation In Vegetation Structure Resulting From Pyric-Herbivory, Sherry Leis, Lloyd W. Morrison, Michael D. Debacker

The Prairie Naturalist

Pyric-herbivory is a process that is widely assumed to create greater habitat heterogeneity in grasslands at the landscape scale than could be achieved by either fire or grazing alone. Yet, few studies have actually quantified the effects of pyric- herbivory on vegetation structure within layers of the grass canopy. Here we quantify the effects of pyric-herbivory on a pasture at Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve in Kansas. We subdivided the pasture into three patches and burned one patch each year in a three-year rotation. We estimated visual obstruction for 25-cm strata and recorded maximum vegetation height. We found that recently burned …

Sickleweed On The Fort Pierre National Grassland: An Emerging Threat, Jack L. Bulter, Stefanie D. Wacker

The Prairie Naturalist

We report the first detailed field survey of sickleweed (Falcaria vulgaris L.) in the United States. Sickleweed is native to Europe, the Mediterranean, Asia Minor, and Iran and was first reported in the United States in 1922. It is listed by the Nebraska Invasive Species Council as a Category II invasive plant species. In recent years, abundance and distribution of sickle- weed has increased dramatically in and around the Fort Pierre National Grassland (FPNG), South Dakota. Management of such a rapidly expanding population is hampered by a general lack of baseline information on the biology and ecology of sickleweed. We …

Spatial Ecology Of Urban Raccoons In Northeastern Ohio: Implications For Oral Rabies Vaccination, Are R. Berentsen, Mike R. Dunbar, Chadd E. Fitzpatrick, W. David Walter

The Prairie Naturalist

In 1977, rabies was detected in a raccoon (Procyon lotor) in West Virginia, and since the mid-1980s raccoon variant rabies has spread throughout the eastern United States and moved west as far as the eastern edge of Cleveland, Ohio. The primary tool to combat this spread is the distribution of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits. A thorough knowledge of raccoon space use is critical in determining bait placement, particularly in urban areas. We monitored nine raccoons in urban areas of Cleveland, Ohio, calculated home range sizes, monitored raccoon movement with respect to potential movement barriers, and used resource selection functions …

Unlv Students To Build Zero Net Energy Home; Boom & Bust Report, Nevada Institute For Renewable Energy Commercialization (Nirec)

Nevada Newsflash

Design and build an approximately 800 square foot home that consumes zero net energy.

Those are the instructions for Team Las Vegas, after the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) became one of only 20 schools worldwide to quality for the 2013 Solar Decathlon, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory.

UNLV’s entry, Autonomy House, is marketed as an “age-in-place” home for an empty nester whose children have grown up. The 730-squarefoot home will use daylighting from windows, insulation and solar panels to produce more energy than it consumes. Additionally, it will filter rainwater for household …

Agricultural Efficiency And The End Of The Oil Age; Building A Future Of Longevity, Keith Mchugh

Pomona Senior Theses

This thesis uses an efficiency analysis of agricultural systems to assert that, in lieu of rising prices of fossil fuel, people need to come into more direct contact with their food systems. With a switch to smaller, more efficient farms that rely less on fossil fuel and are connected with the communities they supply for, we can avoid an energy crisis turning into a famine. These smaller-scale systems can help create self-contained, carbon-neutral communities.

Improving Woody Biomass Estimation Efficiency Using Double Sampling, David L. Parrott, John M. Lhotka, Songlin Fei, B. Scott Shouse

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Although double sampling has been shown to be an effective method to estimate timber volume in forest inventories, only a limited body of research has tested the effectiveness of double sampling on forest biomass estimation. From forest biomass inventories collected over 9,683 ha using systematic point sampling, we examined how a double sampling scheme would have affected precision and efficiency in these biomass inventories. Our results indicated that double sample methods would have yielded biomass estimations with similar precision as systematic point sampling when the small sample was ≥ 20% of the large sample. When the small to large sample …

Near Infrared-Red Models For The Remote Estimation Of Chlorophyll-Α Concentration In Optically Complex Turbid Productive Waters: From In Situ Measurements To Aerial Imagery, Daniela Gurlin

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

Today the water quality of many inland and coastal waters is compromised by cultural eutrophication in consequence of increased human agricultural and industrial activities and remote sensing is widely applied to monitor the trophic state of these waters. This study explores near infrared-red models for the remote estimation of chlorophyll-a concentration in turbid productive waters and compares several near infrared-red models developed within the last 35 years.

Three of these near infrared-red models were calibrated for a dataset with chlorophyll-a concentrations from 2.3 to 81.2 mg m^-3 and validated for independent and statistically significantly different datasets with …

Roger Williams Park Edible Forest Garden, Mark S. Scialla

Senior Honors Projects

An edible forest garden is a low-maintenance system that uses edible native and regionally-adapted plants arranged in beneficial relationships to meet human, wildlife and ecosystem needs. The forest garden in Roger Williams Park will transform underutilized urban land into a highly productive parcel producing market-viable fruits, nuts, vegetables, medicine and fiber. Forest gardens mimic natural forest systems in architecture and complexity. The design follows ecological principles to create a system that promotes biodiversity and enhances the surrounding ecosystem. This project also demonstrates the potential to grow food and create land-based livelihoods in the city.

Located on the edge of a …

Remote Estimation Of Crop Gross Primary Production With Landsat Data, Anatoly Gitelson, Yi Peng, Jeffrey G. Masek, Donald Rundquist, Shashi Verma, Andrew E. Suyker, John M. Baker, Tilden Meyers

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

An accurate and synoptic quantification of gross primary production (GPP) in crops is essential for studies of carbon budgets at regional and global scales. In this study, we tested a model, relating crop GPP to a product of total canopy chlorophyll (Chl) content and potential incident photosynthetically active radiation (PAR_potential). The approach is based on remotely sensed data; specifically, vegetation indices (VI) that are proxies for total Chl content and PARpotential, which is incident PAR under a condition of minimal atmospheric aerosol loading. Using VI retrieved from surface reflectance Landsat data, we found that the model is capable …

Energy Consumption And Greenhouse Gas Emissions From Commercial And Manufacturing Sectors Specific Studies On Hvac Equipment And Dairy Processing, Aik Jong Tan

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Commercial and manufacturing sectors in United States consumed approximately 50% of the total End use energy in 2010. In 2009, 81.5% of the greenhouse gas (GHG) emitted in the United States was energy related. From the broad aspects of commercial and manufacturing sectors; two relatively narrow and specific topics, commercial building's HVAC equipment and dairy processing were chosen to increase the understanding of the energy use and GHG emission in these two sectors. Few published studies related to these two specific areas are available. The first study in this thesis discussed the energy use and GHG emissions by HVAC equipment …

Integrating Human Variables In Cross-Boundary Monitoring Of Aberdare Preserves In Kenya, Peter K. Njuguna

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

This research critically examines extant data systems and their linkage of scientific research to policy and public education in east African highland forest conservation preserves. The research indicates that the current state of data and monitoring systems in the region imposes substantial limitations on the ability to manage these preserves. Major outcomes of those constraints manifest in unprecedented cross-boundary pressure such as encroachment and conversion of forest to agriculture, increased human-wildlife conflicts, and constrained relations among primary stakeholders. Current monitoring is biodiversity focused within preserves and fails to capture human dimensions in adjoining areas across preserve boundaries. This study proposes …

Territories,Territoriality, And Conservation Of The Louisiana Waterthrush And Its Habitat, The Watershed Of The Upper Buffalo National River, Leesia Cheryl Marshall

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Louisiana Waterthrush, Parkesia motacilla, is a migratory wood-warbler and breeding season resident of the eastern United States. Males defend breeding territories that extend linearly along clear, fast-flowing, gravel-bottomed, forest streams. Defense includes two song types, primary and extended song. As riverine specialists, birds rely upon aquatic invertebrates as prey and riparian habitat features for nesting. They use a unique foraging maneuver, leaf-pulling, that involves picking up or pulling a leaf from water, and turning it over to search for prey. Their relationship with riparian habitat introduces potential for Louisiana Waterthrushes to serve as indicators of stream health. The …

An Evaluation Of Stocking And Habitat Influences On Channel Catfish In Lentic Ecosystems Of The Great Plains, Lindsey K. Chizinski

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

Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus is an important sport fish, particularly in the Great Plains. In Nebraska, a majority of anglers target channel catfish, and fishing activities are a vital part of the state’s economy. Lentic water bodies provide the primary fishing opportunity for catfish anglers in Nebraska. Despite the popularity and economic importance of channel catfish, little is known of its population dynamics or habitat requirements, and existing studies often profile river populations. Current standards for sampling channel catfish in lentic systems often yield inadequate catch to assess populations. The objective of this study was to utilize a recently developed …

Understanding Of The Hydrologic Connections Between Wide-Channel And Adjacent Aquifers Using Numerical And Field Techniques, Cheng Cheng

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

Streambed sedimentary structure plays a vital role in controlling the interactions between surface water and groundwater. In the study, three rivers -the Big Blue River, the Little Blue River, and the lower reach of the Platte River in Nebraska were chosen to characterize the shallow streambed for the two types of rivers (braided and meandering rivers) and investigated the variations of the streambed electrical and hydraulic conductivities with depth. In-situ and laboratory permeameter tests were conducted to determine streambed hydraulic conductivity up to 20 m below the channel surface in the three rivers. Additionally, the electrical conductivity logs were obtained …

Sediment Removal From The San Gabriel Mountains, Mary C. Ferguson

Pitzer Senior Theses

The issue of sediment removal from the San Gabriel Mountains has been a complex issue that has created problems with beach replenishment, habitat destruction and the need to spend millions of dollars at regular intervals to avoid safety hazards. Most recently 11 acres of riparian habitat, including 179 oaks and 70 sycamores, were removed for sediment placement. Other sites including Hahamongna Watershed Park and La Tuna Canyon also face a similar fate. This thesis questions: How did we get to this point of destroying habitat to dump sediment which is viewed as waste product? What are the barriers for creating …

Natural And Constructed Wetlands For Ecosystem And Engineering Services In The Arid And Semi-Arid Regions, Achyut Raj Adhikari

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The Las Vegas Wash (LVW) has undergone significant wetlands degradation and soil erosion over the past thirty years due to increasing flow resulting from urbanization and large rainfall events in the Las Vegas Valley Watershed. The increased flow and associated pollution load in the LVW and its adverse impact in Lake Mead have alerted stakeholders to pay a greater attention to explore alternative measures for rehabilitation of wetland ecosystems. This dissertation, using the case of changes in LVW, analyzes and describes ecological and engineering services provided by wetlands in arid and semi-arid regions and provides a knowledge base that can …

The New American Conservation Movement: New Strategies, Focus And Organizations For The 21st Century, Amy Deanna Northrup

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This dissertation provides evidence of the emergence of a new conservation movement in the United States. The strategic, tactical and organizational approaches of traditional conservation efforts, which began in the early 1900s, have shifted during the last two decades. Specifically, the new conservation movement is characterized by three distinct changes. First, many of the well-established conservation organizations, such as the Sierra Club and National Audubon Society, have largely abandoned their traditional focus on increasing the number of acres preserved; instead more defensive and fragmented forms of conservation now reign. The second change to the conservation movement involves a dramatic expansion …

The Effect Of Phosphite On Mycorrhiza Formation In American Chestnut (Castanea Dentata), Matthew T. Perkins

Honors Theses

One of the primary hindrances to Castanea dentata restoration in the Southeast is the root rot disease caused by the fungus-like microorganism Phytophthora cinnamomi. Root rot can be combated by the application of mono- and di-potassium salts of phosphorous acid, which are marketed as phosphite fungicides. Despite its value in preventing infection by P. cinnamomi it is also thought that phosphite may impede root colonization by beneficial, ectomycorrhizal fungi. I hypothesized that plants given a routine application of phosphite will display fewer mycorrhizas in the root tips than those plants that were not treated with potassium phosphite. Therefore I attempted …

Neustonic Plastic In The Los Angeles River, Annie M. Tran

Pomona Senior Theses

The characterization of neustonic plastic found in the Los Angeles River was completed in this study. 3 water samples were collected from the river on April 30, 2011 in Long Beach, CA using a 0.5 mm manta trawl. The plastic was separated from organic material, divided into 3 class sizes (0.5 mm, 1.4 mm, and 2.44 mm), and identified and sized under a microscope. Plastic was found in all three samples and categorized into seven categories. Paper, plastic, and styrofoam were present in all three samples. Styrofoam contributed the greatest percentage of the plastic found among the samples. Plastic film …

The Effects Of Property Rights On Ocean Resources: Two Possible Solutions To The Tragedy Of The Commons, Nathan David Miller

Honors Program Theses

Property rights affect how people use resources. Enforcement regimes are able to set clear laws with well-defined property rights. Governments set laws for conservation and economic success. Ocean resources suffer from overuse. Industry and the environment both benefit from regulations that promote ocean conservation. This paper will analyze how the current state of ocean property rights leads to the depletion of ocean resources. Though there are many possible solutions to overfishing, I will analyze two potential solutions to overexploitation in the commercial fishing industry: marine protected areas (MP As) and individual transferable quotas (ITQs ). A synthesis of previous research …

A Pre-Paving Baseline Inventory Of Vehicle-Related Mortality On Mule Deer Along, Seep Ridge Road, Book Cliffs, Utah, D. Alex Hansen

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports, Spring 1920 to Spring 2023

Part I:

The Seep Ridge road is the major route used to access the Book Cliffs from Uintah County. For many years the County has expressed interest in paving the road in order to improve access to this remote portion of the County. In 2011 Uintah County received Bureau of Land Management (BLM) approval for the project and began construction on the road. There have been many concerns expressed concerning the Seep Ridge Road paving project, including impacts to mule deer. The Utah Division of Wildlife, sportsmen and conservation groups are concerned that upgrading the road may lead to a …

Mathematical Modeling Of Fluid Spills In Hydraulically Fractured Well Sites, Oluwafemi Michael Taiwo

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Improved drilling technology and favorable energy prices have contributed to the rapid pace at which the exploitation of unconventional natural gas is taking place across the United States. As a natural gas well is being drilled, reserve pits are constructed to hold the drilling fluids and other materials returned from the drilling process. These reserve pits can fail, and when they do, plant and animal life of the surrounding area may be adversely affected. This project develops a screening tool for a suitable location for a reserve pit. This work will be a critical piece of the Infrastructure Placement Analysis …

Exploring German And American Modes Of Pedagogical And Institutional Sustainability: Forging A Way Into The Future, Lindon N. Pronto

Pitzer Senior Theses

Rooted deep in Germany's past is its modern socio-political grounding for environmental respect and sustainability. This translates into individual and collective action and extends equally to the economic and policy realm as it does to educational institutions. This thesis evaluates research conducted in Germany with a view to what best approaches are transferable to the United States liberal arts setting. Furthermore, exemplary American models of institutional sustainability and environmental education are explored and combined with those from abroad to produce a blueprint and action plan fitting for the American college and university.