Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Runnins River Project

Watershed Access Lab Projects

In Fall 2008 all 10th grade Biology II students and their teachers joined the watershed study project initiated by AP Biology students at Seekonk High School. Students traveled to 2 sites along the Runnins River: the Burr’s Pond site and an upstream site at the home of the Masons; to assess the health of the river at these sites. This highly successful venture allowed these students to relate ecological concepts to real, hands on research. Students, with the assistance of Kim McCoy, collected and filtered water grab samples, collected macroinvertebrate samples, took pictures of their classmates activities and of organisms …

Burr’S Pond And Runnins River: An Annual Watershed Survey, 2009

Watershed Access Lab Projects

AP Biology students at Seekonk High School are required to complete an independent research project to fulfill the Ecology unit of the course during the summer prior to the course. Students must apply what they learned in their readings to a local ecosystem, Burr’s Pond which is attached to the Runnins River. Students spend time at the pond area during the summer documenting organisms, evidence of population dynamics, animal behavior, trophic levels, nutrient cycling, etc. Students put together a Burr’s Pond Summer Field Research Project Portfolio to be submitted on the first day of school. Student projects are displayed at …

Burrs Pond: Polluted Or Not?

Watershed Access Lab Projects

In Fall 2008 all 10th grade Biology II students and their teachers joined the watershed study project initiated by AP Biology students at Seekonk High School. Students traveled to 2 sites along the Runnins River: the Burr’s Pond site and an upstream site at the home of the Masons; to assess the health of the river at these sites. This highly successful venture allowed these students to relate ecological concepts to real, hands on research. Students, with the assistance of Kim McCoy, collected and filtered water grab samples, collected macroinvertebrate samples, took pictures of their classmates activities and of organisms …

Life In The Runnins River

Watershed Access Lab Projects

In Fall 2008 all 10th grade Biology II students and their teachers joined the watershed study project initiated by AP Biology students at Seekonk High School. Students traveled to 2 sites along the Runnins River: the Burr’s Pond site and an upstream site at the home of the Masons; to assess the health of the river at these sites. This highly successful venture allowed these students to relate ecological concepts to real, hands on research. Students, with the assistance of Kim McCoy, collected and filtered water grab samples, collected macroinvertebrate samples, took pictures of their classmates activities and of organisms …

River Watch 2009

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

Macroinvertabrate And Water Quality Survey Of Smelt Brook

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

Parking Lot Discharge Study

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

Rcms Mi Team Macro-Invertebrate Stream Monitoring

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

The Quashnet River Project: Assessing The Health Of A River Using Water Chemistry And Biomonitoring Data

Watershed Access Lab Projects

The Mashpee High School Environmental Science students studied the watershed of the Quashnet River (also known as the Moonakis River) in Mashpee and Falmouth, MA. The river empties into Waquoit bay. It supports animals such as alewife, eels, brook trout, and herring. This river is vital to the sustainability of these animals. Macroinvertebrate sampling took place on March 4th, 2009, while the water chemistry testing took place on September 15th, 2008.

Specific water samples were tested for Dissolved Oxygen, temperature, pH, turbidity, and nutrients. The Water Quality Index (WQI) had to be weighted since certain parameters were not able to …

How Healthy Is The Magoon Pond Watershed

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Located down the street from my house is the Magoon Pond. I conducted an independent Study to determine the relative health of the Magoon Pond. This pond is a tributary of the North River in Marshfield, Massachusetts. To access the health will we be using a macro-invertebrate biological index as our primary tool. We will also be taking depth and flow measurements to conduct a stream profile and discharge value. To start with we scouted the watershed and choose three different test sites to use, an Inlet site, a Pond site and an Outlet site.

The pond was within a …

Pond Meadow Stream: Monitoring Stream Health Using Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

Stream Biomonitoring On High Street, Randolph

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

Watershed Vocabulary

Watershed Access Lab Projects

No abstract provided.

Abbott Run Annual Study 2009

Watershed Access Lab Projects

The purpose of examining Site A, Cushman Road, and Site B, Shady Pines, was to determine whether or not the water that flows through Abbott Run meets the Class A Water Standards set by the state of Massachusetts. This is crucial because the water that flows through Abbott Run eventually empties into Pawtucket, Rhode Island and they then use it for drinking water. So if the water quality standards were to fall below a Class A rating, then this would mean a contaminated drinking source for all of Pawtucket. This could invariably many complications and should be avoided at all …

Phylogeography Of The Rufous-Naped Wren (Campylorhynchus Rufinucha): Speciation And Hybridization In Mesoamerica, Hernan Vazquez-Miranda, Adolfo G. Navarro-Siguenza, Kevin E. Omland

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Rufous-naped Wren (Campylorhynchus rufinucha) is a sedentary, morphologically variable species distributed in the dry forests of Mesoamerica. It ranges from Colima, Mexico, south to Costa Rica along the Pacific slope, with a disjunct population in central Veracruz. Populations of two forms on the Pacific slope intergrade in Chiapas, Mexico, apparently as a result of secondary contact. We sequenced a mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) gene to explore phylogeographic patterns and hybridization. We found three divergent lineages, two geographically spanning the Isthmus of Tehuantepec and a disjunct Veracruz population. Analyses of molecular variation and statistics are consistent with genetically distinct …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 6, 2009 – April 5, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• Team set annual priorities

• Requests for Information sent to determine recycling feasibility

• Preliminary field data form developed for GIS database project

• Team presented assessment report to SNAP board

• Planning for Phase III media campaign begun

• Five clean-up events conducted this quarter

• Team provided 778 cubic yards of roll-off space for clean-ups

A Comparison Between Above-Water Surface And Subsurface Spectral Reflectances Collected Over Inland Waters, Asif M. Bhatti, Donald Rundquist, John Schalles, Luis Ramirez, Seigo Nasu

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The objective of the research was to undertake a quantitative comparison of spectral-reflectance measurements made slightly above the surface of water bodies with the measurements made slightly below the surface. The study is focused on three rivers; two in Georgia, USA and one in Japan. As expected, the differences in reflectance are not constant and vary with the wavelength. The contribution of surface-reflection effects to the surface reflectance measured slightly above the water is both pronounced and highly variable, but although they do alter the magnitude of the upwelling signal, they do not change the general shape of the spectral …

Baselines Newsletter, No. 4, Spring 2009, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Baselines: The Natural Resources Law Center Newsletter (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

Rivernet Watershed Access Lab Program Overview - Spring 2009, Kevin Curry

Watershed Access Lab Projects

Brief overview of the RiverNet Watershed Access program - its history and the achievements of the many participating teachers and students from throughout Southeastern Massachusetts.

Natal And Breeding Dispersal Of Bobolinks (Dolichonyx Oryzivorus) And Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus Sandwichensis) In An Agricultural Landscape, Natalia Fajardo, Allan M. Strong, Noah G. Perlut, Neil J. Buckley

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Dispersal is a key process in the metapopulation dynamics and genetic structure of spatially segregated populations. However, our knowledge of avian dispersal, particularly in migratory passerines, remains limited. We studied dispersal of Bobolinks (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) and Savannah Sparrows (Passerculus sandwichensis) to determine whether agricultural management practices affected dispersal patterns and habitat selection. From 2002 to 2006, we banded adults and nestlings on six focal hay fields and two pastures in the Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York and searched for banded birds within 1.5 km of Vermont field sites during two years. Natal dispersal distances were …

National Parks In China: A New Model For Nature Conservation, Katherine Fritz

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

When the author of “China has First National Park” published in The Science News-Letter in 1948, he could not foresee the next 60 years of China’s struggle to develop an effective nature conservation system. If he had, he would have known that simply recognizing the value of precious land, as China did in 1948, does not automatically lead to a sophisticated, nation-wide national park system.

National parks are the hallmark of advanced civil society and complex government conservation schemes. Since the State Forestry Department declared China’s first officially protected space at Dinghu Shan Nature Reserve in Guangdong province in 1956 …

Droughtscape, Spring 2009, Kelly Smith

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

U.S. Drought Monitor Publishes Map 500!

Weakening La Niña May Mean Relief for Texas

Upcoming Workshops

Drought Impacts Worst in California, Texas

CoCoRaHS to Request Drought Impact Data, Too

NDMC Adds Researcher

K-12 Students Learn About Drought

Limnological Assistance For The Lake Mead National Recreation Area In Meeting The Challenge Of The Water 2025 Initiative: Quarterly Report, Period Ending April 1, 2009, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1: Technical input has been provided at two advisory team meetings attended this quarter.

Project 2: Surface Water Monitoring for Indicator Bacteria in High-use Sites of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area (poster) was presented at the Lake Mead Science Symposium; a journal article is in preparation.

Project 3: A draft document titled “Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (I-MAP): Quagga Mussels in Lakes Mead and Mohave” has been subdivided into four major sections and corresponding sub-groups have been formed to provide review and input. Six oral presentations related to quagga mussels were presented at the Lake Mead Science Symposium. Two …

Colorado College State Of The Rockies Report Card, Walter E. Hecox, Elizabeth L. Kolbe, Matthew K. Reuer

Publications (SD)

This year’s Report Card content is largely focused upon wildlife, one of the key natural treasures of the Rockies and a distinguishing aspect to the wildness and beauty we cherish. A related section evaluates the Wild and Scenic River system in the Rockies and how this federal act has protected certain reaches in the West compared to other federal designations and unprotected streams. A key variable for the Rockies’ future is a growing population affecting our natural resources, and in this Report Card we consider the concentration of population growth within large metropolitan areas, a demographic trend known as a …

Inside Unlv, Shane Bevell, Diane Russell, Michelle Mouton, Gian Galassi

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

The Role Of The Local Community In Integrated Conservation With Development Projects: A Case Study Of The Phu My Lepironia Conservation Project, Marion Boulicault

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Recognizing the connection between local communities and conservation areas, Integrated Conservation with Development Projects (ICDPs) are being developed across the world to simultaneously address conservation and local development goals. Through a case study of the Phu My Lepironia Conservation Project (an ICDP) in Kien Giang Province, Vietnam, this study aimed to examine the nature of the role of the local community in ICDPs, the factors affecting this role and the impact this role is having on the conservation project. Participant observation and open-ended interview techniques were used to achieve this aim.

The study found that, despite the goal of the …

Using Gis To Locate Areas For Growing Quality Coffee In Honduras, Ellen Mickle

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Abstract Small-scale coffee producers worldwide remain vulnerable to price fluctuations after the 1999-2003 coffee crisis. One way to increase small-scale farmer economic resilience is to produce a more expensive product, such as quality coffee. There is growing demand in coffee-producing and coffee-importing countries for user-friendly tools that facilitate the marketing of quality coffee. The purpose of this study is to develop a prototypical quality coffee marketing tool in the form of a GIS model that identifies regions for producing quality coffee in a country not usually associated with quality coffee, Honduras. Maps of areas for growing quality coffee were produced …

The Realities And Effectiveness Of Ecotourism Operations On Moreton Island, Yoshihiko Kubota

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ecotourism is the fastest growing sector of the tourism industry, but there has been a lack of studies assessing the tour operators’ views on the environment of the area of their operation, and of the effectiveness of their interpretation methods. This study focuses on Moreton Island for its relatively undisturbed environment and restricted accessibility.. Interviews with a former Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) employee, representative of a local conservation group, and multiple tour operators were conducted to assess the knowledge of tour operators on the environmental issues of Moreton Island, while pre-visit and post-visit surveys were conducted with Moreton Island visitors …

The Transition Movement In Australia: An Analysis Of The Progress, Challenges, And Future Of Transition Initiatives, Mia Goldwasser

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The threats of climate change and peak oil have roots in our society’s dependence on the availability of cheap fossil fuels for its function and design. In order to both decrease greenhouse gas emissions and significantly lower the demand on fossil fuels, our settlements –built when oil was cheap and abundant- must ‘relocalize’, or develop the systems which will enable the local production of food, energy, materials, employment, and goods. The Transition Movement has developed as a grassroots, community-based response to these challenges, grounded in the belief that a higher quality of life has the opportunity to emerge from a …

Diagnostique Sur La Santé Des Récifs Coralliens À Nosy Tanikely Et La Baie D’Ambanoro, Chelsea Nahill

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Pendant mon étude, les récifs coralliens à Nosy Tanikely et à la Baie d’Ambanoro étaient examinées avec le but de déterminer la condition de chaque récif et la biomasse des poissons. La durée de cette étude est de trois semaines et j’ai plongé en apnée quatre fois du 10 avril 2009 au 23 avril 2009, pour examiner les trois sites. Il y avait six stations au total, quatre pour examiner le premier site à Nosy Tanikely et deux dans la Baie d’Ambanoro, où sont le deuxième et troisième site. Utilisant les données collectées au long du transect de cent mètres, …