Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

Terrestrial Natural Communities Of Nebraska - Version Ii, Gerry Steinauer, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

For more than a decade, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and state natural heritage programs, including the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program (NNHP), have used a “coarse filter/fine filter” approach to preserving biological diversity (The Nature Conservancy, 1994). This approach involves identification and protection of natural communities (coarse filter) as well as rare species (fine filter). Identifying and protecting representative examples of natural communities ensures conservation of most species, biotic interactions and ecological processes. Those species that “fall through” the community filters are generally the rare species. Identification and protection of viable occurrences of rare species serves as the fine filter for …

Conservation In A Highly Fragmented Landscape: The Central Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregional Conservation Plan, The Central Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion Planning Team

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

With the adoption of Conservation by Design in 1995, The Nature Conservancy recognized the importance of working at larger scales to achieve our mission which is: the long-term survival of all viable native species and community types through the design and conservation of portfolios of sites within ecoregions. The Conservancy set forth to design conservation plans on an ecoregional basis by working closely with various conservation partners. These plans are intended to provide a framework within which the Conservancy and our partners, such as the Natural Heritage Programs, can make decisions regarding conservation actions to be taken at the …

Agroforestry In The United States: Research And Technology Transfer Needs For The Next Millennium

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

If society's needs and aspirations for forestderived goods, services, and amenities truely are to be met, we must find ways of augmenting traditional forestry by gleaning some portion of these benefits from agricultural lands. For example: windbreaks, riparian forest buffers, hybrid poplar trees, farm woodlots, and grazing/timber systems.

Investigating Ground And Surface Water In The Republican River Basin Of Nebraska Using Water Chemistry And Environmental Isotopes, Jennifer J. Schellpeper

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

Recent legal battles concerning water use initiated an investigation of the stream/aquifer relationships in the Republican River Basin located in southwest Nebraska. Ground and surface water was analyzed for tritium, deuterium, ¹⁸O, and major ions. Temperature, pH, conductivity and alkalinity were determined on-site. Samples were collected during 1997 and 1998 from irrigation wells throughout the entire basin. Localized interactions between groundwater and surface water were examined during twenty-four hour pump tests performed on the irrigation wells screened in the alluvium along the river valley and its tributaries. These data show there are differences between the ground and surface waters …

Ecology Of Elk In Northwestern Nebraska: Demographics, Effects Of Human Disturbance, And Characteristics Of Calving Habitat, Bruce A. Stillings

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

No abstract provided.

Local And Landscape Factors Affecting Nest Site Selection And Nest Success Of Burrowing Owls In Western Nebraska, Rebecca T. Ekstein

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

No abstract provided.

Earth In Four Dimensions: Development Of The Ideas Of Geologic Time And History, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Changes in ideas and in technology can come about as slow incremental modifications, as well as by major paradigm shifts. In the case of the development of the ideas of geologic history and time, I will try to present these changes broadly and then look at how some of these have affected interpretation of Nebraska geology. Changes of view on three fronts were important in the development of geologic history and time concepts. First is the question of the nature of time. Is time cyclic or is it linear? The Greco-Oriental cultures had a world view based on cosmic cycles, …

Soil Moisture Within The Windbreak/Crop Interface And A Comparison Of Three Types Of Sensors For Measuring Soil Water Content, Qingjiang Hou

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

No abstract provided.

Central Platte River Forests: Breeding Birds And Woody Vegetation, Barbara K. Good

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

No abstract provided.

Notes And Correspondence: The Effects Of Data Gaps On The Calculated Monthly Mean Maximum And Minimum Temperatures In The Continental United States: A Spatial And Temporal Study, David E. Stooksbury, Craig D. Idso, Kenneth G. Hubbard

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Gaps in otherwise regularly scheduled observations are often referred to as missing data. This paper explores the spatial and temporal impacts that data gaps in the recorded daily maximum and minimum temperatures have on the calculated monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures. For this analysis 138 climate stations from the United States Historical Climatology Network Daily Temperature and Precipitation Data set were selected. The selected stations had no missing maximum or minimum temperature values during the period 1951–80. The monthly mean maximum and minimum temperatures were calculated for each station for each month. For each month 1–10 consecutive days of …

Filter Strip Performance And Processes For Different Vegetation, Widths, And Contaminants, T. J. Schmitt, M. G. Dosskey, K. D. Hoagland

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Filter strips are widely prescribed to reduce contaminants in surface runoff from agricultural fields. Tbis study compared performance of different filter strip designs on several contaminants and evaluated the contribnting processes. Different vegetation types and widths were investigated using simulated runoff event on large plots (3 m X 7.5 or 15 m) having fine-textured soil and a 6 to 7% slope. Filter strips 7.5 and 15 m wide downslope greatly reduced concentrations of sediment in runoff (76-93%) and contaminants strongly associated with sediment (total P, 55-79%; permethrin, 27-83% [(3-phenoxyphenyl) methyl (±)-cis, trans-3-(2,2-dichloroethenyl)-2,2-dimethylcyclopropane carboxylate ]). They had less effect on concentrations …

An Objective Method For Determining Principal Time Scales Of Coherent Eddy Structures Using Orthonormal Wavelets, Jozsef Szilagyi, Marc B. Parlange, Gabriel G. Katul, John D. Albertson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Streamflow Depletion Investigations In The Republican River Basin: Colorado, Nebraska, And Kansas, Jozsef Szilagyi

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

A Revised Measurement Methodology For Conifer Needles Spectral Optical Properties: Evaluating The Influence Of Gaps Between Elements, Mark A. Mesarch, Elizabeth Walter-Shea, Gregory P. Asner, Elizabeth M. Middleton, Stephen Chan

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Gaps are unavoidable when compositing small or narrow plant parts (e.g., conifer needles, twigs, narrow leaves, and leaflets) on sample holders in preparation for measuring spectral optical properties. The Daughtry et al. (1989) (A new technique to measure the spectral properties of conifer needles. Remote Sens. Environ. 27:81-91.) method of measuring conifer needle optical properties utilizes a relatively large gap fraction (approximately 0.3-0.6) and needles painted black on one surface of the sample from which the gap fraction of the sample is indirectly determined. Following this protocol typically results in distortions in optical properties, including underestimates in transmittance (sometimes negative …

The Relative Importance Of Patch Area And Perimeter–Area Ratio To Grassland Breeding Birds, Christopher J. Helzer, Dennis E. Jelinski

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Habitat fragmentation has been implicated as a major cause of population decline in grassland birds. We tested the hypothesis that a combination of area and shape determines the use of grassland patches by breeding birds. We compared both species richness and individual species presence in 45 wet meadow grasslands in the floodplain of the central Platte River, Nebraska. Bird data were collected through the use of belt transects and supplemented by walking and listening outside transects. Our data supported our primary hypothesis that perimeter–area ratio, which reflects both the area and shape of a patch, is the strongest predictor of …

The Nebraska Earth Science Education Network Electronic Communication Project, D. C. Gosselin, R. Feurer, S. Frack, A. Musson, L. Mayo, C. Karel, E. Schaefer, C. Snyder, J. Sarchett, M. L. Alfieri

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Characterization And Improvement Of Eos Land Products Using Measurements At Ameriflux Grassland And Wheat Sites In The Arm/Cart Region: Research Annual Performance Report For Period March 1, 1999- February 29, 2000., E. A. Walter-Shea, S. B. Verma

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

A Geomorphology-Based Semi-Distributed Watershed Model, J. Szilagyi, M. B. Parlange

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

1999 Platte River Basin Ecosystem Symposium Proceedings

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

1999 Nebraska Central Mixedgrass Prairie Rapid Ecological Assessment, Mike Bullerman

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This document has been prepared in partial fulfillment of the 1999 Central Mixedgrass Prairie ecoregion [CMGP] Rapid Ecological Assessment [REA] contract between the Nebraska Chapter of The Nature Conservancy [TNC] and Michael J. Bullerman [“contractor”]. The contract provided for the survey of selected untilled landscapes within the Nebraska portion of the CMGP ecoregion, excluding the Sandhills. The objectives of this study were to:

1) Identify relatively intact CMGP landscapes within the state of Nebraska,

2) Determine the ecological condition, threats, unique features, and conservation potential of these landscapes,

3) Determine land use practices implemented by landowners,

4) Determine landowner attitudes …

1999 Wildlife Management Area Threatened And Endangered Species Inventory, Final Report, Robert F. Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This study was undertaken to determine the extent of threatened and endangered (T&E) species habitats and high-quality native plant communities on Nebraska Game and Parks Commission (NGPC) Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs). The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program (NHP) is responsible for environmental reviews of state projects that may impact threatened and endangered (T&E) species in Nebraska, including proposed management actions on state Wildlife Management Areas (WMA). These environmental reviews require a significant amount of NHP staff time, and frequently find no adverse impacts associated with the proposed management actions. This survey was undertaken to improve Nebraska Game and Parks Commissions (NGPC) …

Inventory Of The Central Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecoregion Of Kansas And Nebraska, Hillary Loring, Mike Bullerman, Kelly Kindscher

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

An inventory of potential high quality mixed-grass prairie ranches and large properties within the Central Mixed-Grass Prairie Ecoregion of Kansas and Nebraska was conducted in the spring and summer of 1999. Emphasis during the inventory was placed on identification of relatively intact landscapes. Significant ranches within those untilled landscapes were visited. An interview of the owners or managers of those properties was coupled with a survey of the vegetation. Assessments of quality were based on species composition, continuity of ground cover, observations of livestock impact, and viability of the community types present.

The objectives of this study were to:

1) …

Factors Affecting The Movements Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) In Lake Ogallala, Nebraska, Tadd M. Barrow

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

No abstract provided.

Ecological Evaluation For The West Ash Creek Potential Research Natural Area, Pine Ridge Ranger Unit, Nebraska National Forest, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The West Ash Creek Potential Research Natural Area is located within pastures 6, 7, and 11 of the Pine Ridge Unit of the Nebraska National Forest ca 18 mi. (30 km) southwest of Chadron, Nebraska. The area consists of ca 1020 acres of mostly successional pine forest burned in a 1985 wildfire, with unburned forest, some grassland, and riparian canyon bottoms. The area is within the Pine Ridge ecosystem of the White River watershed in northwestern Nebraska. The area has remained ungrazed nearly continuously since 1986.

This document was prepared to provide the Forest Service with information to determine the …

Birds And Agroecological Relationships In Organic And Non-Organic Farmland, Nancy A. Beecher

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

No abstract provided.

Landowner And Tourist Attitudes Toward Elk Management In The Pine Ridge Region Of Northwestern Nebraska, R. Daniel Crank

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

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Buffer Strip Width And Composition In Reduction Of Agricultural Non-Point Source Contaminants, Tim Schmitt

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

No abstract provided.

Inventory For Endangered, Threatened And Rare Plant And Animal Species Within The Floodplain Corridor Of The Middle Loup River Basin In Nebraska, Michael I. Fritz, Gerry Steinauer

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This survey was conducted by Nebraska Natural Heritage Program of the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission with funding received from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, Grand Island office. This agreement was entered into on April 16, 1996. The objective of the agreement was to conduct a survey of a portion of the Loup River basin floodplain corridor for rare plant communities and plant and animal species. This is the final report of that survey. This report includes not only data collected directly as a result of field survey work associated with the project but also previous …

Relationship Between Ecosystem Productivity And Photosynthetically Active Radiation For Northern Peatlands, S. E. Frolkin, J.L. Bubier, T.R. Moore, T. Ball, L.M. Bellisario, A. Bhardwaj, P. Carroll, P.M. Crill, Peter M. Lafleur, J.H. Mccaughey, N.T. Roulet, A. E. Suyker, S.B. Verma, J.M. Waddington, G.J. Whiting

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We analyzed the relationship between new ecosystem exchange of carbon dioxide (NEE) and irradiance (as photosynthetic photon flux density of PPFD), using published and unpublished data that have been collected during midgrowing season for carbon balance studies at seven peatlands in North America and Europe. NEE measurements included both eddy-correlation tower and clear, static chamber methods, which gave very similar results. Data were analyzed by site, as aggregated data set for all peatland type (bog, poor fen, rich fen, and all fens) and as a single aggregated data set for all peatlands. In all cases, a fit with a rectangular …

Air Temperature Variations And Rice Productivity In Bangladesh: A Comparative Study Of The Performance Of The Yield And The Ceres-Rice Models, Rezaul Mahmood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Potential increase in air temperature due to climatic change and inter-annual climatic variability and its impacts on crop productivity is of major concern to crop scientists. A number of physically-based models have been developed and applied to estimate crop–environment relationships. In the present study the performance of two such models (the YIELD and the CERES-Rice) are discussed. These two models are used to estimate boro rice productivity under normal and abnormal climate scenarios in Bangladesh. This study finds that boro rice productivity at Mymensingh predicted by the YIELD is higher than the prediction by the CERES-Rice. Productivity estimates for Barisal …