Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program: Two Year Progress Report, Mary Clausen, Mike Fritz, Gerry Steinauer

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

Since European settlement, human activities have totally eliminated the natural vegetation from approximately 50 percent of Nebraska’s landscape, and of that remaining most has been heavily impacted. As a result, numerous plants and animals have been extirpated from the state and many others are threatened.

The destruction of Nebraska’s natural diversity resulted in both public and private conservation groups recognizing the need for a centralized and accessible biological database for the state’s rare species and natural community types. Toward this end, the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program (NENHP) was established in August, 1987 through a cooperative effort between The Nature Conservancy …

Habitat Use And Diet Analysis Of Breeding Common Barn Owls In Western Nebraska, Joseph A. Gubanyi M.S.

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

I studied barn owl (Tyto alba) breeding biology in western Nebraska 1984-1986. I had greatest success capturing males (56% success) at night using trap doors at nest sites and females (91 % success) using hoop nets at nest sites during the day. Barn owls removed 16 of 23 tail-mounted radios. Eight birds were radio-tracked for 7-14.5 hours. The mean foraging range was 198 ha (32- 299 ha, n = 8) with < 1 % overlap among birds from adjacent nest sites. Field-tested telemetry error was high (mean displacements of radio-locations for 2 birds were 208 and 241 m). I found no relationship between percent cover in foraging habitat and reproductive success. I identified 10,140 prey items from 15 nest sites and found both annual and seasonal variation in barn owl diets. Microtus ochrogaster occurred most frequently (32.7%) and increased in the diet from 17.6 to 27.2 to 43.5% 1984-1986. M. ochrogaster and Perognathus hispidus annual frequencies were …

Plio-Pleistocene Glacial Deposits In Northeastern Nebraska: New Exposures And Interpretations, M. R. Voorhies, R. G. Goodwin

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A field trip sponsored by the Nebraska Geological Society. Trip Leaders: Dr. M.R. Voorhies, University of Nebraska State Museum. & Dr. R.G. Goodwin, HWS Technologies Inc. Spring 1989

Recent interpretation of oxygen isotopic data for benthic and planktonic foraminifera recovered during ocean drilling programs suggest that world ice volume was greater than the ice volume of 18 thousand years ago (Late Wisconsinan) approximately 2.5 million years ago (Prentice and Matthews, Geology, November, 1988). This agrees well With biostratigraphic and paleoecologic interepretations drawn from sediment cores obtained from the Arctic Ocean Basin. The latter data suggest complete ice cover of the …

Carbon Dioxide, Water Vapor And Sensible Heat Fluxes Over A Tallgrass Prairie, S. B. Verma

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Aerodynamic Resistances To Transfers Of Heat, Mass And Momentum, S. B. Verma

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Assessment Of Squirrel-Caused Power Outages, J. Chris Hamilton, Ron J. Johnson, Ronald M. Case, Michael W. Riley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Squirrel-caused power outages in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska, were evaluated by examining company power outage reports and by consulting with power company representatives. Reports showed that squirrel-caused outages at pole-mounted transformers were most prevalent during May, June, and October (48% of total) and between 1 and 4 h after sunrise (38%), patterns that coincide with squirrel dispersal or morning activity periods. In Lincoln, 1980 and 1981, squirrels caused 177 outages per year, which was 24% of all outages and 90% of animal-caused outages. Estimated minimum annual costs were $23 364 for repairs, public relations, and lost revenue while meters were …

Geomorphology Of A Pennsylvanian Land Surface: Pedogenesis In The Rock Lake Shale Member, Southeastern Nebraska, Robert Matthew Joeckel

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Geology Of The Pre-Dune Strata, James B. Swinehart, Robert F. Diffendal Jr.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Over the last 98 million years, four general geological processes have acted to shape the ancient landscapes buried beneath the Sand Hills. Three of these affected the area directly, either depositing sediments on the land surface or eroding it, while a fourth took place west of Nebraska, but affected the region nonetheless.

Shells of clams, oysters, and numerous other kinds of creatures similar to forms that live today in the seas are preserved as fossils in the chalks, limestones, and shales that form the oldest rocks beneath the Sand Hills that will be described. These deposits indicate to geologists that …

Leaf Optical And Indirect Lai Measurements In Wheat And Alfalfa At Maciv: Agmet Progress Report 89-4, E. A. Walter-Shea, B. L. Blad

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

Interpretation of remotely sensed vegetative surfaces requires an understanding of the interaction of radiation with the various components of vegetation. Leaves are the most important component. Thus it is important to know the optical properties of individual leaves as well as the amount and distribution of leaves making up the vegetative cover. The objectives of our study were 1) to characterize the reflectance from and transmittance through adaxial and abaxial surfaces of individual wheat and alfalfa leaves and 2) to compare the traditional, time-consuming, destructive method of estimating LAI (direct method) to a relatively quick, indirect estimate of LAI in …

Plio-Pleistocene Glacial Deposits In Northeastern Nebraska: New Exposures And Interpretations, Michael R. Voorhies, R. G. Goodwin

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Recent interpretation of oxygen isotopic data for benthic and planktonic foraminifera recovered during ocean drilling programs suggest that world ice volume was greater than the ice volume of 18 thousand years ago (Late Wisconsinan) approximately 2.5 million years ago (Prentice and Matthews, Geology, November, 1988). This agrees well With biostratigraphic and paleoecologic interepretations drawn from sediment cores obtained from the Arctic Ocean Basin. The latter data suggest complete ice cover of the basin during the period 2.2-2.4 million years ago (Scott et at., G.S.A. Bulletin, February, 1989).

Irrigation Scheduling Of Soybeans, Corn, Wheat, And Potatoes (Camac Progress Report 87-8), Blaine L. Blad

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Comparison Of Measured And Modeled Radiation, Heat, And Water Vapor Fluxes: Fife Pilot Study (Camac Progress Report 87-7), Blaine L. Blad, Shashi B. Verma, Kenneth G. Hubbard, Patrick Starks, Cynthia Hays, John M. Norman, Elizabeth Walter-Shea

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Seasonal Variations In The Diurnal Characteristics Of Heavy Hourly Precipitation Across The United States, Julie A. Winkler, Brent Robert Skeeter, Paul Yamamoto

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Hourly precipitation data from 1967 to 1983 for the conterminous United States were harmonically analyzed in order to document the diurnal variability of several categories of heavy precipitation during winter, spring, summer, and autumn. The analysis revealed that the diurnal characteristics of hourly precipitation vary considerably with season, geographic region, and precipitation intensity. During winter and spring, a weak, later-morning frequency maximum prevails for the lightest (2.5-6.2 mm h-1) precipitation category. As intensity increases (to 6.3-12.6, 12.7-25.3 and >25.4 mm h-1), the amplitude of the diurnal cycle also increases, and a nocturnal maximum becomes apparent across much of the eastern …

A New Late Miocene Herpetofauna From Franklin County, Nebraska, R. M. Joeckel

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Drought In The Great Plains: A Bibliography (Camac Progress Report 87-5), Donald A. Wilhite, Deborah A. Wood

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Fox Squirrel Interaction With Electrical Transformers, J. Christopher Hamilton

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

No abstract provided.

Fox Squirrel Interaction With Electrical Transformers, J. Christipher Hamilton

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

No abstract provided.

A Field Test Of Habitat Evaluation Procedures For Creek Chub (Semotilus Atromaculatus) And Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus), Donald W. Zaroban

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

No abstract provided.

A Preliminary Study Of The Hydrogeology Of The Dakota Formation In Douglas, Sarpy And Washington Counties, Eastern Nebraska, Thomas Mark O'Connor

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

This study provides preliminary information on the hydrogeology of the Dakota Formation within a 1,000 square-mile area in eastern Nebraska. Isopach maps of the Dakota Formation and individual sand and gravel beds were constructed using a computer contouring program. Hydraulic conductivity values for water-bearing sand beds in the Dakota were estimated using the equation for calculating the specific capacity of wells and results from a grain-size analysis. Concentrations of major dissolved species were determined for samples collected from twenty five wells. The Dakota Formation is characterized by an increase in thickkness and an increase in percentage of clay versus sand …

A Demonstration And Evaluation Of The Use Of Climate Information To Support Irrigation Scheduling And Other Agricultural Operations (Camac Progress Report 87-4), K. G. Hubbard, D. A. Wilhite, S. J. Meyer, J. Booysen, R. Sagar, J. J. Schmidt, J. R. Hines

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effect Of Shelterbelts On Growth, Yield, And Quality Of Alfalfa (Medicago Sativa L.), Thomas G. Hans

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

No abstract provided.

Prairie Dog Population Growth: Relationships To Population Density, Habitat, And Livestock Grazing Management, Kelly A. Cable

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

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Sediment Addition On The Drift Of Aquatic Macroinvertebrates In Nine Mile Creek, Nebraska, Laurence Angle

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

No abstract provided.

Use Of Climatic Data To Identify Potential Sites In The United States For Growing Papaver Bracteatum As A Pharmaceutical Crop, R.E. Neild

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A procedure utilizing maps in the National Climatic Atlas was used to survey the United States to find areas for domesticating Papaver bracteatum, a wild poppy from the Trans-Causasus. This poppy had unique properties which make it a possible heroinless source of codeine. Climatic conditions similar to the native habitat and requirements of Papaver bracteatum can be found in areas of western Utah, northern Nevada, southern Idaho, eastern Washington and Oregon, northeastern California and southwestern Wyoming. A detailed climatic analysis was made to evaluate more specific locations within this large area. A site near Medford, Oregon was selected as best …

A Test Of Habitat Evaluation Models Using Avian Densities, Jeremy B. Cable

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

No abstract provided.

A Climatology Of Mean Monthly Snowfall For The Conterminous United States: Temporal And Spatial Patterns, John A. Harrington Jr., Randall S. Cerveny, Kenneth F. Dewey

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Mean monthly snowfall data for 216 stations across the conterminous United States were analyzed to produce a climatology that identifies statistical, spatial and intraseasonal aspects. Geographic variations in the length of the snowfall season are characterized using two statistics: the number of months of snow and the Snow Concentration Index (SCI).

The Annual distribution of mean monthly snowfall is also examined using harmonic analysis. Snowfall across the conterminous United States generally peaks in February; earlier snowfall maxima are found in the Great Lakes area and in the Pacific Northwest, whereas late February or March maxima occur in the western High …

Satellite-Derived Maps Of Snow Cover Frequency For The Northern Hemisphere, Kenneth F. Dewey

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A satellite imagery-based Northern Hemisphere snow cover data archive was mapped for the period 1966-84: The maps were digitized in order to create the first hemispheric, spatially data-continuous climatologies of snow cover. Annual and monthly climatologies were created and compared to several standard or frequently referenced climatologies. Results of this analysis indicate that the satellite-based climatology provides a much more detailed climatology for the higher latitude and highland regions of the Northern Hemisphere. The satellite imagery-based maps, when compared to the historical snow cover climatologies, indicated more extensive high-latitude snow cover concurrent with a northward shift in the southern extent …

A Preliminary Investigation Of A Relationship Between South American Snow Cover And The Southern Oscillation, Randall S. Cerveny, Brent R. Skeeter, Kenneth F. Dewey

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A ten-year (1974-83) satellite record of snow cover is compared to a standard index of the Southern Oscillation. South American snow cover area during the May-October snow season is found to be correlated significantly with the winter SOI values of the same year. The relationship is inverse; periods of low SOI values are associated with extensive South American snow cover while periods of high SOI values occur during years of diminished snow cover. The movements of the Pacific anticyclone and the midlatitude westerlies and subsequent changes in precipitation and temperature patterns are discussed in an analysis of this relationship.

Windbreaks And Crop Production, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Paleogeomorphic Significance Of Two Paleosols In The Dakota Formation (Cretaceous), Southeastern Nebraska, R. M. Joeckel

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.