Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

An Assessment Of The Role Of Roads In Population Demography And Genetic Structuring In Two Species Of Lizards In The Northern Chihuahuan Desert, Kevin Floyd

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Roads can fragment habitat and increase mortality rates of wildlife, potentially reducing population sizes and gene flow, which in turn can reduce genetic diversity through genetic drift. Although negative road impacts have been found in a variety of taxa, not all species are impacted. For instance, species that move less and rarely encounter roads and those that avoid the roads are predicted to not be negatively affected. Yet tests of these predictions are uncommon, especially for reptiles and particularly lizards. Side-blotched lizards (Uta stansburiana) are small sit-and-wait predators, while the larger marbled whiptails (Aspidoscelis marmorata) are active foragers. Their responses …

My Water, My Rights: Ethics And Implications Of Water Privatization, Rachel Vandermyde

Augustana Center for the Study of Ethics Essay Contest

No abstract provided.

Dynamic Surface Water-Groundwater Exchange In Tidal Freshwater Zones: Insights From The Christina River Basin (Delaware, Usa), Cole T. Musial

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

In coastal rivers, tides can propagate for tens to hundreds of kilometers inland beyond the saltwater line. Yet the influence of tides on river-aquifer connectivity and solute transport in tidal freshwater zones (TFZs) is largely unknown. We estimate that along the TFZ of White Clay Creek (Delaware, USA), more than 17% of river water exchanges through hyporheic and riparian storage zones due to tidal pumping alone. Additional hyporheic processes such as flow through bedforms likely contribute even more exchange. The turnover length associated with the tidal pumping process is 39 km, similar to turnover lengths for all hyporheic exchange processes …

Use Of Lidar-Derived Terrain And Vegetation Information In A Deciduous Forest In Kentucky, Wesley A. Staats

Theses and Dissertations--Forestry and Natural Resources

The use of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) information is gaining popularity, however its use has been limited in deciduous forests. This thesis describes two studies using LiDAR data in an Eastern Kentucky deciduous forest. The first study quantifies vertical error of LiDAR derived digital elevation models (DEMs) which describe the forests terrain. The study uses a new method which eliminates Global Positioning System (GPS) error. The study found that slope and slope variability both significantly affect DEM error and should be taken in to account when using LiDAR derived DEMs. The second study uses LiDAR derived forest vegetation and …

Dune And Coastal Evolution In Isla Salamanca National Park, Colombia, Juan Felipe Gómez

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This project analyzes natural variables influencing the coastal and dune evolution in Isla Salamanca National Park (ISNP), a biosphere reserve and Ramsar site located in Colombia, on the Caribbean coast. Since at least the early 1950s, the park has been affected by eroding trends along most of the shoreline. Particularly, most modern dunes are located close to the coastline, forming scarped dunes regularly affected by storm wave-action.

The trends through time of rain, bathymetry and coastline changes during the last six decades were studied through statistical analysis, mapping of landscape features, and satellite images and historical aerial photograph …

Capturing The Benefits Of Restoration: Local Business Utilization And Opportunities For Growth In Northwestern Montana, Chelsea P. Mciver

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Restoration and maintenance of forests and watersheds is increasingly a focus of management on public lands and, in addition to traditional forest management activities, has the potential to contribute to the economic vitality of local, forest-dependent communities. However, research has shown that the extent to which local communities benefit from restoration and management activities is highly variable. This study seeks to understand whether local communities in northwestern Montana are capturing the benefits of these activities on public lands by analyzing federal contracting trends. Specifically, this study 1) characterizes the value and type of federal contracts along with the spatial distribution …

A Gis Assessment Of Ecoregion Representation In Chile's Existing And Proposed Integrated Network Of Protected Areas, Jessica Schutz

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Chile's state designated protected areas are reported to show representation bias and to be unable to meet conservation goals. Private protected areas are considered an important tool to resolve these issues, which has led to support for increasing the role of private protected areas in Chile and creating an integrated public-private protected area network. But the validity of the capacity of private protected areas to fix Chile's state protected area network bias, and the advantage of creating an integrated protected area network, have not been assessed. This study uses the most recent data on Chile's state, private, and international protected …

Interpretation Of Shell [Delta]180 And [Delta]13c From Two Hells Canyon Study Sites: A Methods Approach To Analysis, Nathaniel Jacob Morse

All Master's Theses

I analyze stable oxygen isotope ([delta]180) and stable carbon isotope ([delta]13C) data from shell at two study sites in the Hells Canyon in Oregon and Idaho. Mussel shell isotope data from two species, Margaritifera falcata and Gonidea angulata, are compared with a terrestrial snail species Oreohelix strigosa from the Tryon Creek site (35WA288) and the Bernard Creek Rockshelter (1 0IH483). There were five methodological hypotheses to test with these data. Three tests yielded no significant correlation in isotope values: M falcata vs. G. angulata, mussels vs. snails, and winter vs. summer increments of snails. A fourth test showed …

River Report. State Of The Lower St. Johns River Basin, Florida: Water Quality, Fisheries, Aquatic Life, Contaminants, 2015, Environmental Protection Board, City Of Jacksonville, University Of North Florida, Jacksonville University, Lucy Sonnenberg, Gerry Pinto, Nisse Goldberg, Anthony Ouellette, Gretchen Bielmyer-Fraser, Stuart J. Chalk, Peter Bacopoulos, Brian P. Zoellner

State of the River Report

No abstract provided.

Participacion Regional En Las Iniciativas Para Reducir Emisiones De Deforestación Y Degradación Forestal En Ucayali, Peru, Megan Wing, Hasia White, Christian Graven, Mary Finley-Brook

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

Esta investigación analiza la participación regional de las iniciativas de Reducción de Emisiones de Deforestación y Degradación Forestal (REDD) en Ucayali, Perú. Utilizamos el enfoque de escala para entender los roles de las agencias gubernamentales, las organizaciones no gubernamentales (ONG), las universidades, el sector privado, y las federaciones indígenas de la región. Nuestra metodología combina la revisión de literatura internacional con entrevistas, encuestas, y observaciones en Pucallpa y Lima efectuadas durante junio y julio del 2013 y 2014. Los resultados sugieren que: (1) existen varias tensiones dentro de los procesos de planificación de REDD en el Perú; y (2) la …

Elk And Deer Hunters In Washington State: Affiliations And Ethical Behavior, Isa O. Harrison

All Master's Theses

Elk and deer are particularly challenging natural resources to manage due to their mobility and the impacts of other species and humans both direct and indirect. A man-made lack of natural predators has created a need for hunting in order to control the population expansions of herds. Such efforts face two major problems: mobility makes herds difficult to accurately quantify and hunting laws are challenging to enforce. Policies regarding the annual take and type of hunting have been based on the assumption that the primary factor motivating hunters is harvesting more animals. However, this study has found that the primary …

Political Ecologies Of Resource Extraction: Agendas Pendientes, Anthony J. Bebbington

Geography

Research related to extractive industries has grown significantly over the last decade. As the commodities boom appears to be winding down, this essay outlines areas for potential future research. Emphasis is placed on the need for research on: the relationships among extractivism, climate change and societal transitions; the aggregate effects of the commodity boom on the environment, on societal structures, on elite formation and on cultural politics; the implications of resource extraction on the couplings of space and power at different scales and with particular reference to the Colombian peace process; and the gendered and generation dimensions of the effects …

Influence Of Saltwater Intrusion, Climate, And Development On The Ground Water Supply Of San Juan Island, Scott Joel Adolphson

All Master's Theses

Freshwater availability is a serious resource concern, due to the needs of its increasing population. This issue is especially critical in coastal regions, both due to supplying the growing number of people migrating to these areas and the higher potential for saltwater intrusion into groundwater supplies as water demands increase. This study assessed the degree of saltwater intrusion on San Juan Island, Washington, including its extent, contributing factors and the implication for the water resource availability. Results indicate that saltwater intrusion levels have not increased significantly in the study area, yet the size of the area threatened has increased. Saltwater …

Acknowledgment Of Supporters, Utton Center, University Of New Mexico - School Of Law

Water Matters!

List of supporters.

The Action Cycle/Structural Context Framework: A Fisheries Application, D. G. Webster

Dartmouth Scholarship

There is a growing consensus that environmental governance is a wicked problem that requires understanding of the many linkages and feedbacks between human and natural systems. Here, I propose an action cycle/structural context (AC/SC) framework that is based on the concept of responsive governance, in which individuals and decision makers respond to problems rather than working to prevent them. By linking agency and structure, the AC/SC framework points out two key problems in the realm of environmental governance: the profit disconnect, whereby economic signals of environmental harm are dampened by endogenous or exogenous forces, and the power disconnect, whereby those …

San Diego’S Options For Alternate Sources Of Water: A Comparative Analysis Of Water Recycling And Desalination As Alternative Methods To Importing Water, Alana O. Pokorny

Scripps Senior Theses

This paper describes the processes, methods, backgrounds, and economic challenges, of Desalination and Water Recycling and provide current examples of both. To create a baseline with which to compare the two methods, I will also delve into the history of California water policy. This complicated past is the reason water importation into Southern California remains the main method of obtaining water. Yet, as the current drought continues and technology advances, the need for imported water will become obsolete as the methods for recycling and desalinating water become less expensive, more convenient and more equitable. In the conclusion, all the methods …

Ensuring Our Future Or Sowing The Seeds Of Our Own Destruction? Crop Insurance And Water Use In Texas, Michael Shapiro

Pomona Senior Theses

Agriculture is the largest consumer of water in the United States. Policies that affect agriculture therefore have the potential to have a large effect on the overall use of water. Crop insurance is one such policy, which was found to significantly increase water use in the state of Texas. Much, but not all of this effect can be explained by an increase in planting density, and results vary widely by crop and by region.

Factors Affecting Emergency Manager, First Responder, And Citizen Disaster Preparedness, Tiffany Cooks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Despite the increased frequency of natural and man-made disasters, there is a problem in the level of preparedness of emergency managers, responders, and citizens to address them. The purpose of this grounded theory study was to explore the factors that affect these groups' preparedness to inform the development of better emergency plans to handle emergency incidences. The conceptual framework for the study was knowledge management, which was used with a grounded theory approach. The study was guided by primary research questions that focused on understanding psychological, material, temporal, organizational, and other factors that affect the preparedness of emergency managers, first …

Using Particle Size Analysis To Separate The Deposition Of A Bonebed And Artifact At The Wenas Creek Mammoth Site, Genevieve Brown

All Master's Theses

The 2005 discovery of a 17,000 year old mammoth bonebed in close proximity to a possible artifact at the Wenas Creek Mammoth Site (WCMS) brought with it the question of whether the bones and artifact were actually deposited together. If the two are associated, the WCMS would qualify as a Pre-Clovis site, a title given to just a handful of proven archaeological sites in North America, though claimed for numerous more. A close interval particle size analysis was performed on 2 column samples from the WCMS with the intention of identifying microstratification that would separate the bonebed from the artifact. …

Washington's Fish Consumption Rate And Water Quality Standards: Fostering Allies To Keep Our Seafood Clean, Tiffany J. Waters

All Master's Theses

Washington State’s current fish consumption rate and water quality standards update has been a highly contentious public policy debate between Washington State tribes, the State of Washington’s Department of Ecology, the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, and many prominent Washington State industries. Environmental groups and Washington tribes have partnered in the Keep Our Seafood Clean Coalition to educate the public on the need for increasing water quality standards to protect tribal and public health. My research includes analyzing Washington's tribal/State agency co-management relationships, the water quality standards history and current criteria, and the narratives of the public debate; and conducting interviews …

Understanding Vulnerability In Alaska Fishing Communities: A Validation Methodology For Rapid Assessment Of Well-Being Indices, Conor M. Maguire

All Master's Theses

Social well-being indices measure how fishing communities are likely to be affected by social-ecological perturbations, and are a significant tool to identify the primary issues influencing communities’ sustained participation in fishing activities. In an attempt to further our understanding of how communities are affected by such perturbations, we have developed a rapid assessment methodology to test the external validity of a set of well-being indices that measure community vulnerability. This methodology informs how well such indices reflect the communities they represent by measuring elements of well-being through field observations, and comparing them to corresponding index components created from secondary data …

Applying Wetland Rating Systems To Assess Functions Of Depressional Wetlands Created By A Mass Wasting Feature, Table Mountain, Washington, Thomas S. Wachholder

All Master's Theses

The formation of wetlands in the Swauk Watershed has been primarily controlled by mass wasting events, which includes landslide activity. Landslide activity has been the primary influential process in shaping the landscape where wetland systems have formed on the surface of landslide deposits. The wetland sites used in this study, near the base of Table Mountain, were chosen because they inhabit the same ancient landslide, have the same underlying geology, and vary in aspect and elevation. The elevational gradient of the sites ranges from 1300 – 1600 m and the individual wetlands differ in terms of north- and south-facing aspects. …

The Effects Of Chanellization And Channel Restoration On Aquatic Habitat And Biota Of The Pecos River, New Mexico, Darrel J. Mecham

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

River channelization has been shown to negatively impact riverine ecosystems by degrading aquatic habitat conditions, decreasing diversity of both fish and aquatic invertebrate assemblages and impairing fish recruitment. As knowledge of the negative impacts of channelization has increased, so have channel restoration efforts. We evaluated a recent channel restoration project on the Pecos River, New Mexico by comparing abiotic and biotic conditions among five reaches of river, including the restored reach, an unchannelized reach and a channelized reach all prone to streamflow intermittence and an unchannelized reach and channelized reach more perennial in nature. Our first objective was to assess …

Evaluating And Prioritizing Stream Restoration In Mined Appalachian Watersheds., Eric Mitchell Miller

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The state of West Virginia requires stream mitigation to offset anthropogenic impacts to streams; consequently there is a high concentration of mitigation projects in the mountaintop mining/valley fill region. Projects are typically outside mine boundaries and sites are selected at the discretion of the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection. This dissertation evaluated current in-stream, natural channel design (NCD) structures and prioritized future project locations. First, we assessed the Little Coal River, which is one of the largest physical restoration projects in the state. The Little Coal drains 994 km2 with extensive historic and contemporary coal mining. The objectives of …

The Future Of Squaw Valley And Alpine Meadows, Brian Friel

Pomona Senior Theses

This paper examines the ongoing conflict between Squaw Valley Ski Holdings and the local Tahoe community and analyzes this conflict within the greater historical context of ski resort consolidation and development across the Western United States.

Reforestation, Renewal, And The Cost Of Coal: Opposing A Manichean Worldview In Central Appalachia, Elizabeth R. Hansen

Pomona Senior Theses

Surface coal mining is a major form of land change and environmental degradation in Central Appalachia. Traditional mine reclamation iresults in unmanaged, unproductive grasslands that fail to mitigate many of the environmental costs of coal mining and are of minimal use to communities. Forestry reclamation is an alternative reclamation tactic that has the potential to address both environmental and socioeconomic concerns in Central Appalachia. A case study of Laurel Fork Mine in Eastern Kentucky is included.

Urban Flood Response Planning: Building Urban Resilience In Calgary And Toronto, Sarah Asrat

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Flooding is an increasing environmental concern for many Canadian cities. There is increasing awareness of climate change and its impacts on precipitation behavior and flooding in urban areas. Knowledge gaps were identified in the literature concerning urban flood response planning, uncertainty and preparedness planning. This study examines and compares urban flood response measures and resilience building for natural disasters in the Cities of Toronto and Calgary. Non-structural measures for flood risk reduction that include policies, decision-making and community engagement were examined by conducting a literature review and semi-structured interviews of individuals from six groups: provincial government, municipal government, conservation authority, …

Hydrologic And Temperature Regime Influence On Growth And Recruitment Of Fishes In An Upper Midwest Riverine Ecosystem, Brett Donald Nelson

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The natural flow regime is often identified as the primary driver of ecological integrity in rivers. The Minnesota River basin is characterized by a row-crop agricultural landscape with an extensive network of drainage tiles and ditches to improve land productivity. Intensive surface and subsurface drainage alters flow regimes, increasing the magnitude and frequency of high flows. Changes in river hydrology lead to alterations in geomorphology, including increased bank erosion, channel widening, and downward incision that can lead to floodplain disconnection. Disruption of historical hydrology can alter energy flow and connection to specialized habitats subsequently affecting important aquatic communities and populations …

Small And Medium Enterprises' Profitability Elements In Green Energy Transactions, Humphrey Edereka Great

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

As the primary drivers of Nigeria's economy, small and medium scale enterprise (SME) leaders rely on standby generators for sustainable business operation. Because of this reliance, over 56% of the SMEs operate far below capacity from the effects of power shortages. Guided by the strategic contingency theory, this study explored the profitability strategies of business leaders faced with electricity disruptions within Abuja Federal Capital Territory while adopting corporate social responsibility (CSR) and green practices. Data collection was through face-to-face semistructured interviews using open-ended questions. Participants consisted of 12 business leaders selected from 4 SME categories within Abuja that have imbibed …

Engaging The Nonprofits In Louisville Housing Market For Low-Income Households, Joshua Omoniyi Odetunde

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Nonprofit organizations often work in partnership with government agencies to empower low income people in the housing market through government subsidized mortgage loans. In spite of this assistance, homelessness and substandard housing is pervasive among low income households because this population primarily relies on the rental housing market, leaving a gap in practice and knowledge related to how nonprofits provide assistance to the overwhelming majority of low income consumers in need of housing. The purpose of this case study was to use social justice theory to explore how the nonprofit sector, as an economic force, provides assistance to and empowers …