Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

Application Of The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation To Develop A Management Plan In The Chittagong Hill Tracts Region Of Bangladesh, Nira Rahman

Theses and Dissertations

Land degradation from soil erosion is a major issue in hilly areas of tropical regions such as the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) of Bangladesh. The combination of an elevated topography, high-intensity storms that are further exacerbated by the impacts of climate change, and farming practices increase the susceptibility of the region to soil erosion. The Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was developed in the mid-latitude dry climate zone of the United States during the 1990s to assist soil conservationists in implementing farming strategies that would address soil loss. Since then, researchers employed remote sensing and geographic information systems (GIS) …

A Regional Synthesis Of Post-Glacial Fire History In The Eastern Cascades, Washington, Using Macroscopic Charcoal Analysis, Brynn Harrison

All Master's Theses

The recent rise in severe wildfires in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) has created a heightened sense of urgency and reignited public interest in wildfire risk. In order to put this rise into a broader spatial and temporal context, a more in-depth look at fire histories from frequently burned areas in the eastern Cascades is needed. The first major objective of this study was to determine if CharAnalysis, a statistical program developed to reconstruct fire history from macroscopic charcoal-based records, is appropriate for use with charcoal records from the eastern Cascades of Washington. The second major objective was to develop a …

An Ecological Comparison Between Resource Subsidies: Pacific Lamprey (Entosphenus Tridentatus) And Pacific Salmon (Oncorhynchus Spp.), Jocelyn Wensloff

All Master's Theses

Historically, oligotrophic Pacific Northwest (PNW) streams received annual returns of spawning anadromous fish that provided resource subsidies in the form of marine-derived nutrients (MDN), thus driving stream food web productivity. To date, many studies in the PNW have focused on Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) as a resource subsidy, overlooking other anadromous fish species such as Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus). Both Pacific salmon and Pacific lamprey are culturally important to PNW tribes for ceremonial, medicinal, and subsistence purposes, and have been since time immemorial. Unfortunately, both salmon and lamprey populations are in decline. Historically, lamprey have been disregarded …

An Examination Of Limiting Factors Of Chrysemys Picta Bellii (Western Painted Turtles) In The Lower Willamette River Basin, Oregon, James P. Holley

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Oregon’s two native freshwater turtle species, Chrysemys picta bellii (Western painted turtle) and Actinemys marmorata (Northwestern pond turtle), have seen significantly reduced population sizes since the founding of Portland in 1845, with estimates of up to 90% for A. marmorata. This project examined turtle nesting activity at 25 sites across a range of turtle populations and habitats around the Lower Willamette River Basin. All discovered turtle nesting activity was found in areas of high solar exposure. We found 93% of over 400 nest attempts to have been depredated across the 25 sites, well above most other reported rates. At …

Effects Of Harvest Regulations And Post-Release Hooking Mortality On Walleye Populations In South Dakota, Cade Lyon

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Harvest regulations are commonly implemented to manipulate fisheries stocks. By regulating the size and number of fish that are harvested by anglers, managers are able to meet the goals and needs of regions. However, these management actions come with the potential for negative consequences. Overexploitation due to less restrictive harvest regulations can cause collapses in fisheries populations. In addition, indirect consequences such as hooking mortality brought on by length-based regulations can also be detrimental to populations. In this study, I investigated the effects of various harvest regulations on Walleye populations in three western South Dakota irrigation reservoirs: Angostura, Belle Fourche, …

Soil Response Of Helicopter Liming In The Monongahela National Forest, Jarrett Douglas Fowler

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Soils in the Monongahela National Forest (MNF) are acidic due to sandstone parent material, acid deposition, uptake of base cations by vegetation, and release of organic acids by organic matter (OM) decomposition. Increases in soil acidity have caused declines in forest health and changed species composition and nutrient status. Liming can neutralize soil acidity, but no large-scale liming projects have been done on acid forest soils in the USA. In anticipation of acquiring funding for a proposed liming project in the MNF, in 2007 and 2009 10 sites were selected to sample and analyze soils before lime was applied. In …

Surveys For Ticks On Wildlife Hosts And In The Environment At Asian Longhorned Tick (Haemaphysalis Longicornis)-Positive Sites In Virginia And New Jersey, 2018, Seth A. White, Sarah N. Bevins, Mark G. Ruder, David Shaw, Stacey L. Vigil, Adam Randall, Thomas J. Deliberto, Kristen Dominguez, Alec T. Thompson, James W. Mertins, Jeffrey T. Alfred, Michael J. Yabsley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Haemaphysalis longicornis, the Asian longhorned tick (ALT), is native to eastern Asia, but it has become invasive in several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and recently in the eastern United States (US). To identify wild mammal and avian host species in the US, we conducted active wildlife surveillance in two states with known ALT infestations (Virginia and New Jersey). In addition, we conducted environmental surveys in both states. These surveillance efforts resulted in detection of 51 ALTinfested individuals from seven wildlife species, including raccoon (Procyon lotor), Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana), red fox (Vulpes vulpes …

Estimating Wildlife Strike Costs At Us Airports: A Machine Learning Approach, Levi Altringer, Jordan Navin, Michael J. Begier, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Aaron M. Anderson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Current lower bound estimates of the economic burden of wildlife strikes make use of mean cost assignment to impute missing values in the National Wildlife Strike Database (NWSD). The accuracy of these estimates, however, are undermined by the skewed nature of reported cost data and fail to account for differences in observed strike characteristics—e.g., type of aircraft, size of aircraft, type of damage, size of animal struck, etc. This paper makes use of modern machine learning techniques to provide a more accurate measure of the strike-related costs that accrue to the US civil aviation industry. We estimate that wildlife strikes …

Common Raven Impacts On Nesting Western Snowy Plovers: Integrating Management To Facilitate Species Recovery, Cheryl Strong, Kriss K. Neuman, Jenny L. Hutchinson, Jamie K. Miller, Amber L. Clark, Lena Chang, Joanna Iwanicha, Elizabeth Feucht, Matthew J. Lau, David J. Lauten, Sarah Markegard, Benjamin Pearl, David L. Sherer, Rachel Tertes, Susie Tharratt, Travis Wooten

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The U.S. Pacific coast population of the western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus; plover) has declined due to loss and degradation of coastal habitats, predation, and anthropogenic disturbance. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service listed the subspecies in 1993 as threatened under the Endangered Species Act due to the population declines and habitat loss. Predation of nests and chicks has been identified as an important cause of historic population declines, and thus, most predator management actions for this subspecies are focused on reducing this pressure. In recent years, common ravens (Corvus corax; ravens) have become the most …

Nanomaterials In The Environment, Human Exposure Pathway, And Health Effects: A Review, Arindam Malakar, Sushil R. Kanel, Chittaranjan Ray, Daniel D. Snow, Mallikarjuna N. Nadagouda

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

Nanomaterials (NMs), both natural and synthetic, are produced, transformed, and exported into our environment daily. Natural NMs annual flux to the environment is around 97% of the total and is significantly higher than synthetic NMs. However, synthetic NMs are considered to have a detrimental effect on the environment. The extensive usage of synthetic NMs in different fields, including chemical, engineering, electronics, and medicine, makes them susceptible to be discharged into the atmosphere, various water sources, soil, and landfill waste. As ever-larger quantities of NMs end up in our environment and start interacting with the biota, it is crucial to understand …

Baseflow Nitrate Dynamics Within Nested Watersheds Of An Agricultural Stream In Nebraska, Usa, Galen Richards, Troy E. Gilmore, Aaron R. Mittelstet, Tiffany Messer, Daniel D. Snow

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

There is a need to evaluate high surface nitrate concentrations across agricultural watersheds, both spatially and temporally, to increase understanding of source and timing of nitrogen loads in streams and rivers. Bazile Creek is a high-nitrate stream originating in the agriculturally intensive Bazile Groundwater Management Area of Eastern Nebraska, USA. It is a gaining stream that receives groundwater with high nitrate concentrations originating from nonpoint sources. The objective of this study was to determine spatial and temporal variability of baseflow nitrate concentrations in Bazile Creek and its tributaries and to relate this variability to watershed characteristics. Surface-water nitrate samples were …

Surveillance Of Plasticizers, Bisphenol A, Steroids And Caffeine In Surface Water Of River Ganga And Sundarban Wetland Along The Bay Of Bengal: Occurrence, Sources, Estrogenicity Screening And Ecotoxicological Risk Assessment, Paromita Chakraborty, Nancy W. Shappell, Moitraiyee Mukhopadhyay, Sathaporn Onanong, Daniel D. Snow

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The transboundary River Ganga serves as a conduit for meltwater from the Himalayas and is a major freshwater source for two thirds of Indian population before emptying into the Sundarban Delta, the largest estuary in the Bay of Bengal. Endocrine disrupting compounds (EDCs) such as phthalic acid esters (PAEs) and bisphenol A (BPA) used as organic plastic additives can pollute the aquatic environment receiving plastic litter. Hence, we have investigated these EDCs in water samples from Ganga and Sundarban wetland of India. Since these compounds exhibit estrogenic potential, we have further measured steroids and evaluated the estrogenic activity (estradiol equivalents, …

Transmission Routes Of The Microbiome And Resistome From Manure To Soil And Lettuce, Yuepeng Sun, Daniel D. Snow, Harkamal Walia, Xu Li

Daugherty Water for Food Global Institute: Faculty Publications

The land application of animal manure can introduce manure microbiome and resistome to croplands where food crops are grown. The objective of this study was to characterize the microbiome and resistome on and in the leaves of lettuce grown in manured soil and identify the main transmission routes of microbes and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from soil to the episphere and endosphere of lettuce. Shotgun metagenomic results show that manure application significantly altered the composition of the microbiome and resistome of surface soil. SourceTracker analyses indicate that manure and original soil were the main source of the microbiome and resistome …

Modeling Vegetation Effects On Barrier Island Evolution, Eric W. Schoen

Theses and Dissertations

Barrier islands play a significant role in protecting coastlines and harboring coastal habitats. In an effort to study and better understand the evolution of barrier island systems, a cellular model capturing various meteorological and environmental processes is proposed. Erosion due to wind, gravity, and marine processes are coupled with plant population effects. We demonstrate the inhibition of plant cover on sediment mobility, island migration, and erosion in the presence of sea level rise.

Testing A Global Standard For Quantifying Species Recovery And Assessing Conservation Impact, Molly K. Grace, John Carroll, 201 Other Scholars

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Recognizing the imperative to evaluate species recovery and conservation impact, in 2012 the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) called for development of a “Green List of Species” (now the IUCN Green Status of Species). A draft Green Status framework for assessing species’ progress toward recovery, published in 2018, proposed 2 separate but interlinked components: a standardized method (i.e., measurement against benchmarks of species’ viability, functionality, and preimpact distribution) to determine current species recovery status (herein species recovery score) and application of that method to estimate past and potential future impacts of conservation based on 4 metrics ( …

Transboundary Marine Management In The Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape, Lindsey G. Ellett

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Transboundary conservation aims to facilitate environmental conservation and management at the ecosystem level by operating across political boundaries, through the cooperation of two or more countries. Though there is increased interest and advocation for transboundary conservation initiatives around the world, there remains a limited understanding of how they function on-the-ground. Within this study, I address these gaps in knowledge through two phases of research, both focusing on the Sulu-Sulawesi Seascape as a case study site. Phase I involved a policy analysis of Indonesian, Malaysia, and Philippine policies related to fisheries, coastal zones and protected areas, and environmental quality. Through this …

Can A Remote Sensing Approach With Hyperspectral Data Provide Early Detection And Mapping Of Spatial Patterns Of Black Bear Bark Stripping In Coast Redwoods?, Shayne R. Magstadt

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The prevalence of black bear (Ursus americanus) bark stripping in commercial redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) timer stands has been increasing in recent years. This stripping is a threat to commercial timber production because of the deleterious effects on redwood tree fitness. This study sought to unveil a remote sensing method to detect these damaged trees early and map their spatial patterns. By developing a timely monitoring method, forest timber companies can manipulate their timber harvesting routines to adapt to the consequences of the problem. We explored the utility of high spatial resolution UAV-collected hyperspectral imagery as a …

Response Of Invertebrate Drift To Dam-Release Restoration Pulse Flows From Lewiston Dam On The Trinity River, Ca, Jasmine S. Williamshen

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The widespread construction of dams to regulate rivers has dramatically altered aquatic ecosystems, but these impoundments also provide a unique opportunity to support freshwater conservation goals by implementing functional flow regimes designed to mitigate dam-related impacts on fisheries. Drifting invertebrates are an important food source for stream-dwelling juvenile salmonids such that drift feeding can be an energetically profitable foraging strategy, yet the effect of streamflow alterations on invertebrate drift dynamics is largely undetermined. Drift net samples were collected on four days before and four days during the ascending limb (14-42 m³/s) of restoration pulse flows in April 2020 …

On The Acceptance Of Urban Beavers In Martinez, California, Zane A. Eddy

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

As ecosystem engineers, beavers construct complex riparian and wetland habitats that benefit many other species, including endangered salmonids. Through their landscape alterations, beavers also promote increased groundwater recharge and provide refugia during wildfires and high flow events by impounding water and allowing it to spread across the landscape. Prior to the North American colonial fur trapping campaigns, there were between 60 and 400 million beavers in North America. By the beginning of the 20th century, beavers were extirpated from many parts of the continent, however through human efforts, their population has since rebounded to between 10 and 15 million. The …

White Pine Blister Rust Distribution In New Hampshire 1900-2018: Exploring The Impacts Of An Exotic Pathogen On Forest Composition And Succession, Janine Marr

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

White pine blister rust (WPBR) has been affecting New Hampshire’s white pines for more than a century, yet no data exist on the long-term effects of the non-native disease on the state’s forests, particularly with respect to the regeneration and sustainability of white pine, and forest succession. This study aimed to address the gaps in the literature by exploring: 1) the current distribution, incidence, and severity of WPBR in New Hampshire; 2) the application of two historical hazard ratings models, one climatic, and one biotic; and 3) the long-term effects of the disease on forest composition, structure, and succession. Historical …

Scottish Marine Renewable Energy: U.S. Approaches For Development Of Wave And Tidal Technologies, Stella Kathryn Fairall

Honors Theses and Capstones

Marine renewable energy, energy harnessed from various ocean resources such as waves, tides, currents, thermal gradients, and marine streams, has incredible potential in the United States. Several European countries have realized the potential of the resource in the North Sea and Atlantic and have created incredibly successful industries already. The United Kingdom, particularly Scotland, is the world leader because of the comprehensive policy, labor force, and markets it has established in order to make MRE a competitive energy source. In the United States, the industry is immature, underfunded, and lacks policy support. In order to establish itself as a world …

Consultation Summary For Proposed Declared Pest Rates 2021/2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

In accordance with the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management (Declared Pest Account) Regulations 2014, the Minister for Agriculture and Food carries out consultation on Declared Pest Rates, to be considered prior to the rates being determined and gazetted.

This document is the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development's response to the submissions received.

Factors For Consideration In A Plan For Terrestrial Oil Disaster Mitigation, Olaniyi O. Oyebode

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Oil spills, are common disasters associated with hydrocarbon exploration and production, can be devastating and severely impact water quality, which can be detrimental to human life and the environment. One of the primary objectives of oil spill planning and response, aside from protecting human beings, is to reduce the environmental consequences of spills and cleanup efforts. This objective is best achieved by responders identifying sensitive resources ahead of time to establish protection priorities and select cleanup strategies. When a plan is well situated, within the limited hours available to respond, responders will not have to contact all of the various …

Recovery Of Phosphorus From Florida Phosphatic Waste Clay, Amir Eskanlou

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This MS thesis examines the recovery of phosphorus (P) from Florida waste clay (WC). A comprehensive literature review revealed that: (i)-The most important values being lost to WC are P and rare earth elements (REEs). For the recovery of these values from WC, two crucial attempts are the removal of extremely fine-sized clays, followed by the recovery of phosphate content, which can pave the path for the recovery of REEs; (ii)-Any scientific/ technological solution should, at the same time, be economically and environmentally attractive to the industry. As such, moving from mostly chemical separation processes to the primarily physical/ physicochemical …

Challenges Of Brush Management Treatment Effectiveness In Southern Great Plains, United States, Rheinhardt Scholtz, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf, Daniel R. Uden, Brady W. Allred, Matthew O. Jones, David E. Naugle, Dirac Twidwell

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Woodland expansion is a global challenge documented under varying degrees of disturbance, climate, and land ownership patterns. In North American rangelands, mechanical and chemical brush management practices and prescribed fire are frequently promoted by agencies and used by private landowners to reduce woody plant cover. We assess the distribution of agency-supported cost sharing of brush management (2000−2017) in the southern Great Plains, United States, and evaluate the longevity of treatment application. We test the general expectation that the current brush management paradigm in the southern Great Plains reduces woody plants and conserves rangeland resources at broad scales. This study represents …

The 3H/3He Groundwater Age-Dating Method And Applications, Troy E. Gilmore, Mikaela L. Cherry, Didier Gastmans, Douglas Kip Solomon, Eric Christopher Humphrey

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Groundwater age-dating is an important tool for quantifying and managing water resources. Groundwater age is the elapsed time between recharge (at the land surface or water table) and the time when groundwater is sampled. If groundwater is sampled at the point of discharge from an aquifer, then the age represents the groundwater transit time. Groundwater that has recharged in recent decades is considered young groundwater. In many areas, the quality and quantity of young groundwater has been impacted by human activities and groundwater age-dating is useful for quantifying current and historical water and contaminant fluxes into and through aquifers. This …

Diets Of Double-Crested Cormorants In The Lake Winnebago System, Wisconsin, Ryan P. Koenigs, Daniel J. Dembkowski, Charles D. Lovell, Daniel A. Isermann, Adam D. Nickel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Double-crested cormorant Phalacrocorox auritus Lesson (cormorant) populations have increased throughout the Great Lakes region of North America causing concern related to the impact of cormorant predation on fish communities. A recent decline in yellow perch Perca flavescens (Mitchill) abundance within the Lake Winnebago System, Wisconsin, USA, prompted an assessment of cormorant diets to evaluate potential effects of cormorant predation on the sportfish community. Diets were collected from 883 cormorants (417 from Lake Winnebago and 466 from Lake Butte des Morts) between 2015 and 2017. Cormorant diets on both waterbodies consisted mostly of freshwater drum Aplodinotus grunniens Rafinesque and gizzard shad …

The Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (Grainex), Eric Rappin, Rezaul Mahmood, Udaysankar S. Nair, Roger A. Pielke Sr., William Brown, Steven Oncley, Joshua Wurman, Karen Kosiba, Aaron Kaulfus, Chris Phillips, Emilee Lachenmeier, Joseph A. Santanello Jr., Edward Kim, Patricia Lawston-Parker

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Extensive expansion in irrigated agriculture has taken place over the last half century. Due to increased irrigation and resultant land use land cover change, the central United States has seen a decrease in temperature and changes in precipitation during the second half of 20th century. To investigate the impacts of widespread commencement of irrigation at the beginning of the growing season and continued irrigation throughout the summer on local and regional weather, the Great Plains Irrigation Experiment (GRAINEX) was conducted in the spring and summer of 2018 in southeastern Nebraska. GRAINEX consisted of two, 15-day intensive observation periods. Observational platforms …

Evidence On The Effectiveness Of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Suas) As A Survey Tool For North American Terrestrial, Vertebrate Animals: A Systematic Map Protocol, Jared A. Elmore, Michael F. Curran, Kristine O. Evans, Sathishkumar Samiappan, Meilun Zhou, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Bradley F. Blackwell, Raymond B. Iglay

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are replacing or supplementing manned aircraft and groundbased surveys in many animal monitoring situations due to better coverage at finer spatial and temporal resolutions, access, cost, bias, impacts, safety, efficiency, and logistical benefits. Various sUAS models and sensors are available with varying features and usefulness depending on survey goals. However, justification for selection of sUAS and sensors are not typically offered in published literature and existing reviews do not adequately cover past and current sUAS applications for animal monitoring nor their associated sUAS model and sensor technologies, taxonomic and geographic scope, flight conditions and …

Recolonizing Carnivores: Is Cougar Predation Behaviorally Mediated By Bears?, Kristin N. Engebretsen, Jon P. Beckmann, Carl W. Lackey, Alyson M. Andreasen, Cody Schroeder, Pat Jackson, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Conservation and management efforts have resulted in population increases and range expansions for some apex predators, potentially changing trophic cascades and foraging behavior. Changes in sympatric carnivore and dominant scavenger populations provide opportunities to assess how carnivores affect one another. Cougars (Puma concolor) were the apex predator in the Great Basin of Nevada, USA, for over 80 years. Black bears (Ursus americanus) have recently recolonized the area and are known to heavily scavenge on cougar kills. To evaluate the impacts of sympatric, recolonizing bears on cougar foraging behavior in the Great Basin, we investigated kill sites of 31 cougars between …