Natural Resources Management and Policy Commons^™

Evaluation Of Mitigation Translocation As A Management Tool To Reduce Conflicts Between Humans And American Kestrels, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raptor‐aircraft collisions (bird strikes) pose a serious safety risk to civil aircraft. Even smaller raptors, such as American kestrels (Falco sparverius), can be problematic within airport environments. Given widespread declines in kestrel populations, public interest, logistical and financial constraints, and other factors, managing kestrels at airports presents some unique challenges. I conducted a study to determine which biological (e.g., age and sex of the bird) and logistical factors (e.g., month and translocation distance) might influence the return of American kestrels live‐captured and translocated from 42 civil airports and military airbases within the contiguous USA during 2016–2021. American kestrels …

Discovery Of A Novel Invasive Rodent Species On Wake Atoll With A Desert Southwest Usa Origin, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Eric Lanners, Daniel R. Taylor, Aaron B. Shiels, Marjorie Matocq, John Eisemann

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive species, particularly omnivorous rodents, have damaged island ecosystems around the world. The unique flora and fauna of island systems have typically not evolved with omnivorous rodents and are heavily impacted by their introduction. Wake Atoll of the southern Pacific Ocean is a 707-hectare coral island complex of three islands managed by the United States Department of Defense (DoD). DoD restricts civilian access to the atoll but aircraft and seacraft regularly visit the island to transport military equipment and to sustain the year-round military and contractor personnel stationed on the atoll. Wake Atoll had been invaded by Rattus rattus complex …

Efficacy Of Gonacon Fertility Control Against Prairie Dogs And Potential For Uses On Other Rodent Species, Aaron B. Shiels, Emily W. Ruell, Jason E. Bruemmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Use of a contraceptive (i.e., fertility control) is attractive for rodent management where lethal control is unwanted. Although population reduction is generally unachievable with small-scale, short-term contraceptive use, reduced juvenile recruitment is achievable. The injectable immunocontraceptive vaccine GonaCon (active ingredient: gonadotropin releasing hormone [GnRH]) was registered in 2022 by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for controlling fertility of female prairie dogs (Cynomys, a type of ground squirrel) in urban/suburban settings. Here we: 1) describe past research, including a replicated field study in Colorado (GonaCon treatment vs. control sites) testing efficacy of GonaCon in prairie dogs, which …

Agricultural And Ecological Resources Safeguarded By The Prevention Of Wild Pig Population Expansion, Colin Jareb, Kim M. Pepin, Ryan S. Miller, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Sophie C. Mckee

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are one of the most destructive invasive species in the United States, known for causing extensive damage to agricultural commodities, natural resources, and property, and for transmitting diseases to livestock. Following the establishment of the National Feral Swine Damage Management Program (NFSDMP) in 2014, the expansion of wild pig populations has been successfully slowed. This paper combines two modeling approaches across eight separate models to characterize the expansion of wild pig populations in the absence of intervention by the NFSDMP and forecasts the value of a subset of resources safeguarded from the threat of …

Oral Rabies Vaccination Of Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) Across A Development Intensity Gradient In Burlington, Vermont, Usa, 2015–2017, Emily M. Beasley, Kathleen M. Nelson, Dennis Slate, Amy T. Gilbert, Frederick E. Pogmore, Richard B. Chipman, Amy J. Davis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Management of the raccoon rabies virus variant in North America is conducted primarily using oral rabies vaccination (ORV). When a sufficient proportion of the population is vaccinated (60%), rabies transmission can be eliminated. To date, ORV programs have successfully controlled and eliminated raccoon rabies in rural areas, but there has been less success in urban areas. We studied the proportions of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies (RVNA) in a raccoon (Procyon lotor) population during a 3-year ORV trial in developed areas of Burlington, Vermont, United States. We used a modified N-mixture model to estimate raccoon abundance, RVNA seroprevalence, and …

Ethyl-Iophenoxic Acid As A Serum Marker For Oral Baiting Of Tasmanian Devils, Ruth Pye, David Nichols, Sally A. Nofs, Amy T. Gilbert, Andrew S. Flies

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Oral baits containing vaccines, medicants or toxicants have been delivered to a broad range of wildlife species to protect against or treat disease, or suppress populations. Ethyl-Iophenoxic acid (Et-IPA) is used as a biomarker to determine oral bait consumption by wildlife species to assess and refine baiting strategies. Et-IPA is a persistent biomarker in many eutherian mammal species but not in the two marsupial species, swamp wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) and brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), tested to date. Et-IPA has not previously been evaluated in carnivorous marsupials. The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii), the largest extant …

Estimating Landscape Spread Of A Low-Prevalence Disease Using Multiple Surveillance Methods, Abigail Feuka, Aakash Pandey, Melinda Cosgrove, Megan Moriarty, Anthony Duffiney, Henry Campa Iii, Kurt C. Vercuteren, Kimberly M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Diseases occurring at low prevalence in free-ranging wildlife can be difficult to study and predict at a landscape scale. This problem is compounded by imperfect pathogen detection.

2. We used data from multiple surveillance methods to determine factors influencing spread of a low-prevalence disease, bovine tuberculosis (bTB), among white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in a bTB endemic area over a 10-year period. We fit dynamic occupancy models to predict spatial spread of bTB through a county in Michigan, USA, within the bTB endemic area, while accounting for imperfect detection and a suite of ecological processes potentially driving bTB …

Effects Of The Immunocontraceptive Gonacon On Pregnancy In Brucella-Seropositive American Bison (Bison Bison), Rebecca K. Frey, Morgan E. Wehtje, Pauline Nol, Patrick R. Clarke, Jack C. Rhyan, Matthew P. Mccollum, Lowell A. Miller, Douglas C. Eckery

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The purpose of this study was to determine if the number of pregnancies in naturally infected Brucella abortus-positive bison (Bison bison) cows would be reduced over a period of 5 yr after one treatment with 3000 mg gonadotropin-releasing hormone immunocontraceptive (GonaCon) compared to a similar group of naturally infected B. abortus-positive bison cows not treated with GonaCon. In each of the 5 yr, GonaCon-treated cows produced fewer offspring in relation to number of cows than the nontreated cows. Fisher’s Exact test comparing offspring produced during the first reproductive season showed a significant difference between the …

Efficacy Of X-Ray Phytosanitary Irradiation On The Infectivity And Reproduction Of Angiostrongylus Cantonensis In Experimentally Infected Rats, Susan I. Jarvi, Lisa M. Kaluna, Steven C. Hess, Lindsey Hamilton, Carmen Antaky, Robert T. Sugihara, Israel L. Leinbach, Yaeko Tagami, Argon Steel, Kathleen Howe, Steven Jacquier, Forrest Cookman, Jocelyn Diaz, John Jacob, Peter Follett

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Angiostrongylus cantonensis is a globally distributed nematode and the leading cause of eosinophilic meningitis in humans. As a global hotspot for this disease, Hawaii’s agricultural exports may be contributing to the spread of A. cantonensis. Phytosanitary irradiation doses of 150 or 400 Gy provide quarantine security against multiple insect pests. We evaluated the in vitro and in vivo effects of phytosanitary irradiation on infectious, third-stage A. cantonensis juveniles. In vitro experiments directly exposed juveniles to irradiation doses ranging from 200 to 1,000 Gy. Results showed low mortality and no dose response across all treatments 27 days post-irradiation. …

The Ltar Grazing Land Common Experiment At Platte River High Plains Aquifer, M. Khorchani, M. Schmer, A. Freidenreich, T. Awada, G. Birru, S. Christofferson, R. Drijber, G. Erickson, V. Jin, R. Mcdermott, A. Suyker, A. Watson, B. Woodbury, Y. Xiong, J. Hiller, X. Sun, L. Li

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) network of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) consists presently of 18 sites within the contiguous United States that are managed by the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and its partners. The LTAR network focuses on developing national strategies for more efficient, resilient, and profitable agricultural production systems, improved environmental quality, and enhanced rural prosperity. The Platte River High Plains Aquifer (PRHPA) LTAR site is managed jointly by the University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) and USDA-ARS and is one of the LTAR sites that conduct research on both integrated cropping and grazing systems. The PRHPA region …

The Ltar Cropland Common Experiment At Platte River/High Plains Aquifer, Ariel Freidenreich, Marty R. Schmer, Makki Khorchani, Girma Birru, Virginia L. Jin, Tala Awada, Rhae A. Drijber, Andrew Suyker, S. Carolina Córdova, Tyler Smith, Tim Kettler, Sandra Christofferson, Xiangmin Sun, Lidong Li

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Platte River/High Plains Aquifer (PR/HPA) region is characterized by cropland, pastures, and grasslands that are faced with changing climatic conditions and agricultural intensification. The PR/HPA Long-Term Agroecosystem Research (LTAR) site is located in Eastern Nebraska with the goal of improving resilience, sustainability, and profitability of agroecosystems through enhancing ecosystem services and environmental quality, developing strategies for efficient agricultural production, and mitigating and adapting to climate change. To meet this goal, a common experiment and five ancillary experiments have been developed to evaluate prevailing regional practices in grain crop production systems compared to alternative practices in rain-fed and irrigated systems. …

Evaluating Land Cover Change And Opportunities For Bioenergy Crop Development On Surface Mine Sites In West Virginia, U.S.A., Kenzie D. Kohrs

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Surface mining can impact land cover, forests, and water quality. Current reclamation strategies include revegetation with herbaceous species due to the ease and speed of cover establishment. Herbaceous and woody biomass crops have been used in various studies to reclaim surface mines and act as an alternative to nonrenewable energy sources. The objectives of this study were to quantify the state of vegetation growth on former surface mines in West Virginia over a 9-year period and identify suitable acreage for bioenergy production. During 2011 to 2020, we found that over 40,000 acres had been converted to forest and 40,000 acres …

Rule-In-Use For Community-Based Springs Management Faces Land Use Pressures: Lesson Learned From Manggarai District, Bernadinus Steni, Hariadi Kartodihardjo, Soeryo Adiwibowo, Ruchyat Deni Djakapermana

The Indonesian Journal of Socio-Legal Studies

The struggle for water is one of the greatest immediate risks of the climate crisis. Therefore, the institutional challenge of water management is increasingly urgent and requires a number of consensuses to succeed, including community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). A key challenge to the traditional consensus for water conservation is the increasing need for land conversion due to population growth, which in turn deflects decision-making power away from traditional institutions towards external decision-makers such as regional governments. Using Ostrom's conceptual framework of rules of use, this research examines shifting spring water management in the context of Kabupaten Manggarai. The paper …

Mapping With The Land: Co-Developing A Cumulative Impact Monitoring And Land Stewardship Framework With Sambaa K’E First Nation, Northwest Territories, Canada, Michael S. Mcphee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Across the Northwest Territories (NWT), Canada, Indigenous populations are striving to achieve effective environmental protection, whilst navigating complex methods, policies, and research relationships within co-management contexts. This thesis seeks to identify how differing cultural systems, environmental change, and fractured partnerships may be unified to align with the needs of the Sambaa K’e First Nation (SKFN), a remote Dehcho Dene community. Indigenous methodologies guided co-development of research questions with SKFN leadership which yielded objectives a) develop a GIS-based method to manage, organize and mobilize cultural and environmental data; b) develop a new stewardship monitoring procedure so that users can apply the …

Critically Interrogating Wolf Eradication And Management Policy Through A Settler Colonial Lens: Toward A Compassionate Future, Karen M. Winter

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

This largely conceptual multi-article dissertation centers settler colonial theory in a critical interrogation of Wolf eradication and management policy (WEMP) toward the ultimate goal of dismantling injurious structures and systems that brutalize Wolf and other Indigenous animals. Wildlife policy and practice are contemporary manifestations of the long-standing historical project of settler colonialism and its quest for acquisition and ultimate control of Land. Thus, the ongoing hegemonic control of systems of wildlife management and the propensity toward lethal control are also inextricably linked to the oppression of Indigenous worldview about human relationship with the natural world. Settler colonialism, as the nexus …

Increasing Retention Of Women In Hunting And Fishing, Shelby Isensee

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite national declines in hunting and fishing, women are making inroads in historically male-dominated sports. To further encourage women’s participation, states established programs to recruit, retain, and reactivate [R3] hunters and anglers. Women are participating in these programs and other recreational groups to access opportunities to learn skills and grow their networks. Yet, very little is known about what programs are offered for women, what aspects of programs are most effective to support women’s retention in these activities, and what women’s hunting and fishing groups are available across the landscape. To address these questions, I collected qualitative data from participant …

Dam Dimensions And Surface Porosity Affect The Water Storage Capacity Of Beaver Dam Analogs Compared To Natural Beaver Dams, Sawyer Nagle

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Widespread stream incision in the Western United States, exacerbated by climate change and anthropogenic activities, necessitates effective restoration strategies. My study compares water retention by Beaver Dam Analogs (BDAs) to natural beaver dams and undammed control reaches. I compared how dam dimensions affect the hydraulic performance of both BDAs and beaver dams, revealing gaps in research on their comparative effectiveness. My study was conducted across eight watersheds in Washington state and two in Idaho. Hydraulic retention time (HRT), water travel time, and pool volume were response variables used to determine dam effectiveness. Dam height, thickness, length and porosity were the …

From Creek To Ditch And Back Again: The History And Future Of Pattee Creek, Missoula, Montana, Carver Edward Butterfield

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Pattee Creek was once a free-flowing stream that meandered across the Missoula Valley, but has been channelized, piped, and degraded by logging, mining, agriculture, and urbanization. This thesis used a mixed-method approach to examine the impact of human activities on the Pattee Creek watershed. Beginning with a historical overview, the story of how the creek has been utilized and why it was buried was told. An analysis of historical photos from 1937 to 2019 revealed drastic changes in the land cover of the watershed and the channel of lower Pattee Creek. Developed land increased dramatically, while open land decreased and …

Respiratory Disease In Bighorn Sheep: A Varied Investigation Of Immunization, Transmission, And Detection, Katelin Frerichs

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Respiratory disease has historically been recognized as a limiting factor to wild bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) herds throughout North America with epizootics resulting in large-scale die offs and reductions in recruitment. The primary etiologic agent associated with pneumonia outbreaks in bighorn sheep is Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae. This bacterial pathogen is frequently carried asymptomatically by domestic sheep (Ovis aries) and goats (Capra hircus); however, when these domestic hosts come in contact with and spread this pathogen to bighorns, the disease can cause epizootics and large-scale mortality. Domestic sheep strains are more commonly detected in bighorn sheep than domestic goat strains, and previous …

Reimagining Hunting Through Women's Decision Space, H. Nash Jackson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Approximately 14.4 million people hunt in the United States, yet only 3.1 million (22%) of these hunters are women. To enhance women’s participation, many state natural resource agencies aim to reduce barriers and create pathways for women to hunt. Previously, researchers surveyed women to understand and describe barriers to their full participation in hunting. However, this methodology often just quantifies the different barriers without describing the interconnectedness and how the complexity of barriers can impact women’s participation in hunting. This thesis instead took an inductive research approach with the goal of better understanding women’s perspectives when faced with complex barriers. …

A Tale Of Two Working Landscapes, Sage C. Sutcliffe

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

No abstract provided.

Influence Of Cross-Country Skiing & Off-Leash Dogs On Wildlife Habitat Use In Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Sophie Ann Morris

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Outdoor recreation activities are seen as a type of anthropogenic stressor that can significantly impact wildlife. Despite winter recreational activities having a more negative effect on wildlife compared to summer or aquatic recreation, they are the least studied in terms of impact (Larson et al., 2016). Wildlife species can be influenced both temporally and spatially by the development of winter recreation trails and snow-based recreation (Braunisch et al., 2011; Olsen et al., 2018). This research combines natural and social science methods to assess how cross-country skiers affect wildlife activity patterns, guiding decisions about managing recreation. During two winter data collections, …

Better Understanding The Barred Owl, Adam Lee Potts

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This thesis research presents an analysis of barred owl nest site selection in an understudied region of their expanded range. The barred owl has dramatically expanded its range westwards over the last 150 years, prompting multiple conflicting reinterpretations of their species account. Hypotheses of range expansion are reviewed to provide context for this study’s research. This study gathers empirical data on nest site selection in the mixed conifer forests of Montana’s Seeley-Swan and Mission Valleys. Eight barred owl nests were located following extensive territory surveys. Field measurements of tree height and diameter using USFS Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plot …

Incorporating Equity Into Sea-Level Rise Planning: Perspectives From Practitioners Across California, Nayré Herrera

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Scholars along with national and state governments have increasingly made calls to incorporate an equity lens into climate adaptation processes and into sea-level rise planning specifically. However, the language used in these high-level policies remains vague. There remains a need to learn from practitioners on the ground about the challenges and opportunities for effectively incorporating an equity lens into sea-level rise adaptation and planning efforts. I conducted interviews with 17 individuals who are working within their agencies or organizations to advance equity across the California coast along with a review of 17 California coastal policy documents to gain insights into …

Recent Beak Evolution In North American Starlings After Invasion, Julia M. Zichello, Shelagh T. Deliberto, Paul Shrewsbury, Agnieszka A. Pierwola, Scott J. Werner

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings are one of the most abundant and problematic avian invaders in the world. From their native range across Eurasia and North Africa, they have been introduced to every continent except Antarctica. In 160 years, starlings have expanded into different environments throughout the world, making them a powerful model for understanding rapid evolutionary change and adaptive plasticity. Here, we investigate their spatiotemporal morphological variation in North America and the native range. Our dataset includes 1,217 specimens; a combination of historical museum skins and modern birds. Beak length in the native range has remained unchanged during the past 206 years, …

Assessing The Efficiency Of Local Rabies Vaccination Strategies For Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) In An Urban Setting, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Nicole T. Gorman, Katherine M. Mcclure, Larissa Nituch, Tore Buchanan, Richard B. Chipman, Amy T. Gilbert, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raccoon rabies virus (RRV) has been managed using multiple vaccination strategies, including oral rabies vaccination and trap-vaccinate-release (TVR). Identifying a rabies vaccination strategy for an area is a nontrivial task. Vaccination strategies differ in the amount of effort and monetary costs required to achieve a particular level of vaccine seroprevalence (efficiency). Simulating host movement relative to different vaccination strategies in silico can provide a useful tool for exploring the efficiency of different vaccination strategies. We refined a previously developed individual-based model of raccoon movement to evaluate vaccination strategies for urban Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. We combined different oral rabies vaccination baiting …

Use Of Rhodamine B As A Biomarker In A Simulated Oral Vaccine Deployment Against Bovine Tuberculosis In White-Tailed Deer, David Dressel, Kurt Vercauteren, Michael Lavelle, Nathan P. Snow, Henry Campa Iii

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction Free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in northeastern lower Michigan, United States are a self-sustaining reservoir for bovine tuberculosis (bTB). Farm mitigation practices, baiting bans, and antlerless deer harvests have been ineffective in eliminating bTB in white-tailed deer and risks to cattle. The apparent prevalence has remained relatively constant in deer, prompting interest among wildlife researchers, managers, and veterinarians for an effective means of vaccinating deer against bTB. The commonly used human vaccine for bTB, Bacillus Calmette Guerin (BCG), is the primary candidate with oral delivery being the logical means for vaccinating deer.

Materials and methods We developed …

Identifying Priority Mitigation Areas For Human–Osprey Conflict, Natasha K. Murphy, Melanie R. Boudreau, Brian S. Dorr, Kate Slankard, Scott A. Rush

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Raptor nests on human‐built structures represent a significant source of conflict, as they can result in bird mortality, fires, or power outages due to falling nest materials or animals connecting with energized conductors. Power companies typically try to mitigate these conflicts to avoid service disruptions. Performing mitigation measures across all potentially problematic power infrastructure is generally not a practical solution given logistical, time, or budgetary constraints. Therefore, there is a need for quantitative, landscapescale tools to identify conflict risk and prioritize mitigation. We examined the influence of habitat and transmission infrastructure distribution on the potential risk of osprey (Pandion …

Efficacy Of An Inflatable Deterrent For Reducing New World Vulture Human‑Wildlife Conflict, Bryan M. Kluever, Betsy A. Evans, Noah M. Osterhoudt, Eric A. Tillman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Increasing urbanization coupled with spatial expansion and numerical increase of New World vulture populations has engendered a rise in human-vulture conflict, creating a need for effective tools to mitigate vulture-related damage. Visual frightening devices that mimic the presence of human or other predators can be employed in human-vulture conflict scenarios to increase perceived risk by the pest species, thereby eliciting an antipredator behavioral response, such as fleeing. One visual frightening device, inflatable scarecrows, recently proved effective at reducing passerine attendance at feral swine feeders, but their effectiveness when directed at other species and conflict scenarios has varied. Our primary objective …

Probabilistic Genetic Identification Of Wild Boar Hybridization To Support Control Of Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa), Timothy J. Smyser, Peter Pfaffelhuber, Rachael M. Giglio, Matthew G. Desaix, Amy J. Davis, Courtney F. Bowden, Michael A. Tabak, Arianna Manunza, Valentin Adrian Bâlteanu, Marcel Amills, Laura Iacolina, Pamela Walker, Carl Lessard, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The rapid expansion of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) throughout the United States has been fueled by unlawful introductions, with invasive populations causing extensive crop losses, damaging native ecosystems, and serving as a reservoir for disease. Multiple states have passed laws prohibiting the possession or transport of wild pigs. However, genetic and phenotypic similarities between domestic pigs and invasive wild pigs—which overwhelmingly represent domestic pig and wild boar hybrids—pose a challenge for the enforcement of such regulations. We sought to exploit wild boar ancestry as a common attribute among the vast majority of invasive wild pigs as a means …