Environmental Studies Commons^™

Grassroots Vs. Big Oil: Measure P And The Fight To Ban Fracking In Santa Barbara County, California, Corrie Grosse

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

In 2014, volunteers in Santa Barbara County, California, collected over 20,000 signatures in three weeks to qualify an anti-fracking initiative for the November election. The initiative, Measure P, met over six million dollars in opposition from oil corporations. Despite mobilizing 1,000 volunteers, the proponents of the measure failed to garner enough votes for success. Drawing on 43 in-depth interviews and participant observation with environmental groups before, during, and after the campaign, this article examines the strengths and weaknesses of grassroots organizing behind Measure P. Organizers, especially during the signature drive, successfully garnered broad-based support in the southern part of the …

Megaloads And Mobilization: The Rural People Of Idaho Stand Against Big Oil, Corrie Grosse

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

From 2011 to 2014 fossil fuel corporations trucked tar sands processing machinery along rural Idaho highways. The machinery was bound for the world's largest deposits of tar or oil sands, a heavy crude oil substance called bitumen, located in the western Canadian province of Alberta. These loads of machinery, what became known as megaloads, encountered much resistance. Throughout Idaho and the surrounding region, a network organized opposition. Neighbors, grassroots organizations, nonprofits, and the Nez Perce and other tribes all collaborated. They held information sessions, protested, waged legal battles, monitored the loads, and blockaded highways. What oil companies hoped would be …

2017 Nebraska Water Leaders Academy - Final Report, Mark E. Burbach, H. Reiners-Hild

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

Twenty participants completed the 2017 Water Leaders Academy bringing the total number of graduates to 101 since the inception of the program in 2011. Assessment of participants’ transformational leadership skills, champion of innovation skills, water knowledge and engagement, civic capacity, and entrepreneurial leadership behaviors showed a significant increase over the course of the year, from both participants’ and their raters’ perspectives. Feedback from participants was highly positive and constructive. Participant concerns were addressed, and only minor changes are planned for the 2018 Academy curriculum. Results of the program assessment indicate that the curriculum is meeting Academy objectives. Most importantly, Alumni …

Confessions Of A Collaborator: Shoesole And Stewardship Alliance Of Northeast Elko County, Nevada, Robin Boies

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Abstract – The Shoesole Management Team (Shoesole) and the Stewardship Alliance of Northeastern Elko (SANE) are place-based, landowner-organized, natural and human resource conservation initiatives. The Shoesole was organized in 2002 to take a more holistic approach to grazing management issues on two federal livestock grazing allotments. This effort provided the foundation for SANE, which was organized in 2012 by representatives of eight ranches in northeastern Nevada in response to the potential listing of the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse). Shoesole and SANE came together voluntarily, as a rancher organized initiative, with a common goal of creating a better …

Wyoming Sage-Grouse Working Groups: Lessons Learned, Thomas J. Christiansen, Lorien R. Belton

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) has been the subject of multiple status reviews under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Wyoming accounts for approximately 38% of the range-wide population. Since 2000, 2 statewide and 8 local citizen working groups have been established in Wyoming to developed conservation plans and advise state policy. The first statewide plan for the conservation of sage-grouse was formally adopted in 2003. The statewide plan established local sage-grouse working groups charged with developing and facilitating implementation of local conservation plans. Those 8 plans were completed in 2007 and 2008, and updated in 2014. From 2005-2017, …

Learning To Live With Wolves: Community-Based Conservation In The Blackfoot Valley Of Montana, Seth M. Wilson, Elizabeth H. Bradley, Gregory A. Neudecker

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We built on the existing capacity of a nongovernmental organization called the Blackfoot Challenge to proactively address wolf (Canis lupus)-livestock conflicts in the Blackfoot Valley of Montana. Beginning in 2007, wolves started rapidly recolonizing the valley, raising concerns among livestock producers. We built on an existing program to mitigate conflicts associated with an expanding grizzly bear population and worked within the community to build a similar program to reduce wolf conflicts using an integrative, multi-method approach. Efforts to engage the community included one-on-one meetings, workshops, field tours, and regular group meetings as well as opportunities to participate in …

Illegal Wildlife Hunting And Trade In Southern Belize: An Assessment Of Impacts And Drivers, Blakely Rice

Capstone Collection

The use of wildlife as a resource is a common practice in all countries around the world, however, illegal activities are contributing to various environmental and social altercations amongst the involved communities and individuals, both directly and indirectly. This has led to the generalized global narrative on illegal wildlife hunting and trade as a “good vs. bad” convention. Although legal frameworks are in place to manage hunting and trade sustainably, governments and organizations often find themselves struggling to protect wildlife from illegal hunters, often facing dangerous situations thus the establishment of militarized conservation units. To date, most of the focus …

Topical, Trista Hurley-Waxali

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

This is a piece to start the discussion of how the lightening of pigmentation through melanin manipulation evolved from the demands of cover art photography.

Science And Sentiment: Affecting Change In Environmental Awareness, Attitudes, And Actions Through The Daily Nature Project, Elizabeth D. Haynes Poronsky

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Knowledge about what motivates pro-environmental behavior is important to organizations that seek to encourage environmental stewardship. Research suggests that targeting emotions and beliefs about nature can be more effective in changing environmental actions than increasing knowledge. Daily Nature, a site on the social media platform Facebook, features a daily nature photograph, a quote from a notable historical person and a related lyrical written passage. The popularity of this site lends credence to the appeal of interdisciplinary formats, and underscores the benefits of encouraging emotional and aesthetic ties to nature.

Gendered Impacts Of Community-Based Conservation Initiatives In Kimana/Tikondo Group Ranch Outside Of Amboseli National Park, Megan Clemens

Master's Theses

Community-based conservation has become a common solution to addressing local communities needs and concerns when it comes to conservation initiatives associated with, or outside the boundaries of national parks. Community-based initiatives associated with Amboseli National Park in southern Kenya mark one of the first attempts to include local communities in conservation initiatives and management as well as establish systems of benefit sharing between conservation and local communities. However, a critique of community-based conservation initiatives points out they often assume community homogeneity. Assumption of community homogeneity leads to inequities in benefits sharing, exclusion of subgroups (women, ethnic minorities) or even exacerbate …

A Closer Look At Water Quality, Illegal Dumping And Community Engagement In The Coney Island Creek, Molly Nugent

Capstones

According to data science and policy blog I Quant NY, the Coney Island Creek is one of the dirtiest waterways in the city. It’s filthier than the Newtown Creek or the Gowanus Canal, which are both designated as federal superfund sites. The creek is a sanctuary for residents who want it to be cleaner and want to be in the know when it comes to dangerous levels of bacteria in the water.

What my reporting partner and I, Kyle Mackie, found was that the community has largely been kept in the dark. The DEP has been investigating both small and …

Effect Of Metal Ion Substitution On Electrochemical Properties Of Cobalt Oxide For Energy Applications, Dalal Alqahtani

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

Metal oxides are being used for various applications, such as batteries, supercapacitors, and catalysts. This research is mainly to produce high-performance energy storage devices capable of working at high temperatures and causing no pollution in the environment. To this end, the effect of metal ion substitution on the electrochemical properties of Co₃O₄ for energy applications was studied. Different metal oxides, such as FeCo₂O₄, MnCo₂O₄, Co₃O₄, NiCo₂O₄, CuCo₂O_4, and ZnCo₂O₄, were synthesized using a hydrothermal …

Spotlight On Superfund: How Are New York’S Most Toxic Waste Sites Doing Under Trump’S E.P.A?, Sarah Stein Kerr

Capstones

No matter where you venture in New York City, you are never far from toxic pollution. And if you are in Brooklyn or Queens, you may be a stone’s throw from a federal Superfund, our nation’s most polluted sites.

For New York City’s Superfunds– Newtown Creek, the Gowanus Canal and the Wolff-Alport Chemical Company in Ridgewood, Queens – change is underfoot.

In February, President Donald J. Trump appointed former Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt to head the Environmental Protection Agency.

Pruitt, who made a career for himself suing and attacking the E.P.A, has already instituted sweeping changes as part of …

Linkages Among Population, Food Production, And The Environment At Multiple Scales, Daniel Ervin Ph.D., Daniel López-Carr Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Human population, its number and distribution on our planet, has a seemingly direct linkage to how much food we consume and how we practice agriculture. How this population-foodenvironment interface manifests across the globe is complex, non-linear, and both local- and scale-dependent. This essay is an overview of the population-food-environment nexus, providing recent history and statistics on these processes at several crude scales. We include a discussion of theory, review different drivers of the population-food-environment processes, provide a global overview of population and agricultural statistics from 1970 to 2010, and discuss trends and implications for Latin America, as well as some …

Re-Engineering Nigeria’S Foreign Policy In The Post-Military Era: Olusegun Obasanjo’S Presidency And Nigeria’S African Foreign Policy, Isiaka Alani Badmus Ph.D., ’Dele Ogunmola Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

This article explores Nigeria’s current foreign policy under the Fourth Republic (May 1999- ). It investigates the gamut of events surrounding Nigeria’s foreign policy-making and practice since independence (1960) and how this compares with the Obasanjo (1999-2007) administration’s efforts at foreign policy formulation and implementation in Nigeria’s recently hard-won recognition in the international system after 16 years of military authoritarianism. The paper argues that the Obasanjo administration was a success given the range of domestic and international issues that the administration was able to address. The article supports this by focusing on the main issues in the life of the …

Adopting The Principles Of Universal Design Into International And Global Studies’ Programs And Curriculum, Kimberley Brown Ph.D., Rosa Dene David Ma, Shawn C. Smallman Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

The ideals of universal design have profoundly impacted instruction, policy, and infrastructure in course architecture and design within elementary education and at some universities. Within international and global studies, however, these principles have not deeply affected either pedagogy or scholarship despite the fact that classes in international studies may include more international students and third culture kids1 than classes in other programs. Instead, in North America (as well as in much of Latin America and Europe), the current pedagogical model calls for students either to develop strategies on their own to succeed in class or to self-identify with documented disabilities …

Role Of Intermediary Recruiters In Higher Education Preparation: Perceptions Of Nepalese Students In The United States, Krishna Bista Ed.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Higher education in the United States has long been attractive to international students. International students from many countries seek the assistance of recruiters or educational agents when collecting information about colleges and college application in preparation for studying abroad. This study examines how educational agents facilitate Nepalese students in their U.S. higher education preparation. The author analyzes survey and interview data from 112 Nepalese students to investigate the experiences and issues Nepalese students typically face when preparing to study abroad and the ways in which educational agents are utilized to mitigate those issues. Results suggest that Nepalese students use educational …

Edwards, D. Caravan Of Martyrs: Sacrifice And Suicide Bombing In Afghanistan. Berkeley: University Of California Press, 2017., Homayun Sidky Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Manzenreiter, W. And Holthus, B. (Eds.). Happiness And The Good Life In Japan. New York: Routledge, 2017., Ilana Maymind Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Hancock, J.F. Plantation Crops, Plunder And Power: Evolution And Exploitation. London And New York: Routledge, 2017., James H. Mcdonald Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Jie Yang, J. (Ed.). The Political Economy Of Affect And Emotion In East Asia. London And New York: Routledge, 2014., Sharon R. Wesocky Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Crehan, K. Gramsci’S Common Sense: Inequality And Its Narratives. Durham, Nc: Duke University Press, 2016., Faisal Chaudhry Jd, Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Fitzgerald, R., & Rowley, C. (Eds.). The Evolution Of Multinationals From Japan And The Asia Pacific: Comparing International Business Japan, Korean, China, India. London: Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2017., George M. Poluse

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Shakir, F. The Iraqi Federation: Origin, Operation And Significance. Abingdon: Routledge, 2017., Autumn Cockrell-Abdullah

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Rehbein, B. Society In Contemporary Laos: Capitalism, Habitus And Belief. New York, Ny. Routledge, 2017., Julie Bridges

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Vanden, H.E., Funke, P.N. & Prevost, G. (Eds.). The New Global Politics: Global Social Movements In The Twenty-First Century. London: Routledge, 2017., Shirin Saeidi Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Shinno, Reiko. The Politics Of Chinese Medicine Under Mongol Rule. London: Routledge, 2016., Tarique Niazi Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Steger, M.B. & Wahlrab, A. What Is Global Studies? Theory And Practice. New York, Ny: Routledge, 2016., Anas Alahmed

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

Longo, S., Clausen, R. & Clark, B. The Tragedy Of The Commodity: Oceans, Fisheries And Aquaculture. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2015., Tarique Niazi Ph.D.

Journal of International and Global Studies

Book review.

A Summer At Azavea Working With Nonprofit Organizations: The Summer Of Maps Fellowship, Sarah Gates

Sustainability and Social Justice

This report details my experience as a Summer of Maps Fellow at Azavea during June 2017 to August 2017. As a Summer of Maps Fellow I worked with nonprofit organizations, the Fair Tech Collective and the World Resources Institute, on two geospatial analysis projects. For the Fair Tech Collective I analyzed data on refinery flaring pollution, air toxin concentrations, and sensitive receptor populations to produce a series of maps and infographics detailing the impacts of petrochemical pollution in the San Francisco Bay Area. For the World Resources Institute I used data-driven methods to analyze conservation efforts in the Central African …