Geography Commons^™

Cooperative Conservation - Interagency Volunteer Program Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending December 31, 2004, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

Collaboration with Interagency Team

During the third quarter, the interagency volunteer team and university representatives have held several meetings to continue progress on the Interagency Volunteer Program (IVP). At the beginning of October, candidates for the project manager position were interviewed by the university search committee, followed by interviews with the interagency team on October 6, 2004. After two finalists were identified, reference checks were made and the university and team recommended to the federal managers that Ms. Donna Grady be hired. Ms. Grady’s first day on the job was December 1, 2004. In the interim, Nancy Flagg, Public Lands …

Tourism And Rural Identity In The Waasland, Belgium, Joel Stuart Thomas

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The northern portion of Belgium, a region known as Flanders, is one of the most densely settled, industrialized areas in the world. Existing in small, isolated tracts, are "green spaces" mainly devoted to agricultural output.

The Flemish way of life and environment has become increasingly "urbanized." Tourism commissions operating in the countryside have drawn on Flemish heritage and identity, as well as the rural landscape to act as marketing tools. In terms of perception and the notion of a distinctly Flemish rural "space'" how are tourist flow patterns influenced? Does the process of perception result in an exclusive urban to …

Orographic Midlatitude Cyclone Modification: An Appalachian Study, Andrew Douglas Augustine

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Forecasting weather within cyclonic systems is increasingly complicated and problematic when the cyclone is modified as it passes over a mountain range. Although much study has been devoted to orographic effects, the degree of influence exerted upon midlatitude cyclones by the undersized Appalachian Mountains has not been fully established. The fundamental goal of this research was to investigate the relationships between the orography of the Appalachian region and three inherent properties exhibited by midlatitude cyclones traversing the region including intensity, movement speed, and heading. The methodology used in this study integrates GIS within a climatological analysis. Initially, a midlatitude surface …

The Use Of Aster Visible And Near-Infrared Reflectance Values To Estimate Aboveground Biomass In Terre Haute, In, Joel M. Overpeck

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Researchers have established that a relationship exists between biomass and satellite reflectance values (Franklin, 1986; Anderson, 1993). Such studies focus on areas with high vegetative homogeneity, with little research being conducted in urban areas. The purpose of this study was to attain a relationship between aboveground biomass and reflectance values from ASTER's (Advanced Spacebome Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) Visible and Near Infrared (VNIR) sensor. In addition a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) was generated from the near infrared and red bands to test its relationship with biomass. Aboveground biomass values were calculated from fifty-one 15 x 15 meter randomly …

Wine Tourism Route Development And Marketing Strategies In Southwest Michigan, Astrid Wargenau

Masters Theses

As many tourists find their way to the shorelines of Michigan every summer, Southwest Michigan's fruit belt has begun to draw- visitors inland. Wine tourism has emerged as a new form of tourism. The vineyards in Southwest Michigan, depending on these visitors as their main customer market, therefore formed a wine route, connecting them and creating a wine region feel for tourists. In doing so, the wineries hope to establish a recognized wine region and sell their wines nationwide.

This study is based on semi-structured interviews conducted with General Managers and Marketing Officials of each of the vineyards. Based on …

Influence Of The Palisades Nuclear Power Plant On Residential Housing Prices, Nicole N. Blodgett

Masters Theses

The controversy over the influence of nuclear power plants on property values is a continual debate among communities (Clark et al. 1997). I will be looking at a sample of 400 residential houses within a twelve-mile radius of the Palisades Nuclear Power Plant in Covert, Michigan to see how the location of the plant influences the home sale price. Several structural, neighborhood, and demographic characteristics were complied for the analysis. In addition to these characteristics, distance to the plant, a visibility component, and a dummy variable to indicate all properties within a quarter mile from the Lake Michigan shoreline were …

The Applicability Of A Habitat Rating System For Low Gradient Streams In Wisconsin To Low Gradient Coldwater Streams In Northern Michigan, Eric Lawrence Forward

Masters Theses

Habitat and fish assemblage data were collected on 12 streams in northern Michigan to assess the applicability of a habitat rating system developed for low gradient streams in Wisconsin in determining stream health in low gradient coldwater streams in northern Michigan. An Index of Biotic Integrity (IBI) developed for coldwater streams in the upper Midwest was used as the measure of stream health. Principal components analysis was used to select a small subset of habitat variables to describe the variation in IBI scores. The seven habitat variables chosen to describe the variation in IBI scores in the final model included: …

Just Behind The Mountain: Refugee Children Imagine Tibet, Emma Tobin

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since the Tibetan diaspora began in 1959, when His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama fled Tibet for India, many Tibetans have settled and started families in exile. Today, a large percentage of Tibetan refugees have been born in exile, and have therefore never seen their country. Within Tibetan exile communities, however, the importance of Tibetan identity is strongly emphasized and people are still very much invested in the plight of Tibet. As a result, there exist strong ideas about the reality of life in Tibet within the exile community. According Jamyang Norbu, “Though the Shangri-la stereotype is a Western creation, …

Urban Agriculture: Asset Mapping Capstone, Lina Bondar, Benjamin Freeman, Garrett Helser, Olivia Jennings

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

No abstract provided.

Cooperative Conservation - Interagency Volunteer Program Quarterly Progress Report: Period Ending September 30, 2004, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

Collaboration with Interagency Team

Although the task agreement formally commenced June 30, 2004, the agreement was not fully executed by both parties until July 29, 2004. In the first three months of this agreement, UNLV representatives have met with or communicated via email with the Interagency Volunteer Team on numerous occasions. At the first meeting on July 13, 2004, Government Technical Representative Bobbie Antonich and UNLV Public Lands Initiative Director Nancy Flagg met with the interagency team to discuss the overall goals for the Interagency Volunteer Program (IVP). The team was brought up-to-date on the status of the task agreement, …

Evaluating Spatial Variability Of Precipitation In Kentucky With Exploratory Data Analysis, Daniel Taylor

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Spatial variability of precipitation is examined over the state of Kentucky and surrounding areas. The study focuses on the analysis of monthly precipitation totals from the period of 1961-2000. The purpose of the study is to develop a set of indices to represent the spatial variability of the study area for a given month. Various exploratory data analysis methods such as variography, kriging, and cluster analysis were used. The study attempts to quantify the second order (local) effects of the spatial variation of precipitation as a means to provide insight into the prediction of precipitation randomness. This task can be …

Ghana: Loggers And Politicians, Not Small Farmers, Are To Blame For Deforestation, Aharon Degrassi

Faculty Publications, Geography

No abstract provided.

Classifying Mollisol Soils Using Hyperspectral Remote Sensing Data, Adil M. Wadia

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Soil classification is a complex task that involves several factors. Soil classifications that have been published usually need to be updated as soil series definitions and boundaries change over time. Most existing soil classification surveys in the United States, although often very good, lack the required accuracy for selected applications such as precision agriculture. 111 Hyperspectral remote sensing data, with its 100+ bands and very high spectral resolution can help facilitate soil classification detail not achieved through traditional remote sensing methods. The study area selected for research was Wolf Field, near Homer, Champaign County, Illinois, which is a very agriculturally …

Accuracy Of Neural Network Classifiers In Humid Tropical Areas, Genong Yu

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research develops a better understanding of the use of neural networks in the context of tropical land cover characterization using multiple scale remotely sensed data. Results of the research contributed to developing a robust neural network classifier suitable to use for humid tropical land cover classification in areas such as Altamira, Brazil. Research was focused upon the following: (1) performance ofneural networks with different ancillary data- such as DEM (digital elevation model) and its derivatives; (2) effect of spatial scale on neural network classifiers using remote sensing data from IKONOS, Landsat TM, ASTER, and MODIS; (3) accuracy of neural …

Assessing Tmdl Implementation In The Macatawa Watershed, Mi, Using Swat, Laurence Picq

Masters Theses

Lake Macatawa, on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan, has been impaired by nonpoint source pollution from agriculture. A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL), developed by the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, established a 60% reduction goal in phosphorus load by 2008. While agricultural best management practices have been implemented in the past three years, the local watershed organization has not had the means to evaluate the effectiveness of these practices, and to assess progress made towards the phosphorus reduction goal.

A simulation model, the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) was chosen to …

The Smugglers' Landscape: Geography, Route Selection And The Global Heroin Trade, James Dallis Medler

Graduate Program in International Studies Theses & Dissertations

This study focuses on transnational smuggling, and puts forth an analytical framework from the smugglers' perspective with respect to route selection, focusing primarily on aspects of economic, political, and human geography. It is predicated on three interconnected decision-making domains that constitute the smuggler's operational landscape, namely access, risk and connectivity, which interact to drive the smugglers' perceptions of route attractiveness. The first two domains operate reciprocally, primarily at the national level of analysis, and together both shape and are shaped by the third at the transnational level to form a feedback loop. With respect to connectivity, the convention of the …

An Interactive Learning Environment For A Dynamic Educational Digital Library, Ee Peng Lim, Dion Hoe-Lian Goh, Yin-Leng Theng, Eng-Kai Suen

Research Collection School Of Computing and Information Systems

GeogDL is a digital library of geography examination resources designed to assist students in preparing for a national geography examination in Singapore. We describe an interactive learning environment built into GeogDL that consists of four major components. The practice and review module allows students to attempt individual examination questions, the mock exam provides a simulation of the actual geography examination, the trends analysis tool provides an overview of the types of questions asked in previous examinations, while the contributions module allows students and teachers to create and share knowledge within the digital library.

An Interim Report Of A Viking-Age & Medieval Archaeofauna From Undir Junkarinsfløtti, Sandoy, Faroe Islands, Thomas H. Mcgovern, Colin Amundsen, Sophia Perdikaris, Ramona Harrison, Yekaterina Krivogorskaya

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

Cooperative international excavations at the site of Undir Junkarinsfløtti (27020) in the village of Sandur on the island of Sandoy, Faroe Islands in May 2003 recovered a stratified bone - rich midden deposit extending from the Viking Age to the early medieval period. The animal bone collection contains domestic mammals (cattle, sheep, dog, goat, and pig) and substantial amounts of fish (mainly cod), birds (mainly puffin and guillemot), and shellfish (mainly limpet). While the current collection has the archaeological limitations inherent in column samples, it suggests persistence of substantial pig keeping into the 13th c, and strongly indicates a sustainable …

Risk Factors For Pre-Post Monsoon Cholera Epidemics In Bangladesh From 1992-1994, Rhonda Rae Robb

Dissertations and Theses

The primary objective of this thesis is to differentiate between the risk factors for pre-and post-monsoon cholera epidemics in rural Bangladesh by analyzing the complex interaction between select environmental, cultural/behavioral, and socioeconomic variables over space and time. In rural Bangladesh, cholera epidemics correspond with the annual monsoon: the first, and smallest, occurs between March and June, while the larger cholera peak occurs between September and December. The differences between the spatial and temporal patterns of seasonal cholera are analyzed, and the risk factors are calculated for pre-and post-monsoon cholera epidemics.

The theoretical approach that underlies this medical geographical study is …

Comparing Twenty-Four Years Of Forest Change In Two Communities Of Mexico's Meseta PuréPecha Using Multi-Spectral Satellite Imagery, Kevin Scott Martin

Dissertations and Theses

The Meseta Purépecha, a volcanic plateau in the Mexican state of Michoacan, is home to one of the most species-rich pine forests in the world. Recent increases in demand for forest products has put added pressure on these resources. Though existing research has suggested significant deforestation in the Meseta, there is little information identifying specific areas of decline. This study focuses on two indigenous communities in the Meseta--Pichátaro and Sevina. Both communities have long relied on wood as an economic resource. However, the two communities have reacted differently to increased demand for forest resources. The purpose of this study is …

Community And Land Attachment Of Chagga Women On Mount Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, Elizabeth Parnell Carr

Theses and Dissertations

Chagga women who control land on Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania, have a deep and profound sense of attachment to their lands and homes. This thesis compares their reasons for attachment to the systemic model. The systemic model states that community attachment is dependent on social ties and interactions. The three factors that lead to these ties are length of residence, social status, and age. In-depth interviews with women in 2002 and 2003, a survey from 2002, and field notes from 2002 and 2003 are used to explain the main factors of attachment of women in three villages on the mountain: Mbahe, …

Roadside Memorial Practices: An Examination Of Landscapes Of Commemoration In Warren County, Kentucky, Michael Briggs

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Roadside memorials commemorating the death of automobile crash victims are scattered throughout the Kentucky landscape. This persistent cultural practice contains symbolic elements oftentimes indicative of religious connotations. Because there is a constitutional separation of church and government in the United States, these memorials can prelude controversy if located on state-maintained rights-of-way. This study examines Warren County, Kentucky, and analyzes the spatial distribution of these memorials on the landscape and the cultural implications to society because of their ties to death and dying. Scientific research in various fields of psychology, sociology, folk studies, geoscience, and religious studies was analyzed, including religious …

Understanding Perceptions Of Accessibility And Mobility Through Structuration Theory, Mark Graham

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Structuration theory in geography states that social systems are reproduced through the relationships between systems, structures, actors and their perceptions. Therefore, understanding the modes through which social systems are reproduced will allow for a clearer understanding of the nature of society. However, much of the relevant social theory has not been empirically tested. Thus, by empirically examining general perceptual differences between different built environments, on a macro and a micro level, it is hoped that the links between perceptions, social structures, and the built environment can be more fully understood. A better understanding of these links will, in turn, allow …

The Reach Of Rai: The Modernization And Globalization Of An Algerian Popular Music, Michelle Lynn Ashton

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

The Wilderness Problem: A Narrative Of Contested Landscapes In San Juan County, Utah, David Banis

Dissertations and Theses

Wilderness preservation has been at the center of debates about public land policy for almost half a century, and nowhere has the controversy been more intractable than in Utah. Despite its vast expanses of unsetded and undeveloped red rock desert, managed primarily by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Utah has less designated wilderness than in any other state in the West. In this study, I focus on San Juan County in southeast Utah to study the conflict over the designation of wilderness. The controversy pits local residents and state politicians against state and national environmental groups, with the BLM …

A 15th C. Archaeofauna From Akurvík, An Early Fishing Station In Nw Iceland, Colin Amundsen, Sophia Perdikaris, Matthew Brown, Yekaterina Krivogorskaya, Salena Modugno, Konrad Smiarowski, Shaye Storm, Malgorzata Frik, Monica Koczela, Thomas H. Mcgovern

School of Global Integrative Studies: Faculty Publications

This is a report of analysis of 15th c bone materials from the site of Akurvík in NW Iceland excavated in 1990. A small international project in Árneshreppur district recovered a series of stratified midden deposits associated with small turf structures on an eroding beachfront. Radiocarbon dates identify at least two major phases of occupation and use, one extending into the mid 13th century, and the other dating to the mid 15th century. This report documents the animal bone collection from the later 15th c occupation. Dominated by cod fish, these deposits appear to be the product of seasonal fishery …

From Mission To Megacity: The Changing Concentration Of The Los Angeles City-System, Kerri L. Cosby

Theses and Dissertations

Having an understanding of when, where, and why people settle in an area is crucial in explaining the growth course of a city. However, this cannot be done by looking at a city in isolation. Its surrounding region has a tremendous impact on its development. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the growth of Los Angeles from a regional perspective, called the Los Angeles city-system, which consists of Los Angeles and its hinterland. Connections are made between the history and the geography of the Los Angeles city-system by examining the spatial distribution of population within the region between …

Geographies Of Globalization: Disclosure Interviews Neil Smith, Jamie Gillen, Ben Smith, David Walker

disClosure: A Journal of Social Theory

No abstract provided.

Regional Public Involvement Training And Education, Kelley Martin, Miriah Page, Cameron Barry, Phillip Hanshew

Asset Mapping: Community Geography Project

The purpose of this capstone project was to explore citizen participation training efforts from a variety of perspectives in the Portland metropolitan region. The service are of those efforts were mapped against the efforts are intended to serve. In addition, this information was assed in relationship to neighborhoods in the region where there is known to be significant citizen participation and neighborhoods that are less active. To bring this data together we used Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to combine and map the information gathered. Simply put, a GIS combines layers of information about a place to give you a better …

A Spatial Analysis Of The Impact Of Development On Wetland Habitat In Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, Jenna Medlin

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

In response to growing concerns over wetland habitat loss and the associated impact on water resources, federal and state legislation has been enacted to protect vulnerable wetland habitats from the impacts of humans. In order to examine the efficacy of current coastal resource policy and its implementation, a study was conducted in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, a coastal city of the Atlantic, focusing on the quantification of wetland habitat change over time within a specific area of interest. The study incorporated an assessment of the effects of escalating population pressures and subsequent urban development on local wetland habitats due to …