Other International and Area Studies Commons^™

Review Of The Political Economy Of North American Indians Edited By John H. Moore, Larry Burt

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

This book consists primarily of essays that were first delivered before the Twelfth International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences held in Zagreb, Yugoslavia, in 1988. Billed as Marxist in perspective, it seeks to show that Indian history should be seen more as economic conflict than cultural clash.

In the introductory piece the editor provides an excellent overview of the history of political economy in general and its use in anthropology in particular. The articles that follow vary widely in length, scope, and quality. All somehow explain the motivation behind governmental policy, as well as developments within Indian communities, as …

Review Of Birger Sandzen: An Illustrated Biography By Emory Lindquist, Ann Davis

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

In Birger Sandzén Lindquist combines biography and art analysis. The first half of the book looks at Sandzen's early years and his decades at Bethany College. After a rich section of forty-nine color plates, the author turns to an examination of the influences on his painting, his methods, the response of art critics, the graphic work, and Sandzen's association with two friends as documented in correspondence. The overall result is a wellrounded picture of a positive adventurer, a regional painter whose work well deserves the recognition afforded it here.

"Who's Going To Dance With Somebody Who Calls You A Main Streeter" Communism, Culture, And Community In Sheridan County, Montana, 1918,1934, Gerald Zahavi

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

So began Logan's long career in Sheridan County. The year was 1930, and she had just arrived from North Dakota, a fresh Cum Laude graduate of Jamestown College. The social and cultural walls that divided the community were at once unambiguously defined for her-with a simple list. The good Catholics and Lutherans of Plentywood made sure that the custodians of their children's minds would be well insulated from the riffraff of the town-the liquor distillers, the bootleggers, and, of course, the reds. The social center of the community, the Farmer-Labor Templethe "Red Temple" to local conservatives-was generally off limits …

Contributions Of The Conservation Reserve Program To Populations Of Breeding Birds In North Dakota, Douglas H. Johnson, Lawrence Igl

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Previous studies have shown that habitat provided by the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), a feature of the 1985 farm bill, is used by many birds. The present study quantitatively assesses the importance of the CRP by estimating changes in breeding bird populations of North Dakota projected if CRP land would revert to cultivation. Of 18 species that were common in CRP or crop fields or both, 12 were more abundant in CRP habitats. Six of these species had suffered significant population declines during 1967-1990, according to the North American Breeding Bird Survey. In contrast, none of the six species that …

Ecological Genetics For The 21st Century, Bonnie S. Bowen

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

In the spring of 1991, the University of North Carolina hosted a series of seminars on the topic of ecological genetics. Five distinguished researchers, Montgomery Slatkin, Sara Via, Michael Lynch, Janis Antonovics, and Joseph Travis, were each invited to present two talks: one a general overview of a research area in contemporary ecological genetics, and a second on a specific research topic. The ten chapters of Ecological Genetics are based on those presentations.

A Noteworthy Record And The Breeding Distribution Of The Blue Grosbeak In North Dakota, Lawrence D. Igl

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The northern limit of the blue grosbeak's (Guiraca caerulea) breeding distribution occurs in southern North Dakota. Records of the blue grosbeak in North Dakota are uncommon. Here, I report my observation of a blue grosbeak at a site where the species was recorded 25 years earlier. A summary of the species' distribution and records in North Dakota are provided.

Dramatic Increase Of Le Conte's Sparrow In Conservation Reserve Program Fields In The Northern Great Plains, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

During a continuing investigation in the northern Great Plains, we documented substantial increases of the Le Conte's Sparrow (Ammodramus Leconteii) in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields in 1994 compared with 1990-93. The most dramatic increases occurred in Eddy County, North Dakota, and Sheridan County, Montana. The changes in habitat associated with the drought from 1989 to early 1993 and above-normal precipitation from mid-1993 through mid-1994 likely produced favorable breeding conditions for this species in CRP fields in 1994.

Statistical Sirens: The Allure Of Nonparametrics, Douglas H. Johnson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Although nonparametric statistical methods have a role to play in the analysis of data, often their virtues are overstated and their deficiencies overlooked. A recent Special Feature in Ecology advocated nonparametric methods because of an erroneously stated advantage that they require no assumptions regarding the distribution underlying the observations. The present paper points out some often-ignored features of nonparametric tests comparing two means, and advocates parameter estimation as a preferred alternative to hypothesis testing in many situations.

Using Known Populations Of Pronghorn To Evaluate Sampling Plans And Estimators, Kathy M. Kraft, Douglas H. Johnson, Jack M. Samuelson, Stephen H. Allen

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Although sampling plans and estimators of abundance have good theoretical properties, their performance in real situations is rarely assessed because true population sizes are unknown. We evaluated widely used sampling plans and estimators of population size on 3 known clustered distributions of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). Our criteria were accuracy of the estimate, coverage of 95% confidence intervals, and cost. Sampling plans were combinations of sampling intensities (16, 33, and 50%), sample selection (simple random sampling without replacement, systematic sampling, and probability proportional to size sampling with replacement), and stratification. We paired sampling plans with suitable estimators (simple, ratio, …

Modified Transmitter Attachment Method For Adult Ducks, Pamela J. Pietz, David A. Brandt, Gary L. Krapu, Deborah A. Buhl

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The value of radio telemetry for waterfowl research depends on the availability of suitable methods of attaching transmitters. In previous studies, external transmitters attached to adult Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) with sutures and glue did not stay on birds reliably. In an attempt to improve transmitter retention, a method of attachment was tested in which 4-g transmitters were attached mid-dorsally with sutures and with a stainless steel anchor-shaped wire inserted subcutaneously (anchor transmitters). Field tests indicated that all of 26 female Mallards and 63 of 65 female Gadwalls (Anas strepera) retained their anchor transmitters during 4369 bird-days …

Effects Of Climate On Numbers Of Northern Prairie Wetlands, Diane Larson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The amount of water held in individual wetland basins depends not only on local climate patterns but also on groundwater flow regime, soil permeability, and basin size. Most wetland basins in the northern prairies hold water in some years and are dry in others. To assess the potential effect of climate change on the number of wetland basins holding water in a given year, one must first determine how much of the variability in number of wet basins is accounted for by climatic variables. I used multiple linear regression to examine the relationship between climate variables and percentage of wet …