Environmental Health and Protection Commons^™

Ecotourism In Costa Rica: Environmental Impacts And Management, Emily Mckeone

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Globally we are witnessing growing environmental destruction, particularly to the natural resource bases of underdeveloped countries. If ecotourism can generate profits for local economies, while protecting and conserving the natural resource base of that community, it could be a strong alternative for numerous countries. Evidence suggests that the ecotourism industry has been expanding at a rapid rate in recent decades (Dasenbrock 2002). It is important to understand the positive and negative ecological impacts of the industry as this rapid growth rate continues.

The main objective of this study is to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of the ecotourism industry in …

Spatial Patterns Of Drought Triggers And Indicators, Joseph P. Robine

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Drought is a reoccurring phenomenon with widespread economic, social, and environmental impacts. Unlike other disasters, a drought cannot be easily detected. In addition, droughts are widespread and develop slowly over time making it difficult to detect its onset and monitor its severity and impacts. To assist in monitoring the severity and spatial extent of droughts, drought managers frequently use indicators and triggers. Drought indicators are meteorological or hydrological variables or indices that quantify or describe the level of drought severity. A drought trigger is a value of an indicator that initiates management and response actions. Despite the clear importance of …

Effectiveness Of Earthtec ® On Killing Invasive Quagga Mussels (Dreissena Rostriformis Bugenis) And Preventing Their Colonization In The Western U.S., Ashlie Watters

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Dreissena rostriformis bugensis, an invasive species, also known as the quagga mussel, was discovered in Lake Mead, NV in January of 2007. In the four years since detection, quagga mussels have created tremendous economical, ecological, and human health impacts. The mussels clog pipes, ruin boat motors, and damage recreational equipment, and once established in the lake, routine maintenance is necessary to avoid further damage. Because of quagga mussels' high fecundity, planktonic veliger stage, and ability to attach to substrates with byssal threads, they have easily and swiftly spread to other lakes and reservoirs in the Lower Colorado River Basin. …

Colonization And Decontamination Of Quagga Mussels In The Western United States: Monitoring Veligers In Lake Mead And Field Testing In The Effects Of Hot-Water Spray As A Means Of Watercraft Decontamination, Sean Robin Comeau

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The introduction and establishment of aquatic invasive species (AIS) is one of the top causes of global biodiversity loss and ecological change, and is also financially costly for taxpayers and agencies managing protected areas. This is especially true regarding the nationwide spread of dreissenid mussels to various bodies of freshwater. The discovery of invasive quagga mussels (Dreissena rostriformis bugensis) in Lake Mead on January 6, 2007 has changed the popular recreation area into a potential vector of the destructive AIS. This location could allow for an increased spread of these dressenid species to uninfested bodies of water in the western …

Understanding Bioprospecting: Can Indigenous Populations Benefit From The Search For Pharmaceuticals In Areas Of High Biodiversity, Emily Schwindt

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Bioprospecting is a controversial issue, and anthropologists and other scientists are quick to take sides. The idea of large corporations pumping money into conservation and development programs, while developing what could be the latest life-saving drug simply sounds too good to be true, and often times is. However, if all parties work together and proceed with caution, these benefits could become more than a fantasy. Looking at case studies from Costa Rica, India, South Africa and Panama this paper attempts to find patterns among successful bioprospecting agreements and note shortcomings and identify risks. This information will be used to suggest …

Super-Aggregations Of Krill And Humpback Whales In Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctic Peninsula, Douglas P. Nowacek, Ari S. Friedlaender, Patrick N. Halpin, Elliott L. Hazen, David W. Johnston, Andrew J. Read, Boris Espinasse, Meng Zhou, Yiwu Zhu

Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences Faculty Publication Series

Ecological relationships of krill and whales have not been explored in the Western Antarctic Peninsula (WAP), and have only rarely been studied elsewhere in the Southern Ocean. In the austral autumn we observed an extremely high density (5.1 whales per km²) of humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) feeding on a super-aggregation of Antarctic krill (Euphausia superba) in Wilhelmina Bay. The krill biomass was approximately 2 million tons, distributed over an area of 100 km² at densities of up to 2000 individuals m⁻³; reports of such ‘super-aggregations’ of krill have been absent in …

Accumulation Of Polonium-210 In Different Species Of Fish In Lake Mead, Suraj Ghevarghese John, Shungmugam Nallaperumal, Vernon Hodge

Festival of Communities: UG Symposium (Posters)

Discovered by Pierre Curie and Marie Skłodowska-Curie in 1898, polonium is a chemical element with an atomic number of 84. This rare naturally occurring radioactive element is chemically similar to bismuth and tellurium, and forms in uranium ores. Polonium-210 is an naturally occurring radioactive element with a half-life of 138.376 days(1). This element is found in trace amounts in most organisms. Our research is focused on the accumulation of polonium-210 in fish that occupy in Lake Mead.

The sample species is chosen based on varying lake stratification (layers of the lake). This gives us a good idea of the difference …

Take Pride In America In Southern Nevada: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 5, 2011- April 4, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Anti-littering Programs

• The Hector’s Helpers program with the Clark County School District continued curriculum development.

• The team continued to develop the GIS database.

• An information sharing portal between stakeholders began development.

• The team worked with Keep Las Vegas Beautiful to develop an adopt a block recognition plan, as well as developed a survey and database for the survey.

• A total of 10 clean-up events were conducted this quarter.

Keynote 2: The Alberta Oil Sands — Wrestling Bitumen Out Of The Wild North, David Rudolph

North American Energy Water Nexus Roundtable

Athabasca Oil Sand Reserve:

- Oil sands are contained within the Cretaceous McMurray Formation. (149,000 km2)

- 2.5 trillion barrels of extractable oil (~ 25 % of Canada Crude Oil Production)

- Surface mineable deposits cover 2,800 km2

- 450 billion L of process water used annually

- Currently over 130 km2 of tailings ponds (largest man-made structures in the world)

Seawalls In Samoa: A Look At Their Environmental, Social And Economic Implications, Sawyer Lawson

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study concerns the environmental, economic and social implications of seawalls in Samoa. Information for this study was gathered using a combination of secondary sources and primary sources including interviews, surveys and participant observation. Given the cultural and economic importance of Samoa’s coastline and the fact that seawalls, which already occupy much of Samoa’s coast, are becoming more abundant, it is important to understand the implications of building them. The researcher found that partially due to climate change and sand mining, Samoa’s coastline has become increasingly threatened by erosion and coastal retreat. Seawalls are in many cases the fastest and …

The Aders’S Duikers (Cephalophus Adersi) Of Mnemba Island, Zanzibar: A Study Of The Behavior And Diet Of A Critically Endangered Species, Aviva Fiske

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Cephalophus adersi, commonly known as Aders's duiker, is an extremely rare, near endemic species to Unguja Island in the Zanzibar archipelago. It is a member of the suborder Ruminantia and is considered part of the red duiker family. C. adersi is critically endangered, and although it is protected by Zanzibari law, its population numbers have plummeted over the last thirty years due to hunting as well as habitat destruction and fragmentation. This study examines the behavior and ecology of a small population of Aders's duikers living on Mnemba, an island off the coast of the northeastern tip of Unguja. Four …

The Solid Waste Management System Of Jaipur: An Overview And Analysis, Laura Olivier

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Jaipur’s rapid development has resulted in its infrastructure lagging behind population and industrial growth, which is especially evident in the unsightly and unsanitary piles of solid waste (garbage) on the roads. This project took a broad system approach to understand Jaipur’s solid waste management system. It investigated how the system is carried out, some obstacles to its success, and the role of Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). The findings indicate that there is a multiple-tiered hierarchical system. The system involves a formal sector comprised of female and male sweepers, permanent and impermanent workers, and an informal sector of ragpickers and door-todoor …

Biogas Technology On Uzi Island, Zanzibar: A Feasibility Study, Peter J. Mcinerney

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

With realization of the finite quantity of fossil fuels and improved study on the effects of global climate change there has been an increasing demand for energy production from renewable, sustainable sources in developed and developing nations alike. The population of Tanzania relies overwhelmingly on biomass as a source of primary energy, with such impacts as deforestation and negative health effects. Biogas generation is a renewable energy technology that utilizes organic waste sources to produce a methane-rich gas suitable for cooking and lighting with the potential to replace current unsustainable energy sources and provide several environmental and socioeconomic benefits. A …

Riesgo De Exposición A Los Plaguicidas En Familias Con Niños Menores De 6 Años De Azapa Y Lluta, Andrew Wilbur

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study aims to characterize the risk of pesticide exposure for children under the age of 6 who live in the rural, agricultural communities of the Azapa and Lluta valleys in Region Arica and Parinacota in northern Chile. To achieve this objective, it seeks to understand current perceptions held by parents or guardians with respect to risk of pesticide exposure within their families and identify practices and living circumstances that contribute to this risk. In environmental health, children are an especially vulnerable population as a result of their distinct characteristics. Their exploratory behavior and naivety contribute to their risk of …

Nevada Interagency Volunteer Program: Helping Hands Across Public Lands – Phase Ii: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Covering January 1, 2011 To March 31, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Get Outdoors Nevada

• The number of records in the volunteer database increased by 15.35% over the last quarter. The database now contains 7,537 records.
• The number of site visits increased 38.5% over the last quarter. Results show an average of 1,356 visits per month.
• The number of page views increased 29.15% over last month. Results show an average of 2,081 pages viewed per month.
• Get Outdoors Nevada supported 22 volunteer events in a variety of ways. These events utilized 692 volunteers whom contributed 2,930 combined hours of service.
• Four volunteer trainings have been completed; 72 volunteers attended the trainings.
• Volunteer Orientation Training Automation …

Limnological Assistance For Lake Mead National Recreation Area: Quarterly Report, Period Ending March 30, 2011, Margaret N. Rees

Limnological Studies

Project 1

• Technical assistance with the implementation of the Interagency Monitoring Action Plan (I-MAP) for Quagga Mussels is ongoing. During this quarter, analysis was completed for 13 juvenile/adult samples and analyses of the remaining samples are underway.
• Both research projects are well underway with 14 sample sets collected for Veliger abundance and settlement at different depths of Lake Mead and 12 samples collected for Growth of adult quagga mussels within Las Vegas Wash/Las Vegas Bay.

Project 2

• Annual summary sheets are under development for the topics listed within the Limnological and Aquatic Resource Monitoring and Research Plan for Lakes Mead …

Effects Of Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles On Glycine Max Grown In Hydroponics, Alyssa De La Rosa^, Jose Peralta, Jeff Terry, Jorge Gardea-Torresdey*

COURI Symposium Abstracts, Spring 2011

Cerium oxide nanoparticles (NPs) or nanoceria have a high level of UV absorption and antioxidant behavior, making them great candidates for sun screens, beauty products, and in treating cancer and glaucoma. The increased use of these NPs underscores the importance of understanding their environmental fate and toxicity. So far, information about nanoceria toxicity to plants is scarce. The objectives of this study are to determine the effect of CeO2 NPs on soybean (Glycine max) plant growth and monitor their uptake, deposition, and biotransformation. Soybean plants were treated for 14 days in a modified Hoagland solution containing varying concentrations …

Immediate And Delayed Drug Therapy Effects On Low Dose Sarin Exposed Mice Myocardial Performance, Joshua T. Miller

Theses and Dissertations

Recent studies have shown that a single asymptomatic dose exposure to the nerve agent sarin can lead to long term cardiac dysfunction. This study looked at immediate and delayed treatment therapies post exposure on cardiac function. The mice were studied using electrocardiography (QTc, STc, and Tc intervals) and histological techniques (hematoxylin and eosin staining and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) staining). Male C57BL/6J mice were injected with sarin (0.4LD50) and studied up to 11 weeks. Mice which were given a single dose of the nerve agent treatment atropine/2PAMCL, showed significantly higher cell size and BNP levels than the control (p = …

Concentration Of Heavy Metals In The Waters And Surface Sediments Of Wilgreen Lake, Madison County, Kentucky: An Evaluation Of Plausible Sources, Chad Von Gruenigen, Walter S. Borowski

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Heavy metal pollution remains a problem in natural waters, particularly for localities near plausible anthropogenic sources. We assayed the level of heavy metals in surface waters and within surface sediments of Wilgreen Lake, whose watershed drains industrial, urban, agricultural, and residential areas near Richmond, Kentucky. We sampled both surface (oxic) and deep waters (anoxic) when the lake was stratified over Summer 2010. Water samples were treated according to U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) protocols and were digested with trace-metal-grade nitric and hydrochloric acids. Sediment samples were collected with a grab sampler and digested using established EPA procedures with trace-metal-grade nitric …

Determination Of Caffeine As A Marker For Septic Tank Contamination Of Wilgreen Lake, Rosemary Onjiko, Susan Godbey, Walter S. Borowski, Darrin Smith, Lori Wilson

EKU Faculty and Staff Scholarship

Wilgreen Lake in Richmond, Kentucky, has been listed by both the state and the Environmental Protection Agency as an “impaired” lake due to excess nutrients, which may be in part contributed by domestic septic systems. Caffeine can be used as an anthropogenic marker to estimate the contribution of septic tank effluent to the lake. We have modified existing analytical methods to produce a viable method for the determination of caffeine in environmental water samples and applied the method to water samples collected from Wilgreen Lake. The modified method allows determination of caffeine in a concentration range of 75 to 10,000 …