Environmental Indicators and Impact Assessment Commons^™

The Prairie Post Quarterly Newsletter Of The High Plains Regional Climate Center: January 2016, Martha Shulski, Natalie Umphlett, Crystal J. Stiles

Prairie Post: Quarterly Newsletter of the High Plains Regional Climate Center

Inside this issue:

Message from the director........................................1

Staff spotlight...........................1

HPRCC staff changes..............2

Product highlight....................2

Research highlight..................2

Partnership spotlight.............3

AWDN information.................4

Update on regional climate conditions..................................4

Outreach/engagement.........5

Recent and upcoming travel and activities.............................6

The Influence Of A Severe Reservoir Drawdown On Springtime Zooplankton And Larval Fish Assemblages In Red Willow Reservoir, Nebraska, Jason A. Deboer, Christa M. Webber, Taylor A. Dixon, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Reservoirs can be dynamic systems, often prone to unpredictable and extreme waterlevel fluctuations, and can be environments where survival is difficult for zooplankton and larval fish. Although numerous studies have examined the effects of extreme reservoir drawdown on water quality, few have examined extreme drawdown on both abiotic and biotic characteristics. A fissure in the dam at Red Willow Reservoir in southwest Nebraska necessitated an extreme drawdown; the water level was lowered more than 6 m during a two-month period, reducing reservoir volume by 76%. During the subsequent low-water period (i.e., post-drawdown), spring sampling (April-June) showed dissolved oxygen concentration was …

Potential Population And Assemblage Influences Of Non-Native Trout On Native Nongame Fish In Nebraska Headwater Streams, Kelly C. Turek, Mark A. Pegg, Kevin L. Pope, Steve Schainost

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Non-native trout are currently stocked to support recreational fisheries in headwater streams throughout Nebraska. The influence of non-native trout introductions on native fish populations and their role in structuring fish assemblages in these systems is unknown. The objectives of this study were to determine (i) if the size structure or relative abundance of native fish differs in the presence and absence of non-native trout, (ii) if native fish-assemblage structure differs in the presence and absence of non-native trout and (iii) if native fish-assemblage structure differs across a gradient in abundances of non-native trout. Longnose dace Rhinichthys cataractae were larger in …

Letter Resisting Resilience Theory: Aresponse To Connelland Ghedini, Shana M. Sundstrom, Craig R. Allen, Lance H. Gunderson

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

ConnellandGhedini [1] arguethatecolo- gistsareprimarily [1TD$DIF]concernedwithcommu- nitychangeandtendtoignoreprocesses liketrophiccompensationthatcontribute to communityorsystem-levelstability. Resilience,theyclaim,isthestudyof change,andresearchersshouldspend moretimestudyingstabilizingprocesses to betterpredictthetypesofchanges documentedbyecologistswhostudyresil- ience [2,3]. Thebulkoftheirpaper addressesresilienceandrelatedconcepts to contextualizeresistancetochange,but theirargumentsarediminishedbecause theauthorsfailtoexplicitlyplacetheirwork withintherangeofresilienceconceptsthat haveproliferatedacrossacademicdisci- plines.Moreimportantly,thepaperfurthers confusionregardingcoreecologicalresil- ienceconcepts.Withinthedisciplineof ecology,resilienceconceptshavebeen developedinafundamentallycohesive way [4]. Understandingtheresilienceof complexsystemsofhumansandnature duringthistimeofrapidglobalchangeis importantandthemisuseorcasualuseof conceptswithspecific meaningismore thansimplyatrivialpointofcontention;it potentiallyobscuresprocessesandprop- ertiesthathavedirectrelevancetohuman- ity'sinteractionwiththeenvironment.

Influence Of Anglers’ Specializations On Catch, Harvest, And Bycatch Of Targeted Taxa, Kevin L. Pope, Christopher J. Chizinski, Christopher L. Wiley, Dustin R. Martin

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Fishery managers often use catch per unit effort (CPUE) of a given taxon derived from a group of anglers,those that sought said taxon, to evaluate fishery objectives because managers assume CPUE for this group of anglers is most sensitive to changes in fish taxon density. Further, likelihood of harvest may differ for sought and non-sought taxa if taxon sought is a defining characteristic of anglers’ attitude toward harvest.We predicted that taxon-specific catch across parties and reservoirs would be influenced by targeted taxon after controlling for number of anglers in a party and time spent fishing (combine to quantify fishing effort …

Drought And Health In The Context Of Public Engagement, Nicole Wall, Michael Hayes

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Droughts have profoundly affected societies around the world from the earliest beginnings. A recent estimate from the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (CRED) claims that more than 1 billion people have been affected by drought during the twenty-year period between 1994 and 2013. Because of the characteristics of drought, drought impacts are often difficult to identify and quantify, and this is especially true with public health-oriented drought consequences, including those resulting from low water quantities, poor water quality, mental health and stress, dust and windblown agents, and wildlife intrusion. However, when officials emphasize adopting a proactive risk …

Assessing Drought Vulnerability Using A Socioecological Framework, Joel R. Brown, Doug Kluck, Chad Mcnutt, Michael J. Hayes

National Drought Mitigation Center: Faculty Publications

Drought is a persistent problem on rangelands and adjusting management to respond appropriately is critical to both preserving natural resources and to maintaining financial viability. • We explore the value of using a structured assessment approach to determining both social and ecological vulnerability. • This approach allows for the identification of vulnerable ecosystems and business operations at regional and local scales as a basis for developing effective policies and programs.

Assessment Of Tmdl Implementation And Water Quality Status And Trends In Amazon Creek And Coyote Creek Watersheds, Stosh Zydek

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

In this project, I analyzed the status and trends of water quality data describing fecal bacteria (E. coli) and DO in the Amazon and Coyote Creek watersheds of the Southern Willamette Valley, Oregon. I also examined TMDL implementation plans produced by DMAs, determined if and how implementation activities corresponded to changes in water quality, compared management and planning of DMAs in the watersheds, discussed aspects of the current TMDL, and compared state regulations and standards in other states. I concluded by making management recommendations to better facilitate future status and trend analysis.

Amazon Creek, Amazon Diversion Channel, A-3 …

An Ecotoxicological Survey Of Tributaries Of The Selenge River, Mongolia, August 2010, Viktor T. Komov, Ch. Javzan, William G. Brumbaugh

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The biodiversity of the Selenga river basin and the receiving waters of the lake Baikal, are among the greatest in the world with over 1,700 known endemic species of plants and animals. Mining activities along the Selenga river and its tributaries pose a major threat of chemical contamination, potentially reducing habitat quality and suitability for aquatic species. Moreover, the Selenga river serves as a major water source for the lake Baikal. Little information exists on the chemical contaminant concentrations in the Selenga river basin. Thus, the objectives of our study were to evaluate the concentrations of metals in soil, sediment, …

Worldview-Based Scenarios Highlight Stakeholder Values And Assumptions, John Rueter

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

In lake management, we have the privilege and responsibility to work with the public on highly visible resources. Everybody has an opinion based on his or her personal values and observations. While we might sometimes consider this plethora of value statements as the bane of our existence, we all realize that public engagement is crucial for the health and future of lakes. Poor lake health is often caused by many little insults that stem from a wide range of legitimate views for how the lake should be treated as a resource. We need a framework to be able to deal …

Role-Play Simulations For Climate Change Adaptation Education And Engagement, Danya Rumore, Todd Schenk, Lawrence Susskind

Utah Law Faculty Scholarship

In order to effectively adapt to climate change, public officials and other stakeholders need to rapidly enhance their understanding of local risks and ability to collaboratively and adaptively respond. We argue that science-based role-play simulation exercises, a type of ‘serious game’ involving face-to-face mock decision-making, have considerable potential as education and engagement tools for enhancing readiness to adapt. Prior research suggests role-play simulations and other serious games can foster public learning and encourage collective action in public policy-making contexts. However, the effectiveness of such exercises in the context of climate change adaptation education and engagement has heretofore been underexplored. We …

A Multi-Scale Spatiotemporal Modeling Approach To Explore Vegetation Dynamics Patterns Under Global Climate Change, Bingwen Qiu, Zhuangzhuang Wang, Zhenghong Tang, Zhe Liu, Difei Lu, Chongcheng Chen, Nan Chen

Community and Regional Planning Program: Faculty Scholarly and Creative Activity

Given the complexity of vegetation dynamic patterns under global climate change, multi-scale spatiotemporal explicit models are necessary in order to account for environmental heterogeneity. However, there is no efficient time-series tool to extract, reconstruct and analyze the multi-scale vegetation dynamic patterns under global climate change. To fill this gap, a Multi-Scale Spatio-Temporal Modeling (MSSTM) framework which can incorporate the pixel, scale, and time-specific heterogeneity was proposed. The MSSTM method was defined on proper time-series models for multitemporal components through wavelet transforms. The proposed MSSTM approach was applied to a subtropical mountainous and hilly agro-forestry ecosystem in southeast China using the …

Support For Drought Response And Community Preparedness: Filling The Gaps Between Plans And Action, Kelly Helm Smith, Crystal J. Stiles, Michael Hayes, Christopher Carparelli

High Plains Regional Climate Center: Staff Publications

This chapter examines which levels of government handle various aspects of drought, as well as interactions between levels of government, providing examples from states across the western United States. It also takes a look at aspects of drought that fall outside traditional lines of authority and disciplinary boundaries. As part of a discussion on how states support local drought response, the chapter details and contrasts how California and Colorado track public water supply restrictions, and describes Colorado’s process for incorporating input from river basins across the state into its water plan. Case studies focus on drought planning in the Klamath …

Aquatic Food Webs And Heavy Metal Contamination In The Upper Blackfoot River, Montana, Jack E. Landers

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Acid mine drainage (AMD), characterized by low pH and abundant heavy metals, is a widespread problem affecting water quality and fish habitat in Montana. Montana’s upper Blackfoot River exhibits impaired water quality from historic mining that has significantly degraded aquatic habitat and reduced fish and invertebrate abundance in impacted streams. The goal of this study is to investigate the direct and indirect effects of mine-related heavy metals contamination on aquatic ecosystems by examining changes in aquatic community composition, bioaccumulation, and toxicity risk of heavy metals along a contamination gradient in the upper Blackfoot River. Three primary research questions were addressed …

Pharmaceutical And Personal Care Products Concentrations In The Belgrade Lakes: A Possible Threat To Aquatic Ecosystems And Human Health, Serena Haver

Honors Theses

Pharmaceuticals and active ingredients from personal care products (PPCPs) include prescription and over-the-counter drugs, sunscreen, fragrances, and soaps. Recently researchers have detected PPCPs in surface waters, posing a threat to aquatic biota and human health. These compounds can enter the environment through dumping, direct excretion, or sewage effluent streams. We tested 14 water samples from East Pond, Great Pond, and Long Pond in Maine for the presence of 23 different PPCPs. Of those, we only detected significant levels of caffeine, 1,7-dimethylxanthine, and amphetamine all below 1µg/L. There were no significant differences between any of the three lakes for any of …

Mangrove Enhancement As A Climate Change Adaptation Strategy In The Republic Of The Marshall Islands (Rmi): Potential Ecosystem Service Shifts Following Colonization, Andrew S. Harwood

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

The ability of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and Pacific Island communities to adapt to the increasing sea-levels, storm surge, saltwater intrusion, and other threats posed by global climate change is critical to the survival of many of these local communities as well as their cultures (LivingIslands.org). One of the world’s most striking examples of a nation at great risk is the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) in the central Pacific Ocean. Due to a combination of factors, including the country’s extremely low elevation above sea-level (an average of 2 meters) and lack of adequate structures to provide safety …

Greenroof Study: Final Report, An Assessment Of Greenroof Design And Maintenance In Portland, Oregon: 2011 – 2013, Windy Carney Beck

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

In 1999 the City of Portland (City) began to require that stormwater management facilities (SMF) be built when private property is newly developed or redeveloped (City Code Chapter 17.38). Proper maintenance and upkeep of SMFs is essential to ensuring they function appropriately. The City's Maintenance Inspection Program (MIP) is tasked with inspecting stormwater management facilities on private properties in order to ensure that they are being properly operated and maintained and to meet provisions of the City's NPDES Municipal Separated Storm Sewer System (MS4) permit.

Greenroofs are one type of SMF that are installed to satisfy this requirement. Understanding the …

Management Plan For Western Painted Turtle (Chrysemys Picta Belli) At Fairview Creek Headwaters, Ashley Smithers

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

Western painted turtles (Chrysemys picta belli) are found occupying Fairview Creek Headwaters (FCH) in Gresham, Oregon. This urban stream contains a large wetland with an adjacent butte, all managed by the City of Gresham. This management plan addresses the preferred habitat and population of turtles at the site. A habitat delineation of the site revealed specific locations where habitat improvements could take place as well as areas of already beneficial habitat. Two site plans were prepared showing areas of the site that could be enhanced with nesting habitat as well as additional aquatic habitat and basking habitat. A habitat study …

Adaptive Management For Soil Ecosystem Services, Hannah E. Birge, Rebecca A. Bevans, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Sara G. Baer, Diana H. Wall Colorado State University

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Transformative Environmental Governance, Brian C. Chaffin, Ahjond Garmestani, Lance Gunderson, Melinda Harm Benson, David G. Angeler, Craig Anthony (Tony) Arnold, Barbara Cosens, Robin Kundis Craig, J.B. B. Ruhl, Craig R. Allen

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Transformative governance is an approach to environmental governance that has the capacity to respond to, manage, and trigger regime shifts in coupled social-ecological systems (SESs) at multiple scales. The goal of transformative governance is to actively shift degraded SESs to alternative, more desirable, or more functional regimes by altering the structures and processes that define the system. Transformative governance is rooted in ecological theories to explain cross-scale dynamics in complex systems, as well as social theories of change, innovation, and technological transformation. Similar to adaptive governance, transformative governance involves a broad set of governance components, but requires additional capacity to …