Natural Resources and Conservation Commons^™

Impact Of Ethnic Markets On Food Accessibility In Lincoln, Ne, Connor Mcfayden

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study used availability surveys and demographic mapping to analyze the impact of ethnic grocery stores on food accessibility in Lincoln, Nebraska. Access to fresh, healthy foods has been shown to be an important factor in public health, one in which low-income and minority populations are more likely to experience barriers such as long distances to the nearest grocery store. A growing body of research has described ethnic markets as important sources of fresh, healthy food for vulnerable populations, but on the whole the contributions of ethnic markets are overlooked in policy and research. In addition, ethnic markets may face …

Relationship Of Land Use Categories And Water Quality For Low Order Streams, Jake Mcenaney

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The relationship of land use categories and water quality was explored in three different streams in the tri-state area of Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri. These streams included: a fourth order stream, Salt Creek, near Waverly, NE, a third order stream, Maple Creek, near Nickerson, NE, and a sixth order stream, Nodaway River, near Graham, MO. Stream order was to be kept relatively low due to the impact tributary rivers have on a given stream's nitrate concentration. Nearby land use is expected to impact nutrient concentrations to a greater extent for smaller rivers than on larger rivers with more tributaries. First, …

Regenerative Agriculture’S Potential Carbon Storage In Nebraska Soils, Jenna Mccoy

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This meta-analysis investigates the possible carbon sequestration of no-till and cover crop practices on Nebraska farmlands. These management practices are part of regenerative agriculture, a farming method designed to mitigate and adapt to climate change. As climate change is expected to significantly reduce yields in Nebraska, sequestering carbon in farmlands offers a way to adapt to climate change impacts and lower the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. However, changing management practices is difficult and is driven primarily by economics. This study aims to determine how much carbon these practices can sequester in Nebraska soil each year by evaluating …

Sparking Awareness In Lincoln Electronic Waste Trends And Habits: A Student Behavioral Analysis, Zowie Vincent

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Nebraska is recognized as one of the few states that have not established any laws or practices managing electronic waste. Along with no e-waste management laws, there is also a lack of studies discussing the behavioral trends and habits towards electronic devices and how to dispose of them once they are unable to function. Continuing to ignore the choice of recycling electronics results in further damage towards the environment, human and animal health, as well as an economic opportunity of a growing market. This study focuses on the trends and habits of electronic consumption, usage, and disposal amongst students at …

Using The Theory Of Planned Behavior To Understand The Behavioral Use Of Single-Use Plastic Bags By Students At The University Of Nebraska–Lincoln, Josephine Stoessel

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

Reduction in the use of single-use plastic bags is a necessary sustainability step as it will reduce pollution of air, soil, waterways, and ingestion by marine animals. The Theory of Planned Behavior is used in this study to determine which components are the influencing factors for why students at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln use single-use plastic bags. An understanding of these factors allows for suggestions and recommendations for actions that can be taken by the university to combat this environmental issue. EcoCoin is an incentive-based program created by Penn State, and is the focus of this study. The literature review …

The Relationship Between Time And Plant Diversity In Prairie Restorations Within The Prairie Corridor On Haines Branch, Elizabeth Park

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

This study focuses on better understanding the relationship between the age of prairie restorations and their plant diversity. The study looks specifically at the prairie restorations within the Prairie Corridor on Haines Branch, located west of Lincoln, Nebraska. The data gathered from these restorations show a positive correlation between age and native plant diversity. This diversity indicates that the restorations are fulfilling their purpose by bringing native prairie plants back to the area. From the data I came to these four conclusions, 1) Because the study only included two restorations greater than 10 years old, it is unclear if the …

Effects Of Land Use In Nebraska On Insect Biodiversity And Eastern Monarch Populations, Carina Olivetti

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

How are Nebraska land use decisions affecting eastern monarch butterfly decline? What are the driving factors causing monarch decline? What are the challenges of insect monitoring and data organizing? The purpose of this exploratory research project was to investigate these questions and simultaneously illustrate the importance of insect biodiversity, focusing largely on the monarch butterfly. The eastern population of the monarch butterfly has declined 80% over the past two decades. The state of Nebraska lies within their migratory path and is therefore critical to their survival. The hypothesis is that monarch populations are declining because of the combined impacts of …

Droughtscape, Winter 2021, National Drought Mitigation Center

DroughtScape: Quarterly Newsletter of the National Drought Mitigation Center (2007–2023)

DroughtScape, Winter 2021

Reconstruction Of Ancient Microbial Genomes From The Human Gut, M. C. Wibowo, Z. Yang, M. Borry, A. Hubner, K. D. Huang, B. T. Tierney, S. Zimmerman, F. Barajas-Olmos, C. Contreras-Cubas, H. Garcia-Ortiz, A. Martinez-Hernandez, J. M. Luber, K. Reinhard Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Sula Study Revisited: 20-Year Post-Fire Regeneration In The Southern Bitterroot Valley, Montana., Luke Alan Rymniak

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

In the summer of 2000, a number of large fires burned in the southern Bitterroot Valley near Sula, Montana. Research was conducted in 2001 and 2003 in the fire-affected areas of the French Basin and Larid Creek areas in order to investigate the effects of environmental variables, fire severity, and post-fire management on vegetation regeneration. In 2020 these areas were remeasured to understand trends over time by evaluating the impact of these same factors 20 years post fire. The results showed that the effects of environmental variables, fire severity, and post-fire management on vegetation regeneration were varied. The most influential …

Advancing Applied Research In Conservation Criminology Through The Evaluation Of Corruption Prevention, Enhancing Compliance, And Reducing Recidivism, Jessica S. Kahler, Joseph W. Rivera, Zachary T. Steele, Pilar Morales-Giner, Christian J. Rivera, Carol F. Ahossin, Ashpreet Kaur, Diane J. Episcopio-Sturgeon

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Concomitant with an increase in the global illegal wildlife trade has been a substantial increase in research within traditional conservation-based sciences and conservation and green criminology. While the integration of criminological theories and methods into the wildlife conservation context has advanced our understanding of and practical responses to illegal wildlife trade, there remain discrepancies between the number of empirical vs. conceptual studies and a disproportionate focus on a few select theories, geographical contexts, and taxonomic groups. We present three understudied or novel applications of criminology and criminal justice research within the fields of fisheries, forestry, and wildlife conservation. First, we …

Using Uav And Traditional Remote Sensing Data To Detect Vegetation Vigor And Monitor Stream Morphology In A Desert Riparian Ecosystem, Jordan Bradley Adair

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Mono Lake is a terminal lake in the Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains. The streams that feed Mono Lake support a unique desert riparian ecosystem. Rush Creek was the stream of interest for this study. The objective of this research is to determine if remotely sensed imagery can be used to determine vegetation vigor and measure stream morphologic features in a desert riparian area. The goals were to evaluate different sources of remotely sensed imagery to make these determinations. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was used to monitor vegetation vigor along Rush Creek. Google Earth imagery and UAV derived imagery …

Effects Of Large Wood Restoration On Coho Salmon In A Northern California Watershed: A Before-After-Control-Impact Experiment, Natalie B. Okun

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Substantial time, money, and effort are invested in river and stream restoration projects to aid in the recovery of imperiled salmonid populations, but there is little evidence that these efforts have had lasting positive impacts on juvenile fish growth and survival. To assess the effectiveness of large woody debris (LWD) restoration, which is one of the most common restoration practices, I evaluated the growth and survival response of endangered Central California Coast coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch) in a paired watershed before-after impact-control (BACI) study. To determine if LWD supplementation influenced coho salmon growth and survival, two neighboring, similar …

Examining West Virginia's Economic Development: Natural Resources, Development Agencies, And Labor Force Development, Gaillynn Marie Bowman

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Examining West Virginia's Economic Development: Natural Resources, Development Agencies, and Labor Force Development Gaillynn Bowman Economic development is well-recognized as being fundamental to facilitating an overall improved quality of life for communities and their residents. Throughout West Virginia’s history, the state has experienced economic hardships caused by boom and bust cycles associated with resource extraction. This dissertation consists of three essays that explore the impacts of economic development activities, including conservation programs, economic development agency initiatives, and workforce development agencies. The first essay explores the relationship nonresident landowners have with the conservation programs within West Virginia, specifically the Natural Resources …

Factors Influencing Aquatic Invertebrate Diversity In Mine Pit Lakes Along The Mesabi Iron Range, Jeremy Laurich

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Restoration of mine pit lakes for recreation is going to be very important for the future of Minnesota’s Mesabi Iron Range area. As many as 250 lakes will need to be restored in the future along this 100-kilometer-long swath of mining country. Information regarding the organisms that currently inhabit these lakes is important for future restorations to be a success. The focus of this study was to identify the types of aquatic invertebrates present in pit lakes and to identify some of the factors that influence their abundance and diversity. During this study, invertebrate samples were taken along the shore …

Embracing Dynamic Models For Gene Drive Management, Andrew J. Golnar, Emily W. Ruell, Alun L. Lloyd, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Robust methods of predicting how gene drive systems will interact with ecosystems is essential for safe deployment of gene drive technology. We describe how quantitative tools can reduce risk uncertainty, streamline empirical research, guide risk management, and promote cross-sector collaboration throughout the process of gene drive technology development and implementation.

Gene drive technologies, although diverse in design and mode of action, are molecular architectures that promote the transmission of genetic information between generations. In theory, the release of one gene-drive-modified organism (GDMO) has the potential to irreversibly alter species, ecosystems, and environmental processes at a global scale (although in practice …

Economic Effects Of Predation By Scaup On Baitfish And Sportfish Farms, Carole R. Engle, Stephen Clements, Brian S. Dorr, J. Brian Davis, Luke A. Roy, Anita M. Kelly

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fish-eating birds have been found to consume baitfish and sportfish raised on farms in the United States. Understanding the on-farm economic effects of such wildlife conflicts is essential for wildlife management agencies to make informed decisions. Lesser scaup, while not widely considered a fisheating bird, will consume farmed fish. Baitfish and sportfish farms in Arkansas (the major baitfish and sportfish producingstate in the U.S.) were surveyed to gather data on the cost of protecting farm crops from scaup. The values of lost sales revenue from the various species of baitfish and sportfish consumed by scaup were estimated based on a …

Evidence On The Effectiveness Of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Suas) As A Survey Tool For North American Terrestrial, Vertebrate Animals: A Systematic Map Protocol, Jared A. Elmore, Michael F. Curran, Kristine O. Evans, Sathishkumar Samiappan, Meilun Zhou, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Bradley F. Blackwell, Raymond B. Iglay

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS) are replacing or supplementing manned aircraft and groundbased surveys in many animal monitoring situations due to better coverage at finer spatial and temporal resolutions, access, cost, bias, impacts, safety, efficiency, and logistical benefits. Various sUAS models and sensors are available with varying features and usefulness depending on survey goals. However, justification for selection of sUAS and sensors are not typically offered in published literature and existing reviews do not adequately cover past and current sUAS applications for animal monitoring nor their associated sUAS model and sensor technologies, taxonomic and geographic scope, flight conditions and …

Rabies Post-Exposure Healthcare-Seeking Behaviors And Perceptions: Results From A Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Survey, Uganda, 2013, Sarah C. Bonaparte, Laura Adams, Barnabas Bakamutumaho, Galileu Barbosa Costa, Julie M. Cleaton, Amy Gilbert, Modupe Osinubi, Emily G. Pieracci, Sergio Recuenco, Victor Tugumizemu, Joseph Wamala, Ryan M. Wallace

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background Rabies is a viral disease of animals and people causing fatal encephalomyelitis if left untreated. Although effective pre- and post-exposure vaccines exist, they are not widely available in many endemic countries within Africa. Since many individuals in these countries remain at risk of infection, post-exposure healthcare-seeking behaviors are crucial in preventing infection and warrant examination.

Methodology A rabies knowledge, attitudes, and practices survey was conducted at 24 geographically diverse sites in Uganda during 2013 to capture information on knowledge concerning the disease, response to potential exposure events, and vaccination practices. Characteristics of the surveyed population and of the canine-bite …

Differing Alterations Of Odor Volatiles Among Pathogenic Stimuli, Patrick Millet, Talia Martin, Maryanne Opiekun, Gary K. Beauchamp, Bruce A. Kimball

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Alterations of the volatile metabolome (the collection of volatiles present in secretions and other emanations) that occur in response to inflammation can be detected by conspecifics and chemometric analyses. Using a model system where mouse urinary metabolites are altered by treatment with lipopolysaccharide (found in the outer cell membrane of gram-negative bacteria), we hypothesized that alteration of body odor volatiles will vary according to the pathogen responsible for inducing the inflammation. We tested this hypothesis by treating mice with different immunogens that engage different immune signaling pathways. Results suggest that alterations of body odor volatiles resulting from inflammation do contain …