Geothermal Energy In Utah: A Safe Technology With Limited Environmental Impacts,
2026
Utah State University
Geothermal Energy In Utah: A Safe Technology With Limited Environmental Impacts, Joseph Harding, Kendall Becker, Logan Mitchell, Jennifer Bodine, Scott Hotaling
All Current Publications
Geothermal energy has the potential to transform Utah’s electricity landscape, driving a future with improved air quality, lower carbon emissions, and fewer environmental impacts. In this fact sheet, we provide an overview of geothermal energy and its potential environmental implications in Utah. We highlight that recent geothermal projects in Utah do not use fresh water and that new well designs are expected to reduce the consumption of salty, brackish water. If these efforts are successful, geothermal energy would have lower water consumption, reduced seismic risk, and a similarly low land-use footprint compared to fossil fuel sources of electricity.
Managing Prairie Dogs On Agricultural Lands,
2026
Utah State University
Managing Prairie Dogs On Agricultural Lands, Cory Farnsworth, S. Nicole Frey
All Current Publications
While prairie dogs are an important species in the region because their burrows provide shelter for many wildlife species, they are also preyed upon by many mammals and birds. However, because of the damage they can cause to cropping and range systems, their populations may occasionally need to be controlled. After you have identified which prairie dog species you are in conflict with and the scope of the damage, you will want to decide how to manage them. This fact sheet provides information on control options and the general ecology of the three prairie dog species in Utah.
Geothermal Energy In Utah: Massive Potential To Meet Growing Electricity Needs,
2026
Utah State University
Geothermal Energy In Utah: Massive Potential To Meet Growing Electricity Needs, Emily Labonty, Kendall Becker, Logan Mitchell, Jennifer Bodine, Scott Hotaling
All Current Publications
Including more geothermal energy in Utah's energy mix would help address issues of concern for many Utahns: poor air quality, climate change, and the need to support renewable energy research. Geothermal energy, heat from within the Earth, is a renewable energy source that can provide flexible, baseload electricity––like coal or natural gas––but without the climate-warming and polluting effects. This fact sheet provides information about geothermal energy, generating electricity from geothermal energy, and current geothermal projects in Utah.
Movement Ecology And Population Dynamics Of Box-Nesting Black-Bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna Autumnalis) In Louisiana,
2026
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College
Movement Ecology And Population Dynamics Of Box-Nesting Black-Bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna Autumnalis) In Louisiana, Katie E. Miranda
LSU Master's Theses
Understanding demographic and behavioral processes underlying population dynamics is essential for effective wildlife management, especially for species subject to harvest pressure or experiencing population shifts. Black-bellied Whistling-Ducks (Dendrocygna autumnalis) are currently undergoing a notable northward range expansion and are increasing in abundance across the southeastern United States, raising management concerns for both ecological and economic reasons. As a result, there is growing public support for a special Black-bellied Whistling-Duck-specific harvest season, yet little research has been conducted on this species, particularly within newly-established populations. To address this gap, I conducted this study with the goal of evaluating seasonal …
Effects Of Changing Fire Regimes On Black Huckleberry Habitat Suitability,
2026
Portland State University
Effects Of Changing Fire Regimes On Black Huckleberry Habitat Suitability, Emily Labarge
University Honors Theses
Black huckleberries are a significant cultural, ecological, and economic species in the Pacific Northwest. Historically, black huckleberries were tended with cultural fire by Indigenous peoples, and now also hold importance as a resource in the non-timber forest product economy. Research has begun on the impacts of climate change on suitable black huckleberry habitat and on changing fire regimes, but not in relation to each other. To address this gap, I examined the area of overlap between suitable black huckleberry habitat and fire burn probability into mid-century climate projections. I determined the current ownership entities with management jurisdiction in areas with …
[2026 Honorable Mention] Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary,
2026
California State University, Monterey Bay
[2026 Honorable Mention] Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, Daylyn R. Reese
Ethnic Studies Research Paper Award
This research offers unique insights into the creation and development of the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary (N.M.S.) with a focus on indigenous populations’ roles (primarily Chumash and Costanoan). In this episode, I analyze what makes this NMS different from every NMS precluding it, how it recognizes a new goal in conservation (thrivability), and the areas in which improvements still must be made to authentically include and honor indigenous voices.
Multimodal Machine Learning For Soil Burn Severity Mapping Across California Wildfires,
2026
California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo
Multimodal Machine Learning For Soil Burn Severity Mapping Across California Wildfires, Sanjana Checker
Master's Theses
Accurate mapping of soil burn severity (SBS) is critical for post-fire watershed management, erosion risk assessment, and ecological recovery planning, yet traditional field-based approaches remain costly, time-intensive, and spatially limited. This thesis presents a machine learning pipeline for wall-to-wall SBS classification across California wildfires using multi-sensor satellite imagery, terrain derivatives, and bioclimatic covariates. Field-collected SBS observations (n = 2,180) from 52 wildfires occur- ring between 2013 and 2025, sourced from the U.S. Forest Service and CAL FIRE, were used to train and evaluate multiple classification architectures within a Google Earth Engine and Google Cloud-based prediction framework. After upsampling the unburned …
Western Kentucky University Stormwater Utility Survey 2026,
2026
Civil Engineering
Western Kentucky University Stormwater Utility Survey 2026, Warren Campbell
SEAS Faculty Publications
In the U.S., more than 2200 stormwater utilities have been enacted. This year, we have expanded the survey to include stormwater utilities in other countries. Many of these stormwater assessments are called taxes, but if the assessment is recurring, is not an ad valorem tax, and is dedicated to stormwater purposes, we call it a stormwater utility. With the help of ChatGPT we have been able to identify 25 stormwater fees in Australia. We were also able to identify 3 in New Zealand, and some in Europe as well.
Gobbling Activity And Use Of Structural Habitat At Nest Sites By Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo) In Western Nebraska,
2026
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Gobbling Activity And Use Of Structural Habitat At Nest Sites By Wild Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo) In Western Nebraska, Robyn M. Dausener
School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) populations in Nebraska have declined substantially in recent years. Understanding gobbling chronology and its environmental drivers may inform spring hunting season structure and management actions. I used autonomous recording units (ARUs) in two ecologically distinct regions of Nebraska, the northwestern (NW) Pine Ridge landscape, and the southwestern (SW) agricultural landscape, to quantify gobbling activity from 2023-2025. I paired gobbling data with nesting chronology, cumulative daily hunting pressure, weather conditions, and moon phase using Bayesian generalized additive mixed models. Gobbling peaked during mid-to-late April in both regions, preceding peak nest initiation and incubation, with no …
Ecological Interest Theory Of “Lucid Waters And Lush Mountains Are Invaluable Assets” And Its Application In The Yellow River Basin,
2026
State Key Laboratory of Hydroscience and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, China
Ecological Interest Theory Of “Lucid Waters And Lush Mountains Are Invaluable Assets” And Its Application In The Yellow River Basin, Guangqian Wang, Deyu Zhong
Bulletin of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Chinese Version)
To address the core challenges of quantifying ecological value and converting it into economic gains, this study proposes a theoretical framework of ecological interest (EI) based on the principle that “lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets”. Three fundamental origins of ecological interest are explained, including the temporal value discount, the spatial ecological compensation, and the civilizational occupation-compensation balance. These three dimensions establish the logical connection between ecological and economic values. Setting a 5% annual simple interest rate as the benchmark and adopting “Lucid Waters and Lush Mountains” green certificates as the standardized ecological assets for property rights delineation …
“The New Normal”: California’S Escalating Wildfire Crisis,
2026
Fordham University
“The New Normal”: California’S Escalating Wildfire Crisis, Alexandra Vasquez
Student Theses 2015-Present
This paper addresses the current state of California's wildfire epidemic and how the increasing effects of climate change have worsened the fires, harming residents' health and the state's economy. The wildfires are shaped by factors such as climate change, land-use choices, and policy designs. California wildfires have worsened substantially in the 21st century, with the worst burns in the 2020 season setting a record of 4.2 to 4.5 million acres destroyed. Given current policies and the administration's disinterest in combating climate change, understanding wildfire history and data is essential to improving California's wildfire resilience, creating sustainable land management practices, and …
Solid Waste Management In Greater Khartoum City, Sudan,
2026
Fordham University
Solid Waste Management In Greater Khartoum City, Sudan, Roba Mahmoud
Student Theses 2015-Present
This study investigates the rising solid waste management (SWM) dilemma in Greater Khartoum City (GKC), a critical environmental and public health issue caused by fast urbanization and inadequate infrastructure, with historical linkages to Sudan's colonial and postcolonial growth. Chapter 1 describes the current problem using quantitative and qualitative data, demonstrating that GKC produces approximately 3,340 tons of waste each day, with 56% organic matter, 8% plastics, and 16% paper. Collection efficiency remains severely poor, at 31.5%. Informal recyclers known as Nakasha or Barkata collect approximately 7% of total waste, supporting roughly 3,900 people, whereas filthy open dumps and unsorted medical …
The Cobalt Curse: Cobalt’S Role And Risks,
2026
Fordham University
The Cobalt Curse: Cobalt’S Role And Risks, Marley Jackowitz
Student Theses 2015-Present
This paper examines the hidden environmental, geopolitical, economic, and social costs of the cobalt supply chain. Fueled by the demand for battery technology and electric vehicles, cobalt has become an essential element to the green energy transition. With the largest share of global cobalt deposits, the Democratic Republic of the Congo bears a disproportionate share of the industry’s harms. Cobalt mining in the DRC is marked by environmentally degrading practices and inhumane working conditions, compromising Congolese health, safety, and well-being. Chapter 1 discusses the environmental impacts of DRC cobalt mining and its adverse effects on public health. Environmentally degrading mining …
Comparing Awssi And Traditional Winter Metrics For Predicting Overwinter Survival Of Juvenile Walleye (Sander Vitreus),
2026
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Comparing Awssi And Traditional Winter Metrics For Predicting Overwinter Survival Of Juvenile Walleye (Sander Vitreus), Camille N. Shifrin
Honors Program: Senior Projects (Public)
Winter conditions are an important driver of recruitment variability in freshwater fishes, yet winter severity is often characterized using single climate metrics. These simplified approaches may not capture the cumulative stress experienced by fishes during winter. The Accumulated Winter Season Severity Index (AWSSI) integrates multiple components of winter climate and may therefore provide a more biologically relevant indicator of overwinter survival. In this study, we compared AWSSI with traditional winter severity metrics to explain interannual variation in overwinter survival of juvenile Walleye (Sander vitreus) in Harlan County Reservoir, Nebraska. Model comparisons using Akaike’s Information Criterion (AIC) indicated that …
Ecological Responses To Living Shoreline Restoration,
2026
University of South Alabama
Ecological Responses To Living Shoreline Restoration, Aaron S. Bland
Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)
Coastal built communities and natural coastal ecosystems face similar and interrelated hazards: shoreline sediment erosion, shoreline retreat, and worsening storms, each of which is exacerbated by relative sea level rise. Living shorelines are coastal defense projects that incorporate natural habitats to provide more sustainable shoreline defense and improve the coastal ecosystem. Living shorelines have been widely adopted, but their performance has been highly variable, and the mechanisms of project success and failure are unclear. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to better understand the ecosystem responses to coastal restoration, focusing on the primary habitats of coastal salt marsh and …
Investigating The Taxonomic Uncertainties Of Potentilla Rupincola,
2026
University of Northern Colorado
Investigating The Taxonomic Uncertainties Of Potentilla Rupincola, Natalie Elizabeth Hieber
Master's Theses
Landscape stewardship is an integral role for land managers that becomes more important when rare or endangered species occur within managed areas. Conservation across the landscape is a primary concern for land managers, but resources allocated for conservation can be limited due to many competing goals. Taxonomic uncertainty surrounding rare and endangered taxa, particularly plant taxa, that have historically been classified solely using morphological features further complicates conservation planning. One such taxon is Potentilla rupincola, a rare plant endemic to the eastern Rocky Mountains in Colorado. For over a century, botanists have debated whether P. rupincola is a distinct species …
Dendroclimatic Response Of The Wet Miombo Woodland Species: A Case Study Of Mufulira District, Copperbelt Province, Zambia,
2026
Indiana State University
Dendroclimatic Response Of The Wet Miombo Woodland Species: A Case Study Of Mufulira District, Copperbelt Province, Zambia, Collins Chibuye Malubeni
All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Zambia is a tropical, landlocked country that lies in the South-Central part of Africa. The climate in Zambia includes distinct dry and rainy seasons, mainly influenced by the north-south movement of the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ), which shifts seasonally. This research is focused on understanding the relationship between tree growth and climate using dendrochronology. Forty-nine tropical species, including Julbernardia paniculata, Brachystegia longifolia, and Pericopsis angolensis, were analysed for dendroclimatic potential, and 70% showed clear ring formation, indicating that trees in this locality produce distinct annual ring boundaries. For the single species chronology, thirteen cores from eight trees that were initially …
Population Structure And Connectivity Of Atlantic Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma Cirratum) In The Bahamas And Outlying Areas,
2026
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Population Structure And Connectivity Of Atlantic Nurse Sharks (Ginglymostoma Cirratum) In The Bahamas And Outlying Areas, Baylie A. Fadool
School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Understanding animal ecosystem dynamics and behavior at the individual and population levels is essential for identifying life-history patterns and important areas for management and conservation. Marine fish species often face minimal geographic barriers to movement, but environmental (temperature, salinity, current) or intrinsic barriers (philopatry, site fidelity) can dictate gene flow. Atlantic nurse sharks (Ginglymostoma cirratum) are an International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) listed ‘vulnerable’ species and present a unique opportunity to investigate patterns of population structure and connectivity in large-bodied sharks. They are benthic and display reproductive philopatry, with recent work suggesting they have the capacity …
Gaining Mussel: Evaluating Reintroduction Success Of Native Freshwater Mussels In Nebraska And Eastern Wyoming,
2026
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Gaining Mussel: Evaluating Reintroduction Success Of Native Freshwater Mussels In Nebraska And Eastern Wyoming, Travis A. Moore
School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research
Freshwater mussels are one of the most imperiled groups of organisms in North America, with over two-thirds of species considered threatened, endangered, or of special concern. These long-lived bivalves are essential to stream ecosystems, acting as filter feeders that improve water quality and as indicators of aquatic health. In Nebraska and Wyoming, native mussel populations have declined sharply due to habitat modification, pollution, and reduced connectivity. Two species of particular concern are the Plain Pocketbook Lampsilis cardium, listed as Tier I at-risk in Nebraska, and the Fatmucket Lampsilis siliquoidea, a Tier II at-risk species. In response, state agencies …
On The Paleontology Of Belize,
2026
East Tennessee State University
On The Paleontology Of Belize, Alson Ovando
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Paleontology can be considered an underrepresented and emerging area of science in Belize. A primary aim of this thesis is to provide a background of paleontology in Belize and present the first comprehensive study of Quaternary vertebrate fossils known from the country. Quaternary fossil sites across Belize include caves, rivers, and sinkholes. In addition to reviewing and assessing material from known sites, this thesis presents new information and discoveries that were made while investigating Belize’s Quaternary fossil record. This thesis also includes a geospatial model depicting ecoregions in Belize during the last glacial maximum. Overall, the results presented here demonstrate …
