Environmental Studies Commons^™

Ecological Storytelling In Traditional And Modern Resource Management Systems In Maine, Sarah Read

Honors Undergraduate Theses

The intent of this thesis is to explore the role that social norms and values play in natural resource management systems and to see how communities may spread their social norms through ecological storytelling. The Maine lobster industry and Wabanaki communities in Maine are used as two examples for resource management systems. The Maine lobster fishery is known for being one of the most sustainable fisheries in the world. Their history is examined for how their environmental values and social norms influenced their behavior and what led to the establishment of their strong conservation ethic. Wabanaki groups in Maine are …

Reforming The Solid Waste Management System: The Case Of Rural Areas In Egypt /إصلاح نظام إدارة النفايات الصلبة: حالة المناطق الريفية في مصر, Ahmed El Masry, Fatema El Ghonemy, Ibrahim Abugazia, Raghda El Khater

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

The policy paper tackles the issue of managing solid waste in rural areas in Egypt. It mainly targets the reform of the solid waste management system. The authors deal with rural areas specifically due to their importance and significance. In this context, the policy paper research demonstrated that the current solid waste management system in the governorates studied has a number of flaws and limitations. These issues show the inadequate solid waste management technical performance at the governorate level in terms of institutional, technical, financial, economic, and environmental factors, due to the lack of or ineffective solid waste management departments …

Book Review: Kathleen A. Cairns' At Home In The World: California Women And The Postwar Environmental Movement, Molly Mcclain

History: Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Evaluating Exploitation Of White Crappie And Black Crappie In Three Southeast Kansas Reservoirs, Danci Lee Johnston

Graduate Theses/Dissertations

Populations of white crappie Pomoxis annularis and black crappie P. nigromaculatus were studied in three southeast Kansas reservoirs to assess exploitation and determine if current regulations were conducive for sustainable populations. Trap nets were used to sample crappie in Elk City Reservoir, Big Hill Reservoir, and Parsons City Lake. Crappie with length 210 mm and greater were tagged with FloyFD-94 tags that served as entries into a drawing for a US$300-valued reward to encourage tag reporting. Harvest and angler demographic information were collected when tags were reported. Postcard surveys and motion-sensed cameras were used in conjunction to estimate angler effort …

Student Perceptions Of Messages Regarding Genetically Modified Organisms Delivered Using Creative Media, Faith Mills, Casandra K. Cox

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The purpose of this study was to determine how communicating authentic agricultural information using an infographic affects Millennial and Generation Z students’ perceptions of genetically modified organisms (GMO) and to determine the perceptions of college students regarding the infographic used to convey agricultural messages. This study used survey research methods with open- and closed-ended questions administered through Qualtrics. The questionnaire was designed with five sections including a pre-questionnaire, content presentation, post-questionnaire, infographic perception questionnaire, and demographics section. All questions in the pre- and post- questionnaire were focused on the content found in the researcher developed infographic. Overall, participants increased accuracy …

Preventative Weed Management Strategies In Arkansas Tomato Production, Gracie E. Morrison, Matthew Bertucci

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Cost-effective weed suppression is an important consideration for tomato growers. Growers often choose methods which minimize hand labor, as hand weeding can be prohibitively expensive. This project determined economic viability of high tunnel tomatoes treated with several methods of weed control, both organic and chemical. These methods included: 2-week hand weeding, 1-week hand weeding, preemergent herbicide application (plots sprayed with herbicide prior to weed emergence), straw mulch (plots bedded with straw), landscape fabric (plots covered in fabric), and untreated weedy control plots. These six treatments were applied to randomized blocks in a high tunnel. Weeding, planting, and harvesting were all …

Using Poultry To Enhance Food Security In Stann Creek, Belize, Emily Spatz, Lisa S. Wood

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Food insecurity is a growing issue in developing and developed countries alike, and in countries like Belize, the prevalence of hunger has soared in recent years. Not having access to diets with sufficient calories and nutrients leads to a host of developmental issues, including stunting and cognitive delays. The purpose of this work was to create an all-encompassing manual for small-scale poultry production in order to provide nourishment for the students and staff of a school in Belize. After determining that the best way to meet the school’s needs was through dual-purpose birds, background research was conducted to determine small-scale …

County Walkability And Small Business Receipts, Talia Perluss

Scripps Senior Theses

This thesis explores the correlation between county walkability and small business receipts, as well as other possible demographic variables that could explain the success of small businesses, by using a fixed-effect panel regression model. Using county-level data in the years 2012 and 2017, this paper finds that there is a significant correlation between an increase in walkability and an increase in receipts. When running the fixed-effect regressions, this paper found that there is a moderately high positive correlation between walkability and per capita income, suggesting that the effects of an increase in walkability may also capture the effects of an …

Ecocinema Theory And Practice 2, Stephen Rust, Salma Monani, Sean Cubitt

Gettysburg College Faculty Books

This second volume builds on the initial groundwork laid by Ecocinema Theory and Practice by examining the ways in which ecocritical cinema studies have matured and proliferated over the last decade, opening whole new areas of study and research.

Featuring fourteen new essays organized into three sections around the themes of cinematic materialities, discourses, and communities, the volume explores a variety of topics within ecocinema studies from examining specifc national and indigenous flm contexts to discussing ecojustice, environmental production studies, flm festivals, and political ecology. The breadth of the contributions exemplifes how ecocinema scholars worldwide have sought to overcome the …

Spokane Climate Project: Chapter 5, Fire And Smoke Impact Study For Spokane, Washington, Mike Peterson, Levi Keesecker, Wei Li, Terry Lawhead, Katherine Rowden, Joel Breems, Jerusha Hampson, Katherine Hegewisch, Gonzaga University Climate Institute

Climate, Water, and the Environment Research

Examines the rise in wildfire activity projected for Spokane and the Pacific Northwest throughout this century. Focusses on the health impacts that smoke from historical wildfires has had on Spokane’s residents and the health impacts that smoke from future wildfires is projected to have on Spokane residents.

The full version of this report as well as a full list of the citations and methodologies employed for this analysis can be found at the Spokane Climate Project website: https://www.spokaneclimateproject.org/.

Spokane Climate Project: Chapter 4, Streamflowimpact Study For Spokane, Washington, John Porcello, Kara Odegard, Karl Rains, Jule Schultz, Brad Morin, Gonzaga University Climate Institute

Climate, Water, and the Environment Research

Examines the impact that projected hydrological changes to the Spokane River will have on river recreation, Redband trout habitat, and the Spokane Valley-Rathdrum Prairie Aquifer.

The full version of this report as well as a full list of the citations and methodologies employed for this analysis can be found at the Spokane Climate Project website: https://www.spokaneclimateproject.org/.

Spokane Climate Project: Chapter 3, Snowfall Impact Study For Spokane, Washington, Brian G. Henning, Levi Keesecker, David Camp, Erik Budsberg, Gonzaga University Climate Institute

Climate, Water, and the Environment Research

Examines historical trends in snowfall for the Spokane region, future climate projections and mountain snow forecasts, and determines what these data suggests about the future of winter recreation at Spokane’s five-area ski resorts (Mt. Spokane Ski & Snowboard Park, 49 Degrees North Mountain Resort, Silver Mountain Resort, Schweitzer Mountain Resort, and Lookout Pass Ski Area).

The full version of this report as well as a full list of the citations and methodologies employed for this analysis can be found at the Spokane Climate Project website: https://www.spokaneclimateproject.org/.

Spokane Climate Project: Chapter 2, Precipitation Impact Study For Spokane, Washington, Joel Breems, Kevin Booth, Erich Seamon, Gonzaga University Climate Institute

Climate, Water, and the Environment Research

This chapter examines precipitation under projected future climate change in the Spokane area. The chapter focuses on potential climate impacts on dryland wheat farming due to the crop’s direct reliance on precipitation and economic importance to the region.

The full version of this report as well as a full list of the citations and methodologies employed for this analysis can be found at the Spokane Climate Project website: https://www.spokaneclimateproject.org/.

Regenerating Agroecosystems By Overcoming Human Exceptionalism In Designing For Increased Equity Of Benefits From Ecoservices, Ali Loker, Charles A. Francis

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Our commentary explores three critical issues related to ecosystem services. First is how ecoservices are currently designed and implemented primarily for human benefit without concern for how these impact other species. We conclude that awareness of this imbalance is the first step toward meaningful change. Second we observe that human exceptionalism guides most decisions, and ask whether we can overcome this mind-set to embrace ecoregeneration and design of resilient and mutually beneficial agroecosystems. Our attitude toward the challenge and moving toward greater humility about human roles that guide management decisions in the ecosystem is a requisite for change. Third we …

Environmental Displacement In The Anthropocene, Elizabeth Lunstrum, Pablo S. Bose

Environmental Studies Program Faculty Publications and Presentations

This intervention invites more substantial scholarly attention to human displacement in and of the Anthropocene—this current epoch in which humans have become the primary drivers of global environmental change—and sets out an initial framework for its study. The framework is organized around three interrelated contributions. First is the recognition that displacement is driven not just by climate change but also broader forms of environmental change defining the Anthropocene, including biodiversity loss, changes to land and water resources, and the buildup of nuclear debris, along with their intersections. Second, the framework parses out three distinct moments of displacement in the Anthropocene: …

Advances In Chemotactic And Non-Chemotactic Bioremediation Of Water: A Comprehensive Review, Sheetal Pardeshi, Prafulla Shede

Applied Environmental Research

Pollution has reached to a critical threshold affecting the climate and diversity of the planet Earth. All global authorities have included pollution control in their agenda for near future. Most of the environmental research nowadays is focused on removing waste generated by anthropogenic activities, may it be solid, liquid or gaseous waste. Bioremediation is believed to be the most eco-friendly approach for reducing or removing pollutants contaminating different matrices of the environment. There are various methods covered under the umbrella term of bioremediation. Chemotaxis-mediated bioremediation attracted attention of several research groups since early decade of twenty first century due to …

Soil Contamination And Risk Assessments On Selected Dumpsites Within The Basement Complex And Sedimentary Formations Of Ogun State, South-Western Nigeria, Akintayo O. Ojo, Oluwaseun T. Olurin, Oluseyi O. Adeleke

Applied Environmental Research

The concentrations of inorganic elements in soils of Saje, Ita-Oshin, Premier, and Oke-Diya dumpsites were determined using an X-Ray Fluorescence spectrometer to assess the soil quality through chronological changes with depths. A soil core sampler collects 56 samples at 20, 40, 60, and 80 cm depths. Saje showed high mean concentrations of Ca, K, Fe, Rb, and Ti at all depths, while Oke-Diya revealed high mean concentrations of Ca, K, Fe, Rb, Ti, Mn, Zn, V, Cr, and Ni at all depths. These concentrations were in a closed range suggesting a build-up of elements in the soil profiles. Oke-Diya had …

Occurrence Of Microplastics In The Asian Freshwater Environments: A Review, Farah Akmal Idrus, Noradriena Mohd Fadhli, Mohd Nasarudin Harith

Applied Environmental Research

Microplastics pollution has become a worldwide common problem. Despite the growing numbers in researches regarding the microplastics, the understanding of microplastics in the freshwater environment are still less. This paper overviews the present knowledge and findings on the occurrence of microplastics in water and sediment of the freshwater environments in Asia. The review also covers the size distribution, polymers, morphological characteristics and sources of microplastics to the freshwater systems. Perspective of the adsorption of heavy metals on the microplastics to the freshwater systems are also discussed in this review.

Ecological And Human Health Risk Assessment Of Heavy Metals By Consuming The Aquatic Plant Species Near An Electronic Waste Open Dumpsite In Thailand, Thitima Parkpoom, Somsak Intamat, Uraiwan Phoonaploy, Lamyai Neeratanaphan

Applied Environmental Research

Heavy metals from electronic waste (e-waste) accumulate in the environment and can affect human health. The purpose of this study was to determine As, Cd, Cr and Pb concentrations in water, sediment and three species of edible aquatic plants (Ottelia alismoides, Ipomoea aquatic and Marsilea crenata) near an e-waste open dumpsite. Samples were collected from six sampling points surrounding an e-waste open dumpsite and heavy metal concentrations were analyzed by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Bioaccumulation factors (BAFs), estimated daily intake (EDI), hazard quotient (HQ), hazard index (HI) and carcinogenic risk (CR) were evaluated in …

Assessing Vegetation Cover Change Using Remote Sensing: Case Study At Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, Nguyen Thi Huyen, Le Hoang Tu, Le Truong Ngoc Han, Vuong Thi Thuy, Dang Nguyen Dong Phuong, Nguyen Kim Loi

Applied Environmental Research

This study aims to present the application of remote sensing in monitoring vegetation change in Binh Duong Province, Vietnam. The study used Landsat 5 images in the year 2010 and Landsat 8 images in the years 2015 and 2020 to investigate the area of vegetation. The maximum likelihood classification method (MLC) was used to classify land cover and an accuracy matrix was computed to validate the classification results. The references data were collected to support classification and accuracy assessment processes including land use maps in 2010, 2015, and 2020. In addition, collected field points and UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) in …