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Full-Text Articles in Physical Sciences and Mathematics

An Extraordinary Patch Of Feral Hog Damage In Florida Before And After Initiating Hog Removal, Richard M. Engeman, John Woolard, Henry T. Smith, Jean Bourassa, Bernice U. Constantin, Daniel Griffin Jan 2007

An Extraordinary Patch Of Feral Hog Damage In Florida Before And After Initiating Hog Removal, Richard M. Engeman, John Woolard, Henry T. Smith, Jean Bourassa, Bernice U. Constantin, Daniel Griffin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are a particularly destructive exotic species in the United States (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1999), including Florida, which, along with Hawaii, is one of 2 states cited as having the most severe invasive species problems (U.S. Congress 1993) in the country. First introduced to North America by the European colonists (Conover 2007) hogs were one of the first invasive exotic species to take hold in Florida. They can transmit disease to livestock (Hartin et al. 2007) and humans (Conover and Vail 2007). They impose a variety of negative environmental impacts, including habitat degradation and …


Range Size, Habitat Use, And Dial Activity Of Feral Hogs On Reclaimed Surface-Mined Lands In East Texas, Robert C. Mersinger, Nova J. Silvy Jan 2007

Range Size, Habitat Use, And Dial Activity Of Feral Hogs On Reclaimed Surface-Mined Lands In East Texas, Robert C. Mersinger, Nova J. Silvy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

During the last decade, surface lignite mines in eastern Texas have experienced damage by feral hogs (Sus scrofa) to reclaimed areas. Specifically, feral hogs have caused damage to plants used in reclamation. In addition to vegetative losses, erosion control problems and water quality impacts have been noted. Big Brown Lignite Mine in Freestone County, Texas, had tried to control feral hogs through year-long trapping, which proved expensive. We hypothesized that hogs were using reclaimed areas only at night and seasonally. If so, knowledge of travel lanes into the mine and seasonal use would help concentrate trapping efforts and …


Appreciating Feral Hogs: Extension Education For Diverse Stakeholders In Texas, Dale Rollins, Billy J. Higginbotham, Kenneth A. Cearly, R. Neal Wilkins Jan 2007

Appreciating Feral Hogs: Extension Education For Diverse Stakeholders In Texas, Dale Rollins, Billy J. Higginbotham, Kenneth A. Cearly, R. Neal Wilkins

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Texas harbors the largest population of feral hogs (Sus scrofa) in the United States, with populations estimated at >2 million. Depending on one’s perspective, feral hogs are either a pariah (from the farmer’s standpoint) or a popular sporting animal (from a hunter’s standpoint). As feral hogs increase in range and density, conflicts among stakeholders are sure to increase. Texas Cooperative Extension (TCE) initiated educational programs in 1991 to address concerns regarding the presence and management of feral hogs. Since that time, we have developed various workshops, symposia, and educational materials (e.g., print, videotape, and website) as means of …


Are Coyotes Right- Or Left-Handed, And Who Cares?, Michael J. Bodenchuk Jan 2007

Are Coyotes Right- Or Left-Handed, And Who Cares?, Michael J. Bodenchuk

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The sheep killer left the pasture with his belly completely full of lambs. He’d killed and consumed 2 this night, obviously more than he needed for himself. But back at the den 8 hungry pups demanded more and more meat, and this was not his first foray into the pasture.


Evolution Of The Field Of Wildlife Damage Management In The United States And Future Challenges, James E. Miller Jan 2007

Evolution Of The Field Of Wildlife Damage Management In The United States And Future Challenges, James E. Miller

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Through the early twentieth century, people in rural areas of North America either dealt with problems caused by wildlife by killing the problem species, eliminating its habitat, changing crops or husbandry practices, tolerating the damage, or moving to a new area devoid of such problem animals. However, many of these solutions are impractical today with the increase in human populations, the increased expansion of development into previously rural landscapes, the increased fragmentation of land ownership, and the increasing movement of people into metropolitan areas. Because of current local, state, and federal ordinances and regulations, along with the impacts of animal …


Successful Use Of Neck Snares To Live-Capture Red Foxes, S. Nicole Frey, Michael R. Conover, Gary Cook Jan 2007

Successful Use Of Neck Snares To Live-Capture Red Foxes, S. Nicole Frey, Michael R. Conover, Gary Cook

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Box traps and foot-hold snares are common methods to live-capture study animals. However, these methods are frequently ineffective due to factors such as weather constraints, food availability, and target animal behavior. During a study of red fox (Vulpes vulpes) behavior, we examined the use of neck snares to live-trap study animals. We modified the neck snare using swivel cam-locks, deer stops to minimize damage to the animal. Additionally, we utilized our knowledge of red-fox behavior to set traps in …


In Memory, Spring 2007, Human-Wildlife Conflicts Jan 2007

In Memory, Spring 2007, Human-Wildlife Conflicts

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Kenny Acord lost his year-long battle with cancer on June 30, 2006. He was 25. Kenny was the son of Bobby Acord, the former deputy administrator of USDA/APHIS/Wildlife Services. Kenny earned an M.S. degree in anthropology/archeology at Northern Arizona University in 2005. He was employed by the National Park Service as an archeologist at Navajo National Monument. He is survived by his true love and partner DeeAnn Tracy, his parents Bobby and Anna Acord, and his sister Leigh Anna Willard.


Joe Stell's Life, Career, & Contributions, Susan Kelly Jan 2007

Joe Stell's Life, Career, & Contributions, Susan Kelly

Water Matters!

Representative Joe Stell's retirement after 20 years in the New Mexico Legislature has many people wondering: How will we fare without his knowledge and history ofNew Mexico water matters? Stell viewed one of his most important roles as that of helping new legislators get up to speed on w ater issues. We hope that Water Matters! may assist in this role by providing legislators with background information on some of the issues they will encounter. The Utton Center also wanted to acknowledge Joe Stell's outstanding service to New Mexico, and we have therefore included a brief sketch about his career, …


Ipm And Iwdm: Is There A Difference?, Michael J. Bodenchuck Jan 2007

Ipm And Iwdm: Is There A Difference?, Michael J. Bodenchuck

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Integrated pest management (IPM) has been the model for pest management for more than half a century. IPM has been defined as “the process of integrating and applying practical methods of prevention and control to keep pest situations from reaching damaging levels while minimizing potentially harmful effects of pest control measures on humans, nontarget species and the environment” (USDA 1994). The IPM model taught in invertebrate pest management classes includes the concept of an economic threshold (a level at which the benefits of control exceed the costs of the damage plus the costs of control). The methods which are “integrated” …


Intrafield Patterns Of Wildlife Damage To Corn And Soybeans In Northern Indiana, Travis L. Devault, James C. Beasley, Lee A. Humberg, Brian J. Macgowan, Mónica I. Retamosa, Ollin E. Rhodes Jr. Jan 2007

Intrafield Patterns Of Wildlife Damage To Corn And Soybeans In Northern Indiana, Travis L. Devault, James C. Beasley, Lee A. Humberg, Brian J. Macgowan, Mónica I. Retamosa, Ollin E. Rhodes Jr.

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Management programs aimed at reducing wildlife damage to row crops rely on information concerning the spatial nature of wildlife damage at local and landscape scales. In this study we explored spatial patterns of wildlife damage within individual corn and soybean fields by describing relationships between specific locations where wildlife damage was recorded and distances from such locations to various habitat types that presumably influenced animal abundance and movements in our study area. Using stratified random sampling, we conducted depredation surveys of 100 corn fi elds and 60 soybean fields from May through October both in 2003 and 2004 and recorded …


A Tribute To Frederick F. Knowlton, William H. Clay Jan 2007

A Tribute To Frederick F. Knowlton, William H. Clay

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Dr. Fredrick F. Knowlton officially retired on March 31, 2007, with well over 45 years of service to the USDA/Wildlife Services. Fred worked at Wildlife Services’ National Wildlife Research Center Field Station in Logan, Utah, for 35 years alone! His work on coyotes and other species has had an extraordinary impact on the science and management of coyotes. Things that we take for granted today about the life history of coyotes were the result of Fred’s tireless ambition to understand these animals and to improve our ability to manage them. One of our agency’s first Ph.D. hires, Fred produced about …


In Memory: A Tribute To Glen Stevenson And Joe Harris, Angie Dustin Jan 2007

In Memory: A Tribute To Glen Stevenson And Joe Harris, Angie Dustin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Joe and Glen you could depend on
Along the river and the breaks
In rough country and wild weather
They’d be the ones you’d take

Pure poetry in motion
As across the hills they’d fly
Excitement in the hunt
And the freedom of the sky

We’ll pick up the radio
And try to call -‘57’
It’s then that it will hit us
As we gaze into the heavens

Whenever we hear the engine
Of a plane in distant sky
We’ll …


Book Review: The Beast In The Garden: A Modern Parable Of Man And Nature, Nicole Mccoy Jan 2007

Book Review: The Beast In The Garden: A Modern Parable Of Man And Nature, Nicole Mccoy

Human–Wildlife Interactions

When I first read The Beast in the Garden shortly aft er the release of the hardback edition in 2004, I was reminded of the exchange quoted above in the movie, “The Matrix.” Neo (Mr. Anderson) survived. Scott Lancaster, a teenage athlete running in the hills outside of his Colorado high school, died. He probably never heard the mountain lion that stalked and killed him, but after reading David Baron’s book, I believe we should have. Had our ears been attuned to the proper frequency, the mountain lion’s approach would have been as loud as the subway train that spelled …


Birth Control Is Not For Everyone: A Response, Allen T. Rutberg Jan 2007

Birth Control Is Not For Everyone: A Response, Allen T. Rutberg

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In her Soap Box critique of wildlife contraception (HWC 2007), Elizabeth Bingham makes 2 basic points (if she will forgive my distillation of a complex set of arguments). She argues, first, that wildlife contraception is too expensive and too slow to act to meet the needs of farmers, ranchers, and other business people who suffer losses from wildlife damage. Second, she argues, inflated expectations for the problem-solving capacity of wildlife contraception are driving more attention and research money into wildlife contraception than a more hard-headed evaluation would warrant.


Avoiding Confl Icts Between Wildlife Professionals And Local Hunters Over Efforts To Eradicate Exotic Game Species, Hans Sin Jan 2007

Avoiding Confl Icts Between Wildlife Professionals And Local Hunters Over Efforts To Eradicate Exotic Game Species, Hans Sin

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife damage management, by its nature, is conducive to a variety of conflicts within society, whether it is the method of management or the management itself. Conflicts within society are common, and people with diverse opinions and values may disagree about how wildlife or natural resources should be managed. Opinions can vary among different interest groups (e.g., backpackers, wildlife viewers, and hunters) that have invested time and money in the resource. Eradication efforts of big game to preserve threatened or endangered plants or wildlife have been a source of controversy among various local hunter groups, especially on island ecosystems, such …


Foraging Preferences Of Captive Canada Geese Related To Turfgrass Mixtures, Brian E. Washburn, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans Jan 2007

Foraging Preferences Of Captive Canada Geese Related To Turfgrass Mixtures, Brian E. Washburn, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Overabundant populations of Canada geese (Branta canadensis) cause economic and safety concerns associated with collisions with civil and military aircraft. Habitat management techniques that reduce the use of airfield habitats by geese might reduce these concerns. The objective of this study was to determine if captive Canada geese exhibited a foraging preference between a vegetation mixture consisting mostly of perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne) and white clover (Trifolium repens) versus an endophyte-infected tall fescue- (Festuca arundinacea) based vegetation mixture.


The Role Of Knowledge In Developing People Skills, Ben C. West Jan 2007

The Role Of Knowledge In Developing People Skills, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As I noted in the last issue of Human–Wildlife Conflicts, wildlife professionals have historically been lambasted for poorly-developed people skills (West 2007). Moreover, I suggested that full development of any skill relies on knowledge, practice, and feedback. To become a top-notch golfer, for example, one must intellectually understand many things, including rules of the game, layout of golf courses, biomechanics of swinging a golf club, situational advantages and disadvantages or different sized clubs, and many other things. However, to have that knowledge is not enough to be a great golfer; one must also apply that knowledge to the game …


The Changing Face Of Wildlife Damage Management, William H. Clay Jan 2007

The Changing Face Of Wildlife Damage Management, William H. Clay

Human–Wildlife Interactions

On behalf of the Wildlife Services program, I’m pleased to provide some thoughts for this initial issue of Human–Wildlife Conflicts regarding the changing face of wildlife damage management. Having been in this profession for more than 25 years, I have witnessed firsthand the growth and evolution of wildlife damage management programs across the country. The entire field of wildlife damage management has been in a period of change during the past 15 to 20 years. Wildlife damage managers making decisions in today’s environment must now consider a wide range of legitimate public interests that often conflict with one another. These …


Perceptions Of Wildlife Damage And Species Conservation: Lessons Learned From The Utah Prairie Dog, R. Dwayne Elmore, Terry A. Messmer, Mark W. Brunson Jan 2007

Perceptions Of Wildlife Damage And Species Conservation: Lessons Learned From The Utah Prairie Dog, R. Dwayne Elmore, Terry A. Messmer, Mark W. Brunson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The Utah prairie dog (Cynomys parvidens), a federally listed threatened species, causes damage to agricultural operations, yet little incentive exists for private landowners to conserve them. Therefore, we surveyed Utah residents to identify stakeholder attitudes regarding prairie dog management. We assessed how perceptions of wildlife damage affect respondent attitudes regarding conservation among agricultural producers, rural residents, and urban residents. Higher levels of perceived wildlife damage were reported for agriculture respondents …


Comparison Of Sampling Strategies To Estimate Abundance Of Double-Crested Cormorants In Western Mississippi, Aaron T. Pearse, Brian S. Dorr, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Richard M. Kaminski Jan 2007

Comparison Of Sampling Strategies To Estimate Abundance Of Double-Crested Cormorants In Western Mississippi, Aaron T. Pearse, Brian S. Dorr, Stephen J. Dinsmore, Richard M. Kaminski

Human–Wildlife Interactions

We compared 2 sampling strategies designed to estimate abundance of double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus, hereafter cormorants) on aquaculture ponds in western Mississippi. Cormorants are a major predator of cultured channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in this region; thus, estimating cormorant abundance is needed to better determine their economic impact. We independently designed a species-specific survey (i.e., cluster sampling) and a general survey (i.e., transect sampling) based on robust probability sampling theory to estimate abundance of this target population. During winters 2002–2003 and 2003–2004, we conducted 8 pairs of surveys and compared estimates of cormorant abundance and associated …


Expanding Bear Populations Bring New Challenges To State Wildlife Agencies, Robert Southwick Jan 2007

Expanding Bear Populations Bring New Challenges To State Wildlife Agencies, Robert Southwick

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In the 1800s, bears were almost eliminated from the United States because they were seen as a threat to humans and livestock and were labeled pests. Now, bear populations are growing and becoming more widely dispersed. Their numbers are increasing and continually extending into new territories, including suburban areas. Suburban developments also are expanding into already established bear territory. This helps to explain that while state wildlife agencies estimate bear populations have increased 12% nationally during the past 5 years, bear complaints have increased 19%, personnel hours to resolve complaints have increased 22%, and state agency expenditures to control bear …


Developing People Skills In The Human–Wildlife Conflict Community, Ben C. West Jan 2007

Developing People Skills In The Human–Wildlife Conflict Community, Ben C. West

Human–Wildlife Interactions

As I travel across the country talking with wildlife professionals about leadership and communication, I often ask groups this question: “How many of you decided to become a wildlife biologist because you just love working with people?” Believe it or not, I’ve never witnessed the raising of a single hand.


Interactions: Newsletter Of The Wildlife Society Wildlife Damage Management Working Group, Interactions: Volume 13 Issue 3 Fall 2007 Jan 2007

Interactions: Newsletter Of The Wildlife Society Wildlife Damage Management Working Group, Interactions: Volume 13 Issue 3 Fall 2007

TWS Wildlife Damage Management Working Group Newsletter

Let Ters From Art The Wildlife Society Annual Conference Is Approaching Fast; Call For Manuscri PTS Issue of Human-Wildlife Conflicts To Focus On Large Predators; Wildlife Damage Working Group Business Proposed Change to Wildlife Damage Managmenet Working Group Charter; C All For Papers : International Beaver Ecology And Management Workshop Phoenix, Arizona October 9-12, 2007; Focus On The Field Agnic Wildlife Damage Management; Calls From The Field (Or A House, Or A Farm, Or A…); Humane Society Getting Into the Private Nuiance Wildlife Control Business; Call For Papers : 23rd Vertebrate Pest Confrence March 17-20, 2008 San Diego, California; Fall …


Wpływ Dużej Spalarni Odpadów Przemysłowych I Niebezpiecznych Na Jakość Powietrza, Robert Oleniacz, Lidia Rusztowicz Jan 2007

Wpływ Dużej Spalarni Odpadów Przemysłowych I Niebezpiecznych Na Jakość Powietrza, Robert Oleniacz, Lidia Rusztowicz

Robert Oleniacz

Waste incineration causes unavoidable pollutant emissions to atmosphere and thus negative impact on air quality, but scale of the influence is often exaggerated. In the paper computation results of the atmospheric dispersion of pollutants were presented for one of the largest industrial and hazardous waste incineration plant existing in Poland (processing capacity: 3 ton per hour). These results confirm the fact that the incinerator meets the requirements of best available techniques (BAT) for the waste incineration and its impact on air quality is relatively small. This effect is caused mainly by proper operation of the rotary kiln incinerator, high efficiency …


Analiza Wpływu Planowanego Zakładu Termicznego Przekształcania Odpadów Komunalnych Na Jakość Powietrza W Krakowie, Robert Oleniacz, Maria Pilch Jan 2007

Analiza Wpływu Planowanego Zakładu Termicznego Przekształcania Odpadów Komunalnych Na Jakość Powietrza W Krakowie, Robert Oleniacz, Maria Pilch

Robert Oleniacz

Construction of the Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) plant is considered optimal in the Programme of Management of Solid Waste in Krakow as well as in proposed scenarios of Municipal Waste Management. Evaluation of impact of the incineration plant with a capacity of 255000 tons per year on air quality in Krakow is presented in this work. The evaluation is based on assumption that air pollutant emissions from the incinerator will be at the highest allowed level resulting from emission limit values for waste incineration plants with operation time each of two planned lines 7500 hours per year. Calculation results …


Multivariate Analysis Of Groundwater And Soil Data From A Waste Disposal Site, Kevin G. Mumford, John F. Macgregor, Sarah E. Dickson, Richard H. Frappa Jan 2007

Multivariate Analysis Of Groundwater And Soil Data From A Waste Disposal Site, Kevin G. Mumford, John F. Macgregor, Sarah E. Dickson, Richard H. Frappa

Sarah E Dickson

Environmental site investigations often involve the collection and analysis of hundreds of samples producing data sets that contain thousands of data points, which are difficult and time consuming to analyze. Consequently, investigators often focus on key surrogate parameters for site characterization and remedial action planning and assessment, which results in a large portion of the data collected remaining unused. This study presents the application of principal component analysis (PCA) as an efficient statistical technique to examine large environmental data sets through highlighting patterns in a reduced-variable space. In this work, PCA was applied to ground water and soil data collected …


Refuge Update – January/February 2007, Volume 4, Number 1 Jan 2007

Refuge Update – January/February 2007, Volume 4, Number 1

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Rare Bee Species in South Carolina
Focus: Engaging the Next Generation
Wilderness Training
Bird Call


Fundulus As The Premier Teleost Model In Environmental Biology: Opportunities For New Insights Using Genomics, Karen G. Burnett, Lisa J. Bain, William S. Baldwin, Gloria V. Callard, Sarah Cohen, Richard T. Di Giulio, David H. Evans, Marta Gómez-Chiarri, Mark E. Hahn, Cindi A. Hoover, Sibel I. Karchner, Fumi Katoh, Deborah L. Maclatchy, William S. Marshall, Joel N. Meyer, Diane E. Nacci, Marjorie F. Oleksiak, Bernard B. Rees, Thomas D. Singer, John J. Stegeman, David W. Towle, Peter A. Van Veld, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Andrew Whitehead, Richard N. Winn, Douglas L. Crawford Jan 2007

Fundulus As The Premier Teleost Model In Environmental Biology: Opportunities For New Insights Using Genomics, Karen G. Burnett, Lisa J. Bain, William S. Baldwin, Gloria V. Callard, Sarah Cohen, Richard T. Di Giulio, David H. Evans, Marta Gómez-Chiarri, Mark E. Hahn, Cindi A. Hoover, Sibel I. Karchner, Fumi Katoh, Deborah L. Maclatchy, William S. Marshall, Joel N. Meyer, Diane E. Nacci, Marjorie F. Oleksiak, Bernard B. Rees, Thomas D. Singer, John J. Stegeman, David W. Towle, Peter A. Van Veld, Wolfgang K. Vogelbein, Andrew Whitehead, Richard N. Winn, Douglas L. Crawford

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

A strong foundation of basic and applied research documents that the estuarine fish Fundulus heteroclitus and related species are unique laboratory and field models for understanding how individuals and populations interact with their environment. In this paper we summarize an extensive body of work examining the adaptive responses of Fundulus species to environmental conditions, and describe how this research has contributed importantly to our understanding of physiology, gene regulation, toxicology, and ecological and evolutionary genetics of teleosts and other vertebrates. These explorations have reached a critical juncture at which advancement is hindered by the lack of genomic resources for these …


Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Jan 2007

Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus)

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

Second only to humans in adapting to climate extremes, gray wolves once ranged from coast to coast and from Alaska to Mexico in North America. They were absent from the East and the Southeast, which were occupied by red wolves (Canis rufus), and from the large deserts in the southwestern States. By the early 20th century, government-sponsored predator control programs and declines in prey brought gray wolves to near extinction in the lower 48 States.

Wolf groups, or packs, typically include a breeding pair (the alpha pair), their offspring, and other non-breeding adults. Wolves are capable of mating …


Wolf Recovery In North America Jan 2007

Wolf Recovery In North America

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

Before the arrival of European settlers, wolves ranged widely across the continent, from coast to coast and from Canada to Mexico. Two species are found in North America, the gray wolf, with its various subspecies, and the red wolf, found in the southeastern United States.

Wolves play an important role as predators in the ecosystems they inhabit. They feed primarily on large mammals, such as deer and elk, removing sick and injured animals from the populations. Wolves are highly social, living in packs and hunting and raising young cooperatively.

As the country was settled, native prey species declined and the …