Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Comparison Of Gravel Substrate Vs Soil Substrate For The Construction Of An Experimental Fen, Carolyn S. Langley

Theses and Dissertations

Under the Clean Water Act Section 404 of 1972 and 33 CFR 320-330 and 40 CFR 230 moderate the destruction of wetlands by the Air Force to make way for other uses. To obtain a permit for a design or construction project which affects a wetland, the Air Force must agree to create new wetlands, or replace lost wetland acreage through wetland creation or restoration. The Air Force is interested in building 'successful' wetlands as inexpensively as possible. It has been common practice to use hydric soil, which often had to be hauled in, as the substrate at the restored …

Evaluating The Feasibility Of Sequential Indicator Simulation In Reproducing Spatial Connectivity In A Heterogeneous Transmissivity Field, D. Duane Kenyon

Theses and Dissertations

A Non-Parametric estimation technique was used to simulate realizations of a heterogeneous transmissivity field based upon sampled values from three different sampling scenarios. These realizations were compared to output from a parametric estimation technique with respect to truth as defined by an exhaustive data set of 6,000 transmissivity values. Estimated transmissivity fields were then used as input into a flow model from which fields of heads and specific discharges were obtained and compared. Given the financial limitations imposed upon the number and quality of samples reasonably available, Sequential Indicator Simulation, a non-parametric technique, was shown to be of considerable value …

John Muir Newsletter, Winter 1995/96, John Muir Center For Regional Studies

Muir Center Newsletters (1981-2015)

John Muir Newsletter winter 1995-96 university of the pacific volume 6, number 1 HOW I FOUND SMOKEY JACK'S CAMP AND TWENTY-HILL HOLLOW ByRobert Bauer (Editor's note: When not raising turkeys, Robert Bauer is a graduate student in anthropology at California State University, Stanislaus, working on a master's thesis that places Muir and his work in the context of the land and people of the Sierra foothills between the Merced and Tuolumne rivers.) John Muir first came to eastern Merced County in 1868 by a circuitous route. Following a botanzing trip through Florida and Cuba, he was taken with a fever …

Decision Support Model To Optimize Site Characterization Activities Taken In Compliance With The Comprehensive Environmental Response Compensation And Liability Act, Daniel J. Clairmont

Theses and Dissertations

One of the most frequently cited reasons for the slow and costly progress of Superfund cleanups is the remedial investigation and feasibility study process (RI/FS). After each phase of the RI/FS process there are several possible alternatives that may be chosen. This research developed decision support models to help decision makers choose between the feasible alternatives at five different decision points during site characterization activities. The models make recommendations on how to deal with any particular chemical based on the risk posed by that chemical. The models assume that the value of characterizing the site further is a reduction in …

A Point Model Of Aquifer Cleanup With A Distribution Of First-Order Rate Parameters, Jon E. Hodge

Theses and Dissertations

Many try modeling groundwater contaminant transport to predict it. Is this possible with rate-limited processes, and under what conditions? On occasion, cleanups go slower than predicted (tailing) and hazardous concentrations reappear after cleanup is thought complete (rebound). Rate-limited transport is blamed by many. When immobile water is present, diffusion from varied sizes and shapes of immobile regions can cause varied rate limitations (due to varied diffusion path lengths). Although known, most modelers represent these varied rate-limiting processes with a single 'representative' rate-parameter. This can yield poor predictions for long-term experiments, and the parameter is generally time and pump-rate dependent. This …

Geostatistical Analysis Of Hydraulic Conductivity In Heterogeneous Aquifers, Craig S. Biondo

Theses and Dissertations

Observations of the spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity of the heterogeneous alluvial aquifer at Columbus Air Force Base in Mississippi are analyzed using parametric geostatistical approaches. Field studies have revealed that the heterogeneity of the aquifer hydraulic conductivity field controls the movement and dispersion of groundwater solutes. Therefore, a means of quantifying spatial variability is essential for the application of flow and solute transport models to practical problems. Application of these models requires a large number of hydraulic conductivity measurements. Geostatistical analysis and kriging estimation procedures assist in providing these large numbers of values when sampling designs have provided sparse …

The Effects Of Vegetative Canopies On Atmospheric Dispersion, John R. Lindell

Theses and Dissertations

This research was conducted to improve our understanding of the effects of vegetative canopy-induced turbulence on the dispersion of air pollution. The computer model most often used to calculate atmospheric dispersion is the Gaussian plume model, which requires some method to compute the downwind dispersions coefficients. These coefficients are a parameterization of the atmospheric stability or the level of turbulence in the atmosphere. The Environmental Protection Agency's recommended parameterization scheme is the Pasquill-Gifford method. By comparing the Pasquill-Gifford method to the Modified Mitchell method using sigma theta, the standard deviation of the horizontal wind fluctuations, the relative precision of each …

The Relationship Between Environmental Attitudes And Environmental Behaviors Among Air Force Members, Daniel T. Holt

Theses and Dissertations

A questionnaire was distributed to nearly 2,000 randomly selected active duty Air Force members assigned to locations throughout the continental United States. The survey was designed to determine the extent to which Air Force members expressed support for environmental issues. In addition, the survey measured how frequently Air Force members engaged in specific behaviors that were deemed environmentally protective. Although the Air Force members expressed relatively strong support for environmental issues, they only occasionally engaged in activities that contribute to the preservation or protection of the environment. Correlation analysis revealed that the pro-environmental attitudes were positively linked to the environmentally …

A Comparison Of Remediation Priorities Developed By The Defense Priority Model, The Relative Risk Evaluation Method, And A Quantitative Risk Assessment Approach, David M. Hunter

Theses and Dissertations

The Superfund, established by the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, seriously underestimated both the number of severely contaminated sites and the associated cleanup cost. The magnitude of projected cleanup costs, coupled with shrinking federal budgets, necessitated the development and use of risk-based prioritization models among some federal agencies. Among these tools, the DOD prioritization models are meant to give priority to sites posing the greatest threat to human health. Their failure to properly rank sites could incorrectly shift the focus from those that pose substantial risk to sites of lesser risk. The DOD site ranking …

A System Dynamics Approach To Modelling The Degradation Of Biochemical Oxygen Demand In A Constructed Wetland Receiving Stormwater Runoff, Leslie A. Mudgett

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this research was to develop a tool to aid the Air Force Environmental Manager in the identification of the design parameters of a constructed wetland system that may be optimized to provide a desired biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) removal efficiency during the treatment of Air Force stormwater runoff. The objective is achieved through the development and use of a system dynamics model which simulates the hydrological functions of a constructed wetland as well as the processes within the wetland responsible for degradation of BOD. Based on literature review, the primary mechanism responsible for the degradation of BOD …

A Comparison Of Response Surface Methodology And A One-Factor-At-A-Time Approach As Calibration Techniques For The Bioplume-Ii Simulation Model Of Contaminant Biodegradation, Benjamin Shuman

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis compared Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to the one-factor-at-a-time approach for calibrating the Bioplume-II simulation model of contaminant biodegradation. The MADE-2 data set from Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi was used. The one-factor-at-a-time approach reduced the root-mean-squared (RMS) error for the flow to 0.921225 feet in a total of 36 runs of Bioplume-II. The RSM approach reduced the error criterion to 0.918875 in a total of 47 runs. The one-factor-at-a-time approach was unable to reduce the error below 67.1831 parts per billion (ppb) after 21 runs. The RSM approach reduced the RMS error to 67.0327 ppb after 47 runs. …

Water!, Kirk J. Havens, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Wetlands Program

Reports

No abstract provided.

Dispersal Dynamics In A Wind-Driven Benthic System, John A. Commito, S. F. Thrush, R. D. Pridmore, J. E. Hewitt, V. J. Cummings

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Bedload and water column traps were used with simultaneous wind and water velocity measurements to study postlarval macrofaunal dispersal dynamics in Manukau Harbour, New Zealand. A 12-fold range in mean wind condition resulted in large differences in water flow (12-fold), sediment flux (285-fold), and trap collection of total number of individuals (95-fold), number of the dominant infaunal organism (84-fold for the bivalve Macomona liliana), and number of species (4-fold). There were very strong, positive relationships among wind condition, water velocity, sediment flux, and postlarval dispersal, especially in the bedload. Local density in the ambient sediment was not a good predictor …

A Sweet Home No More?: The Future For Habitat Protection Under The Endangered Species Act, Federico Cheever, Murray D. Feldman, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

A Sweet Home No More?: The Future for Habitat Protection Under the Endangered Species Act (November 29)

20 pages.

Includes bibliographical references and biographical information for Federico Cheever and Murray D. Feldman.

Contents:

Babbitt v. Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Greater Oregon / Federico Cheever -- The Sweet Home decision and private property issues / Murray D. Feldman -- Memorandum of Agreement between the State of Colorado and the Department of the Interior concerning programs to manage Colorado's declining native species

The U.S. Supreme Court decision in Babbitt v. Sweet Home Chapter of Communities for a Great Oregon,115 S.Ct. 2407 (1995), held that the Department of the Interior reasonably construed Congress' intent when it included …

American White Pelicans: The Latest Avian Problem For Catfish Producers, D. Tommy King

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Animal Damage Control offices in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi began receiving complaints concerning American white pelicans (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos) foraging in commercial channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) ponds in 1990. Because of the relatively shallow pond depth and high fish stocking rates used by most producers, commercial catfish ponds provide a near perfect foraging environment for American white pelicans. Since 1993, pelicans seem to have become more persistent in their foraging efforts and therefore, more difficult to disperse from catfish farms. Damage abatement recommendations have consisted of harassment measures similar to those used for other piscivorous birds, issuance of …

A Historical Perspective Of Catfish Production In The Southeast In Relation To Avian Predation, Donald F. Mott, Martin W. Brunson

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Production of aquaculture species, especially catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) in the Mississippi Delta, is a relatively new and expanding industry. Catfish production represents the largest dollar value of the aquaculture industry, accounting for approximately 50% of the entire industry. Mississippi is responsible for 82% of the total U.S. catfish production. Fish-eating bird populations have capitalized on this new food source. Double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus), great blue herons (Ardea herodias), and great egrets (Casmerodius albus) are the primary predators on catfish. Cormorant caused losses in excess of $2 million per year have been reported in …

Black Bear Damage In The Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Thomas H. White Jr., Catherine C. Shropshire, Mike Staten

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We surveyed 62 hunting clubs in the batture of the Mississippi River in Arkansas and Mississippi to determine the extent and severity of black bear (Ursus americanus) damage. Bear damage was more prevalent in Arkansas (70.6%) than in Mississippi (11.8%). Damage to deer stands was most common (43.8%), followed by damage to buildings (22.9%), getting in garbage (12.5%) and damage to wildlife food plots (10.4%). Cost estimates of bear damage averaged approximately $40 per incident over the past 5 years. Most (90.9%) clubs rated bear damage as either a slight nuisance or not important at this time, and …

The Professional Evolution Of Wildlife Damage Management, James E. Miller

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The term -- wildlife damage management, in lieu of animal damage control, vertebrate pest control, or nuisance animal control -- has become the currently recognized term for an area of wildlife management that a growing number of professionals spend a significant part of their time and/or career working in. The acceptance of this terminology is, however, a part of the continuing evolution of the profession and not simply a name change for political correctness. Admittedly, my purpose is not to validate or beg acceptance of this terminology. Rather, what I hope to do is to justify the underlying premise of …

Relationships Between Wild Turkeys And Raccoons In Central Mississippi, Charles D. Lovell, Darren A. Miller, George A. Hurst, Bruce D. Leopold

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Reduced trapping and hunting of predators has led to concerns that increased predator densities may affect game species populations. Therefore, we investigated effects of predation on the wild turkey population on Tallahala Wildlife Management Area (TWMA), Mississippi, from 1984-94. We also determined trends in raccoon trapping and hunter harvest in Mississippi. Predation of nests (eggs), nesting hens, and poults caused a population decline on TWMA. Most (88%) nest failures were caused by predation from 1984-94; raccoons were the dominant predator. Declining raccoon hunter harvest from 1980-94 was correlated with declining hunter effort. Trapping license sales and trapping harvest also declined. …

Ecology And Control Of Wildlife Damage To Electric Substations, Glenn R. Dudderar, Scott R. Winterstein, Wendy H. Sangster

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

This study addresses several aspects of the ecology and control of wildlife damage to electric substations because the amount of existing research is not sufficient to make informed decisions about how best to minimize that damage. Records of 121 incidents of animal-caused faults showed that 78% of the faults were caused by squirrels and raccoons and an average of 2,511 customers lost service during the outage caused by such a fault. Animal damage control measures were evaluated by observing challenges to control measures by raccoons and squirrels at a substation. The control measures were breached twice because they had not …

Efficacy Of Shooting Permits For Deer Damage Abatement In Wisconsin, Rick R. Horton, Scott R. Craven

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The efficacy of out-of-season shooting permits for deer damage abatement in Wisconsin has not been critically evaluated. We used deer damage shooting permits to remove 21 antlerless deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from 7 heavily damaged alfalfa fields to evaluate subsequent impact on crop damage. Volunteer shooters, using permits issued to the landowners, hunted a minimum of 3 nights/week throughout the growth of the third alfalfa crop (Aug. 1 - late Sept.). We calculated the difference between the assessed damage to the second crop (untreated) and the third crop (treated) on treatment and control farms. We found no significant difference …

Survey Of Black Bear Depredation In Agriculture In Massachusetts, Sandra A. Jonker, James A. Parkhurst

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Black bear (Ursus americanus) depredation in agriculture has become an increasing concern in Massachusetts. Complaints from apiarists, corn growers, and livestock producers have increased 167% during the period 1980 to 1990, but whether this increase truly represents more depredation, response of bears to other factors, or simply better reporting/record keeping has not been determined. The bear population in Massachusetts from 1984 to 1989 increased 50% to approximately 700-750 animals statewide. Subsequent estimates (1995) have placed the bear population around 1,200 animals. Concurrent encroachment of human development into prime bear habitat also increased contact between bears and humans. During …

Black Bear Damage Management In Washington State, Georg J. Ziegltrum, Dale L. Nolte

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Black bears (Ursus americanus) foraging on trees can be extremely detrimental to the health and economic value of a timber stand. A supplemental feeding program to reduce bear damage is coordinated by the Washington Forest Protection Association's Animal Damage Control Program (ADCP). A brief overview of the ADCP is provided along with a description of bear damage and the supplemental feeding program. Success of the feeding program is demonstrated by an increasing participation and its general acceptance by the public. Timber producers placed over 400 thousand pounds of pellets in 700 feeding stations this past year.

Apple Production, Vole Control, And Wild Turkeys: Finding A Balance In Vermont, Richard B. Chipman, Dennis Slate, Abigal J. Duke, Lorraine Berkett, Douglas Blodgett

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) and pine voles (Microtus pinetorum) cause extensive damage to apple trees by gnawing and girdling trunk and root systems. In 1991, approximately 70% of Vermont's 90 commercial apple producers were using zinc phosphide (ZP) treated cracked corn to manage vole damage. From November 1991 through January 1992, 36 confirmed wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) deaths were attributed to the broadcast application of ZP treated cracked com in Vermont orchards. As a result of public concern regarding impacts to nontarget wild turkeys, a working group was formed with representation of various state …

Pesticide Use By The Federal/Cooperative Animal Damage Control (Adc) Program, 1988-1991, Gus Connolly

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

ADC personnel use many wildlife damage control methods including pesticide products. This paper presents a national overview of the kinds and amounts of chemical pesticides used by ADC in direct control activities during Fiscal Years (FY) 1988-1991. The pesticides used by ADC included aluminwn phosphide, 4-aminopyridine, bone tar oil, brodifacoum, carbon, alpha-chloralose, cholecalciferol, DRC-1339, fenthion, glyphosate, immobilizing & euthanizing drugs, mineral oil, PA-14, phosphorus, polybutene, sodium cyanide, sodium fluoroacetate, sodium nitrate, strychnine, sulfur, and zinc phosphide. This summary shows that ADC personnel used remarkably small amounts of chemicals during FY 1988- 1991. Overall amounts of pesticides used by ADC …

Blackbirds And Starling Killed At Winter Roosts From Pa-14 Applications, 1974-1992: Implications For Regional Population Management, Richard A. Dolbeer, Donald F. Mott, Jerrold L. Belant

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The surfactant PA-14, registered with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 1973 by the federal Animal Damage Control (ADC) program, was used for 19 years (1974-1992) for lethal control of roosting blackbirds (Icterinae) and European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) in the United States. In 1992, the ADC program withdrew the registration of PA-14 because of costs required to provide additional EPA-requested data. There were 83 roosts encompassing 178 ha treated with 33,300 L of PA-14 from 1974-1992. An estimated 38.2 million birds (48% common grackles [Ouiscalus quiscula], 30% European starlings, 13% red-winged blackbirds [ …

Extirpation Of A Recently Established Feral Pig Population In Kansas, Chad D. Richardson, Philip S. Gipson, David P. Jones, James C. Luchsinger

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Most feral pigs (Sus scrofa) are descendants of domestic swine that have gone wild and their reproduction is uncontrolled by man. A few populations may be descendants of European wild boar or crosses between wild boar and domestic swine. Disease control officials report that 23 states have established populations of feral pigs and the total feral pig population in the United States is probably in excess of 2 million animals. A population of feral pigs was documented in the fall of 1993 on the Fort Riley Military Installation in northeastern Kansas. Biologists from the Fort Riley Natural Resources …

Can Predator Trapping Improve Waterfowl Recruitment In The Prairie Pothole Region?, Frank C. Rohwer, Pamela R. Garrettson, Ben J. Mense

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We contrasted nest success for control areas and experimental areas in eastern North Dakota where we employed professionals to trap mammalian nest predators from late March to late July. In 1995, dabbling ducks averaged 53% nest success on four treatment blocks of 4,150 ha each; whereas on four control areas upland nesting ducks averaged 24% success. Diving duck nest success averaged 57% on experimental areas and 29% on control areas. American coot (Fulica americana) nest success also improved on experimental areas, but blackbird nesting and fledging success were not affected by the treatment In 1994, nest success of …

Prey Availability And Selection By Mountain Lions In The Aravaipa-Klondyke Area Of Arizona, Stan C. Cunningham

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Prey selection by mountain lions (Felis concolor) in the Aravaipa-Klondyke area (2,000 km²) in southeastern Arizona was studied from February 1991 through September 1993. Overall diet from frequency of occurrence as determined from 370 scats was: 48% deer (white-tailed and mule deer combined), 34% cattle, 17% javelina, 6% rabbit (cottontail and jackrabbit), 4% rodent, and 2% desert bighorn. Using a correction factor developed by Ackerman et al. (1984), we also estimated percent biomass and proportion of individuals killed. With respect to biomass consumed, cattle was 44%, deer 40%, javelina 10.9%, rabbits 2.9%, and rodents 0.02%. Based …

A Strategy For Integrating Principles And Concepts Of Wildlife Damage Control Into The School Curriculum, Thomas A. Eddy

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

This paper reports an approach to educating today's youth concerning the importance of regulating numbers of wildlife species that threaten property, products and health. The emphases are on preparing teachers to integrate principles and concepts into the existing curricular materials, justifying control measures with ecological understandings and economic information and dealing effectively with sensitive animal rights issues. Opportunities for integration of specific wildlife damage control topics are suggested for lessons in the life sciences, social sciences, health, language arts and mathematics. Examples of conflict between groups of different opinions about the seriousness of a pest's activities or appropriateness of control …