Physical Sciences and Mathematics Commons^™

Influence Of Water Supply On Farm Productivity In The North-Eastern Wheatbelt, E J. Hauck

Resource management technical reports

In the area with reliable reticulated water supplies, average what yield, average wool production and average number of sheep per pastured hectare showed a positive correlation with annual rainfall in all but one year. By contrast, in the area served by on-farm water supplies only, average wheat yield and annual rainfall were strongly correlated, whereas average wool production and average number of sheep per pastured hectare showed a weaker correlation with annual rainfall. These correlations suggest tt on farms with a reliable water supply, livestock numbers have been adjusted annually to ensure optimum utilisation of available feed in all seasons.

Water Quality In Chesapeake Bay : Virginia Portion, Water Year 1988 : A Report To The Virginia Water Control Board, Kevin Curling, Bruce Neilson

Reports

The purpose of this report is to characterize water quality conditions during the 1988 water year, October 1987 through September 1988. For the most part, the information is provided in graphical format. Only data for the Virginia portion of Chesapeake Bay is included. No data analysis or interpretation is included, since this is the stated purpose of several other reports. This report will be useful to both scientists and managers who need ready access to some portion of the data on a regular basis. With this report it is possible to quickly examine seasonal patterns, compare conditions at two stations, …

Tidal Freshwater Swamps Of The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Richard D. Rheinhardt, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science, Wetlands Program

Reports

No abstract provided.

Bill #92-12-S - Construction Of Recycling Center Wall, Wku Student Government Association

Student Government Association

Bill to build a wall to enclose the recycling center.

Survey Of Mollusks Of The Platte River: Final Report, Patricia W. Freeman, Keith Perkins

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A survey of the mollusks of the Platte River was carried out during the summers of 1990 and 1991. With the exception of the Big Bend Reach of the River in Dawson, Buffalo and Hall counties, no unionids (mussels) were found in the main channel of the river. We found 11 species of mussels along the river and 16 species of snails at 49 different sites from east to west across the state. We found the Asiatic clam, a known, non-native, pest species, for the first time in the state placing it several hundred miles west of the present eastern …

Bill #92-05-S - Recycling Drop-Off Center, Wku Student Government Association

Student Government Association

Bill regarding the creation of a recycling center.

The Virginia Wetlands Report Vol. Vii, No. 1, Virginia Institute Of Marine Science

Virginia Wetlands Reports

• Dredge Spoil Oysters. Walter I. Priest, III
• Marsh Wren. Julie G. Bradshaw
• Dredge Spoil Oysters. Walter I. Priest, III
• Spotted Seatrout. Lyle Varnell
• A Local Board’s Experience with Civil Charges and Penalties. Edwin Rosenberg

Identifying Chemical Hazards For Regulation: The Scientific Basis And Regulatory Scope Of California's Proposition 65 List Of Carcinogens And Reproductive Toxicants, William S. Pease

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Noting that the Proposition 65 list has become an authoritative source for hazard identification, Dr. Pease examines its legislative, regulatory and scientific origins. After analyzing the California approach, he offers suggestions for better selection of future regulatory targets.

Transient Overvoltage Testing Of Environmental Controllers, Richard S. Gates, Larry W. Turner, Douglas G. Overhults

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

The integrated electronic control system will provide a new method for the day-to-day management of environmental control of animal production systems. No standards are currently accepted for transient overvoltage protection of these controllers. To assess the adequacy of existing designs, a test circuit was designed and used for a transient open circuit over-voltage waveform (ANSI/IEEE C62.41-1980) of 16 environmental control units: a maximum spike of 770 V was applied to the power supplies, and a spike up to 100 V was applied to temperature sensor lines. For these relatively mild tests, no failures were noted due to power supply transients, …

The Probe, Issue 119 - March 1992

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

THE PROBE
National Animal Damage Control Association
MARCH 1992
The "Padded" Trap Is Not the Answer
Calendar of Upcoming Events
Animal Damage Control in the News:
Man Wins Award for Pro-Fur Letter
Starling Control Becomes a Labor Issue
Rats Invade the Pentagon
Montana Ranchers Win Support for Aerial Coyote Control Program
Mouse Creatures Havoc At Cairo Airport
New Urban Wildlife Control Association Formed
Northeast Association of Wildlife Damage Biologists Founded
In Memoriam – Joseph Albert Schmidt
Critter Control Calls for Licensing of NWCOs
"Probe" Co-editor Chides Animal Welfare Groups

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 24, No.1 March 1992

The Prairie Naturalist

HABITAT CONSERVATION FOR NESTING LEAST TERNS AND PIPING PLOVERS ON THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA ▪ J. W. Ziewitz, J. G. Sidle, and J. J. Dinan

DIURNAL FLIGHT TIME OF WINTERING CANADA GEESE: CONSIDERATION OF REFUGES AND FLIGHT ENERGETICS ▪ J. E. Austin and D. D. Humburg

MYCOTOXIN OCCURRENCE IN WASTE FIELD CORN AND INGESTA OF WILD GEESE IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS ▪ K. F. Higgins, R. M. Barta, R. G. Neiger, G. E. Rottinghaus, and R. I. Sterry

NOTES

Cost of Nest Reuse by Western Kingbirds ▪ T. M. Bergin

A New Record for Falcate Spurge in the Midwest …

A Role For Fertility Control Wildlife Management In Australia?, Mary Bomford, Peter O'Brien

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Increasing community awareness of the moral and animal welfare issues associated with conventional pest animal control has focused interest on non-lethal alternatives, such as fertility control. In Australia, animal welfare organizations have proposed fertility control as a solution to pest problems with feral horses and kangaroos. Wildlife damage control achieved by non-lethal, non-toxic and humane means would have wide appeal and application. Importantly, assessments of effectiveness must focus on damage control, rather than fertility control, per se. Most tests of fertility control drugs and techniques examine effects on reproduction, rather than on population dynamics. Many tests and models have not …

Review Of Research On Control Of Bird Pests In Australia, Mary Bomford

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

The most significant damage inflicted by birds in Australia is to germinating cereal and to ripening sunflower and fruit crops. The main pests are several native psittacine and corvid species, silvereyes (Zosterops lateralis) and European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). The economic cost of damage is largely unquantified. While losses to industries as a whole are often low, losses to individual growers may be severe, and losses are distributed patchily in space and time. Shooting is the most widely practiced and most ineffective bird control technique used in Australia. Despite the high numbers of birds killed, damage persists, …

Opening Remarks—Fifteenth Vertebrate Pest Conference, John E. Borrecco

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Good morning. On behalf of the Vertebrate Pest Council, it is my pleasure to welcome you to the 15th Vertebrate Pest Conference. I am John Borrecco and I have the honor of representing the Council as Chair for this Conference. This meeting marks the 30-year anniversary of the Conference. Over this period there have been a number of changes in our format but the purpose of this conference has not changed. That purpose is to provide you the best, up-to-date information on vertebrate pest problems and solutions to those problems. Our objectives, quite simply, are to promote the exchange of …

Field Evaluation Of Three Anticoagulant Rodenticides Against Mus Musculus Populations In Apartmental Buildings In New York City, Ranjan Advani

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Field efficacy studies using three anticoagulant rodenticides were conducted on House mice, Mus musculus under a variety of conditions in 35 apartment buildings scattered over four boroughs of New York metropolitan area. Percent control successes and relative efficacies of various rodenticides and their formulations were determined by recording pre and post control census for about four years.

After four monthly treatments, the control success rate of bromadialone (0.005%, meal form) was highest (94.5%) followed by brodifacoum (0.005%, pellet form, 91.23%) and diphacinone (77.72%) in the wax cake formulation. However, build up of the residual mice population was faster in the …

Efficacy Of Methyl Anthranilate As A Bird Repellent On Cherries, Blueberries And Grapes, Leonard R. Askham

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Anthranilitic acid derivatives, used as common food additives, have been explored as bird repellent agents for a number of years. Research in this study show that methyl anthranilate, when exposed to the UV spectrum of sunlight, readily dissipates within 64 hours. The addition of surfactants and extenders did not appreciably alter the degradation curve, nor did they lessen the phytotoxic properties of the chemical.

Field trials under IR-4 guidance and support indicate that methyl anthranilate (MA) is an effective, biodegradable, nontoxic bird repellent. In formulation with a lipid molecular binding compound degradation of methyl anthranilate was extended from four to …

Responses Of The Adc Program To A Changing American Society, Bobby R. Acord

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Changes in the Animal Damage Control (ADC) program are reviewed relative to changes in American societal background and attitudes. Many of the program changes that occurred in the past were imposed on ADC in response to external factors, while more recent program changes have been and will continue to be more self-directed. Examples of ADC's proactive approach to dealing with critical issues are provided.

Exposure Of Persons To Phosphine Gas From Aluminum Phosphide Application To Rodent Burrows, Rex O. Baker

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

An industrial hygiene study was performed monitoring levels of phosphine gas workers are exposed to when applying aluminum phosphide tablets to rodent burrows. Clothing and gloves were monitored for phosphine gas from residual dust. Air in the breathing zone was monitored with short and long term monitoring equipment. No levels of phosphine exceeding the legal permissible exposure limits (PEL) was detected and although residues were detected on clothing, the levels were usually quite low and dissipated in open air to undetectable levels within 12 to 17 hours in all but a few cases. Hand application was also compared to a …

The Most Dangerous Pest: "Homo Environmentals", Robert James Bidinotto

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

I speak of that insatiable predator, Homo environmentalus. This predator is a subspecies of homo sapiens, of which I observe several examples present. For the past several years, under special funding by Reader's Digest, I have made a special study of this pest, also known by his more familiar name of "environmentalist activist."

Problems With Management Of A Native Predator On A Threatened Species: Raven Predation On Desert Tortoises, William I. Boarman

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Common ravens (Corvus corax) are a major predator on the threatened desert tortoise (Gopherus [=Xerobates] agassizii). Large numbers of juvenile tortoise shells have been found beneath known raven nests and perches; many shells that show evidence consistent with raven predation have been found sporadically throughout the range of the tortoise; significant proportional decreases in juvenile size/age class distributions have been identified; and people have observed ravens killing, carrying, and consuming juveniles. In 1988 the U. S. Bureau of Land Management initiated a process to evaluate, design, and implement a program to reduce raven predation …

Evaluation Of Methyl Anthranilate As A Bird Repellent In Fruit Crops, Michael L. Avery

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Methyl anthranilate (MA) is a grape-flavored food additive that is aversive to birds. Previous studies had indicated that anthranilates can deter frugivorous birds but that anthranilates are phytotoxic. In this study, I tested the bird repellency to 2 MA formulations on blueberry plants in a large flight pen. Neither MA formulation protected the blueberries from damage by cedar waxwings (Bombycilla cedrorum) or European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris). The encapsulated formulation, however, was nonphytotoxic. Due to the on-going need for safe bird deterrent compounds, further development and testing of MA as a bird repellent on fruit is warranted. …

Cougar Attacks On Humans: An Update And Some Further Reflections, Paul Beier

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

I examined historical records of unprovoked attacks by cougars on humans in the U.S. and Canada during 101 years (1890-1990). There were 9 attacks resulting in 10 human deaths and at least 44 nonfatal attacks. In a recent paper, I listed these attacks and discussed them in considerable detail (Beier 1991). Although extremely rare, attacks on humans have increased markedly in the last 2 decades, during which cougar numbers and human use of cougar habitats have increased. There is no substantial evidence that habituation underlies this increase in attacks. The data provide weak support for the notion that an attacking …

Rodent Control In The Conservation Of Endangered Species, A.P. Buckle, M.G.P. Fenn

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

The commensal rodent pest species have spread from their ancestral homes in Asia to inhabit many natural ecosystems worldwide. The introduction of these exotics has often had a significant effect on endemic plant and animal species but their impact has, perhaps, been most severe on off-shore and oceanic islands where nesting birds, insects, terrestrial molluscs, reptiles and amphibians are all vulnerable. Conservationists have used a variety of control approaches either to reduce or eliminate the pressure of competition and predation exerted by introduced rodents on island populations of endangered species. Successful projects have involved a sequence of carefully-planned operations. Firstly, …

Toxicity Of Compound 1080 To Magpies And The Relationship Of Dose Rates To Residues Recovered, Richard J. Burns, Guy E. Connolly

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

The acute oral LD₅₀ of Compound 1080 to magpies was estimated at 1.78 mg/kg indoors, 1.91 mg/kg outdoors in summer, and 2.30 mg/kg outdoors in winter. Postmortem 1080 residues were detected in 75 of 76 treated birds. Higher doses yielded higher 1080 residues. Within dose levels, birds surviving longer carried lower residues. In a separate test, an average residue of 0.09 ppm was found in 8 birds treated at 1.59 mg/kg and euthanized 24 h post dosing. The adjusted dietary LC₅₀ of Compound 1080 to magpies tested indoors was estimated at 16 ppm. During LC₅₀ tests, the …

Developing A Strategy Of Predator Control For The Protection Of The California Least Tern: A Case History, Peter H. Butchko, Maynard A. Small

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

In recent years, predation has been determined to be a seriously limiting factor in the reproduction of the endangered California least tern (Sterna antillarum browni) at many of its nesting colonies. Among them is a major colony at Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base near Oceanside, CA. Early efforts to control predation were limited in effectiveness. In 1988, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal Damage Control Program was contracted to provide control of mammalian and avian predators. The development of the successful strategy that has evolved over four years is discussed, with emphasis on the development and application of …

Field Efficacy Evaluation Of Diphacinone Paraffin Bait Blocks And Strychnine Oat Groats For Control Of Forest Pocket Gophers (Thomomys Spp.), D.L. Campbell, J.P. Farley, P.L. Hegdal, R.M. Engeman, H.W. Krupa

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

The effectiveness of bait and the effectiveness of operational baiting were both evaluated for controlling forest pocket gophers (Thomomys spp. ) with strychnine oat groat bait and diphacinone paraffin block bait. Radio-telemetry monitoring and recovery of pocket gophers showed that control of individual pocket gophers 1 month after baiting was 72% for strychnine bait and 62% for diphacinone bait. Reduction in pocket gopher activity from operational baiting was based on censusing activity in sample plots. After 1 month the reduction in activity was 61% for strychnine oats and 36% for diphacinone blocks. Bait blocks implanted with radio transmitters were …

Field Efficacy Evaluation Of Pelleted Strychnine Baits For Control Of Mountain Beavers (Aplodontia Rufa), D.L. Campbell, J.P. Farley, R.M. Engeman

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Radio-telemetry evaluation of several concentrations of pelleted strychnine bait in earlier tests indicated moderate to good bait efficacy for control of mountain beavers. Evaluation of operational baiting with 0.0%, 0.15%, 0.50%, and 0.90% strychnine bait pellets was made in 1990 and 1991 on 24 reforestation units in Washington and Oregon. Results of baiting monitored with burrow activity indicators showed there was little difference in reduction of activity among treatments. Chemical assays and pen bioassays showed baits were lethal, but ingestion was often delayed or baits were discarded. Reexamination of test plots 1 year after baiting showed no detectable change in …

Administrative Procedures And Contracts For Vertebrate Pest Programs, Bruce A. Colvin, Curtis A. Meininger, Michael J. Grealy

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

A proactive (rather than reactive) approach to rodent control includes effective planning, administration, and coordination. Centralized coordination, detailed scheduling, and well-defined contract specifications provide a solid basis for managing an integrated pest management program. Documentation and data management help to ensure cost effective and efficient operations. The ability to work with people and bureaucracies is essential for the science of rodent control to be applied effectively in real world situations and for vertebrate pest programs to succeed.

Conference Participants

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Participants came from 32 states, the District of Columbia, and from 11 other countries for a total of 327 registered attendees. The wide representation from the United States and countries throughout the world contributed to the success of the conference by providing a highly diversified group for the exchange of information on research progress, technological advances, management strategies, new products and materials, prevailing management philosophies, the protection of endangered species, and a range of other vertebrate pest topics.

Ecological Approach To Managing Problems Caused By Urban Canada Geese, Michael R. Conover

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 15th (1992)

Urban-suburban Canada geese (Branta canadensis) create nuisance problems at their foraging sites by littering them with feces. An ecological approach to the problem involves inducing the geese to use alternate foraging sites by reducing the attractiveness of problem sites. This can be accomplished by reducing the forage quality at the nuisance site by not fertilizing and infrequently mowing the lawn or by replacing the lawn with a less palatable grass species or other ground cover. Further, sites can be made less attractive to geese if they are surrounded by tall trees which make it harder for geese to …