BIOLOGICAL AND ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF SACRAMENTO WATERSHED MANAGEMENT OPTIONS1

ABSTRACT: This paper brings together spatially and temporally explicit mechanistic models of hydrodynamic, water quality, and ecological processes with an economic model to examine water management alternatives for California's Sacramento River and Delta ecosystem, a large‐scale watershed. Overallocated water supplies in most years, combined with increasing demand for water for environmental purposes, have created a politically charged atmosphere and a need for quantitative assessment of the implications of policy alternatives. By developing and analyzing a common set of policy scenarios, this integrated framework allows us to consider tradeoffs between agricultural economic factors, water quality, and population dynamics for two at‐risk fish species. We analyze two rather extreme types of policy options; one involves structural modifications to change the flow of water within the watershed but no change in water diversions, while the other reallocates water from agricultural users to fish and wildlife. Results suggest that substantial environmental improvements could be made at a relatively modest cost to farmers (1 to 4 percent reductions in revenues) but that those costs could be significant locally. In addition to tradeoffs between farmers and environmental interests, results suggest that policy makers may need to balance competing environmental objectives.     

SUSTAINING LOCAL WATERSHED INITIATIVES: LESSONS FROM LANDCARE AND WATERSHED COUNCILS1

ABSTRACT: In the last decade, watershed groups (WG) established through government initiatives have become an important part of the natural resource management landscape in developed economies. In this paper, the authors reflect upon their research and experience with Landcare in Victoria, and to a lesser extent with Watershed Councils in Oregon, to identify the principles that appear fundamental to sustaining effective WG. In the first instance, these groups must be established at a local scale using social as well as biophysical boundaries. It is also critical that WG are embedded within a supportive institutional framework that identifies realistic roles for private landowners, local organizations such as WG, and regional planning bodies. Without broad stakeholder representation, the perceived benefits of participation are quickly forfeited. It is simply unrealistic to expect an effective network of WG to be sustained without substantial investment by government to provide for program management, group coordination, and cost sharing for on‐ground work. There must also be the commitment and skills within a program to establish processes that build trust and competency amongst citizens and agencies. These principles should also provide a foundation for the critical evaluation of WG programs.     

The progress of English and Welsh local authorities in addressing climate change

This paper describes the progress that local authorities in England and Wales are making in adapting to the threat of climate change and taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The responses from surveys of local authorities in England and Wales carried out in 2000 (IDeA, Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions: survey of activities and initiatives by local authorities. (Questionnaire and results) Improvement and Development Agency, 2000) and 2002 (Allman et al., Climate Change: a survey of local authorities, Local Government Association, 2002) were compared. Progress in implementing the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) five-step methodology (ICLEI, Local Government Implementation of Climate Protection—report to the United Nations, International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, 1997) was used to identify the 'successful' local authorities. The barriers faced by these authorities were then compared with those faced by the remaining local authorities.

Most local authorities are not making substantial progress. However, a small number have successfully prepared greenhouse gas emissions inventories, developed strategies and implemented adaptation and greenhouse gas reduction measures. These successful authorities have made progress despite the fact that addressing climate change is not a legal requirement.

Their success is due to three key factors. Firstly, they have recognised the secondary benefits of tackling climate change, e.g. potential employment, improved quality of life and reduction in fuel poverty. Secondly, they have the strong political, professional and technical support necessary to champion climate change activities. Finally, they have worked in partnership with utilities, private, public and voluntary groups to raise the finance needed to implement measures both to adapt to climate change and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.     

An integrated and pragmatic approach: Global plant safety management

The Bhopal disaster in India in 1984 has compelled manufacturing companies to review their operations in order to minimize their risk exposure. Much study has been done on the subject of risk assessment and in refining safety reviews of plant operations. However, little work has been done to address the broader needs of decision makers in the multinational environment. The corporate headquarters of multinational organizations are concerned with identifying vulnerable areas to assure that appropriate risk-minimization measures are in force or will be taken. But the task of screening global business units for safety prowess is complicated and time consuming. This article takes a step towards simplifying this process by presenting the decisional model developed by the authors. Beginning with an overview of key issues affecting global safety management, the focus shifts to the multinational vulnerability model developed by the authors, which reflects an integration of approaches. The article concludes with a discussion of areas for further research. While the global chemical industry and major incidents therein are used for illustration, the procedures and solutions suggested here are applicable to all manufacturing operations.     

WETLAND BOUNDARIES IN THE NEW JERSEY PINELANDS: ECOLOGICAL RELATIONSHIPS AND DELINEATION1

Wetland protection regulations and guidelines often require the delineation of precise wetland boundaries on a case-by-case basis. In this study, conducted in the New Jersey Pinelands, an ecological characterization of vegetation composition, soil and hydrologic relationships along upland to wetland Pinus rigida - dominated transittions provided the basis for a multiparameter approach to wetland boundary delineation. The transitional data set was analyzed by direct gradient analysis, cluster analysis and ordination. It is concluded that vegetation composition can be a principal factor in delineating wetland boundaries along natural upland to wetland transitions. However, where distinct vegetation changes are not observed, a feature of our study sites, a multiparameter approach should be used.     

Influence of static magnetic fields on nerve regeneration in vitro

Our research involves determining how non-invasive electric and magnetic fields influence neuronal growth in vitro. In previous studies we have shown that pulsed electromagnetic fields (PEMF) as well as direct current (DC) alone stimulate neurite outgrowth from dorsal root ganglion explants [Sisken et al. 1984; Sisken et al. (Restor Neurol Neurosci 1:303–309, 1990); Greenebaum et al. (Bioelectromagnetics 17:293–302, 1996)]. A maximum response was obtained when nerve growth factor (NGF) was also present in the medium. The results of our experiments using static magnetic fields of different strengths are presented below and indicate that fields of high magnetic strength (450–900 gauss) with added NGF stimulate neurite outgrowth comparable to the response obtained with PEMF plus NGF.     

Climate change and the geography of weed damage: Analysis of U.S. maize systems suggests the potential for significant range transformations

By the end of the century, climate change projections under a “business-as-usual” emissions scenario suggest a globally averaged warming of 2.4–6.4 °C. If these forecasts are realized, cropping systems are likely to experience significant geographic range transformations among damaging endemic weed species and new vulnerabilities to exotic weed invasions. To anticipate these changes and to devise management strategies for proactively addressing them, it is necessary to characterize the environmental conditions that make specific weed species abundant, competitive, and therefore damaging the production of particular crops (i.e. defining the damage niche). In this study, U.S. maize is used as a model system to explore the implications of climate change on the distribution of damaging agricultural weeds. To accomplish this, we couple ensemble climate change projections of annual temperature and precipitation with survey data of troublesome weed species in maize. At the state scale, space-for-time substitution techniques are used to suggest the potential magnitude of change among damaging weed communities. To explore how the geography of damage for specific species may evolve over the next century, bioclimatic range rules were derived for two weed species that are pervasive in the Northern (Abutilon theophrasti Medicus, ABUTH) and Southern (Sorghum halepense (L.) Pers., SORHA) U.S. Results from both analyses suggest that the composition of damaging weed communities may be fundamentally altered by climate change. In some states, potential changes in the coming decades are commensurate to those possible by the end of the century. Regions such as the Northeastern U.S. may prove particularly vulnerable with emerging climate conditions favoring few weed species of present-day significance. In contrast, regions like the mid-South are likely to experience fewer shifts even with a similar magnitude in climate change. By the end of the century in the U.S. Corn Belt, cold-tolerant species like A. theophrasti may be of minor importance whereas S. halepense, a predominantly Southern U.S. weed species at present, may become common and damaging to maize production with its damage niche advancing 200–600 km north of its present-day distribution.     

Cross-cultural and cross-ecotype production of a killer whale ‘excitement’ call suggests universality

Facial and vocal expressions of emotion have been found in a number of social mammal species and are thought to have evolved to aid social communication. There has been much debate about whether such signals are culturally inherited or are truly biologically innate. Evidence for the innateness of such signals can come from cross-cultural studies. Previous studies have identified a vocalisation (the V4 or ‘excitement’ call) associated with high arousal behaviours in a population of killer whales in British Columbia, Canada. In this study, we compared recordings from three different socially and reproductively isolated ecotypes of killer whales, including five vocal clans of one ecotype, each clan having discrete culturally transmitted vocal traditions. The V4 call was found in recordings of each ecotype and each vocal clan. Nine independent observers reproduced our classification of the V4 call from each population with high inter-observer agreement. Our results suggest the V4 call may be universal in Pacific killer whale populations and that transmission of this call is independent of cultural tradition or ecotype. We argue that such universality is more consistent with an innate vocalisation than one acquired through social learning and may be linked to its apparent function of motivational expression.