Community Capacity for Watershed Conservation: A Quantitative Assessment of Indicators and Core Dimensions

Community capacity for watershed management has emerged as an important topic for the conservation of water resources. While much of the literature on community capacity has focused primarily on theory construction, there have been few efforts to quantitatively assess community capacity variables and constructs, particularly for watershed management and conservation. This study seeks to identify predictors of community capacity for watershed conservation in southwestern Illinois. A subwatershed-scale survey of residents from four communities located within the Lower Kaskaskia River watershed of southwestern Illinois was administered to measure three specific capacity variables: community empowerment, shared vision and collective action. Principal component analysis revealed key dimensions of each variable. Specifically, collective action was characterized by items relating to collaborative governance and social networks, community empowerment was characterized by items relating to community competency and a sense of responsibility and shared vision was characterized by items relating to perceptions of environmental threats, issues with development, environmental sense of place and quality of life. From the emerging factors, composite measures were calculated to determine the extent to which each variable contributed to community capacity. A stepwise regression revealed that community empowerment explained most of the variability in the composite measure of community capacity for watershed conservation. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of community capacity by quantifying the role of collective action, community empowerment and shared vision in community capacity, highlighting the need for multilevel interaction to address watershed issues.     

A Risk-Based Approach to Evaluating Wildlife Demographics for Management in a Changing Climate: A Case Study of the Lewis’s Woodpecker

Given the projected threat that climate change poses to biodiversity, the need for proactive response efforts is clear. However, integrating uncertain climate change information into conservation planning is challenging, and more explicit guidance is needed. To this end, this article provides a specific example of how a risk-based approach can be used to incorporate a species’ response to climate into conservation decisions. This is shown by taking advantage of species’ response (i.e., impact) models that have been developed for a well-studied bird species of conservation concern. Specifically, we examine the current and potential impact of climate on nest survival of the Lewis’s Woodpecker (Melanerpes lewis) in two different habitats. To address climate uncertainty, climate scenarios are developed by manipulating historical weather observations to create ensembles (i.e., multiple sequences of daily weather) that reflect historical variability and potential climate change. These ensembles allow for a probabilistic evaluation of the risk posed to Lewis’s Woodpecker nest survival and are used in two demographic analyses. First, the relative value of each habitat is compared in terms of nest survival, and second, the likelihood of exceeding a critical population threshold is examined. By embedding the analyses in a risk framework, we show how management choices can be made to be commensurate with a defined level of acceptable risk. The results can be used to inform habitat prioritization and are discussed in the context of an economic framework for evaluating trade-offs between management alternatives.     

Tissue heavy metal concentrations of stranded California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) in Southern California

Concentrations of nine heavy metals (As, Cd, Cu, Fe, Hg, Pb, Mn, Mo and Zn) were determined in the hepatic and renal tissues of 80 stranded California sea lions (Zalophus californianus). Significant age-dependant increases were observed in liver and kidney concentrations of cadmium and mercury, and renal zinc concentrations. Hepatic iron concentrations were significantly higher in females than males. Animals with suspected domoic acid associated pathological findings had significantly higher concentrations of liver and kidney cadmium; and significantly higher liver mercury concentrations when compared to animals classified with infectious disease or traumatic mortality. Significantly higher hepatic burdens of molybdenum and zinc were found in animals that died from infectious diseases. This is the largest study of tissue heavy metal concentrations in California sea lions to date. These data demonstrate how passive monitoring of stranded animals can provide insight into environmental impacts on marine mammals.     

Development of molecular marker source profiles for emissions from on-road gasoline and diesel vehicle fleets

As part of the Gasoline/Diesel PM Split Study, relatively large fleets of gasoline vehicles and diesel vehicles were tested on a chassis dynamometer to develop chemical source profiles for source attribution of atmospheric particulate matter in California's South Coast Air Basin. Gasoline vehicles were tested in cold-start and warm-start conditions, and diesel vehicles were tested through several driving cycles. Tailpipe emissions of particulate matter were analyzed for organic tracer compounds, including hopanes, steranes, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Large intervehicle variation was seen in emission rate and composition, and results were averaged to examine the impacts of vehicle ages, weight classes, and driving cycles on the variation. Average profiles, weighted by mass emission rate, had much lower uncertainty than that associated with intervehicle variation. Mass emission rates and elemental carbon/organic carbon (EC/OC) ratios for gasoline vehicle age classes were influenced most by use of cold-start or warm-start driving cycle (factor of 2-7). Individual smoker vehicles had a large range of mass and EC/OC (factors of 40 and 625, respectively). Gasoline vehicle age averages, data on vehicle ages and miles traveled in the area, and several assumptions about smoker contributions were used to create emissions profiles representative of on-road vehicle fleets in the Los Angeles area in 2001. In the representative gasoline fleet profiles, variation was further reduced, with cold-start or warm-start and the representation of smoker vehicles making a difference of approximately a factor of two in mass emission rate and EC/OC. Diesel vehicle profiles were created on the basis of vehicle age, weight class, and driving cycle. Mass emission rate and EC/OC for diesel averages were influenced by vehicle age (factor of 2-5), weight class (factor of 2-7), and driving cycle (factor of 10-20). Absolute and relative emissions of molecular marker compounds showed levels of variation similar to those of mass and EC/OC.     

Effects of urbanization on the population structure of freshwater turtles across the United States

Landscape‐scale alterations that accompany urbanization may negatively affect the population structure of wildlife species such as freshwater turtles. Changes to nesting sites and higher mortality rates due to vehicular collisions and increased predator populations may particularly affect immature turtles and mature female turtles. We hypothesized that the proportions of adult female and immature turtles in a population will negatively correlate with landscape urbanization. As a collaborative effort of the Ecological Research as Education Network (EREN), we sampled freshwater turtle populations in 11 states across the central and eastern United States. Contrary to expectations, we found a significant positive relationship between proportions of mature female painted turtles (Chrysemys picta) and urbanization. We did not detect a relationship between urbanization and proportions of immature turtles. Urbanization may alter the thermal environment of nesting sites such that more females are produced as urbanization increases. Our approach of creating a collaborative network of scientists and students at undergraduate institutions proved valuable in terms of testing our hypothesis over a large spatial scale while also allowing students to gain hands‐on experience in conservation science.     

Violence‐prevention climate,exposure to violence and aggression,and prevention behavior: A mediation model

This study explored mechanisms underlying employees' behaviors targeted at preventing workplace physical violence and verbal aggression. Poor psychological violence‐prevention climate perceptions and previous exposure to violence and aggression represent stressors that were associated with increased strains and reduced motivation. Strains and motivation, in turn, were related to prevention behaviors. We collected data from employee and coworker dyads, and structural equation modeling results supported that clear organizational policies, prompt management responses to assaults, and putting safety as a priority contributed positively to prevention behaviors through reduced strains and increased motivation. On the other hand, prior experiences of being attacked were related to more strains and lower motivation, which were related to lower prevention compliance. Our results inform future interventions for violence prevention. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Support for First Nations' Land Claims amongst Members of the Wilderness Preservation Movement: The Potential for an Environmental Justice Movement in British Columbia

Abstract

In this paper we examine the relationship between identification with the environmental movement and support for First Nations' land claims in order to determine the potential for an environmental justice movement in British Columbia. The findings are based on survey data collected from members of a wilderness preservation movement organization based on Vancouver Island. The findings demonstrate that the stronger an individual identifies with the environmental movement, the more s/he supports linking First Nations' land claims to conservation campaigns. We conclude by proposing that the wilderness preservation movement could increase its mobilization potential and widen the scope of the movement by including First Nations' issues in their campaigns. It could do this by expanding its frame to include issues of environmental justice, thereby connecting environmental protection and fair access to resources.     

Analysis of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay following a large-scale industrial fire using ion-mobility-spectrometry-mass spectrometry

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent organic pollutants of concern because of their ubiquitous presence in surface and ground water; analytical methods that can be used for rapid comprehensive exposure assessment and fingerprinting of PFAS are needed. Following the fires at the Intercontinental Terminals Company (ITC) in Deer Park, TX in 2019, large quantities of PFAS-containing firefighting foams were deployed. The release of these substances into the Houston Ship Channel/Galveston Bay (HSC/GB) prompted concerns over the extent and level of PFAS contamination. A targeted liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS)-based study of temporal and spatial patterns of PFAS associated with this incident revealed presence of 7 species; their levels gradually decreased over a 6-month period. Because the targeted LC-MS/MS analysis was focused on about 30 PFAS molecules, it may have missed other PFAS compounds present in firefighting foams. Therefore, we utilized untargeted LC-ion mobility spectrometry-mass spectrometry (LC-IMS-MS)-based analytical approach for a more comprehensive characterization of PFAS in these water samples. We analyzed 31 samples from 9 sites in the HSC/GB that were collected over 5 months after the incident. Our data showed that additional 19 PFAS were detected in surface water of HSC/GB, most of them decreased gradually after the incident. PFAS features detected by LC-MS/MS correlated well in abundance with LC-IMS-MS data; however, LC-IMS-MS identified a number of additional PFAS, many known to be components of firefighting foams. These findings therefore illustrate that untargeted LC-IMS-MS improved our understanding of PFAS presence in complex environmental samples.     

Social context influences cue-mediated recruitment in an invasive social wasp

Social insects often serve as model systems for communication and recruitment studies, and yet, it remains controversial whether social vespid wasps can reliably communicate resource information to nestmates. In this study, I present empirical evidence that foraging strategies depend on the initial assessment of resource size and potential competition by foraging yellowjackets. The context dependent foraging behavior of Vespula pensylvanica provides a potential explanation for the inconsistent reports of the existence of recruitment communication in vespid wasps. Furthermore, life history traits may influence yellowjacket foraging behavior; annual V. pensylvanica colonies, whose foragers routinely patrol near the nest, exhibited increased bait visitation in response to the return of successful foragers, whereas perennial colonies did not. These behavioral disparities provide insight into how foraging strategies and search patterns may shift with colony size and longevity. In experiments that investigate the effects of visual cues of conspecifics and bait dispersion, foraging decisions corresponded with expectations of yellowjackets integrating resource quantity and access into a perception of demand. When resource competition could be assessed as high, V. pensylvanica foragers quickly exploited the bait closest to their colony regardless of occupation by other wasps; however, foragers preferred visiting unoccupied baits in situations where competition could be perceived as low. Moreover, a meta-analysis revealed that context-dependent, cue-mediated recruitment was widespread in Vespidae, where such foraging behaviors changed with habitat and the potential for resource competition. Such plastic foraging strategies may contribute to the invasion success of some vespid wasps.