Seasonal food use by white-tailed deer at Valley Forge National Historical Park,Pennsylvania, USA

Food habits of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) were examined from January to November 1984 via fecal-pellet analysis at Valley Forge National Historical Park (VFNHP), which represents an island habitat for deer surrounded by extensive urbanization, in southeastern Pennsylvania. In addition, use of fields by deer was compared to food habits. Herbaceous vegetation (forbs, leaves of woody plants, and conifer needles) was the predominant food type in all seasons except fall. Acorns and graminoids (grasses and sedges) were important food resources in fall and spring, respectively. Use of woody browse (twigs) was similar among seasons. Field use was relatively high during fall, winter without snow cover (<20 cm), and spring when food resources in fields were readily available. In contrast, use of fields was lowest in summer when preferred woodland foods were available and in winter with snow cover when food in fields was not readily accessible. Patterns of food-type use by deer at VFNHP indicate the year-round importance of nonwoody foods and field habitats to deer populations on public lands such as national parks in the northeastern United States.     

Impacts of freshwater wetlands on water quality: A landscape perspective

In this article, we suggest that a landscape approach might be useful in evaluating the effects of cumulative impacts on freshwater wetlands. The reason for using this approach is that most watersheds contain more than one wetland, and effects on water quality depend on the types of wetlands and their position in the landscape. Riparian areas that border uplands appear to be important sites for nitrogen processing and retention of large sediment particles. Fine particles associated with high concentrations of phosphorus are retained in downstream wetlands, where flow rates are slowed and where the surface water passes through plant litter. Riverine systems also may play an important role in processing nutrients, primarily during flooding events. Lacustrine wetlands appear to have the least impact on water quality, due to the small ratio of vegetated surface to open water. Examples are given of changes that occurred when the hydrology of a Maryland floodplain was altered.     

Case study: An innovative approach to chemical landfill remediation

This article presents a case history of hazardous waste landfill remediation activities at General Electric's Silicone's (GES's) manufacturing facility in Waterford, New York. The approach presented describes the development of the remedial program and its subsequent modification in achieving regulatory compliance goals, providing environmental benefit, and satisfying business considerations and budgetary constraints.     

Theory in practice: the anatomy of a borough plan

This paper focuses on the development plan activities of the London Boroughs and simply seeks to explain the relatively limited progress that has been made in the preparation and adoption of statutory local plans, by showing how production was constrained as local planners were caught up in the shifting ground of contemporary planning theory. The author suggests that uncertainty about the acceptable scope and content of local plans, at a time when planners were being encouraged to extend the emphasis of their work beyond the purely physical, led to serious problems as planners began to experiment with new approaches to local planning but failed to appreciate the operational implications of each approach.     

Wildlife resources in creating the new Alaskan Parks and preserves

Legislation settling the Alaska Native Lands Claims also resulted in the establishment of ten new parks and preserves in Alaska. This settlement was the result of a long and often bitter legislative struggle between pro- and antidevelopment groups. The planning history of the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve is used as a case example of this debate. One particular source of conflict was the curtailment of sport hunting that would result under national park classification. A preserve classification was introduced to resolve this conflict. Data on wildlife resources and sport hunting were instrumental in defining the areas so classified.     

New Zealand environmental standards and energy policies

This paper describes the primary energy resources of New Zealand and their relative importance. It describes the principal legislation that provides environmental protection and public participation with which State and private agencies are bound to comply. The paper then discusses air pollution in further detail and cites three examples where there is cause for concern. By international standards, air pollution is not a serious problem in New Zealand and so the economic consequences have received little attention Two simple examples are cited. A map showing the main centers and the location of facilities referred to in the text is included     

Total organic carbon analysis as a precursor to disinfection byproducts in potable water: oxidation technique considerations

In recent years, an increasing number of regulations and methodologies have begun to utilize total organic carbon (TOC) analysis for monitoring microbial contamination and/or disinfectant byproduct (DBP) precursors. This paper highlights some analytical differences and similarities between the two widely used TOC oxidation techniques: UV persulfate and high temperature combustion (HTC). Previous papers have come to different and sometimes contradictory conclusions on this subject. However, these studies either compared instruments with significantly different flow paths or TOC systems from different eras. Unlike previous studies, this paper compares two modern TOC analyzers with nearly identical flow paths for sample recovery, detection limits, and analysis of real world samples. On average, both persulfate and HTC oxidation yielded good recoveries for 10 hard to oxidize compounds and potable water samples from 5 different locations across the USA. In general, persulfate yielded more precise results because of its lower background response relative to sample response while HTC gave slightly higher results (roughly 2% to 3%) for surface water samples.     

USE OF X-RAY FLUORESCENCE TO DETERMINE TRACE METALS IN WATER RESOURCES1

ABSTRACT. The X-ray fluorescence method was used to analyze trace metals collected in particulate form on filter papers and from the ionic state by ion exchange filter papers. The samples were prepared by allowing water to pass through these filter papers. The procedures necessary for using the X-ray fluorescence method are described. A number of samples were taken from the Great Miami River in Dayton, Ohio over one year showing the presence of the following metals, Ca, Ti, Cr, Fe, Cu, Zn, Sr, and Cd. Elements in the periodic table between Ti and Cs were detectable to a sensitivity limit of the order of 30 ppb for metals in the particulate form and 0.4 ppm for metals in the ionic form.