Wildlife Contact Rates at Artificial Feeding Sites in Texas

Given the popularity of feeding white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Texas and the increasing amount of corn that is distributed, more information is needed on the impacts of this activity on non-target wildlife. Our objectives were to report visitation, intra- and interspecific contact, and contact rates of wildlife at artificial feeding sites in Texas. Our study was conducted at three sites in Kleberg and Nueces counties, Texas. We trapped animals from February to April and August to September, 2009 and marked animals with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. At each site and season, we placed one feeder system containing a PIT tag reader within 600 m of trap locations. Readers detected PIT tags from a distance of 25 cm. We determined a contact event to occur when two different PIT tags were detected by feeder systems within 5 s. We recorded 62,719 passes by raccoons (Procyon lotor), 103,512 passes by collared peccaries (Pecari tajacu), 2,923 passes by feral swine (Sus scrofa), 1,336 passes by fox squirrels (Sciurus niger), and no passes by opossums (Didelphis virginiana) at feeder systems. For site–season combinations in which contact events occurred, we found intraspecific contact rates (contacts per day) for raccoons, collared peccaries, and feral swine to be 0.81–124.77, 0.69–38.08, and 0.0–0.66, respectively. Throughout our study we distributed ~2,625 kg of whole kernel corn, which resulted in 6,351 contact events between marked wildlife (2.4 contacts per kg of corn). If 136 million kg of corn is distributed in Texas annually, we would expect >5.2 billion unnatural contact events between wildlife would result from this activity each year in Texas. Consequently, we do not believe that it is wise for natural resource managers to maintain artificial feeding sites for white-tailed deer or other wildlife due to pathogen transmission risks.     

A decision support process to compare riparian revegetation options in Scheu Creek catchment in north Queensland

While riparin vegetation can play a major role in protecting land, water and natural habitat in catchments, there are high costs associated with tree planting and establishment and in diverting land from cropping. The distribution of costs and benefits of riparian revegetation creates conflicts in the objectives of various stakeholder groups. Multicriteria analysis provides an appropriate tool to evaluate alternative riparian revegetation options, and to accommodate the conflicting views of various stakeholder groups. This paper discusses an application of multicriteria analysis in an evaluation of riparian revegetation policy options for Scheu Creek, a small sub-catchment in the Johnstone River catchment in north Queensland, Australia. Clear differences are found in the rankings of revegetation options for different stakeholder groups with respect to environmental, social and economic impacts. Implementation of a revegetation option will involve considerable cost for landholders for the benefits of society. Queensland legislation does not provide a means to require farmers to implement riparian revegetation, hence the need for subsidies, tax incentives and moral suasion.     

The effects of ergonomics training on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of teleworkers

PROBLEM: The rapid growth of teleworking has raised several social and legal issues regarding an employer's responsibility for the safety of an employee's home office. In this paper, researchers discuss the need for safety training for teleworkers and the effectiveness of a home office ergonomics training program. METHOD: Study participants (N = 50) were randomly assigned into a treatment or control group. The treatment group completed the ergonomics training and a pre- and posttest. The control group completed the pre- and posttests without training. RESULTS: The study demonstrated the need for teleworker ergonomics training. More than 85% of participants had not received teleworker training before, and 44% had experienced pain or discomfort while teleworking. Participants who completed the training significantly improved their scores on knowledge, attitude, and practices subtests. In a follow-up survey, participants indicated that they had made ergonomic changes to their offices based on the training. Several participants indicated that the pain or discomfort that they had been experiencing was eliminated or reduced as a result of the training.     

Deflector Designs for Fish Habitat Restoration

Paired current deflectors are structures that are installed on each bank of a river to locally reduce the width of the channel, thereby creating flow acceleration and promoting scouring. These instream habitat structures have been used extensively in restoration projects to create pool habitat for fish, but there are many discrepancies in deflector design recommendations in terms of orientation, height, and length. Our objectives were to (1) examine how the angle, height, and length of paired deflectors affect scour hole dimensions and potential for bank erosion; and (2) test the applicability to paired deflectors of existing equations for scour hole depth and volume. Three deflector angles (45°, 90°, and 135°), two deflector heights (with flow under and over the deflector height), and two lengths (reducing the width by 25% and 50%) were investigated using uniform sand in a laboratory flume. Results showed a 26–30% smaller scour depth resulting from 45° deflectors than from 90° deflectors and a 5–10% smaller scour depth for 135° deflectors compared to 90° deflectors. The volume of scour and the potential for bank erosion were greater when flow was under the height of the deflectors rather than overtopping and when the length of deflector was increased. When flow was under the deflector height, 135° deflectors had the highest amount of bank erosion; whereas during overtopping flow conditions, 90° deflectors had the greatest bank erosion potential. Values predicted by the model of Kuhnle and others were closest to observed scour depth and volume measurements. The assumption that upstream-oriented deflectors always generate the largest scour should be revised.     

A qualitative tool combining an interaction matrix and a GIS to map vulnerability to traffic induced air pollution

Local authorities and transport planners need fast and straightforward tools to perform their preliminary air quality assessments. Such tools are required to provide an initial impression of the local air quality and to highlight areas requiring a more rigorous investigation. This paper presents a technique to develop such a tool, for performing an initial assessment of air quality due to traffic in an urban area. The technique combines an interaction matrix methodology as developed for rock engineering systems, with Geographical Information System (GIS) map overlaying. This interaction matrix methodology incorporates a total system approach, which identifies the main parameters and quantifies the interactions between them. Weighting values for these parameters are obtained either through parametric studies, using numerical modelling, or from engineering judgement. These weightings are applied to spatial datasets for a study area using a GIS. The GIS results are presented in the form of a vulnerability map, which highlights the areas susceptible to poor air quality. This visual interpretation of the results is ideal for local authorities, who have to report to a wide range of non-specialists in the field, for example, planners, councillors and the public. The vulnerability map compares favourably with pollutant concentration patterns, obtained from an advanced dispersion model.     

Some community socio-economic benefits of watershed councils: A case study from Oregon

One of the most significant junctures in natural resource planning and management in recent years has been the emergence of community-based natural resource management (CBNRM). The central focus of CBNRM is the environment, of course. However, it explicitly considers the local economy and community as well. It is a highly participatory approach to local, place-based projects, programs and policies aimed simultaneously at environmental and community health. This paper is an attempt to shed light on what happens in the local economy and community as a result of pursuing a CBNRM strategy. Oregon has been in the vanguard in putting CBNRM into operation. A key example is the state's experience with local watershed councils and the state agency that supports them, the Oregon Watershed Enhancement Board (OWEB). Drawing from a larger study of Oregon's watershed councils, we ask and answer the questions: ‘What direct contribution do watershed councils make to the local economies of Oregon?’; ‘Do watershed councils contribute to ‘civic engagement’ in Oregon?’ and ‘Do they enhance individuals' and communities’ capacity to engage in public issues beyond watershed council activities?’     

Wasting women: The environmental justice of including women in municipal waste management

This paper explores the opportunities for and the benefits of considering gender in municipal waste management (MWM) policy. Two case studies in Ireland and the UK are presented. These show that the structural mechanisms for achieving a more consistent and coherent approach to ensuring that MWM policy is sensitive to gender differences and inequalities are still weak. They also show that political structures and champions for gender equality and equal opportunities make a difference to the way in which women are involved and considered in MWM policy making. The research is set within the broader context of environmental justice which, to date, has been more concerned with race, ethnicity and wealth inequalities than with gender inequalities.     

Perchlorate: Sources,uses, and occurrences in the environment

Perchlorate contamination of groundwater and soil continues to be a hot topic in many sectors, including industry, the federal Departments of Defense and Energy, regulators, and the general public. This article presents information on what is currently known regarding perchlorate uses, known and suspected naturally occurring versus anthropogenic perchlorate sources, and past and present manufacturing locations. It provides the reader with a baseline as well as background information to facilitate an understanding of perchlorate in the environment for the ultimate purpose of remediation. The article is based on research conducted by the Interstate Technology Regulatory Council for a forthcoming, more substantial perchlorate overview document scheduled for publication later in 2005. The document will include an overview of the chemical and discussions of remediation techniques and methods of analysis. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Transformation products of 2-benzoxazolinone (BOA) in soil

Three degradation experiments were performed to examine the formation of transformation products from 2-benzoxazolinone (BOA) in different soil types and concentrations. In two experiments using BOA in low concentration (400 microgkg(-1)) only one unidentified transformation product was found, whereas in the degradation experiment in high concentration (400 mgkg(-1)) several metabolites occurred. Two of these metabolites, 2-amino-(3H)-phenoxazin-3-one (APO); and 2-acetylamino-(3H)-phenoxazin-3-one (AAPO) were synthesized to prove their identity. This is the first time that the successive formation of these types of compounds from BOA is shown in soil. A number of other APO related transformation products were detected and provisionally characterized. The formation of APO, which is a much more biologically active compound than BOA, and the concurrent formation of a number of other APO-related metabolites in soil underline the importance of performing transformation studies as part of the evaluation of the effect of allelochemicals on weeds and soil-borne diseases.