Forests in the western United States have changed drastically over the past 150 years given a long history of utilization (harvest and grazing) and associated fire exclusion. These actions have altered the composition and structure of these forests as well as affected ecosystem function. Current policies for federal land management...
Some of the most pressing conservation concerns involve declining populations of species with low fecundity and highly specialized foraging and reproductive requirements. Yet, we often lack a functional understanding of how individuals of those species interact with their environment, specifically how their movement is affected by human-induced changes. In order...
This paper presents a system of modeling advances that can be applied in the computational optimization of wind plants. These modeling advances include accurate cost and power modeling, partial wake interaction, and the effects of varying atmospheric stability. To validate the use of this advanced modeling system, it is employed...
Forest managers are challenged to restore resilience to forests with an elevated risk of stand-replacing fire by using mechanical thinning and prescribed fire. Implementation of these methods can be constrained by mandates to conserve sensitive wildlife species like the Pacific marten (Martes caurina). Martens avoid simplified forest stands created by...
The use of midazolam as a tranquilizer for anesthesia in mustelids in conjunction with the cyclohexamine ketamine is not well documented. Because midazolam is fast acting, inexpensive, and quickly metabolized, it may serve as a good alternative to other more commonly used tranquilizers. We trapped and anesthetized 27 Pacific martens...
Childhood obesity has increased dramatically over the last several decades, particularly in industrialized countries, often accompanied by acceleration of pubertal progression and associated reproductive abnormalities (Biro et al., 2006; Rosenfield et al., 2009). The timing of pubertal initiation and progression in mammals is likely influenced by nutritional and metabolic state,...
Like many areas around the globe experiencing ever-growing demand for diminishing natural resources, the south-central region of Texas is facing a wicked problem in water resource planning and sustainability. This Region includes San Antonio, the seventh largest city in the U.S. With a projected population increase over one million residents...
This dissertation serves as a contribution to the study of the prehistory of the Central Desert region of Baja California, Mexico. Between 2007 and 2011, a trans-peninsular archaeological survey and excavation program―the Central Desert Early Prehistory Project (CDEPP)―was completed for a portion of the Baja California peninsula extending from the...
Fires affect animals mainly through effects on their habitat. Fires often cause short-term increases in wildlife foods that contribute to increases in populations of some animals. These increases are moderated by the animals’ ability to thrive in the altered, often simplified, structure of the postfire environment. The extent of fire...