Pinyon-juniper woodlands throughout the western U.S. have expanded rapidly following European settlement during the late 19th century. In central and eastern Oregon, western juniper (Juniperus occidentalis var. occidentalis Hook.) encroachment has been previously documented in the sagebrush steppe and upper elevation aspen communities. While these vegetation changes and dynamics have...
I measured responses of free-ranging Rocky Mountain elk (Cervus elaphus) to recreational disturbance at Starkey Experimental Forest and Range, Oregon from April to October, 2003 and 2004. Resting, feeding, and travel activities of 13 cow elk were recorded at 5-minute intervals using Actiwatch™ motion sensors. Elk were subjected to four...
The longshore variability of the coastal response to hurricanes may be examined within the framework of a storm-impact scaling model that compares spatially-variable beach morphology and fluid forcing. The relative elevations of dune height and storm-induced water levels are used to define three impact regimes (swash, collision, and overwash), within...
This project combines service learning with narrative writing (fiction and non-fiction) as an effective tool for the discovery and communication of social understanding; more specifically, the project discusses white privilege in literary form. Four short stories and seven vignettes, drawn from service learning experience over the course of three years,...
This thesis develops a geology training manual for the Interpretation staff of Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (CRMO) in southern Idaho. The manual will help the staff convey geologic principles to park visitors who are experiencing a landscape formed by volcanic processes. Basic geology and the most...
Interface habitats are considered valuable natural systems, tightly linked to adjacent habitats through the flow of matter and energy. However, there is limited research on mechanisms of connectivity such as movement of organisms and particulate matter and ways in which anthropogenic disturbance to interface habitats may affect immediate and adjacent...
This thesis considers one of the classical problems in the actuarial mathematics literature, the decay of the probability of ruin in the collective risk model. The
claim number process N(t) is assumed to be a renewal process, the resulting model
being referred as the Sparre Andersen risk model. The inter-claim...
Vegetation provides food for many insects, and many insects serve as food for bats. We investigated the linkages among these three trophic levels in riparian areas throughout the Oregon Coast Range by examining the influence of vegetation cover, composition, and structure on the activity of nocturnal insects and bats, the...
Warming of the terrestrial biosphere due to the anthropogenic addition of carbon dioxide to the earth’s atmosphere is becoming a major focus of scientific inquiry. Predictions of the extent of this warming are hampered by uncertainty in the ability of the earth’s ecosystems to counteract this effect by sequestering carbon...
The growth of foster care, particularly kin foster care has greatly outpaced our knowledge. The purpose of this exploratory qualitative study was to develop a more informed understanding of foster family functioning from the perspective of foster parents. This study examined the experiences of 9 kin and 12 nonkin foster...