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We studied the demography of the endangered Hawai‘i Creeper (Oreomystis muna) from 1994-1999 at three sites in Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge (NWR). Hawai‘i Creepers bred from January to June, with peak breeding in February through May (about 120-l 80 days), and molted from May to August. A small proportion...

One objective of the MultiResolution Land Characteristics (MRLC) consortium is to map general land-cover categories for the conterminous United States using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) data. Land-cover mapping and classification accuracy assessment are complete for the eastern United States. The accuracy assessment was based on photo-interpreted reference data obtained from...

The upper Deschutes Basin is among the fastest growing regions in Oregon. The rapid population growth has been accompanied by increased demand for water. Surface streams, however, have been administratively closed to additional appropriation for many years, and surface water is not generally available to support new development. Consequently, ground...

This data set maps and describes the geology of the Chewelah 30' X 60' quadrangle, Washington and Idaho. Created using Environmental Systems Research Institute's ARC/INFO software, the data base consists of the following items: (1) a map coverage containing geologic contacts and units, (2) a point coverage containing site-specific geologic...

The area immediately east of Baker Creek, Blaine County, Idaho, is underlain by a thick section of mafic to intermediate lava flows of the Eocene Challis Volcanic Group. Widespread propylitic alteration surrounds a zone of argillic alteration and an inner core of phyllic alteration. Silicified breccia is present along an east-trending...

Recent drilling for coalbed gas in the Upper Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone Member of central Utah has resulted in one of the most successful plays of this kind. Exploration to date has resulted in three fields and a potential fairway 6-10 mi (10-16 km) wide and 20-60 mi (32-96 km) long,...

The massive Paleocene oil sands of the Balder Field are overlain by several thinly bedded Eocene sand-prone packages of variable facies and reservoir quality. Although these sands have been penetrated by numerous exploration and development wells, uncertainty remains as to their extent, distribution, and ultimate effect on reservoir performance. The...

Predicting the effect of a pollutant spill on downstream water quality is primarily dependent on the water velocity, longitudinal mixing, and chemical/physical reactions. Of these, velocity is the most important and difficult to predict. This paper provides guidance on extrapolating travel-time information from one within bank discharge to another. In...

An important problem in hydrologic science is understanding how river flow is influenced by rainfall properties and drainage basin characteristics. In this paper we consider one approach, the use of mass exponents, in examining the relation of river flow to rainfall and the channel network, which provides the primary conduit...

The utility of splenic macrophage aggregates (MAs) as an indicator of fish exposure to degraded environments was evaluated in several species of estuarine fishes as part of the Environmental Protection Agency's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program–Estuaries (EMAP-E). Using image analysis, we measured the number and mean size of MAs per...

Some populations of shortnose sturgeon Acipenser brevirostrum and pallid sturgeon Scaphirhynchus albus have been divided by hydroelectric dams, and migration downstream past the dams likely continues. No protection for downstream migrants is presently available, and the behavior of sturgeon to guidance structures has not been studied. We conducted experiments in a 5.4-m-long × 1.5-m-wide...

Naturally macerated cuticles (NMC) and one synangium, representing medullosalean and marattialean tree-fern species, from two Carboniferous coalfields in Nova Scotia, Canada, are investigated. The samples were analyzed by infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and by pyrolysis-gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (py-Gc/Ms) techniques in search for chemical signatures that would help in developing a chemotaxonomic...

We develop a methodology to perform finite fault source inversions from strong motion data using Green's functions (GFs) calculated for a three-dimensional (3-D) velocity structure. The 3-D GFs are calculated numerically by inserting body forces at each of the strong motion sites and then recording the resulting strains along the...

Microbiotic crusts are important components of many aridland soils. Research on crusts typically focuses on the increase in soil fertility due to N-fixing micro-organisms, the stabilization of soils against water and wind erosion and the impact of disturbance on N-cycling. The effect of microbiotic crusts on the associated plant community...

Historical variability in fire regime is a conservative indicator of ecosystem sustainability, and thus understanding the natural role of fire in chaparral ecosystems is necessary for proper fire management. It has been suggested that the “natural” fire regime was one of frequent small fires that fragmented the landscape into a...

The San Francisco Bay estuary isused by over one million shorebirds during springmigration and is home to several hundred thousandduring the winter. Most shorebird use occurs in thesouthern reach of the estuary (South Bay). Thereduced water circulation and discharge fromindustrial sources in the South Bay are responsiblefor the highest levels...

Spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) are gregarious carnivores that defend group territories against encroachment by neighboring conspecifics. Here we monitored the behavior of members of one clan of free-ranging spotted hyenas during border patrols, ‘wars’ with neighboring clans, and other interactions with alien intruders, to document differences between the sexes in...

Population sizes of territorial male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were determined with counts of territorial males (area count) and a Petersen-Lincoln Index method for roadsides (roadside estimate). Weather conditions and time of day did not influence either method. Combined roadside estimates had smaller error bounds than the individual...

Particulates that move with ground water and those that are artificially mobilized during well purging could be incorporated into water samples during collection and could cause trace-element concentrations to vary in unfiltered samples, and possibly in filtered samples (typically 0.45-um (micron) pore size) as well, depending on the particle-size fractions...

Electrocution on power lines is one of many human-caused mortality factors that affect raptors. Cost-effective and relatively simple raptor-safe standards for power line modification and construction have been available for over 25 years. During the 1970s and early 1980s, electric industry efforts to reduce raptor electrocutions were very coordinated and...

Genetic and morphological diversity of Phyllodoce empetriformis (Sw.) D. Don and Phyllodoce glanduliflora (hook.) Cov. were surveyed in Mount Rainier National Park in the Cascade Mountains of Washington State. Paired populations at high and low elevations were sampled at three study areas between 1720- and 2451-m elevation. Allozyme analysis of four polymorphic loci indicates high...

The Brucella abortus vaccine strain RB51 (SRB51) is being considered for use in the management of brucellosis in wild bison (Bison bison) and elk (Cervus elaphus) populations in the Greater Yellowstone Area (USA). Evaluation of the vaccine's safety in non-target species was considered necessary prior to field use. Between June 1998 and...

High-resolution multibeam mapping of the mid- and outer continental shelf and upper slope off Mississippi and Alabama reveals a complex bathymetry that reflects conditions during the last eustatic rise and the present high stand of sea level. The most prominent bathymetric features are pinnacles and hardgrounds that are scattered throughout...

Standard environmental assessment procedures are designed to protect terrestrial and aquatic species. However, it is not known if endangered species are adequately protected by these procedures. At present, toxicological data obtained from studies with surrogate test fishes are assumed to be applicable to endangered fish species, but this assumption has...

Conflicts often arise in the management of natural resources. Often they result from differing perceptions, varying interpretations of the law, and self-interests among stakeholder groups (for example, the values and perceptions about spotted owls and forest management differ markedly among environmental groups, government regulatory agencies, and timber industries). We extend...