Game Department Research Articles

Potential for spatial displacement of Cook Inlet beluga whales by anthropogenic noise in critical habitat

ESR Endangered Species Research Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsSpecials ESR 32:43-57 (2017) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00786 Theme Section: 21st century paradigms for measuring and managing the effects of anthropogenic ocean noise Potential for spatial displacement of Cook Inlet beluga whales by anthropogenic noise in critical habitat Robert J. Small1,*, Brian Brost2, Mevin Hooten3,2,4, Manuel Castellote5,6, Jeffrey Mondragon1 1Alaska Department of Fish and Game, 1255 West 8th Street, Juneau, AK 99801, USA 2Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 1484 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA 3U.S. Geological Survey, Colorado Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 1484 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA 4Department of Statistics, Colorado State University, 1484 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA 5Joint Institute for the Study of the Atmosphere and Ocean (JISAO), University of Washington, 3737 Brooklyn Avenue NE, Seattle, WA 98105, USA 6Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Marine Mammal Laboratory, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115, USA *Corresponding author: bob.small@alaska.gov ABSTRACT: The population of beluga whales in Cook Inlet, Alaska, USA, declined by nearly half in the mid-1990s, primarily from an unsustainable harvest, and was listed as endangered in 2008. In 2014, abundance was ~340 whales, and the population trend during 1999-2014 was -1.3% yr-1. Cook Inlet beluga whales are particularly vulnerable to anthropogenic impacts, and noise that has the potential to reduce communication and echolocation range considerably has been documented in critical habitat; thus, noise was ranked as a high potential threat in the Cook Inlet beluga Recovery Plan. The current recovery strategy includes research on effects of threats potentially limiting recovery, and thus we examined the potential impact of anthropogenic noise in critical habitat, specifically, spatial displacement. Using a subset of data on anthropogenic noise and beluga detections from a 5 yr acoustic study, we evaluated the influence of noise events on beluga occupancy probability. We used occupancy models, which account for factors that affect detection probability when estimating occupancy, the first application of these models to examine the potential impacts of anthropogenic noise on marine mammal behavior. Results were inconclusive, primarily because beluga detections were relatively infrequent. Even though noise metrics (sound pressure level and noise duration) appeared in high-ranking models as covariates for occupancy probability, the data were insufficient to indicate better predictive ability beyond those models that only included environmental covariates. Future studies that implement protocols designed specifically for beluga occupancy will be most effective for accurately estimating the effect of noise on beluga displacement. KEY WORDS: Beluga whales · Anthropogenic noise · Spatial displacement · Occupancy models Full text in pdf format Supplementary material PreviousNextCite this article as: Small RJ, Brost B, Hooten M, Castellote M, Mondragon J (2017) Potential for spatial displacement of Cook Inlet beluga whales by anthropogenic noise in critical habitat. Endang Species Res 32:43-57. https://doi.org/10.3354/esr00786 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in ESR Vol. 32. Online publication date: February 07, 2017 Print ISSN: 1863-5407; Online ISSN: 1613-4796 Copyright © 2017 Inter-Research.

Flying Beavers: An Innovative Approach to Wildlife Conservation

Based on actual historical events, this case describes how the Idaho Fish and Game Department decided to transplant beavers from a rapidly growing area of human habitation by catching them in live traps, flying them to a more hospitable environment via airplane, and parachuting the caged beavers to their new location. Students are asked to evaluate the wisdom of this plan from ecological, economic, and ethical perspectives. This case is intended for an advanced undergraduate or graduate course in sustainable business practices, environmental management, business ethics, and/or wildlife conservation. Excerpt UVA-E-0403 Rev. Jan. 25, 2016 Flying Beavers: An Innovative Approach to Wildlife Conservation It was a crisp morning in the fall of 1948, and Conservation Officer Scotty Heter was walking back from the airfield where he had been field-testing aspects of a new method for controlling beaver populations. A few months earlier, authorities at the Idaho Department of Fish and Game had determined that beavers (Castor canadensis) currently inhabiting the area around McCall, Idaho, and Payette Lake were creating a nuisance for the rapidly expanding human population and that the best course of action would be to move them from their current residence to a more remote area in Idaho's Chamberlain Basin. The most expeditious way to accomplish this, it was believed, was to catch the beavers in live traps, transport them via airplane to their new home, and drop them to the ground via parachute. Natural History Beavers are North America's largest rodents, measuring 24 to 26 inches in length and weighing between 30 and 65 pounds. They are found in every state except Hawaii, living in colonies along rivers, streams, lakes, and other wetland areas. Renowned for their industrious behavior in building dams and modifying habitat to meet their own needs for shelter and food, beavers have earned the title of “nature's engineers.” . . .

Late Summer Movements by Giant Canada Geese in Relation to a September Hunting Season

The population of giant Canada geese (Branta canadensis maxima) breeding in eastern South Dakota has increased dramatically since reintroduction efforts began in the 1960s. May breeding population levels of giant Canada geese exceeded population management goals set by the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks (SDGFP) by the mid-1990s, and the population has continued to increase into the 2000s. This population increase was accompanied by an increase in goose-related conflicts such as crop depredation. In 1996, a September hunting season was implemented in select counties in eastern South Dakota in an effort to reduce the giant Canada goose population. After its implementation, some hunters and biologists were concerned that the early September season was causing Canada geese to disperse from areas open to hunting due to hunting pressure. Herein, we describe post-molt movements by geese, particularly in relation to the September hunting season. We caught Canada geese in 7 counties in eastern South Dakota during the summer molting period, 2000 to 2003. We attached VHF (n = 153) and satellite transmitters (n = 43) on adult female geese with broods. We monitored movements of marked geese weekly from July through the fall freezing period. For this study, we considered major movements any post- molt movement ≥40 km from the wetland in which the goose was banded prior to October 15. Forty-six percent of marked geese made major movements from July to September, and 43% moved during the first week of the September season, indicating that the season may have triggered their post-molt movement. Major movements were primarily in a northerly direction, and the longest documented post-molt movement was 474 km north. It appears that the onset of the September hunting season may have caused geese to move immediately before or during the first 10 days of the season. Post-molt movements prior to the September hunting season may simply have been a function of established, learned traditions, but the punctuated movement of geese during the opening weekend of the hunting season may have resulted from geese responding to the hunting season itself.

Preliminary assessment of a direct age determination method for 3 commercially important crustaceans from Alaska

1 Department of Biology University of New Brunswick (Saint John) 100 Tucker Park Road Saint John, New Brunswick E2L 4L5, Canada 2 Department of Marine Science Suez Canal University Ismailia 41522, Egypt 3 Division of Commercial Fisheries Alaska Department of Fish and Game P.O. Box 115526 Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526 4 Age Development Unit, Mark, Tag, and Age Laboratory Alaska Department of Fish and Game P.O. Box 115526 Juneau, Alaska 99811-5526

Telomere length and environmental conditions predict stress levels but not parental investment in a long-lived seabird

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 556:251-259 (2016) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11864 Telomere length and environmental conditions predict stress levels but not parental investment in a long-lived seabird Rebecca C. Young1,4,*, Chris P. Barger1,5, Ine Dorresteijn2,6, Mark F. Haussmann3, Alexander S. Kitaysky1 1University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology; Department of Biology and Wildlife, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA 2University of Alaska Fairbanks, Institute of Arctic Biology, Fairbanks, AK 99775, USA 3Dept. of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA 17837, USA 4Present address: 3447 Valley Branch Road, Nashville, IN 47448, USA 5Present address: Alaska Department of Fish & Game, 1300 College Road, Fairbanks, AK 99701, USA 6Present address: Leuphana University Lüneburg, Faculty of Sustainability, Scharnhorststr. 1, C11.018, 21335 Lüneburg, Germany *Corresponding author: rebeccacyoung721@gmail.com ABSTRACT: Telomeres are increasingly regarded as viable biomarkers of individual quality, and thus may be associated with other proximate markers of quality. We compared telomere length to such quality markers in a long-lived seabird, the thick-billed murre Uria lomvia, breeding under varying environmental conditions on 3 colonies in the Bering Sea. Individual quality was assessed using behaviors associated with parental investment (trip rate and nest attendance, determined by bird-borne data loggers), body condition, and physiological stress (baseline corticosterone). Telomere length was related to physiological stress and body condition, while parental investment in reproduction was not. This implies that maintenance of consistent levels of parental care was prioritized and that individual quality changes were expressed physiologically (changes in telomere length) rather than behaviorally. Under poor environmental conditions, short telomeres were associated with lower levels of physiological stress. However, under good environmental conditions, they were associated with higher levels of stress. These findings confirm that telomere length variation is related to patterns in stress hormones and support previous findings that environmental conditions are an important mediator of telomere dynamics. KEY WORDS: Individual quality · Brünnich’s guillemot · Corticosterone · Parental investment · Temperature-depth recorder · Telomeres · Thick-billed murre · Uria lomvia Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: Young RC, Barger CP, Dorresteijn I, Haussmann MF, Kitaysky AS (2016) Telomere length and environmental conditions predict stress levels but not parental investment in a long-lived seabird. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 556:251-259. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11864 Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 556. Online publication date: September 08, 2016 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2016 Inter-Research.

A fishery-independent survey of juvenile shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) and blue (Prionace glauca) sharks in the Southern California Bight, 1994–2013

A fishery-independent abundance survey was initiated by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and the California Department of Fish and Game (CDFG) in 1994 to track the relative abundance and size of juvenile shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) and blue (Prionace glauca) sharks in the Southern California Bight (SCB). The survey was designed based on data from an experimental commercial shark longline fishery that operated in the SCB during 1988–1991. Survey sets were conducted annually during the summer months within seven 10×10min spatial blocks in the SCB close to the California Channel Islands. Between 1994 and 2013, survey effort totaled 460 sets. The standardized catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) of shortfin mako showed a generally declining trend from 1994 through 2010 with increases during the final years to a level similar to those of the mid-1990s. For blue sharks, the standardized CPUE showed a generally declining trend throughout the time series with the lowest values in 2012 and 2013, and an anomalously high CPUE in 2000. Catch rates varied across the survey area with fewer, larger sharks caught in the more northern blocks of the survey. Sharks of age classes 0–2 represented the majority of those caught in the survey (approximately 81% of blue sharks and 58% of makos), yet there was variability in the sizes of blue and mako sharks caught by year. The sex ratio of age-0 sharks caught was not different from 1:1 for shortfin makos, but skewed toward females for blue sharks. Although the survey area is relatively small and results show interannual and spatial variability in CPUE that is not fully understood, these data represent the first and only fishery-independent survey that has targeted these shark species in the SCB. The results of the survey and associated data provide useful information regarding regional relative abundance, size- and sex-compositions, and spatial distributions of shortfin mako and blue sharks, all of which are essential for stock assessments and fisheries management.

Effects of Rearing Density on Return to Creel of Hatchery Catchable Rainbow Trout Stocked in Idaho Lentic Waters

AbstractEvaluating rearing techniques that maximize angler returns to creel of hatchery trout is an essential tool in shaping hatchery management practices and maximizing the public use of hatchery products. The goal of this study was to determine the effects of raceway rearing density on return to creel of catchable-sized (mean TL ≈ 252 mm) hatchery Rainbow Trout Oncorhynchus mykiss. In 2011 and 2012, Idaho Department of Fish and Game reared catchable-sized trout targeting three maximum density indices (0.15, 0.25, and 0.30 lb·ft−3·in−1) at three different state fish hatcheries. Each hatchery stocked fish into the same 11 lakes and reservoirs to evaluate return-to-creel rates by rearing density. Although there was a trend of lower angler catch for fish reared at a higher raceway density, the relationship was not statistically significant. Instead, angler catch was significantly influenced by fish size at stocking and the surface area of the water being stocked, whereby larger fish and smaller waters had ...

English

Spenceville Mine is an abandoned copper mine located in the Sierra Nevada foothills of California. The mine was operated intermittently from the 1880's until 1918. The site was covered with mine tailings and overburden materials. In addition, the central portion of the site was occupied by a flooded open pit, which contained approximately 6 million gallons of acidic water with a pH averaging 2.5. The U.S Army owned the site from 1941 to 1962, at which time it was transferred to the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) with the creation of the Spenceville Wildlife Refuge. The closure plan was approved by the regulatory agencies in early 2001, and mine closure activities began in April 2001. In subsequent months a water treatment plant was constructed and used to treat the pit water. The treated water was then applied to land in the vicinity of the site. The mine waste was excavated, treated with lime, and placed in the dewatered pit. A two foot layer of local soil was placed as cover over the entire site, and a mine-impacted stream was restored to its original channel. In addition to these tasks, closure activities had to address the potential for unexploded ordnances, reclamation of shafts and tunnels in the dewatered pit, and documentation of cultural resources.

Factors Influencing Data Quality in Citizen Science Roadkill Projects

Factors Influencing Data Quality in Citizen Science Roadkill Projects

Report of First Specimens ofPekania pennanti(Fisher) from Virginia

Abstract Pekania pennanti (Fisher) is believed to have occurred in portions of western Virginia prior to the late 1800s. However, except for fossil remains, no specimen or evidence of this species from Virginia has ever been reported in a museum collection. Here we document recent evidence of Fishers in Virginia from verified photographic records submitted to the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries and voucher specimens deposited into the Mammal Collection of the Virginia Museum of Natural History. These recently collected and observed Fishers in Virginia are likely dispersers from expanding Fisher populations in western Maryland and eastern West Virginia. This report provides the foundation for future investigations into the distribution and abundance of this species in Virginia.

Addressing a Persistent Policy Problem: The Elk Hunt in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming

ABSTRACTThe elk reduction program (elk hunt) in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming, has been controversial since its inception in 1950. We interviewed 35 stakeholders and surveyed literature to understand participant perspectives in relation to ongoing conflict. Stakeholders held conflicting perspectives, problem definitions, and value orientations. Hunt opponents felt their interests were not reflected in decision making, while hunt proponents were dissatisfied with federal agency management. Agency officials focused on technical aspects of elk management (e.g., overpopulation, objectives) and did not address conflict driven by underlying value dynamics. Decisions made by the agencies (National Park Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department) through the institution of wildlife management failed to integrate diverse interests. As a result, many nonagency participants felt disrespected by current decision-making arrangements. The long-term controversy has caused a persistent policy problem. We offer recommendations for how the social process could be better organized to build more effective governance and management.

Evaluation of watercraft quagga mussel decontamination in saltwater

Restricting the spread of invasive quagga and zebra mussels by decontaminating recreational watercraft is an important management practice in Europe and the United States. These mussels impact freshwater ecosystems and leave massive economic costs of restoration for ecological services and human infrastructure for each water body they invade. The authors investigated, at the request of the California Department of Fish and Game, whether decontaminating watercraft by placement into saline waters after coming into contact with freshwater bodies infested with invasive mussels eliminates the risk of spreading the species. Evaluating whether or not this is a viable management practice is critical where zebra and quagga mussel freshwater habitats are directly connected to brackish and saline water bodies, like the SacramentoSan Joaquin River Delta (Delta), California United States of American (USA). In this study, quagga mussels were exposed to water collected from different locations within the Delta, with salinities ranging from 4 parts per thousand (ppt) to 33.4 ppt for up to fifteen days. We observed a mortality gradient correlating to salinity levels. The water with the highest salinity content killed 100% of the quagga mussels within 40 hours. One hundred percent mortality was not observed until 70 hours of exposure for quagga mussels exposed to lower salinity concentrations of 21.3 ppt and 15.3 ppt. However, 99% of mussels exposed to 4.0 ppt salinity brackish water remained alive for the 16 day duration of the study. These results are similar to mussels held in water with low salinity content similar to most freshwaters. In the Delta, salinity fluctuates naturally and travel time by boat between saline and freshwaters is a few hours or less. Therefore, it would be challenging if not impossible for watercraft operators to ensure the proper exposure time and salinity exposure. Based on these results, the authors do not recommend launching boats into salt water or brackish water prior to entry into freshwater as a decontamination option for watercraft or as a management tool for preventing invasive mussel infestations.

Detecting, estimating, and correcting for biases in harvest data

ABSTRACTHunting is important to many people because it provides food, recreation, and cultural identity, so proper management of wildlife is necessary. Wildlife agencies and researchers often rely on harvest data supplied by hunters, but interpretation of these data can be misleading when biases are not acknowledged, assessed, and corrected. We use harvest information collected by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) from moose (Alces alces gigas) hunters to examine and correct 3 common biases in harvest data: heaping in responses of estimated effort (i.e., rounding), changes in report design, and nonreporting. We found that bias due to heaping was limited (2.8%). A large increase in special permits in 2004 (6.1% in 2003 and 40.1% in 2004) corresponded with increases in individuals with multiple permits (8.6% and 17.3%), which biased estimates of hunt participation calculated from permit data. Failure to correct for multiple reports per hunter also resulted in an artificial decline in success over time. Road access influenced reporting rates; rural Alaska residents without a road had the lowest reporting rate (67%) and rural with a road the greatest (82%). A statewide trend of 663 additional hunters per year calculated from raw permit data was eliminated once data were corrected for both multiple permits and nonreporting. Late reporters were also less likely to hunt (11.8%) than all reporters. Our research shows that survey data bias can significantly influence data interpretation, and wildlife managers must balance information needs, time constraints, and financial resources when determining which biases to correct. © 2015 The Wildlife Society.

Effects of a protected slot limit on smallmouth bass size structure and angler harvest

In an effort to improve size structure of smallmouth bass (Micropterus dolomieu) in Lake Sharpe, a large Missouri River impoundment, the South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks instituted 2 protected slot limits: restricted (305–457 mm) beginning in 2003 and relaxed (355–457 mm) beginning in 2008. We examined the effects of these regulations on smallmouth bass harvest and population characteristics and compared creel and population trends of Lake Sharpe smallmouth bass to adjacent reservoirs where smallmouth bass harvest was not regulated by length limits. Prior to the slot limit, the majority of the smallmouth bass harvest from Lake Sharpe was for individuals 250–400 mm in length (P < 0.001). Estimated harvest after regulation implementation was higher for smallmouth bass 250–350 mm (P < 0.001). Additionally, an increase in proportional stock density–preferred (PSD-P), number >355 mm, and angler catch of trophy smallmouth bass was observed, suggesting an effective regulation. However, a before-after-control-impact (BACI) study design and analysis indicated changes in size structure were observed in abutting Lakes Oahe and Francis Case, suggesting a Missouri River system-wide affect was likely responsible for observed population changes. Because of the lack of biological support and the negative feedback by anglers, the protective slot limit regulation was removed from Lake Sharpe in 2012. Further, when considering length limit regulations, we recommend gathering data on similar “control” systems in an effort to document changes resulting solely from the impacts of the regulation.

History of Sage-Grouse (Centrocercusspp.) In New Mexico

We report the known pre-settlement distribution of Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) in New Mexico, the late Pleistocene fossil record of Centrocercus in the state, the only known specimen from New Mexico, and review the introduction of nonnative greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) into the state. Fossil bones of sage-grouse have been reported from San Juan, Sandoval, Grant, Hidalgo, and Doña Ana counties, indicating a former widespread distribution. Sage-grouse were uncommon to rare in New Mexico based on reports of observers and travelers through the state prior to 1900, with only one known specimen. The last known report of the native sage-grouse in New Mexico was from near Chama in about 1912. At least 326 greater sage-grouse were transplanted into Taos (175), Rio Arriba (103), and San Juan (48) counties between 1933 and 1969 by the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish; all of these introductions failed.

Salmonid Acclimatisation in Colonial Victoria: Improvement, Restoration and Recreation 1858-1909

Abstract Aquaculture and salmonid acclimatisation in Victoria drew upon and adapted European and American precedents to reflect local circumstances and priorities. Multiple attempts were made to acclimatise various species of European and American salmonids in Victoria throughout the nineteenth century. The Acclimatisation Society of Victoria assembled a salmonid acclimatisation network that combined transnational aquaculture expertise with local commercial imperatives, a desire to restore damaged fisheries and a unique local acclimatisation theory. This network was subsequently used and transformed by regional fish acclimatisation societies and private individuals. The network finally collapsed with the professionalisation of the Victorian fisheries in the 1880s and the establishment of the Fisheries and Game department in 1909. Exploring the rise and fall of this network demonstrates and analyses the operation of transnational acclimatisation knowledge and practices.

Study on the Model of Lesson Study-Based Handicraft Job Trainingin ECO Green Park Kota Batu

The aim of this research is to provide information about the model of lesson study-based handicraft job training among the employees of ECO Green Park in guiding the visitors in their workplace. The research method applied was a descriptive method with a qualitative approach. Meanwhile, the population involved in this research was the employees of ECO Green Park in Department of Marketing, Fun and Game, Animal, Science Center, Chief Accounting, Public Area, gardener, Engineering and F&amp;B. The type of sample used was a random sampling with the involvement of 65 persons. The technique in collecting data was conducted through questionnaire, interview and observation. The data analysis used here was in the form of a frequency distribution with an SPSS program for Windows version 21. The result of this research then shows a need of the employee for training materials to support their work. In addition, training facilities to support the achievement of training implementation and strategy in delivering the training materials are deemed essential to be a concern. Meanwhile, the evaluation of the training program was performed using the Kirkpatrick model highly suitable to measure the effectiveness of the training program at ECO Green Park.

In the Path of Destruction: Eyewitness Chronicles of Mount St. Helens by Richard Waitt

 Reviews By August, Lewis ordered the miners to return to work, setting off a conflict between the UMWA and the Roslyn local, where militant leaders accused him of selling out their battles for better pay and a shorter work day. After a leader of the militant faction was elected president in October,Lewis decertified the local union and put his own man in charge. The next month an alternative union, the Western Miners Union, was formed and called a strike in April 1934. Some miners remained loyal to the UMWA,causing sometimes violent battles between neighbors including egg throwing and other harassment by strikers and their families of those they saw as scabs.Eventually there was murder, a trial, and a split in the community that persists. It is not uncommon to want to simplify history, to choose one issue when there are several interacting. This struggle was one of multiple causes and circumstances. Bullock allows them to interact in a book that is accessible to general readers while being a welcome addition to Northwest labor history scholarship. Sandy Polishuk Portland, Oregon IN THE PATH OF DESTRUCTION: EYEWITNESS CHRONICLES OF MOUNT ST. HELENS by Richard Waitt Washington State University Press, Pullman, 2014. Illustrations, photographs, maps, tables, notes, index. 423 pages. $22.95, paper. On May 18, 1980, an earthquake triggered the planet’s largest recorded landslide, removing the top quarter mile and much of the bulging north face of Mount St. Helens. Volcanic pressure released an explosion that remains the “where were you when” marker for a generation of Pacific Northwest residents . Pyroclastic flows, lahars from melted glaciers, and an ash cloud that would soon descend on campers and scientists alike transformed the blast zone and the surrounding hills and valleys. In the Path of Destruction focuses on the intersection of that geologic moment and the many human stories from the days and weeks before and after the event. Richard Waitt, a former U.S. Geological Survey scientist, is intimately familiar with the mountain’sgeologyandgeographyaswellasthe politics of the multiple jurisdictions involved. Working from hundreds of interviews, he applies a scientist’s attention to detail and an insider’s perspective. He melds multiple storylines into something more like an immense collage than a smooth narrative. From the very beginning,itisclearthatWaittmakeslittleeffort toreconcilecontradictoryaccountsoreliminate repetition,butinsteadleavesindividualversions to stand as-is. Reducing the number of stories or editing for consistency may have made for a more readable account but would eliminate the most intriguing aspect of the book. Tales include survivors recounting their harrowing experiences, airlift rescues, arrival at hospitals, and difficult recoveries.Waitt also reconstructs the fifty-seven deaths in the blast zone. Of course, Harry Truman is included; the crotchety caretaker of a lodge on Spirit Lake became a media sensation for his refusal to evacuate and leave the mountain. Trapped by the image he had created, he met his end under the immense landslide. Truman’s story, however, is only a small portion of the mix. The collision of politics and geology extends this collection well beyond eyewitness accounts of a volcanic disaster. President Jimmy Carter’s famously premature  OHQ vol. 116, no. 4 astonishment at the devastation, followed by the revelation that he had just had his first glimpse of clear-cut logging practices, provides one of the few moments approaching levity. Other politicians come in for more serious criticism. Washington governor Dixy Lee Ray’s assertions that the dead defied exclusion zones, crossed roadblocks, and put themselves in harm’s way are at odds with reality. Most of those who died were outside the zone approved by Ray, but within the areas recommended for closure by scientists. Local businesses and loggers had urged Ray to minimize the closed zone after months of shifting roadblocks with little impact from the early phases of the eruption. Ray’s confrontational style and nearly complete exclusion of the state’s Department of Fish and Game and Department of Natural Resources from communications exacerbated the contradictory policies around the mountain. Conflicts over the cost, location, and maintenance of roadblocks also put the surrounding counties at odds. The image that arises is one of chaotic decision-making, shaky understanding of risks, poor enforcement, and conflicting authority...

An Indigenous Model of a Contested Pacific Herring Fishery in Sitka, Alaska

This paper uses GIS and spatiotemporal analysis of a historically and culturally modified marine ecosystem to evaluate Pacific herring abundance, declines, vulnerabilities, and future prospects, about which a Native Tribe and state fisheries managers disagree. In 2008, the Sitka Tribe of Alaska (STA) requested that an area within its traditional waters be closed to commercial sac roe fishing to protect spawning Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi), a key species for Native subsistence and marine ecosystem health. This proposal was opposed by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&amp;G), which estimated that adequate biomass was available to accommodate all herring users' needs. The disagreement exposes divisions between the Tribe's and the State's conceptualizations of the status, health, and management priorities for fisheries and marine ecosystems. The Tribe's model is one of cultivated abundance, wherein herring eggs are harvested conservatively and habitat is enhanced to make coastal spawning areas more productive, stable, and resilient. The State's paradigm, in contrast, follows a constitutional mandate to manage fisheries for Maximum Sustained Yield (MSY). A single-species biomass model is used to estimate a “surplus” herring for commercial roe harvesting within management areas. This work analyses and compares the spatiotemporal prescriptions of State and Indigenous models of herring fisheries management as they are used within debates over a closed area (Proposal 239), and assesses their relative potential for improving herring fisheries and marine ecosystem management using a combination of GIS spatial and scientific analysis and traditional ecological knowledge.

Co-orientation of State Wildlife Agency Personnel and Wildlife Management Area Stakeholders Regarding Wildlife Habitat Management Activities in Virginia

Natural resource managers frequently make decisions in the public interest, yet research suggests managers often hold values and attitudes that differ from those of their stakeholders. Applying the co-orientation theory of communication, we contrasted beliefs of Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries managers (n = 77) with those of recreational users (n = 726) of Virginia's wildlife management areas (WMAs). Although managers and users both expressed support for many of the same land management practices, managers generally expressed stronger support. Managers also more accurately predicted WMA users' beliefs on land management, compared to users' predictions of managers' beliefs. Managers and WMA users held different views about timber harvesting, which suggests it is an area with high potential for controversy and needs improved communication efforts. Frequency-based and statistical co-orientation analysis yielded different, and potentially misleading, results; thus, policy-makers should use caution when interpreting communicative situations and designing subsequent public relations efforts.