Meadows Area Research Articles

Socio-Economic Benefits in Community Energy Structures

In this paper, the authors examine how a community energy group in the Meadows area of Nottingham in the UK adopted a model of local energy generation and storage as a means of combatting climate change, improving energy efficiency, enhancing energy security, and reducing fuel poverty. By prioritising local needs and managing expectations, this approach was seen to unite community members in acting on energy challenges while increasing knowledge, understanding, and awareness of energy issues in general. The results of the survey indicated that the respondents had a significantly high level of climate awareness (94%) and support for community energy (90%). Furthermore, evidence of the impacts and efficiencies of community energy and subsequent socio-economic benefits were identified, including 89% of respondents reporting a reduction in energy costs and 67% of respondents increasing their self-consumption. Importantly, the barriers experienced when trying to maximise the identified socio-economic benefits are highlighted and general recommendations given.

Control method that may limit an invasive plant in a protected area: Stem breaking decreases alien goldenrod performance and enhances pest attack

Developing alternative control approaches is particularly important for reducing the impact of biological invasions in protected areas. We present a simple stem-breaking control approach for alien goldenrod, Solidago gigantea. The method was tested at the Natura 2000 site ‘Skawina meadows area’ in southern Poland, where S. gigantea threatens the co-occurring protected and rare native species. The tests were performed over 40 days in 2012 and 2013 and involved hand-breaking of stems. Control and broken plants were surveyed in terms of their performance and pest pressure, and the number of pests attacking a given control and/or broken plant was assessed. We found that stem breaking may reduce S. gigantea generative reproduction potential by preventing seed release and increasing pest pressure. The dominant pest groups were Stylommatophora and Auchenorrhyncha. Application of this method in strictly protected areas does not require virtually any equipment and can be performed by non-qualified volunteers. Thus, the proposed approach may be an economic and environmentally friendly method of alien plant species control; however, further tests at a larger scale are needed to confirm this hypothesis.

Impact Of crisis Awareness on Organizational Performance: A Strategic Leadership Perspective in SME’s

Purpose:
 This study is an attempt to examine the performance of the organization during the times of crisis. The larger part of the interest is to ensure that in future organizations remain resilient enough not to be affected by such crises. One of the vital elements of this study is to examine the moderating role of strategic leadership of SME’s in times of crisis. Any rumor or real time security threat could seriously challenge the prospective business opportunities especially in the tourism sector in Pakistan. In fact, this is one of the fragile business sectors exist in the modern world too.
 Methodology:
 The present study uses quantitative approach to empirically verify the impact of crisis situation awareness on organizational performance. The research uses tourism sector as unit of analysis. Survey questionnaire were distributed among the Owners, Operation Managers, Finance Managers, and the Administrators.
 Findings: 
 Incharge of various travel and tourism companies and partial least square path modelling was used to draw meaningful conclusions. Results suggested that organizations which are more aware are in a better position to enhance their performance even in the times of crisis.
 Conclusion:
 The study concludes by suggesting that in the tourism industry as the majority of the organizations or stakeholders are SME’s hence combining or bringing all resources to one platform and planning for any challenge can enable them to perform at optimal level. Researcher recommends that there are areas are also available to conduct further research on learning from failures as early events in Pakistan like attack on tourists in Fairy Meadows area and learning how to avoid and minimize damages from such uncontrollable events.

Late Wisconsinan and Holocene development of Grand Lake Meadows area and southern reaches of the Saint John River Valley, New Brunswick, Canada

<p align="LEFT">A 67 m near-continuous stratigraphic core was recovered from drilling at Grand Lake Meadows, located near the junction of Grand Lake and the Saint John River, approximately 40 km south of Fredericton, New Brunswick. From analyses of recovered samples and finite radiocarbon dating, four phases of development of the study site and surrounding environs were identified to have occurred following the Late Wisconsinan glacial maximum. Phase I, related to the formation of the DeGeer Sea, commenced more than 15 000 calyBP from deglaciation accompanied by marine transgression. Phase II began ~14 000 calyBP and continued until approximately ~8000 calyBP during which time there was major isostatic readjustment in the region and formation of a stratified, mostly brackish, ancestral Grand Lake and transformation into a mostly freshwater, Lake Acadia. Phase III began shortly after 8000 calyBP and continued until after 3000 calyBP accompanied by return of the Saint John River to a fluvialdominated system after down-cutting an outlet at the Reversing Falls gorge, and draining much of Lake Acadia. During phase IV, ~3000 calyBP to present, estuarine conditions were initiated as marine water advanced upstream over the Reversing Falls, leading to the development of the modern river system and Grand Lake Meadows.</p>

An evaluation of changes in a mountainous rural landscape of Northeast Portugal using remotely sensed data

Image data from Earth Observation Satellites (EOS) were used to analyse mountain landscape changes in Northeast Portugal. Three Landsat images, from April 30th 1979, March 14th 1989 and May 29th 2002 were used. A supervised classification was performed for each image based on the radiometric information and the Normalised Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Eleven classes were selected considering the main land cover types in the region. The classification results showed high overall accuracy (above 92.5%) and kappa coefficient (above 0.91). Broadly, the range of dates of the Landsat images used allowed for the differentiation between classes. Nevertheless, some problems occurred in differentiating between classes of forest and shrub vegetation due to similar characteristics and vegetation conditions in some periods of the year, and also due to the effects of topographic shadows associated to mountain areas. Meadows and annual crops were the classes having greater changes from 1979 to 2002: meadows area increased 60% while annual crops decreased 43.5%. The increase in meadows area was likely due to policies supporting agroenvironmental conservation and autochthon bovine livestock production. Differently, the decrease in annual crops was likely due to the loss of economical competitiveness of main annual crops and to the rural population decrease and ageing, which favoured the replacement of arable lands by permanent meadows. These results may help developing policies and measures for sustainable management of traditional mountain rural landscapes.

Rapid plant diversity assessment using a pixel nested plot design: A case study in Beaver Meadows, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA

ABSTRACTGeospatial statistical modelling and thematic maps have recently emerged as effective tools for the management of natural areas at the landscape scale. Traditional methods for the collection of field data pertaining to questions of landscape were developed without consideration for the parameters of these applications. We introduce an alternative field sampling design based on smaller unbiased random plot and subplot locations called the pixel nested plot (PNP). We demonstrate the applicability of the PNP design of 15 m × 15 m to assess patterns of plant diversity and species richness across the landscape at Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP), Colorado, USA in a time (cost)‐efficient manner for field data collection. Our results produced comparable results to a previous study in the Beaver Meadow study (BMS) area within RMNP, where there was a demonstrated focus of plant diversity. Our study used the smaller PNP sampling design for field data collection which could be linked to geospatial information data and could be used for landscape‐scale analyses and assessment applications. In 2003, we established 61 PNP in the eastern region of RMNP. We present a comparison between this approach using a sub‐sample of 19 PNP from this data set and 20 of Modified Whittaker nested plots (MWNP) of 20 m × 50 m that were collected in the BMS area. The PNP captured 266 unique plant species while the MWNP captured 275 unique species. Based on a comparison of PNP and MWNP in the Beaver Meadows area, RMNP, the PNP required less time and area sampled to achieve a similar number of species sampled. Using the PNP approach for data collection can facilitate the ecological monitoring of these vulnerable areas at the landscape scale in a time‐ and therefore cost‐effective manner.

Mountain Pine Bettle Infestation: Cycling and Succession in Lodgepole Pine Forest

A research project was initiated in the summer of 1980 to study the effect of mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins) outbreaks on forests dominated by lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta Dougl. ssp. latifolia) in Yellowstone National Park (YNP), Wyoming. In the past twenty years, beetle outbreaks have become an increasing problem in the Park. These series of infestations first appeared in the Bechler Meadows area in the early 1960's, and have since spread northward with the most recent outbreaks occurring in stands along the Gallatin River. Based on aerial surveys, the highest concentration of beetle activity is currently centered in the West Yellowstone Madison River Canyon area of the Park. Since bark beetle infestations are a natural disturbance or perturbation similar to fire, knowledge of the structure and function of the forest on disturbed patches is vital to the ecological understanding of the landscape. Although the population ecology of mountain pine beetle in pine forests has been well documented (Coulson 1979), little has been done on their effect on ecosystem characteristics. Our approach has been to study 1) various nutrient cycling characteristics, 2) surviving tree growth, 3) succession, and 4) fuel accumulation patterns in a series of stands with different histories of beetle disturbance. The stands were selected to represent a chronosequence of beetle activity, dating from about 1965 to the present.

HENNINGSMOEN, K. E. 1977: Pollen‐analytical investigations in the CAnse aux Meadows Area, New Foundland. In A. S. Ingstad: The Discovery of a Norse Settlement in America

BoreasVolume 7, Issue 3 p. 178-178 HENNINGSMOEN, K. E. 1977: Pollen-analytical investigations in the CAnse aux Meadows Area, New Foundland. In A. S. Ingstad: The Discovery of a Norse Settlement in America First published: September 1978 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1502-3885.1978.tb00274.xAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume7, Issue3September 1978Pages 178-178 RelatedInformation

Health Problems at the World's Fair

INVIRONMENTAL health covers the many fields related to healthful living standards. This broad term identifies the personnel trained in sanitary disciplines to evaluate these standards and includes physical equipment and facilities. It also encompasses such specific projects as the control of insect and rodent vectors of disease and denotes the acceptability of food and beverages for human consumption. environmental health program developed for the New York World's Fair of 1964-65 incorporates all the varied activities implied by the term. As we gain more knowledge and understanding of health factors, the emphasis for control of specific situations changes and the aims of such a program must also change. This is evident in the programs develoiped for the 1939-40 New York World's Fair and the 1964-65 fair. Dr. John G. Grimley, special deputy commissioner of health for the New York World's Fair of 1939-40, faced the basic sanitation problems of controlling and waste, insects, and rodents. He stated that a great number of areas that were polluted directly from the surrounding territory with [raw] sewage flowing into the Flushing River created unacceptable odors and health hazards. His initial action, the installation of pumping stations and fills, reduced the problem to one of inspection and administration in 1965. Grimley also stated that The reputation of this part of Queens for the size and number and efficiency of the mosquitoes was the cause of considerable anxiety as to what could be done toward relieving the fair of this type of pest. Drainage and fill procedures were instituted and other actions taken to eradicate breeding. An accoinpanying concern was namely, the chironomid or midge problem. Though not an apparent vector of disease, the midge was a nuisance because of its tendency to enter the nose, eyes, ears, and mouth. A satisfactory control mechanism was developed by testing various chemicals and means of application. Continual control required six barges, spraying equipment, and a sizable staff. 'These efforts to control the midge were successful in 1939, and no comparable difficulty occurred in 1964-65. A third problem encountered by Grimley was rodent control. Flushing Meadows area served as a refuse dump area prior to 1939 and was a haven for rats. With the disturbance of their burrows by construction activities, the problem became acute. primary control measure was invoking Section 251 of the Sanitary (Code of the City of New York, which made it a misdemeanor to throw refuse on the grounds. This potent means of controlling rodents within a specific, limited area remains in force, though improved methods of eradication enable uis to work toward control of total populations. During the 1964-65 fair, insects and rodents were controlled by surveys, treatment, and reinspection, using the services of experienced people on a contract basis. This was a minimal effort which resulted in maximum control. other environmental health problems encountered in 1964-65 were similar to those encountered in 1939-40, varying only in degree of prevalence and methods of control. Dr. Brownton was the chief medical officer of the New York World's Fair 1964-65 and is now president of Atomedic Hospitals, Inc., New York City.

An evaluation of uranium as a tool for studying the hydrogeochemistry of the Truckee Meadows area, Nevada

Forty-seven water samples collected in the Truckee Meadows, an alluviated intermontane basin in western Nevada, were analyzed for uranium and for the principal dissolved constituents. Some of the relationships between uranium and other chemical constituents described by other writers are verified in the study of the hydrogeochemistry of the Truckee Meadows area; others are not. The following relationships between uranium and bicarbonate-plus-carbonate content, uranium and chloride content, and uranium and sulfate content were observed in the waters of the Truckee Meadows area. (1) Uranium content tends to increase as the bicarbonate-plus-carbonate content increases, (2) thermal, chloride-rich waters of the Steamboat Springs area are relatively deficient in uranium, (3) some waters high in sulfate content are relatively rich in uranium; others are not. Because of the variability in concentration and the complex interrelationships between the bicarbonate, carbonate, sulfate, and chloride anions, and because uranium content appears to be dependent upon these variables, uranium has little value as a tool for studying the hydrogeochemistry of the area.

A Directional Change in the Subalpine Forest-Heath Ecotone in Garibaldi Park, British Columbia

In the northwestern portion of Garibaldi Park, British Columbia, often called the Black Tusk meadows area, a dozen glaciers and glacierets have been retreating fairly steadily for one hundred years or more (Mathews 1951, Figs. 1 and 2). The glaciers were advancing several centuries ago and overwhelmed forest, remnants of which are found today on the newly bared soil (Taylor 1936). Evidence for recent climatic change here, as in many other parts of the world, is therefore conclusive. It is difficult to implicate specific factors of climate in glacier retreat and advance although Mathews (1948), Hubley (1956) and Harrison (1956) have recorded some significant data relative to temperature changes in the Pacific Northwest. Obviously the snow remaining at the end of each summer in the glacier catchment basins must be a prime integrant of the high mountain climate of the Pacific slope. Post-Pleistocene changes in plant communities of the Pacific Northwest have been recorded by Hanson (1947). Despite the evident climatic shift over the last century, its expression in extant plant communities is not easy to discern. However, modest establishment of subalpine trees in heath in the Black Tusk area of Garibaldi Park appears to be attributable to the recent climatic shift, and a change in the snow pack, particularly, appears to be implicated in the vegetational change just as it is in the waning of the nearby glaciers. Although the impression is gained that the subalpine forest-heath ecotone is dynamic quite generally over the heavy snowfall area of the Coast Mountains of British Columbia, sites where the influences of the many ecological variables can be objectively examined are few. The Black Tusk area is one of the more suitable for study.