River Gorge Research Articles

Prospects for the Protection of the Stone Heritage of the Małopolska Vistula River Gorge

The aim of this research is to present the abiotic geological environment, morphology and the need to protect geoenvironment and the possibilities of using the geoheritage of mining districts of the region located between Zawichost and Puławy city, within the Geopark. The Geopark is the best example of scientific and educational presentation of Mesozoic and Cenozoic outcrops along the Vistula gorge. The Cretaceous sediments (Middle Albian to Maastrichtian) are especially significant, they are unique on the European scale, showing a record of the evolution of the sea basin - from the Middle Cretaceous transgression and its disappearance at the end of the Cretaceous. The landscape and geomorphological values ​​constituting the heritage of the region are extremely important. An additional circumstance conducive to the creation of the Geopark is the fact that in the area covered by the project, areas of geological heritage protection have been operating for many years and tourist traditions date back to the 18th century.

Pine woodland fire dynamics mirror industrial history at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve, West Virginia, USA

Fire is an important biophysical process in pine (Pinus) and mixed pine-oak (Quercus) forests and woodlands across the Central Appalachian Mountains. Decades of fire exclusion, however, particularly on public lands, have resulted in a well-documented homogenization of species composition and forest structure. Our objective was to inform management and restoration efforts by expanding on previous dendroecological research at New River Gorge National Park and Preserve and adjacent Babcock State Park in southern West Virginia. Specifically, we assessed pine woodland fire activity in the context of local industrial history, land management, and regional drought. Samples cut from 110 fire-scarred pine trees, distributed across four sites, were used to develop a fire-scar record that spans the period 1842–2010; however, sample depth diminishes rapidly before the 1860s. Fires occurred frequently and extensively in the early–mid 20th century, coinciding with peak coal production and population density. Eleven major fires, or years when at least two trees and 25 % of samples recorded a fire scar at an individual site, were documented in the tree-ring record, but none occurred during the federal land management era (1978–present). Synchronous fire events recorded at two or more sites were associated with drier than average September–May (‘dormant season’) climate conditions. Our results indicate that, since the late 19th century, fire activity in pine woodlands at the New River Gorge has been driven primarily by human ignitions associated with industrial activities, and that periods of drought have amplified landscape-scale fire occurrence. Land managers should consider these historical fire patterns when developing restoration strategies that may include prescribed fire, thinning treatments, and managed wildfires.

A new species of nightjar (Caprimulgus) from Timor and Wetar, Lesser Sunda Islands, Wallacea

The nightjars of the Caprimulgus macrurus complex are distributed from Pakistan to Australia and comprise six morphologically similar but vocally distinct species. Fieldwork on Timor and Wetar, Lesser Sunda Islands, has resulted in the discovery of a seventh species in the complex, which we describe as a new species. This species has previously been confused with Caprimulgus macrurus, Caprimulgus celebensis and Caprimulgus manillensis but it differs from these and all other species in the complex by at least 13 vocal characters. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified all recordings in the complex to species. Caprimulgus ritae is known from five adult museum specimens, which are the smallest in the complex and which differ from other species in the complex in several morphological characters. A molecular phylogenetic analysis indicated that C. ritae is sister to C. meesi from Flores and Sumba, and that these species together are sister to C. macrurus. C. ritae is a tropical forest specialist occurring from sea level to at least 1500 m (probably mostly below 1000 m). Lowland and montane forests on Timor are threatened. Wetar is one of the least developed islands in Indonesia, and retains >95% natural vegetation, dominated by Eucalyptus woodlands, with tropical forests in river gorges and slopes in upland areas. Pressure for development is accelerating throughout the range of C. ritae, and a detailed assessment of its conservation status is urgently needed.

Decametric-scale buffering of climate extremes in forest understory within a riparian microrefugia: the key role of microtopography.

Riparian corridors often act as low-land climate refugia for temperate tree species in their southern distribution range. A plausible mechanism is the buffering of regional climate extremes by local physiographic and biotic factors. We tested this idea using a 3-year-long microclimate dataset collected along the Ciron river, a refugia for European beech (Fagus sylvatica) in southwestern France. Across the whole network, canopy gap fraction was the main predictor for spatial microclimatic variations, together with two other landscape features (elevation above the river and woodland fraction within a 300m radius). However, within the riparian forest only (canopy gap fraction < 25%, distance to the river < 150m), variations of up to -4°C and + 15% in summertime daily maximum air temperature and minimum relative humidity, respectively, were still found from the plateau to the cooler, moister river banks, only ~ 5-10m below. Elevation above the river was then identified as the main predictor, and explained the marked variations from the plateau to the banks much better than canopy gap fraction. The microclimate measured near the river is as cool but moister than the macroclimate encountered at 700-1000m asl further east in F. sylvatica's main distribution range. Indeed, at all locations, we found that air relative humidity was higher than expected from a temperature-only effect, suggesting that extra moisture is brought by the river. Our results explain well why beech trees in this climate refugium are restricted to the river gorges where microtopographic variations are the strongest and canopy gaps are rare.

Chronology of Upper Paleolithic human activities recorded in a stalagmite at Points Cave (Aiguèze, Gard, France)

AbstractIn this article, we propose an approach to reconstruct the timing of human activity at Points Cave, an Upper Paleolithic rock art site located in the middle of the Ardèche River Gorge (Rhône valley, France), based on the dating and characterisation of a stalagmite containing soot. Points Cave (‘Grotte aux Points’ in French), also called the ‘little sister of Chauvet Cave’, is famous for its parietal art including a series of dots made of palm prints. A large number of stalagmites formed in the cave during the last 500 ka. However, quarrying of the cave floors during historic times led to the partial destruction of the sedimentary deposits, and many of the stalagmites were found lying on the floor. In particular, one of them (STM‐18‐04) showed the presence of at least four dark layers in cross‐section, which appeared as possible remnants of fire‐related activities in the cave. Despite being present at the same site, no other specific link between STM‐18‐04 and the rock art has been documented. This stalagmite, however, allows us to identify phases of human presence, located at the cave entrance. To do so, we performed a series of analyses to determine its period of growth and the nature of the dark layers that it contains. Scanning electron microscopy and Raman microspectroscopy confirmed that the dark layers include soot, and uranium‐series dating indicated that the fire events occurred, respectively, around 14,200–14,100 and 12,500 years ago, in agreement with the radiocarbon ages of charcoal specimens recovered from the excavation areas nearby. We thus highlighted phases of human activity at the site during the Upper Magdalenian and/or beginning of the Epipaleolithic. By comparing our results with the regional paleoclimatic record, the soot layers trapped in the stalagmite appear to be synchronous with two cold periods, likely the Older Dryas and the Younger Dryas.

Landslides, bedrock incision and human-induced environmental changes in an extremely rapidly formed tropical river gorge

Landslides are hillslope processes controlled by natural changing topographic conditions. Landslides are also influenced by human activities. Yet, understanding the space-time occurrence of landslides and their interactions with these typically long-term natural and short-term human-induced controls remains a key challenge in many regions, especially in tropical environments where data scarcity is commonplace. Here we decipher these dynamic processes in the Ruzizi Gorge located in the Kivu Rift (Central Africa), that is an exceptional geomorphological landmark whose origin is associated with the rerouting of >7000 km2 of drainage area from Lake Kivu during the Holocene. This bedrock river has also seen its landscape disturbed over the past decades by the development of the city of Bukavu (DR Congo). In this study, we combine detailed field observations, historical aerial photographs, archive analysis and satellite imagery to compile a multi-temporal inventory of 385 landslides and constrain their dynamics. We show that extremely high incision rates during the early stage of the formation of the gorge explain the space-time clustering of thousand-year-old large (up to ∼2 km2) landslides, independently from the lithological context. These landslides are currently non-active and poorly eroded. Their deposit areas partly cover the riverbed with boulders, armouring the channel and inhibiting further incision. The landslides that occurred over the last 60 years are shallower slope failures of smaller size and higher mobility. They tend to disappear rather quickly from the landscape, sometimes within a few years. Their distribution is primarily controlled by threshold slopes, lithology, and the past large landslides, the influence of the land use being less pronounced. Overall, the sediment mobilization rates associated with these high frequency landslides significantly outpace the extreme landslide erosion pulse associated with the gorge formation. Our results provide insight on interactions between channel-hillslope coupling and feedbacks among landslide processes and river gorge formation in a unique environment.

Spomenik prirode "Klisura reke Panjice", opština Arilje - područje izuzetnih geomorfološko-hidroloških vrednosti

The gorge valley of Panjica river, in the part where there is Vodena pećina cave with a strong Karst spring, as well as a tufa accumulation with two attractive waterfalls, has been proposed for designation as a nature monument of geomorphological-hydrological character under the name "Nature Monument Panjica river gorge". The conserved natural phenomena are represented by abundance of surface and underground Karst forms, a gorge that in some segments has elements of a canyon valley with vertical valley sides, up to several tens of meters high, rich tufa deposits, waterfalls, a series of small overfalls, overflows, rimstone pools and cascades, and the caves Vodena and Rasovačka (Hajdučka). The area is also special in terms of important species and ecosystem diversity, above all 85 species of birds, of which 67 are breeding birds, and 72 species have the status of strictly protected, of which 16 species are on Annex I of the Birds Directive. All of the above makes this area unique and undoubtedly worth of its status.

Archaeological geophysical investigation of Uzun Rama Steppe kurgans, Goranboy

Geophysical methods can provide valuable information when imaging man-made subsurface structures prior to archaeological excavations. An archaeological geophysical survey was conducted on funeral chambers (also known as kurgans) from the Early Bronze Age, in the Shadili-Uzun Rama Steppe of the Goranboy region, near the Kurakchay river gorge in Azerbaijan. This multimethod survey is based on a ground-penetrating radar profile, heat map of the total magnetic intensity, and contiguous profiles of electrical resistivity and seismic refraction. Brief processing and default inversion methods enabled us to obtain geophysical images in accordance with the lithology (a subsoil comprised of alluvial-proluvial conglomerate terrasse). The shape of the kurgans was recovered mainly through electrical resistivity tomography, enabling future targeted excavations. Overall, this study further testifies that geophysics provides valuable information for archaeological investigations, although higher resolution could be achieved by using more advanced field methodology and processing.

The magmatic origin of the Columbia River Gorge, USA.

Along subduction zones, high-relief topography is associated with sustained volcanism parallel to the plate margin. However, the relationship between magmatism and mountain building in arcs is poorly understood. Here, we study patterns of surface deformation and correlated fluvial knickpoints in the Columbia River Gorge to link long-term magmatism to the uplift and ensuing topographic development of the Cascade Range. An upwarped paleochannel exposed in the walls of the Gorge constrains unsteady deep magma flux, the ratio of intrusive to extrusive magmatic contributions to topography, and the impact of magmatism on Columbia River incision since 3.5 million years ago. Geophysical data indicate that deep magma influx beneath the arc axis is ongoing and not aligned with the current locations of volcanic edifices, representing a broad regional influence on arc construction.

Analysis on the geographical pattern and driving force of traditional villages based on GIS and Geodetector: a case study of Guizhou, China

Traditional villages have received widespread attention from all walks of life based on important carriers of Chinese rural culture. The mutual superposition of natural and cultural factors may exacerbate the evolution of traditional village geographical patterns. To understand such relationships and effects, factors and degrees influencing traditional villages need to be determined. Here, we analysed the data of 724 traditional villages in Guizhou recognised by relevant national ministries and commissions in China using average nearest neighbour analysis, Tyson polygon analysis, nuclear density analysis and Geodector. The geographic pattern feature revealed that traditional villages, in general, are highly clustered regionally and have significant edge effects on administrative units. Different substrate environments result in significant spatial heterogeneity in village spatial density, clustering, surface undulation, sun exposure, and waterfront. The geographic pattern of traditional villages is mostly affected by the closest distance to river valleys, the types and number of intangible cultural heritage resources in the county, river gorge density, edge effect index, degree of county ethnic language use, and proportion of paddy fields to the regional area; and their combined effects influence and control the community structure. The results highlight the impact of nature and culture on the distribution of traditional villages, which helps traditional village conservation and scientific exploration of human-land relationship issues in the mountainous areas of Southwest China.

Fourteen new species of the genus Nesamblyops Jeannel (Coleoptera: Carabidae: Anillini) from the South Island of New Zealand with redescription of the genus and description of a new subtribe.

Fourteen new species of flightless litter ground beetles of the tribe Anillini, genus Nesamblyops, from the South Island of New Zealand, are described. The only hitherto described species from the South Island, Nesamblyops subcaecus (Broun), is similar to the new species from Southland, N. viator n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, Fiordland, Resolution Island), based on the structure of male genitalia. The species assembly inhabiting the northwest corner of the South Island comprises two partly sympatric groups composed of three related allopatric species each. The first group includes N. canaanensis n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Abel Tasman National Park, Canaan area), N. hobbit n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Kahurangi National Park, Mt Domett), and N. ovipennis n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Kahurangi National Park, Mt Arthur). The second group represents another lineage and contains N. rotundicollis n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Kahurangi National Park, Onekaka area), N. solitarius n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, West Coast, western foothills of Victoria Range, Capleston area), and N. subrufus n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, West Coast, Upper Buller Gorge, Dublin Terrace). Three additional species known from the northwest corner of the South Island, based on the structure of male genitalia, are unrelated to each other and remaining species of the region. These are N. karamea n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, West Coast, Kahurangi National Park, the Karamea River Gorge area), N. montanus n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Kahurangi National Park, Lake Sylvester area), and N. kuscheli n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Kahurangi National Park, Mt Arthur). The latter species is presumably closely related to the species from the central parts of the West Coast, N. moorei n. sp., (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, West Coast, Ngahere area, Mawhera Forest). Additionally, the central part of the West Coast is inhabited by a small group of two species, N. disjunctus n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, West Coast, E slope of the Paparoa Range, Fletcher Creek area), and N. victoriae n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, West Coast, Victoria Range, Capleston area). According to the structure of the male genitalia, this group represents a separate lineage within the genus. The most unusual structure of male genitalia belongs to a species without eyes, a trait previously unknown in Nesamblyops, N. magnificus n. sp. (type locality: New Zealand, South Island, Coastal Otago, Allison Conservation Area) that inhabits the southeast corner of the South Island. Digital images of habitus, body parts, drawings of genitalia, as well as distribution maps are provided for all described species. Morphological evidence of the isolated position of Nesamblyops within the tribe Anillini is discussed, with a focus on the morphological comparison of Nesamblyops with the members of Anillini, Tachyini, Bembidiini, Zolini, and Sinozolini, and on the data of published molecular analyses. A new subtribe for the representatives of the genus, Nesamblyopina, n. subtr., is proposed; the newly discovered morphological characters have been incorporated in the redescription of the genus.

Glacial geomorphology of the Notsarula and Chanchakhi river valleys, Georgian Caucasus

ABSTRACT Detailed glacial geomorphological maps are valuable for identifying target sites for palaeoglaciological reconstructions and thus for palaeoclimate inferences. In this study, we present the first detailed glacial geomorphological mapping of the landform assemblages produced by the former glaciers in the Notsarula (42°45′44″N 43°38′29″E) and Chanchakhi (42°42′5″N 43°40′42″E) river valleys, Georgian Caucasus. Our goal is to create a high-resolution (1:33,000 scale) glacial geomorphological map of this area (237 km2) and provide a detailed and accurate distribution of glacier-related features (see Main Map). Several field investigations between 2010 and 2022 along with detailed remote sensing surveys have been conducted for this glacial geomorphological mapping. The mapped landforms indicate multiple readvance or stillstands of valley glaciers across the study area. The largest and complex glacier body likely existed in the Bubistskali River gorge (42°43′16″N 43°43′32″E). Well-preserved moraine landforms in this valley suggest at least five large and several relatively small glacier readvances or stillstands occurred during the Late Quaternary. The simple-valley-type (without branches) glaciers were also probably present in other tributary valleys of the Chanchakhi River basin at that time. This map can be used for further geomorphological investigation as well as to support future geochronological work in the Greater Caucasus.

New Insights into the Platform-to-basin Anatomy of the Urgonian Bas-Vivarais Domain (Lower Cretaceous; SE France)

This paper offers a new contribution to our ongoing harmonization efforts concerning the chronostratigraphic model of the southern France Urgonian-type carbonate platforms, which surrounded the Vocontian Basin during the Early Cretaceous. A multi-stratigraphic approach on the classical sections of the Ardèche River gorges and the Saint-Remèze Plateau have been used for reconstructing the evolution of the Bas-Vivarais Urgonian domain along an inner-to-outer platform profile; the latter being nearly perpendicular to the eastern Vocontian platform margin. In our transect, the installation and first developments of the Urgonian platform domain occured during the early Barremian Taveraidiscus hugii and Kotetishvilia nicklesi ammonite zones. This first platform stage was interrupted at a brief emersion episode that lasted through the Nicklesia pulchella ammonite zone, and resulted in the deposition of a sedimentary wedge with limited gradual downward, basinward shift in inner platform facies. This was followed by the regional deposition of shallow-water communities dominated by corals, echinoids, and orbitolinids, which passes basinward into open-marine, ammonite-bearing marly deposits in the Saint-Remèze Plateau outcrops. This change in facies was previously referred to as the Serre de Tourre Beds (STB), and dated to the Kotetishvilia compressissima and Moutoniceras moutonianum ammonite zones. The STB are further identified to as the local sedimentary expression of the Mid-Barremian Event recording a brief warming climate pulse testified by the presence of Offneria simplex, a caprinid rudist of Caribbean origin. Above, there is a regional recovery of inner platform Urgonian facies during the early late Barremian showing a striking progradational basinward trend. The latter, and its subsequent developments are in need of investigations. Taken together, the general evolution of the Urgonian Bas-Vivarais domain shows strong similarities with the sedimentary context of the nearby Subalpine Urgonian platform during the early Barremian. The finding of common sedimentary signals is more difficult with the Provence platform domain at that time.

Skin bacterial community differences among three species of co-occurring Ranid frogs.

Skin microbial communities are an essential part of host health and can play a role in mitigating disease. Host and environmental factors can shape and alter these microbial communities and, therefore, we need to understand to what extent these factors influence microbial communities and how this can impact disease dynamics. Microbial communities have been studied in amphibian systems due to skin microbial communities providing some resistance to the amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. However, we are only starting to understand how host and environmental factors shape these communities for amphibians. In this study, we examined whether amphibian skin bacterial communities differ among host species, host infection status, host developmental stage, and host habitat. We collected skin swabs from tadpoles and adults of three Ranid frog species (Lithobates spp.) at the Mianus River Gorge Preserve in Bedford, New York, USA, and used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to determine bacterial community composition. Our analysis suggests amphibian skin bacterial communities change across host developmental stages, as has been documented previously. Additionally, we found that skin bacterial communities differed among Ranid species, with skin communities on the host species captured in streams or bogs differing from the communities of the species captured on land. Thus, habitat use of different species may drive differences in host-associated microbial communities for closely-related host species.

Climbers for Bat Conservation: creating a citizen science program in Red River Gorge Kentucky

In recent years, North American bat populations have been presented with new conservation threats including white-nose syndrome. As these threats continue to impact bats it is important to locate and study these populations. Though most bats tend to roost and hibernate in caves, still many roost in cracks, crevices, and other hard to reach places. Rock climbers recreate on a large array of rock features that are inaccessible or unknown to bat biologists and could serve as a valuable resource in identifying the location of bat species for conservation efforts. Yet, developing and maintaining a productive relationship between recreationists and the conservation community can be challenging, making environmental communication vital to successful collaborative efforts. We explored rock climbers' willingness to participate in a citizen science program for reporting bat sightings through Climbers for Bat Conservation (CBC) while at Red River Gorge (RRG), Kentucky. We utilized a mixed methods case study consisting of a world café facilitated dialog with members of a local climbing organization, bat biologists, land managers, and landowners (n = 18) as well as semi-structured interview data (n = 12) collected at a local climbing festival. Results indicate mutual importance given to bats, climbing, and conservation from world café attendees. Additionally, attendees identified three key parts of a bat observation that would be critical data for rock climbers to report which included presence of a bat, the location, and the climbing route name. Finally, attendees identified having a local climbing ranger or climbing liaison as important to organizing other climbers to submit data. Interview data revealed that the most mentioned barriers to submitting a bat report were awareness of CBC, time, convenience, forgetfulness, fear of route closures, and access to a phone. A discussion follows detailing how this information may be used to further the design and implementation of a citizen science program as well as increase climber engagement at RRG.

Cliffs and ramparts: Persistent steep slopes in the landscape

The gross morphology of a free face and talus rampart occurs in a range of landscape settings. Semi-arid mesas, river gorges and coastal cliffs all share this geometry, but differ in how the components respond to their respective environments, to each other and to the capacity to export material from the talus rampart. Differences are reflected in the rates and processes of cliff retreat, and in the boundary conditions for rampart growth and removal.For mesas and buttes, export from the talus is controlled by the rate at which coarse material weathers to a size that can be readily washed away, leading to a stable proportional height for the rampart, which then consists of a boulder controlled slope at the angle of repose.For river gorges, a high incremental increase in fluvial sediment transport allows incision to accompany cliff retreat, while low rates lead to valley widening and rampart formation.Coastal cliffs may either lack ramparts, with supply limited development controlled by wave attack on cliffs; or be limited by the transport capacity of transverse offshore sediment processes, allowing development of a persistent rampart.In all contexts, the transport term should not be ignored in understanding both the rates of retreat and the morphology of cliffed landforms.

A systematic revision of the Shovel-nosed Salamander (Plethodontidae: Desmognathus marmoratus), with re-description of the related D. aureatus and D. intermedius.

Shovel-nosed Salamanders, Desmognathus marmoratus (Moore, 1899), were long thought to represent a single species from the southern Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States, ranging from northeastern Georgia to extreme southwestern Virginia. These populations have a highly derived ecomorphology, being fully aquatic with a specialized flattened and elongated phenotype adapted to rocky riffle zones in fast-flowing, high-gradient mountain streams. Because of this, they were originally described in a separate genus, Leurognathus Moore, 1899. Four additional species or subspecies were described from 1928-1956 based on regional geographic variation in phenotype before being synonymized with L. marmoratus in 1962, which was reassigned to Desmognathus in 1996. Molecular analyses subsequently revealed four distinct candidate lineages in two distantly related clades, which were recently re-delimited into three species. These are D. aureatus (Martof, 1956) from northeastern Georgia, D. intermedius (Pope, 1928) from western North Carolina, and D. marmoratus from northwestern North Carolina. We provide a systematic revision of these taxa, which do not represent a natural group but instead exhibit convergent phenotypes across multiple species, potentially driven by ancient episodes of adaptive introgression between ancestral lineages. Our recent fieldwork revealed an astonishingly disjunct and morphologically distinct population of D. marmoratus in the New River Gorge of West Virginia, which were previously confused with D. kanawha Pyron and Beamer, 2022. This locality is ~120 airline km away from the nearest populations of D. marmoratus in Virginia. No Shovel-nosed Salamanders have ever been found in the New River drainage during our extensive previous explorations or credibly reported in museum specimens or the literature. Additional cryptic populations of these taxa may remain.

Life forms of plants of natural and anthropogenic landscapes

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the solution of environmental issues to preserve the natural biological diversity of plant life forms in Central Asia and the Balkan Peninsula. The most important task of Uzbek botanists is to investigate all aspects of the structural and dynamic organisation of vegetation cover and changes in plant communities in areas affected by the intense impact of anthropogenic factors. In this regard, the purpose of this study is to conduct a comparative characterisation of plant life forms of natural and anthropogenic landscapes of Central Asia and the Balkan Peninsula. The leading approach to the examination of this problem is spatial-comparative, which allows comprehensively investigating the elements of the system of plant life forms of natural and anthropogenic landscapes. In addition, during the empirical study, the collected field material was analysed by generally accepted geobotanical and forestry methods, which consist in describing the topographic position of woody, semi-woody, polycarpic, and monocarpic terrestrial grasses, aquatic plants. The authors used both herbarium and live material from expedition surveys on the Biosphere Reserve and the protected area of the Uvac river gorge by Kazakh, Uzbek, Greek, and Turkish researchers. As a result, a comparative characteristic of the state of modern plant communities of Central Asia and the Balkan Peninsula by the nature and degree of anthropogenic impact was presented. The main life forms of plants of the regions under study were covered; the interrelation of environmental conditions with the process of flora formation was identified and substantiated. The materials of the study are of practical value for ecologists, landscape researchers, geographers, and biologists to use the findings in creating long-term plans for the development of natural landscapes for nature reserves, ecological centres, and nature protection zones. The developed method of comparative characteristics can be used to investigate natural and anthropogenic landscapes of other territories

Анализ фаунистического сходства сообществ пернатых хищников некоторых местообитаний Алтайского края и республики Алтай

Birds of the orders Falconiformes, Accipitriformes, and Strigiformes are at the top of the food chain, and therefore, they are the most vulnerable to changes in the natural environment caused by human activities. The condition of populations of birds of prey can serve as a criterion for the well-being of a biotope. The current state of nesting groups of many species of birds of prey in Altai Krai is of great concern. The survival of many of them is now in question, as numerous threats are generated by lumbering, mining, farming, poaching, growing energy infrastructure, and other human activities. In this regard, there is an urgent need for a detailed study of the species composition and population numbers of birds of prey and owls in the Altai region, as well as regular monitoring of populations that still exist. In this paper, we made a comparative analysis of breeding groups of raptors of different habitats of the Russian part of the Altai region: the Ukok plateau, the Ulandryk River gorge, the Anui River valley and the Kasmalinsky pine forest. Data on the species composition are taken from both our works and literature. We carried out a comparative analysis of breeding groups of birds using the coefficients of faunistic similarity of Jaccard and Sörensen. Since we had to compare more than two breeding groups, we used Mountford cluster analysis to order the similarity coefficients, which consists in sequentially combining the most similar groups. The results of the analysis of the Jaccard and Sörensen coefficients turned out to be very similar. The greatest similarity of the nesting species composition was found between the Anui River valley and Kasmalinsky pine forest (Кj=0.63; Кs=0.77). More significant differences were found between the Ukok plateau and the Ulandryk River gorge (Кj=0.44; Кs=0.60). And the maximum differences were found between the Kasmalinsky pine forest and the Ulandryk gorge (Кj=0.17; Кs=0.29). These differences can be explained by the specifics of the physical and geographical conditions and vegetation cover of different habitats of the Altai region. The poor species composition of raptors in the Ulandryk Gorge (7 species of birds of prey and 1 species of owls) is due to the complete absence of woods in this habitat. Therefore, there are no tree-nesting species here. The gorge is inhabited only by those species of raptors that can build their nests on the rocks. There are also no species here that require special types of prey, which are not sufficient in this biotope. The richness of the species composition of raptors (18 species of birds of prey and 8 species of owls) in the Kasmalinsky pine forest is because most species are dendrophiles and find here the optimal substrate for nests – large pines. The forage base here is also optimal for most species of raptors. Only specific mountain-steppe and high-mountain species do not nest in the pine forest. According to the species composition of raptors, habitats such as the Ukok plateau and the Anui river valley are in an intermediate position between the Ulandryk gorge and the Kasmalinsky pine forest. Both have rocky outcrops suitable for nesting and trees. Therefore, in these biotopes birds that prefer nesting both on rocks and in trees can be found.

Oregonscape

Oregonscape Matthew Cowan CAMP WYETH, pictured here in 1942, was a civilian public service camp during World War II where conscientious objectors — those who opposed participating in the military due to religious or philosophical beliefs — fulfilled their military service. Founded on November 27, 1941, the camp was also known as Camp #21. Located 14 miles west of the Columbia River Gorge, projects at Camp Wyeth were overseen by the U.S. Forest service and included a variety of maintenance, repair, and cleanup duties in and around the Gorge. Day-to-day work included constructing roads and trails, maintaining camp grounds, fire fighting, and building lookout towers. According to an article published in the Oregonian on March 1, 1942, the camp housed men from thirty different religious denominations, thirty-three occupations, and eight states. One of the most well-known residents to work at the camp was Lew Ayres, an actor known for his role in the film All Quiet in on the Western Front and his marriage to Ginger Rogers. In 1951, Daniel Goldy, regional administrator of the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, recommended the establishment of eighteen camps for conscientious in Oregon. He went on to suggest that the Northwest region, including Washington and Idaho, could profitably support twenty-four camps. The cost was estimated at $35,000 for construction of each camp, with operating costs of $30,000 per year. While this recommendation was made to Congress, these camps never materialized in the post-war era. You can read more about Camp Wyeth in Jeffrey Kovac’s “Civilian Public Service Camp #21” entry in The Oregon Encyclopedia (www.oregonencycloopedia.org). Click for larger view View full resolution THIS IMAGE, published in the Oregonian on March 1, 1942, captures a view of Camp Wyeth, which had formerly housed Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) members. At the time the photograph was taken, the camp housed 113 pacifists of military age who were assigned to the camp by draft boards during World War II. The circle on the image is a crop mark made by Oregonian editorial staff in preparation for publication. OHS Research Library, OrHi 71456 [End Page 416] Matthew Cowan OHS Moving Images and Photography Archivist Copyright © 2022 Oregon Historical Society