Analyzing the Feasibility of Prairie Dog Hunting in the Northern Texas Panhandle

Prairie dogs are burrowing rodents located throughout the United States. The black-tailed prairie dog is a common species that primarily inhabits the Great Plains region, with a large population in Texas. While these animals continue to thrive in many locations, there has been a significant reduction in numbers over the past one hundred years. Several conservation efforts have attempted to remedy this situation. The Black-tailed Prairie Dog Conservation and Management Plan is a long-term monitoring program between the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and cooperating landowners. This plan’s purpose is to develop a strategy that conserves the species while simultaneously protecting property rights. One of the plan’s recommended methods for keeping populations at manageable levels is recreational hunting. This practice provides several landowner benefits, including species control and economic returns. The following study explores three land use scenarios related to implementing a prairie dog hunting operation. It provides a ten-year financial impact and risk assessment for a typical Texas Panhandle producer.Prairie Dogs, Texas Ranching, Risk Management, Agribusiness, Agricultural Finance, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Financial Economics, Land Economics/Use,

An Analysis of the EQIP program for Lesser Prairie Chickens in the Northern Texas Panhandle

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) for the Lesser Prairie Chicken provides monetary compensation to agricultural producers for species habitat development. The advantages and disadvantages of program enrollment, as well as the overall economic impact are evaluated for a typical ranch operation in the Northern Texas Panhandle from 2009-2013.Prairie Chicken, FARM Assistance, EQIP, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Economic Considerations for Playa Management Alternatives

Playa lakes are very important to the Texas High Plains. They provide habitat for a wide variety of wildlife, and are the Ogallala Aquifer’s primary recharge source. Plowing and sedimentation have caused substantial damage to the overall health of many playas. A need exists to protect this resource for future generations. Several government programs are available to assist landowners with playa preservation including CP23A, the Wetlands Reserve Program, and the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program. This study evaluates each conservation program and weighs the economic benefits and costs of program implementation.Southern Great Plains, Playa Lakes, CP23A, Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Examining Share Lease Arrangements for Grain Operations in the Texas Panhandle Under Changing Market Conditions

This paper examines the preferred share arrangement for both landlords and tenants producing grain in the Texas High Plains (based on risk preference), and determines the sensitivity to changing input costs and market prices. Results of the analyses show that tenants and landlords prefer different arrangements in all scenarios. Results also indicate that a tenant would prefer a different lease arrangement in 2008 than in 2005, while the landlord’s preference would remain unchanged.Financial Economics, Production Economics,

After the Conservation Reserve Program: Economic Decisions with Wildlife in Mind

6 pp, 2 photos, 4 tablesAs Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts begin to expire, landowners must decide to re-enroll the land in the program, convert it back to crops or leave it in permanent cover for grazing and for wildlife. This publication is one of a series exploring those options

A literature synthesis of personalised technology-enhanced learning: what works and why

Personalised learning, having seen both surges and declines in popularity over the past few decades, is once again enjoying a resurgence. Examples include digital resources tailored to a particular learner’s needs, or individual feedback on a student’s assessed work. In addition, personalised technology-enhanced learning (TEL) now seems to be attracting interest from philanthropists and venture capitalists indicating a new level of enthusiasm for the area and a potential growth industry. However, these industries may be driven by profit rather than pedagogy, and hence it is vital these new developments are informed by relevant, evidence-based research. For many people, personalised learning is an ambiguous and even loaded term that promises much but does not always deliver. This paper provides an in-depth and critical review and synthesis of how personalisation has been represented in the literature since 2000, with a particular focus on TEL. We examine the reasons why personalised learning can be beneficial and examine how TEL can contribute to this. We also unpack how personalisation can contribute to more effective learning. Lastly, we examine the limitations of personalised learning and discuss the potential impacts on wider stakeholders

After the Conservation Reserve Program: Economic Decisions with Farming and Grazing in Mind

As Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts begin to expire, landowners must decide to re-enroll the land in the program, convert it back to crops or leave it in permanent cover for grazing and for wildlife. This publication is one of a series exploring those options. 6 pages, 2 photos, 6 table

Web 3D for Public, Environmental and Occupational Health: Early Examples from Second Life®

Over the past three years (2006–2008), the medical/health and public health communities have shown a growing interest in using online 3D virtual worlds like Second Life® (http://secondlife.com/) for health education, community outreach, training and simulations purposes. 3D virtual worlds are seen as the precursors of ‘Web 3D’, the next major iteration of the Internet that will follow in the coming years. This paper provides a tour of several flagship Web 3D experiences in Second Life®, including Play2Train Islands (emergency preparedness training), the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention—CDC Island (public health), Karuna Island (AIDS support and information), Tox Town at Virtual NLM Island (US National Library of Medicine - environmental health), and Jefferson’s Occupational Therapy Center. We also discuss the potential and future of Web 3D. These are still early days of 3D virtual worlds, and there are still many more untapped potentials and affordances of 3D virtual worlds that are yet to be explored, as the technology matures further and improves over the coming months and years

Hybrid EEFIT mission to february 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake sequence

The southwestern part of Türkiye was hit on 6 February 2023 by an Mw 7.8 (epicentre:Pazarcık) and then an Mw 7.5 earthquake (epicentre: Elbistan). The event was followed by tensof thousands of aftershocks including the Mw 6.3 event on 20 February (epicentre: Uzunbağ).This paper reports on the preliminary findings of the mission organised by the UK’s EarthquakeEngineering Field Investigation Team (EEFIT) to the Kahramanmaraş Earthquake sequence ofFebruary 2023. This mission followed a hybrid model, combining field and remote investigationtechniques, to investigate the characteristics of the earthquake sequence, its impact on buildingsand infrastructure, as well as the efficacy of relief, response and recovery operations. The keymessages include that the building stock is hard to categorise which brings along difficulties withdamage assessment, that the recovery and reconstruction require multi-sectoral engagement ofkey stakeholders, and that the auditing and quality control mechanisms within the constructionindustry need revisiting in the way forward for better disaster resilience in Türkiye

Technology-Supported Storytelling (TSST) Strategy in Virtual World for Multicultural Education

Learning culture through stories is an effective way for multicultural education, since stories are one of the most powerful and personal ways that we learn about the world. Storytelling, the process of telling stories, is a form of communication and a universal expression of culture. With the development of technology, storytelling emerges out of diverse ways. This study explores the storytelling in virtual worlds for multicultural education, and devises a Technology-Supported storytelling (TSST) strategy by examining and considering the characteristics of virtual worlds which could be incorporated into the storytelling, and then uses this strategy to teach Korean culture to students with different culture background. With this innovative TSST strategy in virtual world, this study expects to provide a guide to practice for teaching multicultural in digital era