Alcohol beverage control, privatization and the geographic distribution of alcohol outlets

BACKGROUND: With Pennsylvania currently considering a move away from an Alcohol Beverage Control state to a privatized alcohol distribution system, this study uses a spatial analytical approach to examine potential impacts of privatization on the number and spatial distribution of alcohol outlets in the city of Philadelphia over a long time horizon. METHODS: A suite of geospatial data were acquired for Philadelphia, including 1,964 alcohol outlet locations, 569,928 land parcels, and school, church, hospital, park and playground locations. These data were used as inputs for exploratory spatial analysis to estimate the expected number of outlets that would eventually operate in Philadelphia. Constraints included proximity restrictions (based on current ordinances regulating outlet distribution) of at least 200 feet between alcohol outlets and at least 300 feet between outlets and schools, churches, hospitals, parks and playgrounds. RESULTS: Findings suggest that current state policies on alcohol outlet distributions in Philadelphia are loosely enforced, with many areas exhibiting extremely high spatial densities of outlets that violate existing proximity restrictions. The spatial model indicates that an additional 1,115 outlets could open in Philadelphia if privatization was to occur and current proximity ordinances were maintained. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that spatial analytical approaches can function as an excellent tool for contingency-based “what-if” analysis, providing an objective snapshot of potential policy outcomes prior to implementation. In this case, the likely outcome is a tremendous increase in alcohol outlets in Philadelphia, with concomitant negative health, crime and quality of life outcomes that accompany such an increase

Optimizing Reserve Expansion For Disjunct Populations Of San Joaquin Kit Fox

Expanding habitat protection is a common strategy for species conservation. We present a model to optimize the expansion of reserves for disjunct populations of an endangered species. The objective is to maximize the expected number of surviving populations subject to budget and habitat constraints. The model accounts for benefits of reserve expansion in terms of likelihood of persistence of each population and monetary cost. Solving the model with incrementally higher budgets helps prioritize sites for expansion and produces a cost curve showing funds required for incremental increases in the objective. We applied the model to the problem of allocating funds among eight reserves for the endangered San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica) in California, USA. The priorities for reserve expansion were related to land cost and amount of already-protected habitat at each site. Western Kern and Ciervo-Panoche sites received highest priority because land costs were low and moderate amounts of already-protected habitat resulted in large reductions in extinction risk for small increments of habitat protection. The sensitivity analysis focused on the impacts of kit fox reproductive success and home range in non-native grassland sites. If grassland habitat is lower quality than brushland habitat resulting in higher annual variation in reproductive success or larger home ranges, then protecting habitat at the best grassland site (Ciervo-Panoche) is not cost–efficient relative to shrubland sites (Western Kern, Antelope Plain, Carrizo Plain). Finally, results suggested that lowest priority should be given to three relatively high-cost grassland sites (Camp Roberts, Contra Costa, and Western Madera) because protecting habitat at those sites would be expensive and have little effect on the expected number of surviving kit fox populations

Incubation behavior and dispersal patterns in the Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus)

The rapid multi-clutch mating system of the Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) provides an interesting opportunity to examine sex differences in natal and breeding dispersal. I used nest locations from a breeding population of plovers in north-central Montana over a 13-year period (1995-2007) to examine patterns of sex bias in their dispersal. Additionally, I looked at the influence of prior experience and sylvatic plague on breeding dispersal in successive years. I also modeled successive nest fate using breeding dispersal distance with sex, previous nest fate, and presence of sylvatic plague as covariates in the model. I found no sex-bias in natal dispersal or within-year breeding dispersal. The mean dispersal distance of male plovers in consecutive years was 2.75 km (95% CI 1.51 to 4.00) and for females was 4.64 km (95% CI 2.76 to 5.52). Birds that were successful moved 3.02 km (95% CI 1.87 to 4.17) on average between nesting attempts, while those whose nests had failed moved 5.06 km (95% CI 2.53 to 7.58). The best model of between-year breeding dispersal contained the full set of parameters, with sex of the tending adult and prior nest fate having the strongest effects. The estimate of dispersal distance for females was positive ( Female = 0.86, 95% CI 0.67 to 1.05) as well as the estimate of dispersal distance for birds whose nests had failed the previous year ( Fail = 0.82, 95% CI 0.52 to 1.13). There was a year effect but no effect of sylvatic plague on dispersal. This study not only provides a better understanding of dispersal in an uncommon mating system but also is important in understanding the movements of a species of conservation concern. I also monitored incubation activity of Mountain Plovers in Montana using a combination of video monitoring and temperature data-logging. The rapid multi-clutch mating system of the Mountain Plover provides an interesting opportunity to examine sex-specific differences in uniparental care. To explore possible sex differences in breeding behavior I modeled the duration of departures of incubating adults to see if activity patterns differed between sexes. In addition, the effects of time of day, nest age, day of season, and year were also included. I recorded 857 hours of video of 24 incubating Mountain Plovers at 25 nests during the 2007 field season and \u3e10,000 hours of temperature data from 117 individuals at 142 nests during the 2006-2008 nesting seasons. Video data revealed that males on average made 1.48 departures hour-1 over the course of a 24-hour period (n = 6 deployments, SE = 0.35) and females made 1.41 departures hour-1 (n = 26 deployments, SE = 0.11). From the combined video and temperature data males contributed 1,925 nocturnal departures with a mean duration of 0.38 hr (SE = 0.01) while females contributed 2,716 nocturnal departures with a mean duration of 0.36 hr (SE = 0.01). The quadratic effect of the time of departure was the most important factor in the length of nocturnal off-bouts. Other effects that were included in competitive models were the cubic and linear effects of time of departure and the highest ambient temperature the previous day. The day of incubation and the day of the season were also important in explaining duration of off-bouts. Sex was not an important predictor of duration of departure. This study not only provides further information about incubation patterns in an uncommon mating system, but also is important to gaining a better understanding of behavior in this species of conservation concern

Fine-scale habitat use by black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) released on black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in New Mexico

2010 Spring.Includes bibliographic references (pages 47-62).Covers not scanned.Print version deaccessioned 2022.Black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) are among the most endangered animals in North America. The dependency of ferrets on diminishing prairie dog {Cynomys spp.) colonies for prey and shelter has been detrimental to their persistence in the wild. Reintroductions of captive-born ferrets into remaining prairie dog complexes have become crucial to the conservation of the species. Gaps in knowledge of ferret behavior hinder the success of these reintroductions. In this study, fine-scale prairie dog burrow density use by captive-born ferret kits was analyzed to inform future management. In September 2007, captive-born ferrets were released on a black-tailed prairie dog (C. ludovicianus) colony on the Vermejo Park Ranch in northern New Mexico. Locations {n = 46) from 16 ferret kits experimentally released in areas of comparatively low and high prairie dog burrow densities were obtained via spotlight surveys. Ten kits were subsequently translocated to low and high burrow density areas on other Vermejo colonies and located thereafter (« = 53). For two months, habitat use was quantified by mapping all burrow openings within a 30 m radius of where ferrets were located. Spatial autoregressive models and spatially-explicit t-tests were used to account for autocorrelation in the used burrow densities. It was hypothesized that ferrets released in, or translocated to, areas of low burrow densities would move so as to increase their localized burrow densities as they spent more nights in the wild. It was also hypothesized that ferrets released in, or translocated to, high burrow density areas would maintain high used burrow densities. There was an inverse relationship between used prairie dog burrow densities and nights in the wild for ferrets released in high burrow density areas. For ferrets translocated to high burrow density areas, a pattern was not detected in burrow densities over time, which does not contradict the hypothesis for these ferrets. However, burrow densities used by ferrets released in, and translocated to, low burrow density areas did not increase over time as expected. With the number of nights in the wild converted to release or translocation burrow densities versus ferret-used burrow densities, average used burrow densities increased for ferrets placed in low burrow density areas, and average used densities decreased for ferrets placed in high burrow density areas. Used burrow densities on most inhabited colonies were similar to available densities, except for one colony, where used densities were lower than available densities. Because newly-released ferrets in this study used burrow densities similar to densities available at the colony level, releasing ferrets on colonies offering overall high burrow densities might increase reintroduction success rates. Furthermore, burrow densities directly correlated with prey densities in this study. Ferrets used higher burrow densities before midnight; future research on ferret habitat use should consider within night variation. Other studies on ferret habitat use after release are necessary; kits monitored for more than two months, or with experience in the wild at a younger age, might select high burrow density areas within colonies as predicted

Spatial optimization of prairie dog colonies for black-footed ferret recovery

A discrete-time reaction-diffusion model for black-footed ferret release, population growth, and dispersal is combined with ferret carrying capacity constraints based on prairie dog population management decisions to form a spatial optimization model. Spatial arrangement of active prairie dog colonies within a ferret reintroduction area is optimized over time for maximum expected adult ferret population. This modeling approach is applied in an exploratory case study to a black-footed ferret reintroduction program in Badlands National Park and Buffalo Gap National Grassland, South Dakota. The model is currently being used to evaluate prairie dog population management alternatives and captive-bred ferret release locations for the Buffalo Gap National Grassland. This approach is also being adapted for use on other grasslands and with other species in the northern Great Plains. Early in 1987 the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes) became one of the world’s most endangered mammals when the last known free-ranging member of the species was taken into captivity (Thorne and Belitsky 1989). The Wyoming Game and Fish Department was successful in breeding six of the surviving ferrets in captivity (Clark 1989). This set the stage for a national recovery program of releasing captive-bred ferrets back into th

Biological inventory of the Colorado Canyons National Conservation Area

Prepared for: Grand Junction Field Office, Bureau of Land Management.March 2004.Includes bibliographical references