Volunteer tourism: Evidence of cathartic tourist experiences

The study involved in-depth interviews with participants of an Australian non-government organization (NGO) that organizes projects in which young volunteers aged between 17 and 26 years from Australia and New Zealand participate in welfare projects with partner NGOs in developing countries. The welfare projects provide on the ground assistance to communities; these may not lead to longer-term sustainable development through longer-term skills training but engage the volunteers and community in a mutual exchange. Typically, participants will be engaged in short term courses in health and hygiene, micro-enterprise management skills, assisting in community health projects, community service with children with disabilities or orphans, painting, construction of school playgrounds and classrooms, guest teaching in schools, cultural exchange and disaster relief. The Australian NGO provides no financial assistance for participants; it primarily organizes and facilitates the travel, project and community work. Each project lasts between two and four weeks and are thus typically short-term in duration. As such, participants can be considered 'shallow volunteer tourists' (Callanan and Thomas 2005)

Canopy Cover Prediction From Stand Density Attributes: Stocking, Crown Width, and Overlap Functions

The goals for a wide range of forest management objectives are often stated in terms of the amount and layering of canopy cover. However, measuring canopy cover is labor intensive and different techniques provide widely different estimates. Several approaches have been developed to predict cover from common tree or stand-level density attributes, with varying results. This study used line-intercept measured tree cover from 1,424 Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) plots across Oregon to build predictive models from estimates of tree stocking, crown width, and other stand attributes (mean diameter, stand height, SDI, etc.). A variety of adjustments were applied to adjust for tree social status and account for tree crown overlap. Stocking was a better predictor of cover than crown width, although much of the error in the latter was due to estimates of crown overlap. The random crown overlap function that is standard in the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) resulted in biased predictions in mesic forest types, but not in dry forest types. New model predictions based on stocking for mesic forest types were within 15 percent of measured cover for \u3e 82% of the observations. Although there are some additional options for improving estimated cover from tree and stand attributes, ground-based measurements will probably be required for precise estimates

The First Inventory of Katydids on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

This study was undertaken to create the first inventory of katydids (Tettigoniidae) on the Osa peninsula, Costa Rica during the dry season. In addition to creating this first inventory we also collected data on environmental factors in order to allow for future comparison regarding patterns in katydid populations. We were able to sample 207 katydids using three different sampling methods and recording: time, temperature, humidity, GPS location, sex, and subfamily for each katydid found. We sampled three forest types: old growth, secondary, and riparian each three times. We organized each katydid with the help of our identification material first by subfamily and then by morphospecies using the photos we took of their distinguishing features. From this study we were able to come to the conclusion that our point sampling at night along a 200 meter transect was the most successful, as we collected data on 155 katydids using this method. We determined by our results that the subfamily Pseudophyllinae was the most abundant. Our inventory indicated that even during the dry season on the Osa peninsula it still showed a high diversity and evenness for these katydids based on our rank abundance graph. We have determined that this makes Osa peninsula an ideal location for sampling these insects, as there was such a healthy and stable katydid population. *Indicates faculty mentor

Investigating the relationship between abiotic factors, canopy openness and understory plant diversity in three forest types of the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

The Neotropical region stands as one of the most diverse places on earth, housing nearly 50% of the world's biodiversity. Various biotic and abiotic factors within the Costa Rican environment have rendered growth conditions conducive to over ten thousand plant species. Because of the high plant diversity in this region, a need for inventorying of understory composition exists. We investigated the relationship between canopy openness, soil moisture, leaf litter and organic layer depth and understory plant diversity within the Osa Conservation area of Costa Rica. We hypothesized there would be a difference in understory composition across three different forest types: old growth, secondary, and gallery forests. Data were collected during the region’s dry El Niño season from February 12 - 24, 2016. Within each forest type, three 25m2 sampling plots were marked along a 100m transect. Understory plants were recorded and identified down to the family level. We constructed rank cover graphs and calculated diversity indices to assess family richness and evenness. We conducted one-way ANOVAs to test for any significant differences in plant abundances and abiotic factors across the forest types. The diversity indices indicated highest diversity in old growth forest. Soil moisture was significantly higher in gallery forest compared to old growth. Certain plant families were more common in secondary forest, suggesting they are early successional plants. We will discuss further in our prepared poster. We hope that our report will positively contribute to the knowledge of the Osa Peninsula understory.  *Indicates faculty mentor

Local abundance of leaf-nosed bats on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica

Leaf-nosed bats make up over half of Neotropical bat diversity and provide essential ecological services. They can be restricted to certain distributions and habitats due to factors such as roost selection, feeding habits and the structure of forests. Arita (1993) studied the average local abundance and distribution of bats across the Neotropics, using a rank abundance and rank distribution method to categorize rare species. Our study investigated the local abundance of leaf-nosed bats based on sampling efforts carried out at Piro Biological Research station on the Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica.   The purpose of this study was to (1) see how the abundance of leaf-nosed bats compared to the Neotropical average; (2) determine if trends existed among leaf-nosed bats within the same dietary group (frugivores, animalivores, nectarivores, sanguinivore); and (3) identify individual bats notably deviating away from what was expected. We created a rank local abundance vs. rank area of distribution graph. We did not observe any trends that appeared to be related to each dietary group, but seven individual species did show notable deviations. We concluded that the dietary groups often used for leaf-nosed bats are not an effective method for categorization. Individual bat species should be considered when determining reasons for rarity, considering individual dietary habits and other potential environmental factors such as moon phase.  Arita HT. 1993. Rarity in Neotropical bats: correlations with phylogeny, diet and body mass. Ecol App. 3(3): 506-517. *Indicates faculty mentor

The Business Manager at Irving's Lyceum, "An Individual Who Calls Himself Bram Stoker, Who Seems to Occupy Some Anomalous Position Between Secretary and Valet", or the Forefather of Theatre Administrators

Between 1878 and 1905 Bram Stoker was employed as a Business Manager by Henry Irving. During the same period he established a secondary career as a writer. A short biography puts his theatrical career into perspective and shows the extent to which it dominated his life during his years with Irving. Stoker's interest in the theatre began in his childhood, developed further during his years at Trinity College and in 1871 he became an unpaid theatre critic. This work brought about his first meeting with Henry Irving, in 1875, and the friendship that developed over the next three years culminated in 1878 with Irving's offer of employment. A clear picture of the Lyceum's system of administration, and Stoker's duties and responsibilities within it, has been built up from his own writings with corroboration from other sources. One of his main responsibilities was the upkeep of the theatre's account books, which he kept meticulously. The survival of these accounts means that it has been possible to analyse the Theatre's finances between 1878 and 1899, the period of Irving's independent management. To project further, one can construct a picture of the administration of a major theatre in the late nineteenth century. Stoker's interest in contemporary theatrical issues was displayed in a number of articles which were published in Nineteenth Century magazine and the Fortnightly Review. Between 1890 and 1910 he expressed his opinions on three major contemporary issues; the actor-manager system, the National Theatre and stage censorship. He gave evidence to the Government Select Committee on Stage Censorship in 1909. He was also actively involved with the 1905 Mansion House Committee for the erection of a Shakespeare Memorial in London, Finally, Stoker's fiction, although not directly based on his experiences at the Lyceum, reflects his impressions of Irving and the roles he played and shows the influence of the Lyceum's style and atmosphere