Educating Students About Wildlife Damage Management: A Cooperative Venture Between Academics and Extension at a Land Grant University

The discipline of wildlife damage management, under the broader umbrella of wildlife management, is an evolving field; techniques change and the social and political atmosphere that influences our actions is shifting constantly. As time /money constraints pinch tighter into the education system, it is imperative that we pool resources and expertise. Many schools are doing that already and this paper provides a synopsis of those efforts and addresses some of the concerns about not having a wildlife damage course. I sent out an email questionnaire to all state wildlife specialists and received responses from 24. The questionnaire focused on their involvement with education in WDM for students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Results indicate that courses in WDM can serve as a paradigm for team teaching by using teaching faculty, extension specialists and Wildlife Services biologists

PROCEEDINGS OF THE SEVENTH EASTERN WILDLIFE DAMAGE CONTROL CONFERENCE

Table of Content

Stakeholder Values Related to Black Bear Damage in Alabama

Members of several stakeholder groups in Alabama were surveyed regarding their experience with bear damage and their potential tolerance for bear damage assuming black bear numbers were to increase. Very little bear related damage was reported. Regression analysis revealed that support for reintroduction, group affiliation, educational status, and knowledge of bears were important in explaining variation in the level of tolerance for potential bear related damage. Members of commodity related groups (i.e. beekeepers, cattlemen) were less likely to be tolerant of bear damage. Educational programs should be implemented before augmentation of the bear population in Alabama is attempted

Perceptions and Knowledge of Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Producers towards Coyotes

Members of the Alabama Fruit and Vegetable Producers Association (AFVP) were surveyed in 1992-1993 to assess their attitudes and knowledge of coyotes and the amount of perceived damage caused by coyotes. A mail-back questionnaire was developed and pilot tested. The revised questionnaire was sent to all members (N = 84) of the AFVP; individuals whose main income is the production of fruits and vegetables. Seventy-seven percent (n = 61) of those surveyed returned completed questionnaires. Tests for nonresponse bias were conducted and results showed no significant difference. Attitudes were assessed using a Likert scale where 1 = respondents favoring maximum protection of coyotes and 5 = maximum control of coyotes. Data analysis suggests that attitudes of fruit and vegetable producers towards coyotes is neither maximum protection nor maximum control (x=3.61). However, their attitudes do lean toward the maximum control side of the scale. In addition, knowledge about coyotes and perceived threat by coyotes did not affect producer\u27s attitudes (x2 = 261.12, P = 0.54 ; x2 = 904.50, P = 0.37, respectively), however, those with coyote damage more strongly favored control

The importance of financial market development on the relationship between loan guarantees for SMEs and local market employment rates

We empirically examine whether a major government intervention in the small-firm credit market yields significantly better results in markets that are less financially developed. The government intervention that we investigate is SBA-guaranteed lending. The literature on financing small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) suggests that small firms may be exposed to a particular type of market failure associated with credit rationing. And SMEs in markets that are less financially developed will likely face a greater degree of this market failure. To test our hypothesis, we use the level of bank deposits per capita as our relative measure of financial market development, and we use local market employment rates as our measure of economic performance. After controlling for the appropriate cross-sectional market characteristics, we find that SBA-guaranteed lending has a significantly more (less) positive impact on the average annual level of employment when the local market is relatively less (more) financially developed. This result has important implications for public policy directives concerning where SBA-guaranteed lending should be directed.Small Business Administration ; Financial markets ; Small business - Finance ; Employment

Managing Wild Pigs: A Technical Guide

Wild pigs are and will continue to be a challenging problem for wildlife managers, landowners, farmers, conservationists, and others. Despite ongoing control programs, wild pigs have increased both their range and population size. Because of this growth, wildlife managers will increasingly be involved in dealing with problems caused by wild pigs traditionally, as well as emerging problems such as landscaping damage in suburban areas. Successful management strategies will depend upon persistent, adaptive, and integrated management programs that incorporate sound biological and ecological information. An integrated management approach, in addition to addressing the biological and ecological aspects of wild pigs, will seek to engage stakeholders via comprehensive education and communication programs. We hope this guide can be a valuable tool in that crucial task.https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/hwi_monographs/1000/thumbnail.jp

An Evaluation of Max-Flex Fast Fence™ for Reducing Deer Damage to Crops

A 2-year study was undertaken to assess the effectiveness of Max-Flex Fast Fence™ electric fencing materials (polytape) for reducing damage to crops. Specifically, our goal was to look at the efficacy of this product for the home gardener. In the first phase of the project, plots of approximately 1/40 acre were established in areas of historically high deer densities. Each plot was planted with soybeans and randomly assigned to 1 of 4 fencing configurations or to the open control group. Within each plot, 6\u27 wide strips were tilled across the length. These tilled areas were checked for the presence of deer tracks. The study design was replicated 3 times to produce 12 treatment plots (3 of each fence configuration) and 3 open controls. Fences were charged via a New Zealand-type high voltage, low-impedance charger. The open controls were fed on heavily by deer and soon were almost void of foliage. Results suggest that under these conditions even a single strand of polytape 2 1/2\u27 high was successful in preventing deer from entering the plots. Phase 2 of the study used a single strand of polytape 2 1/2\u27 feet from the ground to exclude deer from plots ranging in size from 0.025 acres to 1 acre. Each exclosure was planted with soybeans. Three replication areas were selected and plots randomly established within the replicates. The effectiveness of the single strand was much less conclusive than in Phase I, with deer entering all plots at some time during the study. However, there does appear to be a direct relationship between plot size and number of deer tracks observed in the plot. In addition, there were significant differences in fence effectiveness between replicates. We concluded that a single strand of polytape electric fencing, if properly installed, could be a suitable deterrent to deer in a small garden situation

Ecological Factors Influencing Wild Pig Damage to Planted Pine and Hardwood Seedlings

Expanding wild pig (Sus scrofa) populations across the southern United States has the potential to impact longleaf pine (Pinus palustris) restoration efforts. The depredation of planted pine seedlings is the most widespread and economically costly damage caused by wild pigs in forest plantations. A better understanding of the ecological factors affecting depredation rates will allow managers to implement best management practices to reduce seedling mortality from wild pigs at their most vulnerable stage of growth. From March 2016 to March 2017, we evaluated wild pig preferences for planted pine and hardwood species at a 34.4-ha cutover site and 4.7-ha pecan (Carya illinoinensis) orchard in Bullock County, Alabama, USA. Wild pig damage differed for the 5 seedling species tested, with longleaf and cherrybark oak (Quercus pagodaefolia) being the most preferred. Ninety one percent of seedlings destroyed by wild pigs were from the cutover site. Wild pigs at the cutover site experienced substantially more hunting pressure compared to those at the other site. We believe the debris scattering practices of the logging crew following a clearcut created a desirable foraging environment that led to the initial discovery of the seedlings. The short-term protection and minimization of seedling depredation in young forest plantations may be the most realistic solution to reducing the impact of wild pigs on forestry and timber resources

Recent trends in mortality from prostate cancer in male populations of Australia and England and Wales.

Mortality rates from cancer of the prostate in successive periods from 1908 to 1978 in Australia, and 1911 to 1977 in England and Wales, have been examined for trends with time and birth cohort. Age-specific rates and a proportional hazards model, designed to isolate the effect of birth cohort from those of calendar year and age, were used in the analysis. During the period of study, age-standardized mortality rose more than 5-fold in Australian men compared to just over 3-fold in men in England and Wales. In both countries the increases occurred almost entirely before 1960, with relative stability in age-standardized rates since then. The trends in mortality with year of birth were similar in the two sets of data. The risk of death from prostate cancer increased with successive birth cohorts to reach a peak in men born around 1865-1880 in Australia and men born around 1876-1896 in England and Wales. Males born later experienced a continuing reduction in rates, with the exception of age groups between 50 and 69 in which a further increase has appeared, starting with cohorts born after 1910. On the basis of current knowledge of the aetiology of prostate cancer, possible relationships between changes in sexual practices and prostate-cancer risk in successive generations have been explored. It is suggested that lowered sexual activity during the Great Depression may account for the recent cohort-based increases in mortality in middle-aged men

Use of stormwater impoundments near airports by birds recognizedas hazardous to aviation safety

Design of privately-owned stormwater impoundments within or near airport siting criteria has received little attention with regard to potential hazards posed to aviation safety. In particular, minimizing use of these impoundments by bird species recognized as hazardous to aviation poses an important challenge. Emergent vegetation, shoreline irregularity, and proximity of other water resources are linked to avian richness and diversity within wetlands, as well as bird use of stormwater impoundments on airports. We predicted also that impoundments with bank slope \u3e20% and those functioning as detention facilities, where water is periodically drawn down, would negatively influence use by birds; and that shoreline-vegetation diversity and local land-use diversity would be positively correlated with use. Over 104 weeks(March 2008 to March 2010), we surveyed bird use of 40 stormwater impoundments in the Auburn-Opelika Metropolitan area, Lee County, AL, USA, typical of privately-owned facilities located within or near airport siting criteria. We quantified local-scale and site-specific parameters possibly affecting bird use and evaluated fit for 17 a priori models relative to detection of 10 individual avian foraging guilds recognized as hazardous to aviation safety. Relative likelihoods of best-approximating models (Akaike weights) ranged from approximately 0.42 to 0.92. Based on best-approximating models for at least five of the 10 guilds, we suggest that broad reduction in use of stormwater impoundments, located within or near airport siting criteria, by bird species hazardous to aviation can be achieved via designs which minimize perimeter, surface area, and the ratio of open water to emergent vegetation