Evolution and Architecture of an Incised Valley in the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Formation in South-Central Montana

The Santonian-Campanian Eagle Formation in south-central Montana is composed of a series of exceptionally well preserved regressive-transgressive cycles deposited on the western margin of the Cretaceous Interior Seaway. This study focuses on the genesis of a regionally correlative basal incision surface and the subsequent fill architecture of the informal middle member of the Eagle Formation. Three stratigraphic surfaces are traced continuously for up to 15 km and include the regressive surface of marine erosion (RSE), sequence boundary (SB), and transgressive surface of tidal-fluvial erosion (TSE). Within this sequence stratigraphic framework, 4 facies association, internal lower-order architectures (i.e. channel forms, lateral accretion sets, crevasse splays) and higher-order regional surfaces (i.e. sequence boundaries) are used to establish a three-phase depositional history of valley evolution: 1)fluvial incision during decreasing accommodation concomitant with fluvial deposition and sediment storage on abandoned terraces within the valley, 2) rapid increase in accommodation significantly outpaced sediment influx concurrent with seasonal fluctuations in fluvial discharge and landward migration of the turbidity maximum, producing a flood-dominated mud-rich central valley deposit, and 3) deceleration in the rate of relative sea level rise marked by a depositional shift to tidally influenced fluvial deposition, extensive valley widening, and coal development. The resulting valley architecture is a highly diachronous composite basal incision surface. The time-transgressive multi-phase nature of valley formation and infilling produced a fill profile with a mud-rich valley center flanked by stacked, sand-rich fluvial and tidal-fluvial deposits toward the valley margins. These findings contribute to the sequence stratigraphic interpretation of incised valleys along the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, serve as an outcrop analog for potential incised valley reservoirs, and have direct application in developing reservoir models for the Eagle Formation in south-central Montana and elsewhere

Big Boy Rules, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Special Factors

For more than two decades, the American way of war has been changing. The American military is relying more and more on independent contractors to complete its missions both domestically and abroad. The most dramatic, and public, use of contractors has been in the current wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Vance v. Rumsfeld, the Seventh Circuit allowed a Bivens claim brought by two military contractors to proceed against Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Although the initial opinion was vacated and the case will be reheard en banc, it is unclear which of the opposing conclusions reached by the court majority and dissent will soon become law. The Supreme Court has, in recent years, indicated a desire to limit Bivens to the precise circumstances of that case, and other circuits which have addressed similar questions to the one before the Seventh Circuit have precluded a Bivens remedy for violations of a constitutional right in a warzone. This comment will argue that Congress is the proper forum for determining whether American citizens can bring Bivens actions against government officials for violations of a constitutional right in a warzone. Congress is better posed to answer the who, what, when, where, why, and how much of a private right of action for American citizens, and by answering those questions, it may open a Pandora\u27s Box of claims, but it will do so only after careful deliberation and in accordance with democratic principles

AN ANALYSIS OF KENTUCKY EQUESTRIAN TRAIL RIDERS: DETERMINING RIDER BEHAVIORS AND VALUING SITE AMENITIES THAT CONTRIBUTE TO REPEAT VISITS

The purpose of this travel cost study is to determine how rider behaviors and site characteristics influence repeat visits for equestrian trail riding in Kentucky. Primary data was collected via a survey developed and administered to trail riders in person and online. The average surveyed trail rider tends to be female, about 46 years old, with some higher education, and an annual household income of $65,000. She makes 11 trips to a specified site per year, 8 of which are daytrips, usually in the fall, and traveling 132 miles round trip. From other information gathered, an index of trail characteristics was developed to identify positive attributes of trails. To account for overdispersion of the number of visits per year, a negative binomial distribution in the estimation was used. The primary variables significant to explaining repeat visits to a site include distance in miles, the index of characteristics, and gender. Given consumer surplus estimates of$800 per equestrian it is recommended that established trails maximize desired characteristics. For new trail development it is recommended that trail characteristics are maximized and that they are built closer to the urban areas of the state since most riders are coming from these areas

Recreational Demand for Equestrian Trail-Riding

Using data collected from a combination of on-site and on-line surveys, this study examines recreational demand for equestrian trail-riding in Kentucky. A truncated, negative binomial regression is applied to analyze individuals’ visitation behavior consistent with a travel cost model. Results suggest that distance is the most significant determinant of average annual visits to a particular site. Various trail site characteristics, such as trail length, scenic overlooks, and trail markers, affect the number of visits an individual takes. Geographic information system (GIS) analysis permits the identification of equestrian population centers. Information obtained from this study offers a decision base for policymakers to use to manage existing equestrian trails and locate new ones.equestrian trail-riding, GIS analysis, truncated negative binomial, travel cost method, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Burial, Reburial, and the Securing of Memory

Drawing on the purported relationship between trauma and the desire to generate collective identity, this paper uses the framing of ontological security to examine burial as a mechanism of memorialization. I argue that states often turn to dead body management as a means of securing themselves and their identities. Burial and reburial can function as a mechanism of governance by states seeking ontological security. What happens to the dead is often politically contested. Because of this, states seek to intervene in contested spaces to solidify their identities through the mechanism of dead body management. I consider burial as a mechanism of state identity construction. Because graves, particularly mass graves, are sites where questions of human dignity are explored, they are also productive sites of examination of the logic of memorialization governing political violence. As a result, I seek to examine the processes by which gravesites and burial and reburial become mechanisms of the state performing ontological security

Dark Sky, White Sands, New Mexico, 1956

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After the fall of all of this

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