Understanding spawning behavior and habitat use by anadromous rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) using passive integrated transponder systems and telemetry

Rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) are anadromous fish that spawn in coastal streams and rivers and provide an important prey base to many marine predators. Populations range-wide have experienced severe decline possibly due to habitat degradation and loss of spawning habitat. This study quantified within-season repeat spawning behavior by rainbow smelt at two spawning sites in the Gulf of Maine, and described movements and habitat use during and following the spawning season in the Great Bay and Piscataqua River estuary complex in New Hampshire. Repeat spawning behavior was found to be a predominantly male behavior, consistent with past studies. The rate of repeat spawning by males was found to be consistent among years and between two study sites. Regarding larger scale movements, smelt of both genders visited multiple rivers within an embayment during the spawning season, and further, made use of a tidal estuary system after spawning activity ceased

Nineteen Figures and Counting: Contextualization and Conservation Treatment of a Jacob Spoel Painting

This study focuses on the research, technical analysis, and treatment of an 1852 Jacob Spoel painting (Untitled, acc.62.28, 80cm H x 105cm W x 1.75cm D) owned by the Memorial Art Gallery and described as a ‘family gathering.’ When received by the department, the painting was not in a fit state for display; it was not structurally sound and had a disfiguring varnish reducing the readability of the composition. Technical research, multimodal imaging, radiography, and instrumental analysis, including x-ray fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, cross-sectional analysis, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, were carried out to understand the materials and techniques used by the artist. Results played a part in shaping the treatment strategy, and the painting was successfully stabilized and returned to a suitable condition for exhibition

Laws in Order: An Inventory of State Renewable Energy Siting Policies

This report identifies which government entity or entities in each state or territory have the jurisdictional authority to make siting and permitting decisions about large scale wind and solar projects. The report also covers established timelines for siting and permitting processes, requirements for public involvement in those processes, and the availability of permitting guides and model ordinances designed to assist local jurisdictions.  It details state renewable energy siting policies and permitting authorities across the United States, profiling all 50 states plus Puerto Rico. The report release also includes an interactive map that allows users to easily explore each state’s authorities and policy features. The map, hosted by DOE, includes high-level information on each state’s siting and permitting processes and link directly to the profiles in the report

Developing A System of Program Assessment Within Teacher Education: Lessons Learned

Our intention in this article is to present one institution’s efforts to take on program assessment and respond to calls for accountability. To do so, the teacher education program simultaneously sought to address the narrowly defined measures called for by policy makers and politicians, while at the same time broadening and expanding outcomes (such as student learning) and the missions, themes, and values of the teacher education program. The following describes the accountability movement in teacher education and then offers the lessons learned within one program developing a system of assessment within teacher education