Short-Term Butterfly Response to Sagebrush Steppe Restoration Treatments

As part of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), butterflies were surveyed pretreatment and up to 4 yr posttreatment at 16 widely distributed sagebrush steppe sites in the interior West. Butterfly populations and communities were analyzed in response to treatments (prescribed fire, mechanical, herbicide) designed to restore sagebrush steppe lands encroached by piñon-juniper woodlands (Pinus, Juniperus spp.) and invaded by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Butterflies exhibited distinct regional patterns of species composition, with communities showing marked variability among sites. Some variation was explained by the plant community, with Mantel\u27s test indicating that ordinations of butterfly and plant communities were closely similar for both woodland sites and lower-elevation treeless (sage-cheat) sites. At woodland sites, responses to stand replacement prescribed fire, clear-cutting, and tree mastication treatments applied to 10–20-ha plots were subtle: 1) no changes were observed in community structure; 2) Melissa blues (Plebejus melissa) and sulfurs (Colias spp.) increased in abundance after either burning or mechanical treatments, possibly due to increase in larval and nectar food resource, respectively; and 3) the juniper hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus) declined at sites at which it was initially present, probably due to removal of its larval food source. At sage-cheat sites, after prescribed fire was applied to 25–75-ha plots, we observed 1) an increase in species richness and abundance at most sites, possibly due to increased nectar resources for adults, and 2) an increase in the abundance of skippers (Hesperiidae) and small white butterflies. Linkages between woody species removal, the release of herbaceous vegetation, and butterfly response to treatments demonstrate the importance of monitoring an array of ecosystem components in order to document the extent to which management practices cause unintended consequences

Religious knowledge among pre-service secondary teachers of English and History

Recent studies have revealed that Americans do not possess the level of religious literacy necessary to make sense of a multicultural world. Believing that public schools are institutions of ideological management, this research explored religious literacy among pre-service teachers of English and History/Social Studies. The specific research questions for this study were: 1) What is the level of basic religious knowledge among pre-service teachers of History and English? 2) Do pre-service teachers of History and English demonstrate higher-level thinking skills as relates to religion in public life? and 3) What knowledge do pre-service teachers of History and English demonstrate when confronted with a discipline specific section from a standard North Carolina textbook or an interdisciplinary text dealing with religious knowledge? The results revealed that only pre-service teachers with higher scores in basic religious knowledge did well in areas demanding higher level thinking skills. The study also revealed a decline in the ability to apply religious knowledge to the modalities of contemporary life or to the evaluation of textbooks. The study found that less than 5% of pre-service teachers are prepared to address religion in the classroom, although 80% believed they had been prepared

Short-Term Butterfly Response to Sagebrush Steppe Restoration Treatments

As part of the Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (SageSTEP), butterflies were surveyed pre-treatment and up to four years post-treatment at 16 widely distributed sagebrush steppe sites in the interior West. Butterfly populations and communities were analyzed in response to treatments (prescribed fire, mechanical, herbicide) designed to restore sagebrush steppe lands encroached by pinyon-juniper woodlands (Pinus, Juniperus spp.) and invaded by cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum). Butterflies exhibited distinct regional patterns of species composition, with communities showing marked variability among sites. Some variation was explained by the plant community, with Mantel's test indicating that ordinations of butterfly and plant communities were closely similar for both woodland sites and for lower elevation treeless (sage-cheat) sites. At woodland sites, responses to stand replacement prescribed fire, clear-cutting, and tree mastication treatments applied to 10–20-ha plots were subtle: 1) no changes were observed in community structure; 2) Melissa blues (Plebejus melissa) and sulfurs (Colias spp.) increased in abundance after either burning or mechanical treatments, possibly due to increase in larval and nectar food resource, respectively; and 3) the juniper hairstreak (Callophrys gryneus) declined at sites at which it was initially present, probably due to removal of its larval food source. At sage-cheat sites, after prescribed fire was applied to 25–75-ha plots, we observed 1) an increase in species richness and abundance at most sites, possibly due to increased nectar resources for adults, and 2) an increase in the abundance of skippers (Hesperiidae) and small white butterflies. Linkages between woody species removal, the release of herbaceous vegetation, and butterfly response to treatments demonstrate the importance of monitoring an array of ecosystem components in order to document the extent to which management practices cause unintended consequences.Keywords: prescribed fire, cheatgrass, mowing, pinyon-juniper, mastication, cut and leave, insect–plant relationsKeywords: prescribed fire, cheatgrass, mowing, pinyon-juniper, mastication, cut and leave, insect–plant relation

MSW Portfolio

https://scholarworks.umt.edu/grad_portfolios/1263/thumbnail.jp

Jennifer Euell Interview, May 4, 2001

Jennifer Euell describes her early years and education. She explains her transition from journalism to social work and to her current position as Coordinator of SARS (Sexual Assault Recovery Service) at the University of Montana. Euell discusses her interactions with other groups on and off campus in working with sexual assault victims.https://scholarworks.umt.edu/mtfeminist/1014/thumbnail.jp

dspConverter in-circuit programmer

The goal of this project, conducted at Analog Devices in Limerick, Ireland, was to develop a device capable of programming an AD73522/422 digital signal processor, while in circuit. The final device layout incorporated a Microconverter, a flash memory, and an understanding of the ICE port, to allow the downloading of 24-bit instructions to the DSP for uploading into its flash memory. The system met all design requirements related to power consumption, size, complexity, and cost