Effect of Sewage Effluent on Bird Abundance and Species Composition in a Northern Minnesota Wetland

Bird abundance was monitored before (1985 and 1987) and after (1989) sewage wastewater effluent was added to a northern Minnesota wetland. Community parameters (i.e., number of individuals and species richness) varied annually, but, overall bird communities in 1985 and 1989 were more similar to each other than they were to the 1987 community. Relative abundance of 35 bird species was unchanged between years and species abundance ranks were not different between years. Distribution of numbers of individuals (relative percent) within nesting and foraging guilds (species that have similar nesting or feeding requirements) was similar among years. Numbers of species that increased or decreased between years was independent of nesting or foraging location (e.g., ground or above ground). Overall, no differences were detected in the bird community that could be attributed to addition of sewage effluent to the wetland up to two years after treatment (1987 to 1989)

Activist Unbelief in Canadian History

Canada has a long history of religious unbelief. This paper offers a social historical survey of its organized, activist forms. The radical thought of the Enlightenment was imported in the late eighteenth century, which saw Voltairean deists like Fleury Mesplet criticizing the Catholic Church in the French-speaking colony of Lower Canada. A long tradition of anticlericalism followed in Quebec even though (or because) the Church was massively influential. The rest of Canada saw freethought and rationalist movements, often organized by working-class autodidacts, developing in the nineteenth century with American and British influences. This tradition continued into the first half of the twentieth century when secularists grappled with fundamentalism and the challenge of radical politics. After World War II the language of secular humanism was deployed and organizations were run by highly educated professionals instead. The position of activist unbelief began to change as Canada shifted from being one of the Western world’s most religious countries to being one of the least in the latter half of the twentieth century. Unbelief became unremarkable, though the persistence of religion meant that the twenty-first century saw a revival of militant atheism. This survey shows that unbelief was never just a pure philosophical position but has always been shaped by the social status quo it evolved in or was opposing. Nor was opposition ever enough; activist unbelievers inevitably had to offer the undecided a vision of the secular world they were working towards, and this meant getting involved in some form of politics

Breeding Bird Populations in a Proposed Wetland Treatment Area of Northern Minnesota

A census of breeding bird populations was taken in a 40- hectare wetland near Biwabik, Minnesota, prior to the use of this wetland for phosphorus removal from treated wastewater. The wetland was comprised of four distinct habitat types: shrub swamp, black ash (Fraxinus nigra) forest, open coniferous forest, and closed coniferous forest. We used a line transect (about 4 km in length) to document species composition, relative species abundance, and habitat associations of the bird community. A total of816 individuals (mean= 204) and 45 species (mean = 34) were observed during four censuses in June and July, 1985. Two distinct bird communities were present in this wetland: those associated with ombrotrophic habitats (shrub swamp and ash forest) and those present in mincrotrophic habitats (open and closed coniferous forest). The Nashville warbler ( Vermivora ruficapilla) was the most common species in the wetland and also the only species that occurred in both minerotrophic and ombrotrophic habitats. The pre-impact data collected will allow assessment of the relative impact of adding sewage effluent to this wetland and the subsequent effect on bird species and populations

Evaluation of an Onboard Safety Monitoring Device in Commercial Vehicle Operations

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) funded this project to provide an independent evaluation of DriveCam’s low-cost Driving Behavior Management System (DBMS). Participating drivers drove an instrumented vehicle for 17 consecutive weeks while they made their normal, revenue-producing deliveries. During the 4-week Baseline phase, the event recorder recorded safety-related events. However, the feedback light on the event recorder was disabled and safety managers did not have access to the recorded critical incidents to provide feedback to drivers. During the 13-week Intervention phase, the feedback light on the event recorder was activated and safety managers had access to the recorded safety-related events (following the coaching protocol with drivers). Carrier A significantly reduced the mean frequency of recorded events/miles traveled from Baseline to Intervention by 37 percent (p = 0.049), while Carrier B significantly reduced the mean frequency of recorded events/miles traveled from Baseline to Intervention by 52.2 percent (p = 0.03). The results suggest the combination of onboard safety monitoring and behavioral coaching were responsible for the reduction in mean frequency of events/miles traveled at Carriers A and

Natural Resources Research Institute Technical Report

We have been studying songbirds and small mammals occupying hybrid poplar plantations in the north-central United States for the past several years. The overall objective of this project is to evaluate the possible biodiversity implications of large-scale woody biomass development, and to provide a basis for managing plantations with biodiversity goals in mind. Results of our initial studies on songbirds and small mammals are described in Christian et al. (1997), including patterns of occurrence and abundance on plantations and adjacent land use types. In that study, the occurrence of individual bird species was inconsistent across plantations. In addition, the abundance of many species on plantations was extremely low. For these reasons, Christian et al. (1997) presented and analyzed abundance data only for major migration guilds (long-distance migrants, short-distance migrants, and permanent residents) of birds, and not for individual species

Object Detection and Identification Using Enhanced Camera/Video Imaging Systems (E-C/VISs) on Heavy Trucks

Tests were performed to determine the feasibility of developing an Enhanced Camera/Video Imaging System (E-C/VIS) to provide heavy vehicle drivers with better situation awareness to the sides and rear of their vehicles. It is well known that large blind spots currently exist in these areas and that sideswipe crashes can occur as a result. An additional goal was to extend the operating envelope of conventional video to nighttime and to inclement weather. A three channel system was envisioned in which there would be a camera at each (front) fender of the tractor looking backward along the sides of the tractor trailer. The third channel would be aimed rearward from the back of the trailer. Indoor tests involved selection of components having the best capabilities, while early outdoor tests used the selected components in a single-channel side mounted system. Once developed, the heavy vehicle three-channel system was tested in a static object detection and identification experiment, as well as a dynamic on-road experiment. The current document describes the static object detection and identification experiment methodology and results. In regard to object detection and identification, objects were correctly detected and identified significantly more often with the E-C/VIS than with mirrors alone. Objects directly behind the heavy vehicle could be detected with the rear wide-angle look-down camera of the EC/VIS whereas such objects could not be detected with conventional side mirrors

Effects of Two (Diptera: Culicidae) Mosquito Control Agents on Growth and Reproduction of Red-Winged Blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus)

We compared red-winged blackbird (Agelaius phoeniceus) reproductive success and nestling growth in 1988 in 10 wetland site treated with methoprene and 10 sites treated with Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) to 30 sites that had never received any mosquito (Diptera: culicidae) control treatment. No differences were detected between reference and treatment sites for clutch size, egg volume, growth rates, or fledge weight. The probability that an egg survived to the nestling stage was greater in methoprene-treated than reference sites. No other differences were detected among sites for reproductive success estimated using the Mayfield method. We conclude that treatment of the wetlands with methoprene or Bti did not directly or indirectly affect red-winged blackbird growth or reproduction within the first two years after treatment

Driver Opinions of Simulator-Based Commercial Driver Training

Simulator-based training provides the opportunity to train drivers in a potentially lower cost and safer environment than traditional, behind-the-wheel, training methods. Thus, many motor carriers have begun adopting simulators for use during in-house driver training. This report presents the result of focus groups with drivers who experienced truck simulator-based training at two large motor carriers. In general, drivers at both carriers had positive opinions of simulatorbased training. Most suggestions to improve the program were directed towards modification of how the program was implemented and/or creating a more realistic simulation of the driving environment