Using unmanned aerial vehicles (‘drones’) to collect data from tagged fishers in the environment

Fisher (Pekania pennant) belongs to the weasel family. In October 2014, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service proposed to list the West Coast Distinct Population Segment of fisher as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. We wish to better define where fishers live within their habitats and use that information to improve conservation efforts. Previously, to track the behavior of wild fishers, researchers put tracker collars on the animals and relied on networks of fixed antennas on the ground in the environment to collect data. We are experimenting with using unmanned aerial vehicles (‘drones’) to collect data from tagged fishers in the environment. Using drones could offer advantages over antennas that require a dedicated power source and are placed in the field long-term

Synthesis Paper: Targeted Livestock Grazing: Prescription for Healthy Rangelands

Targeted livestock grazing is a proven tool for manipulating range land vegetation, and current knowledge about targeted livestock grazing is extensive and expanding rapidly. Targeted grazing prescriptions optimize the timing, frequency, intensity, and selectivity of grazing (or browsing) in combinations that purposely exert grazing/ browsing pressure on specific plant species or portions of the landscape. Targeted grazing differs from traditional grazing management in that the goal of targeted grazing is to apply defoliation or trampling to achieve specific vegetation management objectives,whereas the goal of traditional livestock grazing management is generally the production of livestock commodities. A shared aim of targeted livestock grazing and traditional grazing management is to sustain healthy soils, flora, fauna, and water resources that, in turn, can sustain natural ecological processes (e.g., nutrient cycle, water cycle, energy flow). Targeted grazing prescriptions integrate knowledge of plant ecology, livestock nutrition, and livestock foraging behavior. Livestock can be focused on target areas through fencing, herding, or supplement placement. Although practices can be developed to minimize the impact of toxins contained in target plants, the welfare of the animals used in targeted grazing must be a priority. Monitoring is needed to determine if targeted grazing is successful and to refine techniques to improve efficacy and efficiency. Examples of previous research studies and approaches are presented to highlight the ecological benefits that can be achieved when targeted grazing is applied properly. These cases include ways to suppress invasive plants and ways to enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Future research should address the potential to select more adapted and effective livestock for targeted grazing and the associated animal welfare concerns with this practice. Targeted livestock grazing provides land managers a viable alternative to mechanical, chemical, and prescribed fire treatments to manipulate range land vegetation

Synthesis Paper: Targeted Livestock Grazing: Prescription for Healthy Rangelands

Targeted livestock grazing is a proven tool for manipulating rangeland vegetation, and current knowledge about targeted livestock grazing is extensive and expanding rapidly. Targeted grazing prescriptions optimize the timing, frequency, intensity, and selectivity of grazing (or browsing) in combinations that purposely exert grazing/browsing pressure on specific plant species or portions of the landscape. Targeted grazing differs from traditional grazing management in that the goal of targeted grazing is to apply defoliation or trampling to achieve specific vegetation management objectives, whereas the goal of traditional livestock grazing management is generally the production of livestock commodities. A shared aim of targeted livestock grazing and traditional grazing management is to sustain healthy soils, flora, fauna, and water resources that, in turn, can sustain natural ecological processes (e.g., nutrient cycle, water cycle, energy flow). Targeted grazing prescriptions integrate knowledge of plant ecology, livestock nutrition, and livestock foraging behavior. Livestock can be focused on target areas through fencing, herding, or supplement placement. Although practices can be developed to minimize the impact of toxins contained in target plants, the welfare of the animals used in targeted grazing must be a priority. Monitoring is needed to determine if targeted grazing is successful and to refine techniques to improve efficacy and efficiency. Examples of previous research studies and approaches are presented to highlight the ecological benefits that can be achieved when targeted grazing is applied properly. These cases include ways to suppress invasive plants and ways to enhance wildlife habitat and biodiversity. Future research should address the potential to select more adapted and effective livestock for targeted grazing and the associated animal welfare concerns with this practice. Targeted livestock grazing provides land managers a viable alternative to mechanical, chemical, and prescribed fire treatments to manipulate rangeland vegetation

Épisodes d’inactivité et revenus criminels dans une trajectoire de délinquance

L’instabilité de l’activité criminelle dans le temps est déjà bien documentée. On connaît toutefois peu les circonstances qui expliquent ces variations à court terme. Une meilleure connaissance de ces facteurs est souhaitable puisqu’il est possible que les transitions et les changements à court terme précèdent les points tournants des carrières criminelles. Les conditions qui rendent compte d’une interruption temporaire des activités peuvent, par exemple, contribuer à expliquer un désistement définitif. L’étude se fonde sur les trajectoires de 172 délinquants impliqués dans des crimes à but lucratif et analyse les variations mensuelles de leurs revenus criminels ainsi que les épisodes d’inactivité criminelle à l’intérieur d’une période fenêtre de 36 mois. La méthode des calendriers d’histoire de vie combinée aux modèles hiérarchiques permet d’examiner conjointement le rôle de facteurs statiques (les caractéristiques individuelles des sujets) et dynamiques (les circonstances de vie). Les résultats mettent en évidence l’importance des événements qui marquent le style de vie des délinquants et des paramètres qui caractérisent l’engagement criminel dans la compréhension des variations dans les trajectoires à l’étude. Ils soulignent également l’importance de la finalité derrière les activités criminelles pour expliquer la décision des délinquants de cesser temporaire leurs activités illicites

Spring grazing: A management alternative for Sandhills wet meadows

Many Sandhills cow-calf operations rely on hay produced from subirrigated meadows as a primary source of winter and spring forage. Grazing these meadows in the spring, rather than holding them exclusively for hay production, may improve ranch efficiency and profitability. Cattle were assigned to one of 4 treatments: graze meadow or be fed hay during a prebreeding period (May) then graze meadow or graze upland range during the breeding period (June–July) in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Stocking rates for meadow pastures were 3.2 AUM ha −1, 4.4 AUM ha−1, and 6.0 AUM ha −1, respectively, for pastures grazed prebreeding only, prebreeding + breeding, and breeding only. Hay harvest from May and May–July grazed meadow was half that of the non-grazed hay meadow (2,000 kg ha−1 vs. 4,000 kg ha−1, P = 0.001) but total DM harvest from grazing and haying combined were similar for the May grazed pastures and non-grazed hay meadow (P \u3e 0.10). Total CP harvest was greater for the May grazed treatments than for non-grazed hay meadow (600 kg ha−1 vs. 350 kg ha−1 P = 0.05). Body condition score of cows grazing meadow during the prebreeding period increased more (P = 0.06) between May and October than that of cows fed hay during the prebreeding period. Management had no effect on pregnancy rate or calving interval (P \u3e 0.10). Calves grazing meadow during the prebreeding period gained 11 kg more than hay-fed groups by weaning (P = 0.03). Utilizing spring meadow grazing together with winter grazing may spare nearly 0.5 ha meadow cow−1 and nearly $130 cow−1 in feeding expenses annually. Additional gain of calves that had nursed cows grazing meadow during the prebreeding period was worth$21 hd−1. Cost of feeding cows in the 60 days between calving and the start of the breeding season was reduced by nearly $30 hd−1 by replacing low quality hay and supplement feeding with high quality meadow hay and May grazing. We conclude that spring grazing Sandhills meadows can be effective in increasing profitability of spring calving cow-calf enterprises

Database Application for a Youth Market Livestock Production Education Program

This article offers an example of a database designed to support teaching animal production and husbandry skills in county youth livestock programs. The system was used to manage production goals, animal growth and carcass data, photos and other imagery, and participant records. These were used to produce a variety of customized reports to help guide leaders and members through the project animal selection and management process and evaluate progress over time. The chief advantage of the system is in its utility in reducing the effort required to perform the many communication and information-sharing tasks that were necessary for success

Spring grazing: A management alternative for Sandhills wet meadows

Many Sandhills cow-calf operations rely on hay produced from subirrigated meadows as a primary source of winter and spring forage. Grazing these meadows in the spring, rather than holding them exclusively for hay production, may improve ranch efficiency and profitability. Cattle were assigned to one of 4 treatments: graze meadow or be fed hay during a prebreeding period (May) then graze meadow or graze upland range during the breeding period (June–July) in 1993, 1994 and 1995. Stocking rates for meadow pastures were 3.2 AUM ha −1, 4.4 AUM ha−1, and 6.0 AUM ha −1, respectively, for pastures grazed prebreeding only, prebreeding + breeding, and breeding only. Hay harvest from May and May–July grazed meadow was half that of the non-grazed hay meadow (2,000 kg ha−1 vs. 4,000 kg ha−1, P = 0.001) but total DM harvest from grazing and haying combined were similar for the May grazed pastures and non-grazed hay meadow (P \u3e 0.10). Total CP harvest was greater for the May grazed treatments than for non-grazed hay meadow (600 kg ha−1 vs. 350 kg ha−1 P = 0.05). Body condition score of cows grazing meadow during the prebreeding period increased more (P = 0.06) between May and October than that of cows fed hay during the prebreeding period. Management had no effect on pregnancy rate or calving interval (P \u3e 0.10). Calves grazing meadow during the prebreeding period gained 11 kg more than hay-fed groups by weaning (P = 0.03). Utilizing spring meadow grazing together with winter grazing may spare nearly 0.5 ha meadow cow−1 and nearly $130 cow−1 in feeding expenses annually. Additional gain of calves that had nursed cows grazing meadow during the prebreeding period was worth$21 hd−1. Cost of feeding cows in the 60 days between calving and the start of the breeding season was reduced by nearly $30 hd−1 by replacing low quality hay and supplement feeding with high quality meadow hay and May grazing. We conclude that spring grazing Sandhills meadows can be effective in increasing profitability of spring calving cow-calf enterprises

Photo-Guided Tracing: A Low-Cost Method for Monitoring Targeted Plant Species

This article describes a method of producing accurate and relatively inexpensive maps of plant distribution, used here for mapping Arundo donax in a riparian ecosystem as part of an Extension outreach and community development effort. This produced a verifiable map of the plant\u27s distribution over 16 km for approximately $3,000. This method had modest requirements for technical skills and equipment, and produced reference imagery that could be archived for later review. This made long-term monitoring more feasible to the community and provided Extension staff opportunities for training and public education