Quantification of avian hazards to military aircraft and implications for wildlife management

Collisions between birds and military aircraft are common and can have catastrophic effects. Knowledge of relative wildlife hazards to aircraft (the likelihood of aircraft damage when a species is struck) is needed before estimating wildlife strike risk (combined frequency and severity component) at military airfields. Despite annual reviews of wildlife strike trends with civil aviation since the 1990s, little is known about wildlife strike trends for military aircraft. We hypothesized that species relative hazard scores would correlate positively with aircraft type and avian body mass. Only strike records identified to species that occurred within the U.S. (n = 36,979) and involved United States Navy or United States Air Force aircraft were used to calculate relative hazard scores. The most hazardous species to military aircraft was the snow goose (Anser caerulescens), followed by the common loon (Gavia immer), and a tie between Canada goose (Branta canadensis) and black vulture (Coragyps atratus). We found an association between avian body mass and relative hazard score (r2 = 0.76) for all military airframes. In general, relative hazard scores per species were higher for military than civil airframes. An important consideration is that hazard scores can vary depending on aircraft type. We found that avian body mass affected the probability of damage differentially per airframe. In the development of an airfield wildlife management plan, and absent estimates of species strike risk, airport wildlife biologists should prioritize management of species with high relative hazard scores

External Perceptions of the Oklahoma Youth Expo\u27s March 2020 COVID-19 Response

Livestock shows are a prevalent part of youth agricultural programs in the United States, but they are not well understood, particularly in terms of risk and crisis communication. Through in-depth qualitative interviews, this study evaluated the perceptions of Oklahoma agricultural education instructors, Extension agents, and parents of youth exhibiting at the 2020 Oklahoma Youth Expo (OYE). The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic caused the stock show to cancel in the middle of its schedule. The study evaluated perceptions of the event through the lens of crisis communication as it relates to brand reputation and crisis management. The study was guided by situational crisis communication theory. The results of the interviews indicate that OYE’s brand reputation was not harmed as a result of the crisis, and some responses indicate that participants may have increased their respect of the organization. Instead, participants directed fault toward city officials who cancelled the stock show. Future research is recommended to evaluate how other stock shows responded to the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak, as well as assessing how stock shows continued to deal with the pandemic in subsequent years

Quantification of avian hazards to military aircraft and implications for wildlife management

Collisions between birds and military aircraft are common and can have catastrophic effects. Knowledge of relative wildlife hazards to aircraft (the likelihood of aircraft damage when a species is struck) is needed before estimating wildlife strike risk (combined frequency and severity component) at military airfields. Despite annual reviews of wildlife strike trends with civil aviation since the 1990s, little is known about wildlife strike trends for military aircraft. We hypothesized that species relative hazard scores would correlate positively with aircraft type and avian body mass. Only strike records identified to species that occurred within the U.S. (n = 36,979) and involved United States Navy or United States Air Force aircraft were used to calculate relative hazard scores. The most hazardous species to military aircraft was the snow goose (Anser caerulescens), followed by the common loon (Gavia immer), and a tie between Canada goose (Branta canadensis) and black vulture (Coragyps atratus). We found an association between avian body mass and relative hazard score (r2 = 0.76) for all military airframes. In general, relative hazard scores per species were higher for military than civil airframes. An important consideration is that hazard scores can vary depending on aircraft type. We found that avian body mass affected the probability of damage differentially per airframe. In the development of an airfield wildlife management plan, and absent estimates of species strike risk, airport wildlife biologists should prioritize management of species with high relative hazard scores

Tenderness, Sensory, and Fatty Acid Attributes of Pasture Versus Grain Finished Beef Aged 14 and 28 Days

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two finishing systems, grain and pasture, and postmortem aging on the sensory, tenderness, display color, and fatty acid profiles of beef from their carcasses. All cattle (n = 473) were on a forage diet during the stocker period. They were randomly assigned to either a grain based or pasture-based finishing diet. Conventionally finished cattle were fed for 94 d, and pasture cattle were fed for either 88 or 130 d. Average age of cattle at slaughter was 18.2 mo for concentrate finished and 18.9 mo for alfalfa finished. Strip loins (n = 445) were cut into 2.54 cm thick steaks and vacuum packaged. Display color was evaluated from a sub-set of steaks during 1 year of the study (n = 60). The data were analyzed using the Mixed and Glimmax Procedures of SAS. No interaction for treatment x year was indicated, so data were analyzed by finishing system and aging time (if applicable). Carcasses from cattle finished on a grain diet were fatter (P 0.05), was found for Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBS) or sensory tenderness. There was an interaction between finishing type and days aged (P 0.05) for protein, moisture, and collagen. The fatty acid chemical analysis found a difference (P 0.05) for MUFA with grain finished being higher. Finally, SFA, PUFA n-6, VA, and OT had no differences (P > 0.05) between finishing system

Ecology and conservation of the Cape vulture in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.

Ph. D. in Zoology. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2016.Abstract available in PDF file

Collective Effect of Landfills and Landscape Composition on Bird–Aircraft Collisions

Ninety-three percent of all reported bird strikes occur below 1,067 m, which based on the typical approach and departure angles of aircraft is within 8–13 km of an airport. Concomitantly, the Federal Aviation Administration and the International Civil Aviation Organization recommend that any feature that would attract hazardous wildlife to the approach and departure airspace be restricted. Thus, preventing the establishment of wildlife attractants, such as municipal solid waste landfills (MSWLFs) within 8 km or 13 km extents (U.S. and international recommendations, respectively) of airports, has been recommended to mitigate the risk of bird–aircraft collisions (strikes). However, robust evidence linking wildlife attractants at these spatial scales to an increase in strikes is lacking. We investigated the effect of densities of MSWLFs and construction and demolition (C&D) landfills, landscape diversity, and human population density on the adverse effect (AE; strikes that caused damage or had a negative effect on flight) bird strike rate involving species broadly associated with MSWLFs. We predicted that airports surrounded by a high density of MSWLFs, high human population densities, and high landscape diversity would increase the AE strike rate. We evaluated our predictions via generalized linear mixed models with bird strike data from 2009 through 2017 at 111 Part 139 airports. Only U.S. airports were used because of high wildlife strike reporting rates. Part 139 certificated airports are those that facilitate air carriers with \u3e30 seats for passengers and crew. Our average model included density of MSWLFs and C&D landfills for both the 8- and 13-km extent from the airports. We found no significant contribution by any variable to the AE strike rate variance. Our results indicated that the effects of landfills on AE strike rates are inconclusive. Possible explanations for our findings include the influence of unmeasured landscape features and lack of fine-scale data on bird habitat use at landfill facilities. Future research should investigate bird 3-dimensional space use in addition to bird and habitat survey techniques

Civil airports from a landscape perspective: A multi-scale approach with implications for reducing bird strikes

Collisions between birds and aircraft are a global problem that jeopardizes human safety and causes economic losses. Although landscape features have been suggested as one of a number of factors contributing to bird strikes, no evidence exists to support this suggestion. We investigated the effects of landscape structure on the adverse effect (AE) bird strike rate at 98 civil airports in the United States. The number of reported AE bird strikes was standardized by air carrier movements between 2009 and 2015. Land use structure and composition were quantified within 3, 8, and 13 km radii extents from airports. We predicted large amounts and close arrangements of aquatic habitat, open space, and high landscape diversity would positively influence the AE strike rate based on the habitat requirements of many species hazardous to aviation. The rate of AE bird strikes was positively influenced by large areas and close proximity of wetlands, water, and cultivated crops at the 8- and 13- km extents. Within 3 km of an airport, increasing landscape diversity and the amount of crop area increased the strike rate. We conclude that landscape structure and composition are predictors of the AE bird strike rate at multiple spatial scales. Our results can be used to promote collaborative management among wildlife professionals, airport planners, and landowners near airports to create an environment with a lower probability of an AE bird strike. Specific priorities are to minimize the area of crops, especially corn, and increase the distances between patches of open water