OPENING REMARKS—TWELFTH VERTEBRATE PEST CONFERENCE

On behalf of the Vertebrate Pest Council, welcome to the 12th Vertebrate Pest Conference. Every other year since 1962, the Vertebrate Pest Council has sponsored the conference with the primary objective of bringing individuals interested in vertebrate pest control together to discuss problems and solutions of mutual concern. The main objectives of the conference are: 1. To exchange information on vertebrate pest management and related matters. 2. To advance environmentally safe vertebrate pest management methodologies. 3. To build cooperation with public and private agencies in solving vertebrate pest problems. 4. To consider and promote discussion and interaction among agencies and others about problems of mutual concern in the field of vertebrate pest management. 5. To foster educational work in vertebrate pest management. 6. To encourage research by both public and private agencies on vertebrate pest problems and their solutions. 7. To promote uniformity and coordination of activities among agencies and individuals concerned with the regulatory aspects of vertebrate pest management

WILDLIFE DAMAGE IN AUSTRALIA: CONSTRUCTIVE CONTRASTS WITH THE UNITED STATES

There are numerous wildlife damage problems in Australia. The major pests include rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculusl, foxes (Vulpes vulpes/, starlings (Sturnus vulgarisl, feral cats (felts catus/, donkeys (Equus asinusl, goats (Capra hircusl, buffalo (Bubalus trutralisl, pigs (Sus scrofal, all of which have been introduced. The dingo ICanis familiaris dingo/, classified as being a native species by most people, is the primary native animal causing problems, although others, such as kangaroos and several native bird species, are pests in some areas. The Australians spend considerable amounts of money on wildlife damage control research. The people of Western Australia take a regulatory approach to most of their wildlife problems. The concept of declaring species as pests allows the Australians to regulate what can and should be done to control these species. Australian wildlife control programs range from conducting control activities to simply advising as to what should be done. The Australians often designate areas where control should (or should not) be undertaken. This approach allows clear decisions to be made about control program expenditures and resource deployment

Wireless Audience Response System: Does It Make a Difference?

Because Extension seminars are costly in preparation and delivery, questions about the costs and effectiveness of various methods are important to consider. Interactive devices are becoming increasingly available to Extension professionals. One such device, OptionFinder®, utilizes individual wireless remote keypads and a control station, manned by the lecturer or an assistant. It is believed to increase audience participation and information retention. The lecturer can assess the audiences\u27 understanding within seconds by asking multiple choice or true/false questions. The study described here examined the cost and value, in terms of knowledge retention, of such a system compared with other workshop methods

COMPUTER ASSISTED EXTENSION PROGRAM ON GROUND SQUIRREL CONTROL

Computers have become common place in virtually all phases of agriculture. Most individuals have access to microcomputers and the once apparent intimidation about using them is rapidly disappearing. Because of increased availability and public acceptance, it\u27s no surprise that many Extension programs are using computers as an important component of their educational package. Recently, several computer models have been developed to assist Extension personnel and others in demonstrating proper wildlife damage control decision-making. We have developed such a model which is used to: 1) present ground squirrel control information to the grower, 2) take user (grower) input on production, yields, etc. and predict the potential impact squirrels may have on that grower\u27s operation, and 3) present the potential cost effectiveness of the available control options

Volunteer Researchers: Moving Beyond Cooperators

Engaging volunteer cooperators to perform field research presents a new approach to conducting applied research. We enlisted Extension Service users to conduct research. This allowed for an increased sample size and expanded study area than was possible using traditional approaches. Cooperators received comprehensive training that briefed them on the subject and research protocols. Data were collected via research workbooks and informal written surveys. We obtained acceptable data for demonstrating the efficacy of rodenticide treatment under operational conditions. Unexpectedly, cooperators favored one control method and indicated they would use it in the future, despite no statistical difference between treatment methods

Bird Hazing and Frightening Methods and Techniques (with emphasis on containment ponds)

Our primary purpose in preparing this overview of bird hazing or frightening methods and techniques is to provide the owners and operators of agricultural evaporation ponds with all possible information on hazing to minimize bird use of the ponds and reduce their exposure to possible contamination from accumulated substances, such as selenium. While our main objective was to assist pond managers, our coverage of bird hazing is intentionally broad enough to be highly relevant to protect many agricultural crops and some aquaculture facilities from bird depredations, and to reduce bird numbers at airports where the potential for bird-aircraft strikes is high. The discussion of many hazing options may be also valuable for use in repelling birds from accidental oil spills and to repel birds, specifically waterfowl, from disease-contaminated water. Much of the contents of this manual is derived from researching the available literature. However, this is intermixed with the personal knowledge of the authors based on their education, laboratory and field research in managing bird problems, and experience in applied bird control, especially in the area of pest bird management related to agricultural production

A model to predict the likelihood of cliff swallow nesting on highway structures in northern California

Cliff swallows (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) are colonially breeding migratory birds that frequently nest on highway structures. Under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, people cannot harm swallows or their active nests. This restriction causes problems and delays for construction and maintenance divisions of many departments of transportation. In planning future projects, it would be useful for these divisions to have a habitat selection model that can predict the likelihood of cliff swallow nesting on a particular highway structure. We used logistic regression on data collected from 206 highway structures and 2 different land cover data sets to develop habitat selection models for northern California. The models indicated that low urban development and structure undersurfaces with multiple junctures were the 2 most important predictors of cliff swallow occupancy. Both the presence of water under a structure and a large underpass opening were also factors included in the models. The models correctly predicted 59% of sites occupied by cliff swallows and 88% of sites not occupied. The occupancy classification rate may offer departments of transportation useful insight into the nesting behavior of cliff swallows