Bringing the Aquatic Sciences into NFMA Framework: Will They Fit?

21 pages. Contains 3 pages of references

Responses of salmonids to habitat changes

Streams in western North America provide spawning and rearing habitats for several species of salmon and trout that are of substantial economic importance in the region. Timber that grows on lands through which these streams flow is also economically important, and its harvest can substantially change habitat conditions and aquatic production in salmonid streams. Undisturbed forests, the streams that flow through them, and the salmonid communities in these streams have intrinsic scientific, genetic, and cultural values in addition to their economic importance. The complex relations between salmonids and their physical environment, and the changes in these relations brought about by timber harvest, have been investigated extensively (see the bibliography by Macdonald et al. 1988). However, in spite of considerable evidence of profound changes in channel morphology and in light, temperature, and flow regimes associated with timber harvests, much uncertainty exists about the responses of salmonids to these changes

Bringing the Aquatic Sciences into NFMA Framework: Will They Fit?

21 pages. Contains 3 pages of references

Longitudinal and seasonal changes in functional organization of macroinvertebrate communities in four Oregon streams.

Relative numerical dominance and densities of invertebrate functional feeding groups are compared with longitudinal and seasonal changes in food resources in a Cascade Range stream system in Oregon. We also compare our data with hypothetical predictions of the River Continuum model. We found that both relative abundances and densities of functional groups fit qualitative characterization of stream reaches and the River Continuum model: Shredders dominated upper shaded reaches; scrapers were most important in intermediate—sized sections; collectors increased in importance progressively downstream; predators were nearly constant in relative abundance at all sections; other functional groups were either rare or only locally abundant. Seasonal shifts also occurred but were not as dramatic as longitudinal differences. Correlation analyses between quantitative measures of food sources and functional group abundance were usually significant. Lack of significance for some correlations is likely due to inaccurate characterization of food availability, but small size and improper classification of species\u27 feeding behavior also may be important. In addition, invertebrate densities and food standing crop are static parameters and only approximately reflect the dynamics of consumer production and food availability. Read More: http://www.esajournals.org/doi/abs/10.2307/193671

Being Honors Worthy: Lessons in Supporting Transfer Students

In the ever-growing discussion of how to build and support honors programs that reflect the diverse communities our institutions serve, the recruitment of transfer students has only recently been identified as a key avenue to enacting more equitable programs. Reflecting on four years of recruiting, enrolling, and graduating transfer students in the University Honors Program at the University of California, Davis, we push the conversation beyond how to welcome transfer students in honors to how to meaningfully support them. We present the initial findings of our ongoing self-assessment to stimulate discussion about the unique challenges and opportunities transfer students experience in honors as well as how administrators and practitioners can rethink how our program structures and processes help our transfer students achieve success or hinder them from doing so. Drawing on descriptive statistics and focus groups, we found that, while transfer students in honors outperformed non-honors transfer students with similar backgrounds in terms of GPA and engagement with undergraduate research, many still struggled with not feeling, as one student described, “honors worthy.” Our preliminary findings suggest that concerns over belonging in honors can be mitigated by a cohort model that provides a sense of community, by a restructuring of the GPA requirements to cushion “transfer shock,” and, critically, by mentorship from administrators and faculty. Given the pool of diverse potential honors students currently in the community college pipeline and the recognition within NCHC that diverse cohorts best prepare students to engage meaningfully with the world around them, now is the time to increase the admissions of transfer students into honors programs. Lessons from early adopters such as UC Davis can help initial programming meet students’ needs and cultivate their talents

Being Honors Worthy: Lessons in Supporting Transfer Students

In the ever-growing discussion of how to build and support honors programs that reflect the diverse communities our institutions serve, the recruitment of transfer students has only recently been identified as a key avenue to enacting more equitable programs. Reflecting on four years of recruiting, enrolling, and graduating transfer students in the University Honors Program at the University of California, Davis, we push the conversation beyond how to welcome transfer students in honors to how to meaningfully support them. We present the initial findings of our ongoing self-assessment to stimulate discussion about the unique challenges and opportunities transfer students experience in honors as well as how administrators and practitioners can rethink how our program structures and processes help our transfer students achieve success or hinder them from doing so. Drawing on descriptive statistics and focus groups, we found that, while transfer students in honors outperformed non-honors transfer students with similar backgrounds in terms of GPA and engagement with undergraduate research, many still struggled with not feeling, as one student described, “honors worthy.” Our preliminary findings suggest that concerns over belonging in honors can be mitigated by a cohort model that provides a sense of community, by a restructuring of the GPA requirements to cushion “transfer shock,” and, critically, by mentorship from administrators and faculty. Given the pool of diverse potential honors students currently in the community college pipeline and the recognition within NCHC that diverse cohorts best prepare students to engage meaningfully with the world around them, now is the time to increase the admissions of transfer students into honors programs. Lessons from early adopters such as UC Davis can help initial programming meet students’ needs and cultivate their talents

Land-water interactions: the riparian zone

p.267-291 from Analysis of coniferous forest ecosystems in the Western United States