IMPLICIT PRICES OF WETLAND EASEMENTS

Farmland prices were regressed against sale size, gross production values, surrounding land uses and wetlands, and perpetual wetland easements administered by United States Fish and Wildlife Service. Each additional wet wetland acre reduced average cropland values by $209 or 51$234 which corresponds to 57% of local cropland values.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The Implicit Value of Irrigation Through Parcel Level Hedonic Price Modeling

This paper relies on data associated 2,100 agricultural land sale transactions across two major Nebraska Watersheds (the Republican and Central Platte) over the 2000 to 2008 time period. The sales were spatially referenced (digitized into a GIS) in order to quantify and geo-spatially predict and map the implicit values of irrigation through the use of hedonic price modeling. Marginal implicit prices vary substantially across subwatersheds (natural resource districts), and the contribution of irrigation to sale prices is directly related to the extent to dependency of production agriculture on irrigation. This information is now currently being used to evaluate the economic efficiency of recent irrigation retirement programs and to help ensure that current and future retirement programs are cost-effective through targeting that retires irrigation land with the greatest hydrologic impact on water resources for the lowest cost.Farm Management, Production Economics, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

THE FEASIBILITY OF WETLAND RESTORATION TO REDUCE FLOODING IN THE RED RIVER VALLEY: A CASE STUDY OF THE MAPLE RIVER WATERSHED, NORTH DAKOTA

The economic feasibility of alternative wetland restoration activities to store water and reduce flood damage was evaluated in the Maple River Watershed, North Dakota, a sub-watershed of the Red River of the North Watershed. The evaluation was based on recent hydrologic modeling and wetland restoration studies, the National Wetland Inventory, local land rental values, and site-specific historical flood damage. With benefit-cost ratios ranging from 0.08 to 0.13, neither simple wetland restoration based on plugging existing drains, nor restoration with outlet control devices, nor complete restoration intended to provide a full range of wetland-based environmental services were economically feasible over a 20-year future period. Peak flood stages and flood damage would need to be reduced by between 4 and 12 percent in order for wetland restoration options to break even. The inclusion of additional wetland benefits did not make wetland restoration economically feasible. It is, therefore, not recommended that public funds be used for extensive wetland restoration projects throughout the Maple River Watershed or the Red River Valley in order to reduce flood damage.Economic feasibility, wetland restoration, flooding, Red River Valley, Land Economics/Use,

THE INFLUENCE OF THE THREAT OF FLOODING ON HOUSING VALUES IN FARGO, NORTH DAKOTA AND MOORHEAD, MINNESOTA

The hedonic valuation method (HVM) was used to quantify the impact of the threat of flooding on housing values in Fargo, North Dakota and Moorhead, Minnesota (Fargo-Moorhead). Prices of 3,783 Fargo-Moorhead homes sold between 1995 and 1998 were regressed against structural housing characteristics, neighborhood and environmental indicators, and three flood risk variables. Being located in the 100-year floodplain lowered the sale price of an average home by $8,990 and approximately 81 percent of the price depreciation was associated with required flood insurance premiums. After the extensive 1997 flood, homes in the 100-year floodplain were on average priced$10,241 less than similar homes located outside the floodplain and before the 1997 flood event. The aftermath of publicity of the 1997 flood was specifically responsible for average 100-year floodplain homes being reduced by an additional $1,350. In contrast, homes in the 500-year floodplain on average sold for$3,100 more than similar homes not in the floodplain. It was concluded that homebuyers in Fargo-Moorhead place a value on flooding risk, that more disclosure is needed regarding the location of the 500-year floodplain, and that substantial housing value related benefits are likely to be generated by various flood mitigation projects in the area that result in a re-designation and reduction of the 100-year floodplain.Hedonic valuation method, flooding, floodplain, Fargo, Moorhead, Red River of the North, housing values, Community/Rural/Urban Development,

Impacts of Invasive Plants on Sandhill Crane (\u3ci\u3eGrus canadensis\u3c/i\u3e) Roosting Habitat

Invasive plants continue to spread in riparian ecosystems, causing both ecological and economic damage. This research investigated the impacts of common reed, purple loosestrife, riparian shrubland, and riparian woodlands on the quality and quantity of sandhill crane roosting habitat in the central Platte River, Nebraska, using a discrete choice model. A more detailed investigation of the impacts of common reed on sandhill crane roosting habitat was performed by forecasting a spread or contraction of this invasive plant. The discrete choice model indicates that riparian woodlands had the largest negative impact on sandhill crane roosting habitat. The forecasting results predict that a contraction of common reed could increase sandhill crane habitat availability by 50%, whereas an expansion could reduce the availability by as much as 250%. This suggests that if the distribution of common reed continues to expand in the central Platte River the availability of sandhill crane roosting habitat would likely be greatly reduced

Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Sandhill Crane Habitat Management

Invasive species often threaten native wildlife populations and strain the budgets of agencies charged with wildlife management. We demonstrate the potential of cost-effectiveness analysis to improve the efficiency and value of efforts to enhance sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) roosting habitat. We focus on the central Platte River in Nebraska (USA), a region of international ecological importance for migrating avian species including sandhill cranes. Cost-effectiveness analysis is a valuation process designed to compare alternative actions based on the cost of achieving a pre-determined objective. We estimated costs for removal of invasive vegetation using geographic information system simulations and calculated benefits as the increase in area of sandhill crane roosting habitat. We generated cost effectiveness values for removing invasive vegetation on 7 land parcels and for the entire central Platte River to compare the cost-effectiveness of management at specific sites and for the central Platte River landscape. Median cost effectiveness values for the 7 land parcels evaluated suggest that costs for creating 1 additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat totaled US $1,595. By contrast, we found that creating an additional hectare of sandhill crane roosting habitat could cost asmuch as US$12,010 for some areas in the central Platte River, indicating substantial cost savings can be achieved by using a cost effectiveness analysis to target specific land parcels for management. Cost-effectiveness analysis, used in conjunction with geographic information systems, can provide decisionmakers with a new tool for identifying the most economically efficient allocation of resources to achieve habitat management goals

Integration of the Total Lightning Jump Algorithm into Current Operational Warning Environment Conceptual Models

The presence and rates of total lightning are both correlated to and physically dependent upon storm updraft strength, mixed phase precipitation volume and the size of the charging zone. The updraft modulates the ingredients necessary for electrification within a thunderstorm, while the updraft also plays a critical role in the development of severe and hazardous weather. Therefore utilizing this relationship, the monitoring of lightning rates and jumps provides an additional piece of information on the evolution of a thunderstorm, more often than not, at higher temporal resolution than current operational radar systems. This correlation is the basis for the total lightning jump algorithm that has been developed in recent years. Currently, the lightning jump algorithm is being tested in two separate but important efforts. Schultz et al. (2014; AMS 10th Satellite Symposium) is exploring the transition of the algorithm from its research based formulation to a fully objective algorithm that includes storm tracking, Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) Proxy data and the lightning jump algorithm. Chronis et al. (2014; this conference) provides context for the transition to current operational forecasting using lightning mapping array based products. However, what remains is an end to end physical and dynamical basis for relating lightning rates to severe storm manifestation, so the forecaster has a reason beyond simple correlation to utilize the lightning jump algorithm within their severe storm conceptual models. Therefore, the physical basis for the lightning jump algorithm in relation to severe storm dynamics and microphysics is a key component that must be further explored. Many radar studies have examined flash rates and their relation to updraft strength, updraft volume, precipitationsized ice mass, etc.; however, relation specifically to lightning jumps is fragmented within the literature. Thus the goal of this study is to use multiple Doppler techniques to resolve the physical and dynamical storm characteristics specifically around the time of the lightning jump. This information will help forecasters anticipate lightning jump occurrence, or even be of use to determine future characteristics of a given storm (e.g., development of a mesocyclone, downdraft, or hail signature on radar), providing additional lead time/confidence in the severe storm warning paradigm

Defining adult bonefish (Albula vulpes) movement corridors around Grand Bahama in the Bahamian Archipelago

Abstract Development on Grand Bahama in the Bahamian Archipelago during the 1950's to 1970's resulted in substantial changes to the island's geography. Hawksbill Creek, which potentially served as a natural migration route for fish from the north side to the south side of the island, was severed and replaced by a man-made canal called the Grand Lucayan Waterway (GLW). Bonefish (Albula spp.), a sport-fish that contributes more than $141 million to the Bahamian economy annually, is one such species that may have been affected. The purpose of this study was to determine contemporary movement corridors of adult bonefish during their spawning season (October to May) in Grand Bahamian waters. This was accomplished by using a passive acoustic telemetry array of 17 receivers and 30 transmitter-implanted individuals. A total of 26,108 detections were logged from 20 of the fish. Eight bonefish tagged on the north side used the GLW to access waters on the south, whereas no transmitter-implanted fish tagged on the south side fully traversed the man-made canal, suggesting that primary spawning areas may be located on the south side of the island. This result is consistent with previous reports that bonefish spawn near deep water which is easier to access on the south side of Grand Bahama. Further supporting this finding, two other bonefish tagged on the north side forayed around the east end of the island and were detected on receivers approximately 88 km from their tagging locations. Additionally, two other bonefish tagged on the north side were detected at the west end of the island, with one individual continuing its movements along the south side of the island for an approximate straight-line distance of 80 km. Canal use typically corresponded to days immediately prior to or after new or full moons, indicating that movements were related to spawning. This study suggests that despite historical habitat modifications, bonefish today use the GLW as a movement corridor for migrations during spawning season, emphasizing the importance of protecting the canal from any activities that could impede connectivity

The Role of Individual Variables, Organizational Variables and Moral Intensity Dimensions in Libyan Management Accountants’ Ethical Decision Making

This study investigates the association of a broad set of variables with the ethical decision making of management accountants in Libya. Adopting a cross-sectional methodology, a questionnaire including four different ethical scenarios was used to gather data from 229 participants. For each scenario, ethical decision making was examined in terms of the recognition, judgment and intention stages of Rest’s model. A significant relationship was found between ethical recognition and ethical judgment and also between ethical judgment and ethical intention, but ethical recognition did not significantly predict ethical intention—thus providing support for Rest’s model. Organizational variables, age and educational level yielded few significant results. The lack of significance for codes of ethics might reflect their relative lack of development in Libya, in which case Libyan companies should pay attention to their content and how they are supported, especially in the light of the under-development of the accounting profession in Libya. Few significant results were also found for gender, but where they were found, males showed more ethical characteristics than females. This unusual result reinforces the dangers of gender stereotyping in business. Personal moral philosophy and moral intensity dimensions were generally found to be significant predictors of the three stages of ethical decision making studied. One implication of this is to give more attention to ethics in accounting education, making the connections between accounting practice and (in Libya) Islam. Overall, this study not only adds to the available empirical evidence on factors affecting ethical decision making, notably examining three stages of Rest’s model, but also offers rare insights into the ethical views of practising management accountants and provides a benchmark for future studies of ethical decision making in Muslim majority countries and other parts of the developing world