Noxious and Selected Invasive Plant Populations along Illinois Toll Highway Rights-of-Way

• Repeated a 2010 survey for selected invasive species and listed noxious weeds throughout the ISTHA corridor. • Mapped 1345 populations of invasive species. • Found the ISTHA corridor to be heavily populated by invasive species throughout the length of each roadway. • Most frequently found species were Canada Thistle (Cirsium arvense) and Cut-leaf Teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus). • Recommend management specific to each of 8 species or groups of species found during the survey.Illinois State Toll Highway Authorityunpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

2009 Vascular Plant Surveys in the Central Niobrara River Valley, Nebraska

The Niobrara River Valley in northern Nebraska is an important floristic area. It harbours a number of bryophyte, vascular plant, and animal species that are rarely found in close proximity to one another. Many of these species are more typical farther to the north, east, or west, but over time as climates have changed, have come to settle together in this valley (Kaul et al. 1988). The central Niobrara River Valley may be the most botanically diverse region of Nebraska. Approximately 580 of Nebraska’s roughly 2,000 vascular plant species have been documented for the Niobrara Valley Preserve (Schneider et al. 2005). This diversity results from the valley’s unique geology and geographic location which supports a variety of native communities ranging from western mixedgrass prairie to eastern deciduous woodlands. Although the composition of the flora of the central Niobrara River Valley is relatively well known, knowledge of the distribution and abundance of species continues to be refined. Information on rare species and new locations for species can be especially valuable to resource managers and can be utilized to map rare species distributions and model habitat suitability. For these reasons, vascular plant surveys were conducted at three sites on the central Niobrara River Valley in Cherry, Brown, and Keya Paha counties, Nebraska in 2009. The sites visited were the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge (FNNWR), The Nature Conservancy’s Niobrara Valley Preserve (NVP), and the property of Martin Vanderploeg known as the Vanderploeg Tract (VT). The Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge, established in 1912, is located in Cherry County approximately 5.5 miles northeast of Valentine. The Vanderploeg Tract, also in Cherry County, is under private ownership and is located approximately 3.5 miles south of Valentine. The Niobrara Valley Preserve, acquired by The Nature Conservancy in 1980, is located 8 miles south of Norden in Brown, Cherry, and Keya Paha counties. The purpose of this study was to: (1) document the vascular plant species present; (2) collect data on rare plant species occurrences; and (3) provide management recommendations for rare plants and plant communities

Pollinator Scorecard Data at 2020 Tollway Management Area Pollinator Points

Surveyed ISTHA roadside vegetation management areas at 29 points along I-90 and I-88 • Most sites contained milkweed plants, usually Common Milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)• No Monarch adults or larvae observed during sampling • Other butterfly, beetle, bee, and wasp species were observed • The 5 sites with the highest overall scores were in the I-90 corridor • The I-90 corridor sites tended to have more nectar and invasive species than those in the I-88 corridor • Invasive species were a threat at all sitesIllinois State Toll Highway Authorityunpublishednot peer reviewedOpe

Plant functional group composition in tallgrass prairie: development of a rapid assessment method for measuring vegetation integrity

Monitoring of plant communities is critical for identifying trends and assessing the impact of management. Current methods of ecological monitoring typically involve collection of species-level data and expertise in plant identification, procedures that can be time-consuming and costly. Because many agencies rely largely on volunteer labor, a rapid assessment index is needed that is both effective and designed for volunteers to use. Such an index would allow for frequent monitoring between more intense monitoring events and for quick assessment of sites. A method of assessing prairie site quality using plant functional groups was developed and tested against species-level indices for 15 prairie remnants and plantings ranging widely in quality to determine whether functional group information could be useful for constructing a rapid assessment index. Significant correlations were found between the functional group index and all species-level indices tested. The index also differentiated between high-quality remnants and plantings. If this simplified index provides meaningful information, it might be a useful tool for evaluation of management and restoration progress when time and expertise are limited. Observed differences in functional composition between plantings and remnants might also serve as a guide for improving habitat reconstructions.IDNR Grant/Contract No: 1-597062-375004 -191100unpublishednot peer reviewe

The Influence of the Institutions on Entrepreneurship Development: Public Support and Perception of Entrepreneurship Development in the Czech Republic

This article deals with the research of entrepreneurship development in the frame of institutional environment in the Czech Republic. The example of the Czech Republic shows similar problems and specifics of post-transformation economies in Central and Eastern Europe. The goal is to discover the impact of specific institutional barriers on entrepreneurship development from the perspective of entrepreneurs and willingness to start own business. The surveys revealed that institutional barriers have significant impact on business. The influence of public administration and the configuration of the legislative environment are other key factors. Entrepreneurship policies should be more effective and public administration needs to create a better system of support and information transfer for new entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship development

1998-1999 Detection Survey Results of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte in Non-infested European Countries

In 1998-1999 a detection survey on the presence of the western corn root­worm (WCR) Diabrotica virgifera virgifera Le Conte was conducted in Austria, Germany, France, Slovakia and Slovenia. In these countries, the primary monitoring tool was the Hungarian pheromone trap.  According to the results, no WCR adults were detected in these countries. It is assumed that Austria, Germany, France, Slovakia and Slovenia are probably free of this destructive maize pest