Alien Registration- Smith, Ada A. (Limestone, Aroostook County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/34236/thumbnail.jp

ADAPTATION IN RANGELAND SOCIAL-ECOLOGICAL SYSTEMS: A MIXED-METHODS, CROSS-SCALE EXAMINATION OF FACTORS INFLUENCING RANCHERS’ ADAPTATION TO DROUGHT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Rangeland social-ecological systems (SESs), which make up vast tracts of land on Earth, are critical for safeguarding ecosystem services, producing food and fiber, protecting open space, contributing to local and regional economies, and maintaining cultures and knowledges. Sustaining rangelands, the ranching livelihoods that depend on them, and the suite of ecosystem goods and services they provide hinges on a greater understanding of the social processes that influence ranchers\u27 ability to adapt within these changing systems. In this study, I used a mixed-methods approach to examine factors influencing ranchers’ adaptation to drought and climate change across scales. In Chapter 3, I systematically reviewed social science studies examining adaptation in rangeland SESs, finding that this research is theoretically and conceptually fragmented, yet geographically concentrated. For this body of research to provide important insights into climate change adaptation policy and practice, I suggest there is a need for more transdisciplinary and translational approaches to evaluating adaptation in rangeland SESs, particularly in understudied rangeland systems. In Chapter 4, I used a quantitative approach to examine factors that influence Montana ranchers’ (n= 450) adaptive decision-making in light of drought and climate change. Consistent with existing theory of adaptive decision-making in rangeland systems, I demonstrated the significant role of ranchers’ management goals and use of information on their use of adaptive practices. Unlike previous conceptualizations, I found that ranchers’ use of rangeland monitoring is also a significant, positive predictor of adaptive decision-making and mediates the influence of other factors — an assertion that has been made in the rangeland management literature but has lacked empirical evidence. These findings demonstrate that the role of loop-learning — or taking in new information and applying it in an iterative fashion to adaptive decision-making processes — may be more important to adaptive decision-making than earlier conceptualizations suggest. In Chapter 5, I used a mixed-methods approach to examine how ‘structures’ — specifically government programs and grazing permits administered by public lands agencies — influence Montana ranchers’ ability to adapt to drought and other climate-related events. Through an analysis of survey data (n= 450) and in-depth interviews (n= 34), three key themes emerged: 1) the need for increased flexibility within government programs to allow ranchers to achieve desired outcomes in ways that fit their operations and local conditions; 2) the need for participatory design approaches when developing programs intended to assist ranchers in adaptive management and; 3) the need for collaborative, working relationships between ranchers and government representatives in order to navigate the ‘gray zones’ of program and policy implementation on-theground. Based on these findings, I discuss how government programs and permits might more effectively enable ranchers’ ability to adapt to complex and changing conditions. As a whole, this dissertation reflects a commitment to research that uses and develops methodological approaches for conducting meaningful social science research with ranchers in the U.S., expands upon theory and concepts related to climate change adaptation, informs policy and practices for management, and illuminates future research directions

From Military Exercises to Visions of Wilderness: Constructed Environments in Vieques, Puerto Rico

I hope to tell the story of the contested landscape of a former military training base in Vieques, a small island municipality of Puerto Rico. Military occupation on the island from 1940 until 2003 led to serious environmental and economic devastation. In 2003, the Navy gave two-thirds of the island to U.S. Fish and Wildlife. In effect, toxic wasteland is now under “conservation” where clean-up is impossible given its status as a wildlife sanctuary. This paradox has been kept out of local dialogue and has provided popular media with a platform to dub Vieques as an untouched gem of the Caribbean

Strategies to Strengthen Youth Leadership and Youth Participation Opportunities in Central Appalachia

The purpose of this study was to assess opportunities for strengthening youth leadership and participation in the Central Appalachian region. In particular, authors Rebecca O’Doherty, Ada Smith, Ben Spangler, Elandria Williams, and Katie Richards-Schuster sought to understand and document the range of activities and strategies in the region as well as understand the nuances involved in promoting and sustaining youth leadership opportunities. Through interviews with key leaders in the region, they explored critical themes for strengthening youth leadership. To highlight the potential and opportunities for future development, they share a case study of an innovative approach to nurturing and sustaining youth leadership. They conclude with a set of recommendations for consideration by policy makers and stakeholders interested in developing sustainable youth leadership practices in Central Appalachia

Dual sensory impairment in special schools in South-Eastern Nigeria.

In a cross-sectional study to determine the magnitude of dual sensory impairment (DSI-combined hearing and vision loss) in children in single-disability special education schools, children in schools for the blind and schools for the deaf in four states in South-East Nigeria were examined by an ophthalmologist and otorhinolaryngologist to determine the level of their disability and to identify other disabilities if any. Participants were all students with childhood blindness or childhood deafness. The magnitude and causes of DSI and the burden of undetected DSI were the main outcome measures. A total of 273 students were examined. About 7% of these students had DSI out of which over 60% (12/19) was previously undetected. There was more DSI in the blind schools than in the deaf schools (p=0.003). There is a large burden of undetected DSI in children in special schools in Nigeria. There is a need to create awareness of this problem and advocate appropriate screening, rehabilitative and educational strategies for children who have it