Visitors' values of natural resources and cultural resources on Dakota Prairie National Grasslands

Managing Dakota Prairie National Grasslands requires an understanding of visitor relationships to nature and culture. As national grasslands continue to draw visitors for recreation, relaxation, and wildlife observation the value visitors place on associated resources is important to the management decision process. At the request of the Forest Service, the study focus was specifically on national grasslands visitors. The objectives were to 1) determine the value stakeholders have on our natural resources, 2) determine the value stakeholders place on cultural resources, and 3) national grasslands visitors' perceptions on the origin of federal policies concerning natural and cultural resources. Thus, visitors including interest groups and range scientists were primary sources of data. Qualitative analysis methods were used to determine that for visitors, natural resources were valued more than cultural resources. Furthermore, the general perception of visitors was that policies concerning natural resources originate at local levels whereas cultural resources policies originate at the federal level. Public school systems have had little inclusion of environmental education in their curriculum and the Forest Service has been responsible to keep visitors informed about national grassland ecology. Because the Forest Service mission does not include the preservation of cultural resources there is little initiative by the Forest Service to protect those resources. Therefore, damage to cultural artifacts on national grasslands by uninformed visitors is likely. The future of national grasslands management clearly rests on the integration of natural and cultural resources training and education for both employees and visitors

Reading instruction practices by teachers of Hispanic elementary students: A teacher survey of classroom time spent in 25 reading instructional activities

This study was conducted in order to measure the amount of time spent among Hispanic elementary students in each of the most commonly used reading instruction methodologies. A survey was conducted among 500 randomly selected pre-kindergarten through fifth grade teachers instructing students who are 95% Hispanic and 63.4% English-as-a-second-language (ESL). Twenty of the 221 elementary campuses within a two-county area were randomly selected, representing ten school districts. All teachers at selected campuses were asked to estimate the amount of weekly class time spent in 25 reading and reading-readiness activities and methods of instruction. In addition, teachers provided various demographic data. Findings included areas of major variance within each grade level and, for the most part, predictable trends from grade level to grade level. Findings were also discovered in teacher demographic trends (years of experience, educational level, and gender). Variances among districts and campuses were also analyzed. And finally, significant variance was measured between the reading instruction time provided in non-bilingual versus bilingual classes, with bilingual classes receiving significantly less instruction. Further research is recommended to discover why this anomaly exists and to see if increasing the reading instruction time will improve the reading achievement of students in bilingual classes

African Pride and Vexation in World Cup Development Sportswriting

The first men’s football World Cup in Africa, in 2010, provided an opportunity for development sportswriting. As mediator of sport for the people, mass media are well positioned to capitalize upon the development potential of football. This research analyzed development-related World Cup coverage to better understand African perceptions of identity and the role of African media in improving the quality of human life. Using a news database, this research compiled and analyzed stories published in Africa, outside South Africa, during the World Cup. Stories were tested for a World Cup peg and possible development angle and flagged for representations of national or pan-African identity. The research led to three conclusions. First, the World Cup did provide a vehicle for development sportswriting. Second, World Cup development sportswriting fortified national and pan-African identity by representing expressions of pride. Third, World Cup development sportswriting provided a vehicle to demand political accountability and to express vexation at impediments to African development. The research provides an informative context and springboard for further inquiry into the 2014 World Cup in Brazil

Carpenter Privacy Case Vexes Justices, While Tech Giant Microsoft Battles Government in Second U.S. Supreme Court Privacy Case with International Implications

Fall 2017 saw a major privacy case with international implications reach the U.S. Supreme Court this term, Carpenter v. United States. Now a second such case pits the Government against Big Tech in United States v. Microsoft. Carpenter is a criminal case involving federal seizure of cell phone location data from service providers. Arising under the “reasonable grounds” provision of the Stored Communications Act (SCA), the case accentuates Americans’ lack of constitutional protection for personal data in third-party hands, in contrast with emerging global privacy norms. The second major privacy case headed for Supreme Court decision in 2018 also arises under the SCA, involves criminal investigation and new technology, and implicates collision between the third-party doctrine and European privacy law. In United States v. Microsoft, however, the implications for international law loom larger

Cat, Cause, and Kant

These are precarious times in which to launch a new law school and a new law review. Yet here we are. The University of Massachusetts is now in its first year of operation with provisional ABA accreditation. This text is a foreword to the first general-interest issue of the University of Massachusetts Law Review. Now marks an appropriate time to take stock of what these institutions mean to accomplish in our unsettled legal world

A Form Letter

A humorous letter from Richard J. Peltz, who at the time was an Associate Professor at William H. Bowen Law School, to Professor John M. A. DiPippa, also of Bowen Law School at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock

Time for a Top-Tier Law School in Arkansas

A simple change in state law could improve the quality of legal education in Arkansas and the quality of legal services available to our consumers - and save significant amounts of taxpayers\u27 money. With an Afterword on academic freedom. Also available from Advance Arkansas Institute website