The Right to Know . . . Or Not: The Freedom of Information Act, 1955-1974

In recent years the Society of American Archivists and other organizations committed to open records have called on Congress and the president to work together to strengthen the federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). For archivists and other transparency advocates, understanding the history of the FOIA may shed light on recent events and why efforts to maintain open records and strengthen the law continue regardless of which political party occupies the White House. This article explores the early history of the Freedom of Information Act from the establishment of the Special Subcommittee on Government Information in 1955 to the amendments added in the wake of the Watergate scandal in 1974. In view of the fact that 2016 marks the FOIA’s fiftieth anniversary, this study will hopefully be a timely reminder of the law’s significance and the important role that archivists play in advocating for open records at all levels of government

Perceptions of the Great Northern Forest & its Management

CaRDI Research & Policy Brief Issue 4

2007 Statewide Deer Hunter Survey: Participation During the ’06 Seasons, Opinions about Hot-Button Issues, and Trends in Characteristics of Hunters

Click on the PDF for an Executive Summary and the full report. Visit the HDRU website for a complete listing of HDRU publications at: http://hdru.dnr.cornell.edu

AFS Membership Study

Click on the PDF for an Executive Summary and the full report. Visit the HDRU website for a complete listing of HDRU publications at: http://hdru.dnr.cornell.edu

Hunter Participation in Quality Hunting Ecology in Pennsylvania: Baseline Research

Click on the PDF for an Executive Summary and the full report. Visit the HDRU website for a complete listing of HDRU publications at: http://hdru.dnr.cornell.edu

Preliminary Assessment of Social Feasibility for Reintroducing Gray Wolves to the Adirondack Park in Northern New York

Click on the PDF for an Executive Summary and the full report. Visit the HDRU website for a complete listing of HDRU publications at: http://hdru.dnr.cornell.edu

Landowner and Hunter Response to Implementation of a Quality Deer Management (QDM) Cooperative Near King Ferry, New York

Click on the PDF for an Executive Summary and the full report. Visit the HDRU website for a complete listing of HDRU publications at: http://hdru.dnr.cornell.edu

Human-animal entanglements in bushmeat trading in Sierra Leone: An ethnographic assessment of a potential zoonotic interface

‘Bushmeat’ markets are often portrayed as chaotic spaces where exotic wild animals are sold. They are hypothesized to be important sites for zoonotic disease transmission, given the prolonged and intense nature of the cross-species encounters that occur within them. Whilst such markets have received some attention from researchers, rich qualitative descriptions of everyday practices in these markets are rare. Depictions of wild animal markets as sites for potential viral amplification often rely on exoticizing assumptions and narratives rather than actual evidence, and in some cases are based more on ideology than on science. We provide an in-depth ethnographic account of two bushmeat markets in Bo, Sierra Leone. Our analysis goes beyond common assumptions that zoonotic risk is located solely in the knowledge and behaviours of traders. Our account sheds light on the modes of touch, closeness and contact that shape this hypothesised zoonotic interface, outlining the possible risks to different people who use and spend time in the market. We found that inadequate infrastructure and sanitation facilities created risks of zoonotic disease transmission for diverse actors including traders, customers, children, and the wider public. Butchering and trading practices frequently resulted in people directly and indirectly encountering animal fluids. We also discuss how public health management of these markets focused on individual behaviours rather than on improving conditions. Urgent sanitary reform and infrastructure upgrades in these sites that support the economic needs of traders could encourage voluntary compliance with biosafety measures amongst traders seeking to balance responsibilities to family and public health. Our study reveals the value of moving beyond exoticized narratives about bushmeat markets to yield situated insights for reducing risk at this interface

Influence of Deer Damage on Farmers\u27 Perceptions of Deer Population Trends: Important Implications for Managers

Farmers\u27 attitudes toward deer, their perceptions of deer depredations and their preferences for future deer population levels have been extensively studied in New York (Brown and Decker 1979; Brown et al. 1977a,1977b, 1978a,1978b, 1979,1980; Decker and Brown 1982; Decker et al. 1981a, 1981b). These studies have contributed to deer-population-management decisions that give consideration to farming interests. Nevertheless, farmers cannot be expected to support deer management efforts on their behalf if they do not understand the population changes such management is designed to achieve. Consequently, wildlife managers need to know whether or not the effects of such efforts are recognized. A direct indication of this, which had not been examined previously, is how well the farming community perceives changes in deer abundance over a reasonable period of time, say 5 years. Using data from the previous studies cited and a deer-population index, the authors sought an answer to the following question: Do farmers recognize managed increases or decreases in deer populations, or do they simply react to experience with deer damage

Management Activities of Private Forest Landowners in New York State

CaRDI Research & Policy Brief, Issue 15. Click on the PDF for the full report. Visit the HDRU website for a complete listing of HDRU publications at: http://hdru.dnr.cornell.edu/. A complete listing of CaRDI publications can be found on its site: https://cardi.cals.cornell.edu/