Ranking New Zealand river values – a novel approach to managing the ‘chalk and cheese’ problem

In New Zealand, regional councils have the task of sustainably managing rivers and their flows. In trying to achieve this task they face enormous challenges including the need to allocate flows amongst often highly disparate in- (e.g., angling, kayaking, native fish and birds) and out-of-river (e.g., irrigation and hydro energy) values/needs. To aid in this task these councils need to know which rivers or parts of rivers are relatively more or less important on national, regional and local bases, for particular values. This task becomes even more challenging given limited information availability for many values, and no overarching policy or decision framework. In this paper I report on a FRST-funded (and less than 1-year long) project which has addressed these challenges. A multi-criteria and expert panel based methodology has been developed and applied to a wide range of values to produce lists of rivers by value, ranked according to their national, regional and local importance. The methodology is described and example applications given. The need to ‘buy-in’ multi-and, ultimately, interdisciplinary participation is emphasized as well as a range of ongoing implementation challenges and further needs.River values, prioritization system, irrigation and birdlife, New Zealand, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Crop Production/Industries, Environmental Economics and Policy, Farm Management, Land Economics/Use,

State and Not-For-Profit delivery of species conservation. Cost utility analysis of multiple-species projects.

Conservation of species is challenging, and there is continuing interest in finding more effective means to achieve conservation goals. State provision of conservation occurs in many countries, alongside a growing range of alternative providers including Not For Profit organisations and the private sector. Few studies have compared the effectiveness and efficiency of State provision against Not For Profit or private sector provision. This research assesses the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of multiple-species projects in regard to the conservation of threatened and endangered species using a cost-utility analysis. Three State managed projects, three Not For Profit managed projects and one project managed by the State yet funded privately, were evaluated. All of the Not For Profit managed projects were enclosed by predator-proof fences, while the other projects relied on natural barriers and/or intensive predator control methods. Results indicate that State managed multiple-species projects are both more effective and cost-effective than those projects managed by Not For Profits. While the Not For Profit managed projects are not so effective in improving national population totals, they are essential for ensuring regional biodiversity of threatened and endangered species. The objectives set by the projects appear to have a significant impact on their outputs. A number of recommendations are made for improving conservation efforts in the future. Most importantly, the development of a threatened and endangered species database to be contributed to by all conservation project providers. The importance of standardised reporting techniques is highlighted to allow comparisons both over time and between projects.State provision, Not For Profit, multiple-species, cost-utility analysis, Agricultural and Food Policy, Community/Rural/Urban Development, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

RiVAS and RiVAS+: Opportunities for Application of a Multi-Criteria River Value Assessment System Approach which Considers Existing and Potential States

The River Values Assessment System (RiVAS) uses a combination of expert panels and multi criteria analysis to identify primary attributes (or main features) of river values (e.g., whitewater kayaking, native birds) and their key indicators. The resulting data set is used to rank rivers for their existing (instream) and potential (out-of-stream) significance. The RiVAS method has been applied to seven values and tested across a range of councils with most focus in Tasman District. The tool has demonstrated utility and is very cost effective to implement. Further development has now led to RiVAS+ to consider potential significance for instream values, using the same attributes and indicators, and also identifying the interventions needed to achieve these potential future states (e.g., water quality improvements, willow removal, increased flows). RiVAS+ enables instream uses to be considered on the same basis as out-of-stream opportunities. RiVAS+ can be undertaken more-or-less concurrently with RiVAS and enables a range of applications. First, it allows decision makers to gain an understanding of the difference between existing relative importance or significance of a value and its potential (if restored or developed). Second, it enables better evaluation of potential restoration or development options in a range of circumstances including where water resource development is planned. Finally, with further input it might be possible to quantify the cost of the interventions which would then allow better consideration of mitigation and other options in resource management policy and decision making processes. In this paper we demonstrate the method and the opportunities.River values, prioritisation system, existing and potential, interventions, New Zealand, Environmental Economics and Policy,

Financing threatened species management: the costs of single species programmes and the budget constraint

In New Zealand total annual funding allows 15 percent of the 2,400 threatened species to be targeted for management. Although management costs are crucial to a conservation organisation's ability to achieve its goals, estimates of costs are not usually included in applications for funding or the preparation of recovery plans. Cost is also not generally a factor in priority ranking systems and cost-effectiveness analysis is rarely conducted. Using the results of analysis of 11 single species programmes for 2003-2012, this paper investigates the costs of management. It also considers the impact of the budget constraint on outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and investment.threatened species, management, cost, budget constraint, Agricultural and Food Policy, Environmental Economics and Policy, Land Economics/Use, Research Methods/ Statistical Methods, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Radioactive Roulette: Should the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Be Regulating the United States Army Corps of Engineers\u27 FUSRAP Activities?

The Formerly Utilized Sites Remedial Action Program was created in 1974 to clean up radioactive waste at sites used in the nation’s early atomic energy and atomic weapons programs. For over two decades, this program was administered by the Department of Energy and its predecessor agencies. In 1997, responsibility for FUSRAP was shifted to the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The transfer did not occur without controversy. Congress transferred the program with little legislative direction. Almost immediately, questions arose about the Corps’ authority to administer to program without appropriate permits from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Since 1997, the NRC has repeatedly asserted that it does not have the authority to govern the remediation activities of another agency in the federal government. This Note explores the reasons why NRC regulation of the Corps’ FUSRAP activities is not only proper, but should be undertaken in the interests of public health and safety

New Zealand freshwater management and agricultural impacts

In New Zealand, it is increasingly recognised, including by government, that water resource allocation and water quality are issues of national importance. Agriculture is frequently portrayed by public media as a major user of water and a major contributor to worsening water quality. We outline the water management systems in New Zealand, and the use of water by agriculture. Official reports on agriculture’s impact on New Zealand water availability and quality are summarised. We report how the New Zealand public perceive water, its management, and the roles of agriculture in water issues. Data from a nationwide mail survey were analysed to determine how New Zealanders assess the state of New Zealand lakes, rivers and streams, and aquifers, the performance of three agencies responsible for management of freshwater resources, and willingness to fund stream enhancement. We provide brief explanations for the failures of water resource management in New Zealand and report on options, including community-based responses that might address some of the mounting public, scientific, and government concerns about trends in water quantity and quality. A willingness to pay proposition, concerning riparian areas, included in the nationwide survey provides some evidence that the public are willing to pay for improved waterway management. Relevant non-market valuation studies also indicate that the public places considerable value on preservation values of water in New Zealand.agriculture, environmental economics, perceptions survey, water allocation, water quality, Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Letter to Winston Broadfoot requesting copy for the North Carolina Libraries newsletter, July 7, 1961

A letter from Elizabeth Hughey to Winston Broadfoot asking Broadfoot for a committee report to include in the fall issue of North Carolina Libraries

Vibrational properties of molecule-based multiferroics and quantum magnets across quantum phase transitions

Molecule-based materials offer unique opportunities to explore the interplay between charge, spin, and lattice across quantum phase transitions. With their flexible architectures and overall low energy scales, quantum phases can be induced at experimentally realizable conditions. In this dissertation, I present a spectroscopic study of three important families of multiferroics and quantum magnets with a variety of tuning parameters to unravel the mechanisms required to reach distinct non-equilibrium phases. The exploration of spin-lattice coupling and local lattice distortions across magnetic quantum phase transitions is the unifying theme of this work. As our first platform for investigation, we explore the coupling between ferroic orders in the metal-organic framework [(CH3)2NH2]M(HCOO)3 (M=Mn,Co,Ni) family. The formate bend links the ferroelectric and magnetic quantum phase transition in the Mn analog. Strikingly, B-site substitution drastically alters this mechanism. The Ni material behaves similarly to the Mn analog but at much higher energy scales, whereas the Co system utilizes formate stretches. B-site substitution is thus a powerful tool for developing structure-property relations within chemically analogous materials, providing control of electronic and magnetic properties as well as energy scales.Copper coordination polymers provide a second platform with which to extend our work. Magneto-infrared spectra of [Cu(pyz)2(2-HOpy)2](PF6)2 and [Cu(pyz)1.5(4-HOpy)2](ClO4)2, combined with prior work of other copper complexes, allow for the investigation of spin-lattice coupling across magnetic quantum phase transitions as a function of structural and magnetic dimensionality. Spin-phonon coupling strength versus magnetic dimensionality reveals that coupling is maximized in the ladder complex. These findings are applicable to other materials with field-induced transitions from the antiferromagnetic to fully saturated state.Multiferroic (NH4)2[FeCl5(H2O)] is our final test case, sporting a complex network of hydrogen and halogen bonds. The high-field polarization change is quenched at the quasicollinear- to collinear-sinusoidal magnetic reorientation, collapsing before magnetic saturation. Remarkably, nearly all low-frequency modes distort to facilitate the development of the magnetic quantum phase, entirely different than most other molecule-based magnets. Signatures of electron-phonon coupling emerge through magneto-infrared measurements.Together, these findings elucidate quantum phase transitions, spin-lattice coupling, and structure-property relations in molecular multiferroics and quantum magnets, motivating further exploration of non-equilibrium phases in these materials

Individual Personalized Learning

What is personalized learning? Our ancestors reveled in personalized learning, orally sharing stories of family and community history. Certainly, it could be said that the oral histories shared within families might not always be entirely accurate; perhaps they were revised year-to-year or revised due to memory issues. However, the criteria of relevancy and meaningfulness that made the personalization of the oral sharing of family history successful are what makes personalized learning successful today