A Baseline Assessment of Furbearers on the Upper Coastal Plain of Virginia

We assessed the status of furbearing mammals on Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia during the 1998-1999 trapping season with the cooperation of local licensed trappers. Our analyses were based on 345 captures representing of 10 mammal species, ranging from one bobcat (Lynx rufus) to 157 beavers (Castor canadensis). Mean number of captures per 100 trap nights was 17.0. Captures varied from 11.9 to 17.9 per 100 trap nights for conibear traps and 9.7 to 18.3 per 100 trap nights for leg-hold traps. External measurements of six species were similar to those reported for other populations in the region. We suggest that valuable insights into the ecology and trends of furbearer populations can be obtained from studies conducted on government installations such as Fort A. P. Hill. Management plans that include evaluations of infectious disease reservoirs and transmission and impacts of furbearers on wetlands, other wildlife, and human activities would aid in long-term evaluation of these mammals from ecosystem and health perspectives

Small Mammal Communities in Riparian and Upland Habitats on the Upper Coastal Plain of Virginia

We compared small mammal communities between riparian (stream corridor) and nearby upland habitats in a hardwood forest ecosystem on Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia. We used a combination of small-scale drift fence/pitfall trap arrays and snap traps to capture small mammals during April – October 1998, with an additional winter sample in January 1999. We captured seven small mammal species at 14 sites (7 pairs). Numbers of species were not significantly different between habitat types. Bray-Curtis polar ordinations showed that plant and small mammal community compositions were similar in upland sites and that these communities were most varied in riparian sites. Riparian sites supported wetland and moist soil obligate plants that made this habitat type distinct from upland sites. Small mammal communities were dominated by Peromyscus leucopus and Blarina brevicauda. Numbers of individual small mammals captured were higher in riparian sites than in upland sites. Mean number of captures per trap night averaged 2.6 in riparian sites and 1.4 in upland sites but the difference was not statistically significant. Numbers of rodent captures were significantly higher in both habitat types than captures for insectivores. Hardwood habitats in riparian and upland systems support diverse small mammal communities in the upper Coastal Plain of Virginia. Because small mammals use both habitat types extensively, composition of contiguous upland habitats should be considered in studies of these animals in riparian ecosystems

Habitat Use by Bats on the Upper Coastal Plain of Virginia

We monitored bat activity on the upper Coastal Plain of Virginia using mist nets and acoustic detection (ANABAT) during April-October 2000 and April-August 2001. We classified forty sites into three forest-cover classes (pine forest, mixed pine, and hardwood forest) and three landscape-feature classes (permanent water, riparian corridor, and upland). We captured 406 bats (8 species) in mist nets; red bats (Lasiurus borealis; n = 281), big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus; n = 47), and eastern pipistrelles (Pipistrellus subflavus; n = 36) were the most commonly captured species. We captured fewer than 30 individuals of five other species. There were no significant differences in captures per 100 net nights for overall captures or for individual species among forest-cover classes. Overall captures per 100 net nights differed significantly among landscape-feature classes; however, post-hoc analyses could not tease out significantly different pairs. Captures of L. borealis were higher over permanent waters than along riparian corridors or in uplands. Bray-Curtis polar ordination suggested that landscape features such as beaver ponds and impoundments influenced habitat use by bats more than forest-cover type. Discriminant function analysis identified 713 bat calls (≥ 95% confidence) using ANABAT II detectors. Lasiurus borealis and P. subflavus were more frequently recorded by ANABAT II than northern myotis (Myotis septentrionalis) among the three forest-cover classes and among the three landscape-feature classes. Planned, a priori, contrast indicated that for 25 nights when mists nets and acoustic detectors were used simultaneously, mean number of bat species detected for the pooled results of both techniques was higher than the average number of species detected by the mean of each of the two techniques separately. Mean number of bat species detected by the ANABAT II system was higher than mean number detected by mist netting

Keys to the Mammals and Mammal Skulls of the Northern Coastal Plain of Virginia

This publication is designed to function as a tool for the identification of mammal species that occur on the Coastal Plain of northern Virginia. We provide whole-body and skull keys to the 40 species that occur in this region. Baseline data for this work were collected during several studies conducted on Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County. The intended audience includes interested naturalists, teachers, students, field biologists, and natural resource managers

Mammals of Fort A. P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia and Vicinity

Fort A.P. Hill (APH) is a 30,329 ha military training installation (U.S. Army) located in the upper Coastal Plain of Caroline County, Virginia. It was formed in 1941 and named in honor of Civil War Confederate Lt. General Ambrose Powell Hill. The current landscape includes a mosaic of habitats that range from old fields to hardwood forests. Forty species of mammals are known to exist on or near the installation. These include one marsupial, five insectivores, 9 chiropterans, one lagomorph, 12 rodents, 10 carnivores, and one cervid. We have studied many of the species on APH since 1997. In this paper we describe the physical environment of the area and 7 important habitats used by mammals. We also summarize the ecology and natural history of each species and provide statistical summaries of original measurements from mammals caught on the installation. The results of several recent studies on APH allow us to describe habitat affiliations and relative abundance of most of the mammals native to the mid-Atlantic region. Old fields and clearcuts support a total of 20 species, including several found predominately in this habitat. Pine stands and pine plantations support the fewest number of mammal species (17) of any habitat on the installation. Mixed pine and hardwood forests, hardwood forests, and riparian forests support the largest number of species (29-36). With the possible exception of pine plantations, the habitat mosaic found on APH provides abundant resources for mammal communities. We also include an evaluation of age and health attributes of the deer population and describe the hunting program on the base. Number of deer harvested annually 1985-2000 varied from 460 to 1765. Management activities since 1996 when the deer population exceeded carrying capacity have improved herd health. Because much of Caroline County and eastern Virginia is in extensive agriculture and the remaining hardwood forests are being clearcut, APH is becoming a valuable habitat island for the mammalian fauna of the upper Coastal Plain of Virginia and the mid-Atlantic region

Can Reproductive Health Voucher Programs Improve Quality of Postnatal Care? A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation of Kenya’s Safe Motherhood Voucher Scheme

This study tests the group-level causal relationship between the expansion of Kenya’s Safe Motherhood voucher program and changes in quality of postnatal care (PNC) provided at voucher-contracted facilities. We compare facilities accredited since program inception in 2006 (phase I) and facilities accredited since 2010-2011 (phase II) relative to comparable non-voucher facilities. PNC quality is assessed using observed clinical content processes, as well as client-reported outcome measures. Two-tailed unpaired t-tests are used to identify differences in mean process quality scores and client-reported outcome measures, comparing changes between intervention and comparison groups at the 2010 and 2012 data collection periods. Difference-in-differences analysis is used to estimate the reproductive health (RH) voucher program’s causal effect on quality of care by exploiting group-level differences between voucher-accredited and non-accredited facilities in 2010 and 2012. Participation in the voucher scheme since 2006 significantly improves overall quality of postnatal care by 39% (p=0.02), where quality is defined as the observable processes or components of service provision that occur during a PNC consultation. Program participation since phase I is estimated to improve the quality of observed maternal postnatal care by 86% (p=0.02), with the largest quality improvements in counselling on family planning methods (IRR 5.0; p=0.01) and return to fertility (IRR 2.6; p=0.01). Despite improvements in maternal aspects of PNC, we find a high proportion of mothers who seek PNC are not being checked by any provider after delivery. Additional strategies will be necessary to standardize provision of packaged postnatal interventions to both mother and new-born. This study addresses an important gap in the existing RH literature by using a strong evaluation design to assess RH voucher program effectiveness on quality improvement

Does a voucher program improve reproductive health service delivery and access in Kenya?

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly credited.Background - Current assessments on Output-Based Aid (OBA) programs have paid limited attention to the experiences and perceptions of the healthcare providers and facility managers. This study examines the knowledge, attitudes, and experiences of healthcare providers and facility managers in the Kenya reproductive health output-based approach voucher program. Methods - A total of 69 in-depth interviews with healthcare providers and facility managers in 30 voucher accredited facilities were conducted. The study hypothesized that a voucher program would be associated with improvements in reproductive health service provision. Data were transcribed and analysed by adopting a thematic framework analysis approach. A combination of inductive and deductive analysis was conducted based on previous research and project documents. Results - Facility managers and providers viewed the RH-OBA program as a feasible system for increasing service utilization and improving quality of care. Perceived benefits of the program included stimulation of competition between facilities and capital investment in most facilities. Awareness of family planning (FP) and gender-based violence (GBV) recovery services voucher, however, remained lower than the maternal health voucher service. Relations between the voucher management agency and accredited facilities as well as existing health systems challenges affect program functions. Conclusions - Public and private sector healthcare providers and facility managers perceive value in the voucher program as a healthcare financing model. They recognize that it has the potential to significantly increase demand for reproductive health services, improve quality of care and reduce inequities in the use of reproductive health services. To improve program functioning going forward, there is need to ensure the benefit package and criteria for beneficiary identification are well understood and that the public facilities are permitted greater autonomy to utilize revenue generated from the voucher program.This work was supported by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to the Population Council as part of a multi country study evaluation of voucher-andaccreditation interventions. Grant number 51761