Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 24 Sep 2003 to 25 Sep 2003 (#2003-238)
There are 17 messages totalling 1501 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Passenger Pigeon ecology
2. ASWM National Symposium Wetlands 2003: Landscape Scale Wetland Assessme
t
and Management
3. Passenger Pigeons (again) (4)
4. Position description - Biology Dept. Head, James Madison University
5. Ecotoxicologist position - NEW deadline 10 October
6. More on Passenger Pigeons
7. Fwd: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
8. Research Position to Study Sudden Oak Death
9. Researchers say whaling (may have) altered the food chain
10. Passenger Pigeons and J. J. Audubon
11. Research Assistant III--Archbold Biological Station
12. Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantship
13. Community ecology position - University of Flordia
14. Director Job
[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 15:15:24 -0700
From: gerlach1 <gerlach1@PACBELL.NET>
Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeon ecology
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If you search the archives on "passenger pigeon" you will find the citations
I posted some time back. It has been a couple of years since I read the
articles but, if I recall correctly, the pidgeons were ground nesters and
the native Americans collected their eggs in addition to the acorn mast. I
also recall reading that squirrels experienced a similar population
explosion.
John Gerlach
[ Part 3: "Included Message" ]
Date: Wed, 24 Sep 2003 22:04:07 -0400
From: Wetland Breaking News <news@ASWM.ORG>
Subject: ASWM National Symposium Wetlands 2003: Landscape Scale Wetland
Assessment and Management
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PLEASE JOIN US FOR
The Association of State Wetland Managers
National Symposium
WETLANDS 2003:
LANDSCAPE SCALE WETLAND ASSESSMENT AND MANAGEMENT
To be held on October 20-23, 2003 in Nashua, New Hampshire.
We are extending our conference rate of $225 for ASWM members and $260 for
nonmembers until October 17. The registration fee includes conference
materials; continental breakfasts and lunches Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday;
Monday evening reception; and a 1 year individual ASWM membership (thru
12/04) (Organizations registering three or more individuals as a group may
request a corporate membership instead).
We have an excellent program which is available on our conference web site
at:
http://www.aswm.org/calendar/2003am/cover9.htm.
The goal of this national symposium will be to build the capabilities of
local governments, states, federal agencies, not for profits and others in
assessing and managing wetlands and related ecosystems on a landscape level.
Wetland assessment is used for many activities: monitoring wetland health,
making permit decisions, targeting voluntary wetland restoration activities,
maintaining biodiversity, measuring mitigation success, undertaking
watershed management, developing wetland classifications, protecting public
water supplies, implementing local land use plans and so on. In recent
years there has been increasing interest in identifying a single wetland
assessment methodology that will answer all questions on wetland functions
and values for all applications. Over 50 methodologies are in various
stages of development. While each method may be useful for one or more
applications, there is no single method that can be applied to every
situation. In addition, while wetlands and other aquatic assessment
approaches utilize the concept of "reference" conditions, (i.e., measuring
one wetland against a comparable "healthy" site to establish management
goals), the reference approach is not utilized in assessment of terrestrial
landscape. Given these and other issues, what are the implications for
current and future landscape management efforts? These and other issues
will be the discussed during the Symposium.
Conference Highlights Include:
Ř The seven major approaches or categories of wetland/ landscape
assessment--Water Quality, Soils, Habitat, Biodiversity, Hydrology, Birds
and Targeted Wetland Restoration
Ř Implications of recent court decisions and national policy changes on
wetland assessment
Ř Anticipated future directions and changes in Federal policy affecting
wetlands
Ř Wetlands Biological Assessments and Criteria training sponsored by USEPA
Ř Successful approaches to working with private landowners
Ř Mitigation decision making tools
Ř Applications of assessment methods in state programs
Ř Freshwater and coastal wetland restoration
Ř Field Trips examining large complex freshwater and coastal wetland
restoration and creation
Scholarships: There are limited scholarships opportunities available for
state agencies, conservation commissions, not for profits, and students. To
inquire, please contact Sharon Weaver or Sara Weaver at aswm@aswm.org or
518-872-1804.
For more information contact: The Association of State Wetland Managers
(ASWM), P.O. Box 269, Berne, NY 12023-9746; 518-872-1804; Fax: 518-872-2171;
E-mail: aswm@aswm.org; Web site: www.aswm.org.
[ Part 4: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:35:02 +0100
From: William Silvert <ciencia@SILVERT.ORG>
Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
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I'm still getting messages sent to me off the list which I think would be of
general interest, so I will continue to forward them. But please either post
your replies to the list or, if you want to keep them private, let me know
that when you send them off-list. Bill
#6:
It sounds like all the other wackos climbed out of the hills and had at your
question, so why shouldn't I. Actually, I only want to point out that
Staghorn Sumac is eaten throughout the fall and winter by crows and is
highly sought after by American Robins in the spring.
Sure, it is largely ignored when berries are abundant in the fall, but that
hardly leads most of wildlife biologists to conclude that Passenger pigeons
were the primary dispersers of the plant.
#7
What about pigeons as agents of large-scale landscape disturbance?
According to historic accounts pigeons congregated in huge roosts, often 20
km or more in diameter. Dung rapidly accumulated beneath the trees and
deadened the overstory, creating expansive openings. Earlier I speculated
that these openings were important in the establishment of native bamboo
(Arundinaria sp.) stands. Probably important for other early successional
species as well. (see Platt et al. 2001. Canebrake fauna: wildlife
diversity in a critically endangered ecosystem. Journal of the Elisha
Mitchell Scientific Society 117:1-19. I can send you a reprint if you'd
like? Another good reference is Bucher, EH. 1992. The causes of
extinction of the passenger pigeon. Current Ornithology 9:1-36. I believe
Charles Kay addressed the relationship of pigeon populations to Native
Americans in his recent book, Political Ecology. I don't have that citation
handy, but if you can't locate it, let me know and I'll dig it out.)
Concerning pigeons eating acorns, I think this is fairly well documented.
No reason they couldn't swallow acorns, especially the smaller species. If
I remember correctly, Schorger gives a detailed list of food items recovered
from dead pigeons. Pigeons fed heavily on beech mast as well. I'm
skeptical of pigeons as seed dispersers though. Wouldn't any seeds they
consumed be destroyed after passage through the muscular crop?
--------------------------------
I'll add the comment that I think the feeding habits seem well-documented,
acorns and other types of nuts, but I have no idea whether they played a
major role in dispersal - it is a lot easier to disperse plants that produce
berries or similar fruits than nuts I should think. But the amount of
consumption, the faeces produced, and the impact on their predators still
seem open questions.
About the hypothesis of competition with native Indian populations, there
were an estimated 5 billion pigeons, and even if we assume 5 million
acorn.eating Indians, that suggests that the acorn consumption of one person
was comparable to that of 1,000 pigeons, which seems to me pretty unlikely.
Bill Silvert
[ Part 5: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:10:26 -0400
From: David F. Brakke <brakkedf@JMU.EDU>
Subject: Position description - Biology Dept. Head, James Madison University
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BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT HEAD
JAMES MADISON UNIVERSITY
Applications are invited from persons qualified for appointment as associate
or full professor to serve as Head of the Department of Biology at James Mad
son University (http://www.jmu.edu/biology/). Candidates must have a Ph.D.
n a biological science, administrative experience, excellent interpersonal a
d communication skills, and the professional credentials to lead a departmen
that has a strong record in both undergraduate teaching and research. Area
f specialization is open. The head will participate regularly in teaching at
the undergraduate level.
The department head is responsible for overseeing departmental curriculum, b
dget, and personnel actions. The head is expected to consult and work effect
vely with all members of the department to reach departmental goals; encoura
e, advise and assist faculty in reaching their full potential as teachers/sc
olars; and lead the department into a future with its changing educational e
vironments. The department head must also work cooperatively with other depa
tment heads and university administrators, as a member of an administrative
eam.
The department has 30 full-time faculty members and 14 staff members or part
time instructors. In addition to the more than 600 undergraduate majors and
5 masters students, the department makes a substantial contribution to the e
ucation of health-related majors and is committed to the university's Genera
Education program. The department has a strong commitment to undergraduate
eaching and research. The department recently implemented an innovative core
curriculum that emphasizes active learning. Revitalization of upper divisio
courses is ongoing. Student learning is also facilitated by several funded
ummer research experiences. The current Masters program offers a traditional
research track and an innovative teaching track emphasizing pedagogy in Biol
gy.
Biology is one of five departments in the College of Science and Mathematics
The College is experiencing a period of growth. (For details on the Colleg
and positions available in other departments, see http://csm.jmu.edu/.) The
department is committed to collaborative efforts within the College and acro
s the University.
The university is a state-aided institution with an enrollment of 14,400 und
rgraduate and 684 graduate students. As an institution, JMU is strongly comm
tted to quality undergraduate education and assessment of educational outcom
s. JMU is consistently highly ranked in national publications and is select
ve in its admissions. It is located in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley of
Virginia, approximately 20 miles west of the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenan
oah National Park and 20 miles east of the Appalachian Mountains. The major
opulation areas of Washington D.C., Richmond and Roanoke are about 2 hour dr
ves. Harrisonburg, a city of 40,500, is about 15 minutes from the Shenandoah
Valley Airport and less than an hour from the Charlottesville/Albemarle Coun
y Airport. James Madison University has as one of its objectives the develop
ent of a diverse student body. As a result, the university is seeking, in ad
ition to outstanding qualities in the administrative and teaching sectors, f
culty members with experience in advising, counseling and teaching minority,
female and disabled students.
Anticipated date of employment is July 1, 2004. Salary is competitive. A com
lete application consists of a letter of application, vita, philosophies of
eaching and administrative leadership, a statement of long-term goals, and a
list of at least five references including addresses, telephone numbers, and
e-mail addresses. Screening of applications will begin on November 15, 2003.
Application materials should be sent to:
Suzanne C. Baker, Chairperson
Biology Department Head Search Committee
c/o College of Science and Mathematics, MSC 7502
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA 22807
James Madison University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Equal Ac
ess Employer and especially encourages applications from minorities, women a
d persons with disabilities.
[ Part 6: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:40:13 -0400
From: Matthew Harwell <Matthew_Harwell@FWS.GOV>
Subject: Ecotoxicologist position - NEW deadline 10 October
FYI-
Deadline has been extended to October 10th.
*******************************************************
National Park Service, Ecotoxicologist, GS-408-13 level, Boynton Beach, FL
A permanent, full-time, senior-level ecotoxicologist is sought with
expertise in the sources, transport, and fate of contaminants in aquatic
ecosystems to be a National Park Service (NPS) expert evaluating and
contributing to ecosystem restoration in south Florida. The incumbent
will: work on multi-disciplinary teams as part of the Comprehensive
Everglades Restoration Plan; evaluate wetland ecotoxicological impacts
from hydrological modifications and water management practices; perform
detailed technical assessments of proposed restoration projects on south
Florida's natural resources, particularly NPS lands and waters; contribute
to technical reports and professional publications for administrative and
judicial proceedings; and attend meetings representing Everglades National
Park on technical issues. Job location is Boynton Beach, FL, at the A.R.M.
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge. This recruitment is open to all
qualified United States citizens. Job requirements: Bachelor's degree in
biology or related field of science underling ecological research that
included at least 30 semester hours in basic and applied biological
sciences. These hours must have included at least 9 semester hours in
ecology, and 12 semester hours in physics and mathematical sciences. In
addition to the above requirements, candidates must posses 1 year of
specialized experience equivalent to at least the GS-12 level that
equipped the applicant with the particular knowledge, skills, and
abilities to perform successfully the duties of the position, and that is
typically in or related to the work of the position to be filled. Salary:
$67,143 - $87,289 per year. Closing date: DEADLINE EXTENDED TO October 10,
2003.
For additional information, contact Dr. Nicholas G. Aumen, Everglades
Program Team,
Loxahatchee National Wildlife Refuge, 10216 Lee Rd., Boynton Beach, FL
33437, Phone 561 735-6001, E-mail: nick_aumen@nps.gov. The National Park
Service is an Equal Opportunity employer. Selection
for this position will be based solely on the basis of fitness,
qualifications and merit after fair and open competition, and will be made
without regard to political, religious, or labor organization affiliation
or non-affiliation, marital status, race, color, creed, sex, national
origin, non-disqualifying physical handicap, sexual orientation, age, or
any other non-merit factors.
To apply, go to http://jobsearch.usajobs.opm.gov and search for EVER-DEU-03
[ Part 7: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 15:02:15 +0100
From: William Silvert <ciencia@SILVERT.ORG>
Subject: More on Passenger Pigeons
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I received another off-list comment, and since I received so many requests
to pass on what I learn I am once again reposting it (anonymously) for all
to see. But this posting prompted me to go back to some of the sources
available on the web, and here are a few items that contribute to the
investigation.
http://www.ecotopia.org/about/pigeon.html has some interesting quotes,
including this from "The Story of My Boyhood and Youth", John Muir's
autobiography:
"...their food - acorns, beechnuts, pine-nuts, cranberries, strawberries,
huckleberries, juniper berries, hackberries, buckwheat, rice, wheat, oats,
corn" and "A comparatively small flock swept thousands of acres perfectly
clean of acorns in a few minutes, by moving straight ahead with a broad
front. All got their share, for the rear constantly became the van by flying
over the flock and alighting in front, the entire flock constantly changing
from rear to front, revolving something like a wheel with a low buzzing wing
roar that could be heard a long way off. In summer they feasted on wheat and
oats ..."
Ironically Muir then went on to write ""Persons unacquainted with these
birds might naturally conclude that such dreadful havoc would soon put an
end to the species. But I have satisfied myself, by long observation, that
nothing but the gradual diminution of our forests can accomplish their
decrease, as they not unfrequently quadruple their numbers yearly, and
always at least double it." They lasted another half century.
The Illinois Natural History Survey
(http://www.inhs.uiuc.edu/chf/pub/surveyreports/may-jun98/pigeon.html) notes
that "Staple foods during the fall, winter, and spring were acorns,
chestnuts, and beechnuts; during the summer soft fruits were eagerly sought.
Their affinity for nut-producing trees made Passenger Pigeons an important
component of the eastern deciduous forest. Unlike chickens, these birds
never obtained food by scratching with feet, instead they overturned leaves
and soil with their bills. To gather nuts they would land on the outer ends
of oak or beech limbs, seize the nut in their bill, fan backwards with their
wings, pull the nut from the tree, and swallow it whole."
There are many other sites that are fascinating to read, but I will end with
quotes from Albert Hazen Wright writing in 1913
(http://members.aol.com/duiven/articles/birdlore/birdlor2.htm) while there
was still hope for the passenger pigeon. About their food he wrote "In the
North and South alike they showed a marked preference for beechnuts and
acorns of all kinds. They furnished an animated sight, indeed, when digging
in the snow for the latter. In the earliest days, the colonists complained
because they beat down and ate up great quantities of all sorts of English
grain. They could subsist on wheat, rye, oats, corn, peas, and other farm
produce. Neither were they averse to garden fruits. In the summer, when the
strawberries, raspberries, mulberries, and currants were ripe, they showed a
particular fondness for them. They were quite partial to the seeds of red
maple and American Elm, wild grapes, wild peas, and pokeberry (Phytolacca),
which was known in many parts as Pigeon-berry. Another vegetable form bore
the same name. Pursh said they found the Pigeon-berries or Pigeon peas
attached to roots, and they were'nothing else, than the tuberculis of a
species of Glycine, resembling marrowfat peas very much: the Pigeons scratch
them up at certain times of the year and feed upon them very greedily.'
"A Mr. Bradbury, in 1810, had an opportunity of observing the manner in
which they feed; it affords a most singular spectacle, and is also an
example of the rigid discipline maintained by gregarious animals. This
species of pigeon associates in prodigious flocks: one of these flocks, when
on the ground, will cover an area of several acres in extent, and so close
to each other that the ground can scarcely be seen. This phalanx moves
through the woods with considerable celerity, picking, as it passes along,
everything that will serve for food. It is evident that the foremost ranks
must be most successful, and nothing will remain for the hinder most. That
all may have an equal chance, the instant that any rank becomes last, they
arise, and flying over the whole flock, alight exactly ahead of the
foremost." - note a disagreement about whether they scratch for food. About
predators he wrote "Their enemies were legion. Wolves, foxes, and many other
beasts frequented their roosts; birds of prey sought them alive or feasted
on their dead bodies, both at the roosts, and over lakes." so it is clear
that they were an integral part of the food chain.
I have to confess that I still do not have a clear picture of what the
ecological consequences of their extinction were. David L. McNeely recently
posted a message which suggests that we can never know these things and are
missing too many facts, but if we cannot document the effects of an
extinction that occurred less than a century ago, while paleontologists
earnestly work on the extinction of dinosaurs 65 million years ago and
cosmologists continue to produce new ideas about the origin of the universe,
it suggests that there must be something very strange about ecology. It also
bodes ill for our ability to contribute to the public interest in
biodiversity, which is what got me into this in the first place.
Bill Silvert
----- Original Message -----
> I wouldn't put a lot of reliance on the relationship between passenger
> pigeons and acorns. The composition of the forest overstory in eastern
> N.A. has undergone tremendous change, and continues to do so. The one o
> greatest experiments (although inadvertent) in forest ecology was the
> introduction of Cryphonectria parasitica, the chestnut blight. It has
> been estimated that prior to the early 1900's, chestnut comprised up to
> 40% of the forest overstory in eastern N.A. Oaks now comprise a much
> larger proportion of our forests than they did 100 years ago.
> Considering that the last passenger pigeon died in captivity in 1914,
> one might consider that the relationship between passenger pigeons and
> chestnuts was greater than that with oaks.
[ Part 8: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:37:53 -0700
From: Steve Brewer <jbrewer@OLEMISS.EDU>
Subject: Fwd: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
>Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:34:31 -0700
>To: William Silvert <ciencia@SILVERT.ORG>
>From: Steve Brewer <jbrewer@olemiss.edu>
>Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
>Cc:
>Bcc:
>X-Attachments:
>
>Bill,
>
>I think it is useful to review what Audubon had to say about
>passenger pigeons. He witnessed their flocks first-hand, described
>their migration and feeding patterns, and their slaughter by hunters.
>
>He made casual attempts to quantify their numbers. He estimated that
>one flock could have covered an astounding 180 square miles,
>composed of over a billion birds. He mentioned that the birds were
>nomadic and followed the mast crops of oaks. He witnessed their
>foraging habits. They apparently ate a lot of acorns. Of a foraging
>flock in an oak forest, he wrote "The rear flanks are continually
>rising, passing over the main-body, and alighting in front, in such
>rapid succession, that the whole flock seems still on the wing. The
>quantity of ground thus swept is astonishing, and so completely has
>it been cleared, that the gleaner who might follow in their rear
>would find his labour completely lost."
>
>He described oak forests or oak-beech forests as their preferred
>roosting areas. Indeed, in visiting a roost, he mentions that the
>sheer weight and numbers caused individual tree and branch falls. He
>repeatedly refers to the ground in these areas as appearing
>"snow-covered" as a result of the piles of droppings. We can only
>imagine what impact this would have had on nutrient cycling and
>nitrophilic (phobic) plants. This is an issue I haven't heard anyone
>talk about.
>
>Considering all this, it is hard to imagine that passenger pigeons
>did not have some effect on oak dispersal or nutrient cycling and
>plant species composition within roosts. It is difficult to say how
>reduced acorn dispersal would have affected the oaks, however,
>because other factors such as fire suppression and herbivory by
>overpopulated deer have also reduced successful regeneration by
>oaks. Furthermore, their poor dispersal relative to alluvial pioneer
>species may be a result of their inherently poorer seed production.
>They are, after all, mast seeders.
>
>I do not believe for a second that the large numbers were caused by
>a release from competition with Indians. If anything, before the
>arrival of Europeans, the frequent burning of forests by Indians
>could have contributed to the persistence of oak forests and made
>foraging easier or more efficient for pigeons. Also, people seem to
>forget that, while Europeans brought disease to the Indians, they
>also brought them guns and a new lifestyle (e.g., free-range
>livestock ranching). Hence, the arrival of Europeans may have
>indirectly increased competition between Indians and pigeons, at
>least in some areas. There were lots of oak forests up until the
>1800s. I believe that these birds could easily have escaped
>competition with most Indian tribes. For example, DeSoto's
>expedition encountered the Chickasaws in essentially one town near
>Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1540 (before disease reduced their numbers).
>Most of the Chickasaw Nation was uninhabitated at this time,
>however, providing ample territory for pigeon roosts. There is a
>place called Pigeon Roost ~50 miles from the Chickasaw town. The
>only time any significant competition would have occurred is when
>the Chickasaws began settling their entire territory in the 1700s
>and early 1800s, coinciding with the threat of settlement of their
>territory by whites and a time at which the legendary "billion-bird"
>flocks were seen. By this time, the Chickasaws were free-range
>livestock ranchers and had guns. They could have contributed to the
>species' demise by overhunting and perhaps by inadvertantly
>intensifying the competitive effects of their free-ranging hogs and
>other livestock, which were also feeding on acorns. So, I am willing
>to bet that the arrival of Europeans indirectly increased the
>negative interactions between Indians and pigeons.
>
>Audubon describes the wholesale slaughter of huge flocks by men
>lying in wait at pigeon roosts with guns and hogs (to clean up the
>remaining waste). Ironically, despite the deep impression this had
>on him, he still insists that only the only way this species would
>go extinct was if it lost its habitat. He apparently bases this
>hypothesis on arcane estimates of the bird's ability to double or
>quadruple its numbers in a single year and by finding no decrease in
>the enormous sizes of harvests over a 20-year period in southern and
>midwestern states in the early 1800s, but this is very shaky
>speculation.
>
>Good luck with your research,
>
>Steve Brewer
>
>
>
>
>
>>Here are the comments that I have received so far. These were all se
t to me
>>off the list, but I received so many inquiries to pass on what I lea
ned
>>that I suggest that any further information be posted to the list. T
anks to
>>all who wrote.
>>
>>I was originally going to identify the people who wrote me, but afte
>>consulting with the list moderator, David Inouye, I am posting the r
sponses
>>anonymously. Apologies to anyone who feels that they are being depri
ed of
>>credit for their ideas.
>>
>>Bill Silvert
>>
>>#1:
>>
>>Unfortunately, shortly after they went extinct from Northern Michiga
and
>>Wisconsin, these areas were completely deforested in the "timber era
" The
>>loss of the passenger pigeon was superceded by this more signficant
vent.
>>
>>An anecdotal note on passenger pigeons: Here in Michigan and much o
the
>>midwestern US we have a shrub called Staghorn Sumac, with red berrie
in the
>>fall. Nothing eats the slightly fuzzy berries. Dan Janzen, king of
>>hypotheses about extinct dispersers, suggested that these were dispe
sed by
>>Passenger Pigeons before their extinction. Interesting. It would b
cool
>>if somewhere there were some gut content studies or anything of the
ike.
>>
>>#2:
>>
>>Passenger pigeons were feeders on acorns. I think Sara Webb
>>suggested that the loss of passenger pigeons reduced the dispersal
f
>>acorns. Her paper is in Quaternary Research (vol26, pp 367-375). W
>>certainly find that oak dispersal is limited in Illinois. Fakhir Ba
zaz
>>mentioned that in an early paper in Ecology, Although oaks will ea
ily
>>grow in open, sunny fields, they are rare in these locations because
the
>>seeds do not get there. Most secondary succession in Illinois is
>>dominated by old, abandoned farm fields. Oak trees too far from the
e
>>fields for most acorns to be dispersed into them. In modern times,
>>acorns are distributed by squirrels. In general, they do not go ou
>>into open fields. The passenger pigeon might have been able to disp
rse
>>acorns into such habitats.
>>
>>#3:
>>
>>Neumann, Thomas W. 1985. Human-wildlife competition and the passende
>>pigeon: population growth from system destabilization. Human Ecology
>>13(4):389-410.
>>
>>Neumann does not address the results of the pigeons' extinction.
>>Instead, he argues that the pigeon population was not large before
>>European settlement. He says pre-settlement, the pigeons would not h
ve
>>had much food because native people would have been eating much of t
e
>>mast produced. He concludes that the large population sizes of pigeo
s
>>represent an outbreak after release from competition.
>>
>>#4:
>>
>>I have two fine books on the natural history of the passenger pigeon
I
>>would suggest you look at Mitchell, M.H. 1935. The passenger pigeon
n
>>Ontario. The University of Toronto Press, and Schorger,A.W.1955. The
>>passenger pigeon: its natural history and extinction. TheUniversity
f
>>Wisconsin Press. They both have substantial references. I believe th
y
>>might help.
>>
>>In response to my second posting about the relative impact of pigeon
and
>>Indians, correspondent #5 wrote:
>>
>>I am also skeptical of these claims. In our Department office in gr
d
>>school were two stuffed passenger pigeons. I have also seen many ma
y
>>acorns. I seriously doubt those birds ate many acorns, much less ac
ed
>>as dispersal agents.
>>
>>May I suggest an alternative hypothesis: Europeans arrived, planted
>>orchards (fruit) and farms (grain) and associated insect pests. Pig
ons
>>suddenly had wonderful food sources and populations exploded.
>>
>>Just a thought. And I could be wrong.
Steve Brewer
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
PO Box 1848
University, MS 38677-1848
telephone: (662) 915-1077
FAX: (662) 915-5144
e-mail: jbrewer@olemiss.edu
Brewer's Webpage - http://home.olemiss.edu/~jbrewer/
Ole Miss Biology Webpage - http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/biology/index.html
"Behold, Dionaea muscipula! [Venus Fly-Trap], Let us advance to the
spot on which Nature has seated it!" William Bartram
[ Part 9: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 10:20:34 -0500
From: Dave McNeely <dlmcneely@LUNET.EDU>
Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
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It seems that a couple of people found my reply to William Silvert's
statement that it seems that there was no great effect of passenger pigeon
extinction to be inappropriate. I aplogize to anyone, including Bill, whom
I may have offended. Thanks, Dave McNeely
[ Part 10: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 17:00:53 +0100
From: William Silvert <ciencia@SILVERT.ORG>
Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
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I certainly feel that David's apology is more than gracious and I bear no
ill will. However, I am surprised that I gave anyone the impression that I
suspect for an instant "that there was no great effect of passenger pigeon
extinction" and would like to set the record straight, in hopes that it will
draw out some useful information - in my original posting I wrote "what
happened when they were exterminated over just a few decades? Surely they
must have been an important part of the food web, but I have not found any
information on what happened when they became extinct."
Some additional reading I have done since then, including material which I
abstracted earlier today, leaves me convinced that the impact must have been
substantial (I am tempted to use a stronger word like "incredible") and yet
I cannot formulate a clear picture of what happened. As some people have
suggested, the situation is complicated by other dramatic changes in the
American landscape, including Chestnut blight and other major plant
diseases, to say nothing of the enormous changes in society at the time.
Perhaps my messages are confusing because I have decided to repost the
substantive replies I receive off-line, some of which suggest that the
impact was less than what I feel is probably the case, and if you read my
postings quickly you may attribute these quotes to me. That is why I have
urged - and now beg - you all to post your thoughts to the list and not just
to me.
And as I wrote in my first posting, I think that this is an important issue
for biodiversity. If we cannot (or do not bother to) document the ecological
effects of perhaps the greatest mass extinction that modern man has brought
about, it is difficult to defend arguments that the loss of other, less
spectacularly abundant, organisms will have major consequences. Passenger
pigeons may at one time have constituted as much as 40% of all the birds in
the United States, and it is difficult to see how we can make a case for
scarce whooping cranes, bald eagles and peregrine falcons if we cannot show
that the loss of such an enormous quantity of birds had major ecological
effects. I think it must have, but I have yet to be able to make a
convincing case for it.
And just to clarify my own involvement, I received a message asking whether
this was a scientific study or just a random posting. I am certainly
interested in the answer, but am not planning to do fundamental reasearch on
this topic for two reasons. (1) I am working on marine biodiversity and do
not have enough of a background in terrestrial ecology to do justice to the
subject, and (2) I do not have access to most of the literature, since much
of it is in US ornithological journals, some of them regional in scope, to
which our Portuguese ocaenography laboratory does not subscribe. But I am
very interested in the topic and think that it has implications for
biodiversity research in all fields and parts of the globe.
Dr. William Silvert
Instituto de Investigaçăo das Pescas e do Mar
Departamento de Ambiente Aquático
Avenida de Brasília, s/n
1449-006 Lisboa, Portugal
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dave McNeely" <dlmcneely@lunet.edu>
To: "William Silvert" <ciencia@SILVERT.ORG>; <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD
EDU>
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 4:20 PM
Subject: Re: [ECOLOG-L] Passenger Pigeons (again)
> It seems that a couple of people found my reply to William Silvert's
> statement that it seems that there was no great effect of passenger pig
on
> extinction to be inappropriate. I aplogize to anyone, including Bill,
whom
> I may have offended. Thanks, Dave McNeely
[ Part 11: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 10:06:47 -0700
From: Hall Cushman <cushman@SONOMA.EDU>
Subject: Research Position to Study Sudden Oak Death
Research Position to Study Sudden Oak Death
A full-time research technician position is available at Sonoma State
University (SSU) to investigate how land-use history and vertebrates
influence the occurrence and spread of Phytophthora ramorum, an
emerging and probably exotic pathogen that causes a lethal disease in
several oak species as well as tanoak. This disease, known as Sudden
Oak Death (SOD), has reached epidemic levels in many coastal forests
of California and southwestern Oregon. Funded by the California
Department of Forestry, this 2-year project will use long-term study
plots already established throughout diverse woodlands in Sonoma
County to evaluate the importance of land-use history (grazing, fire,
timber harvesting, agriculture) and spore dispersal by vertebrates
(humans and deer) in determining the occurrence and spread rates of
P. ramorum. This newly funded project will build on additional SSU
research funded by the National Science Foundation to predict the
distribution and spread rates of P. ramorum using spatial data on
host plant genetics, the composition and structure of plant
communities, local weather variability, and topographical features of
the landscape.
The successful candidate will:
1) Collect data on land-use history, human and deer activity, and
pathogen abundance;
2) Culture P. ramorum from soil samples in the lab;
3) Manage, graph and statistically analyze field and lab data using
Macintosh and PC computers;
4) Work closely with faculty, research technicians, graduate
students, and undergraduates in the collection, management, and
analysis of data; and
5) Manage the research grant (submit expense claims and employment
forms, manage budget, order supplies, and project expense scenarios
to guide project development and expenditures).
Position requirements:
1) Bachelors degree in biology or related field;
2) Experience in ecological field research;
3) Proficiency working with large data sets and statistical analyses;
4) Experience interpreting USGS topographic maps, soils and geologic
maps, aerial photographs, and use of GPS;
5) Ability to plan, implement, and complete tasks on time and within
budgetary limits;
6) Capacity to solve problems, strong oral communication skills, and
attention to details; and
7) Willingness and ability to endure long and strenuous days in the
field at remote locations.
Preference will be given to applicants with a strong background in
both plant and disease ecology, field research experience in
California woodlands and forests, and working knowledge of the north
Coast Range flora.
Salary and benefits:
$33,348/year, renewable for a second year with favorable performance
review. Benefits include health, dental, and vision care.
Application procedures:
The following application materials must be submitted to the SSU
Human Services Office: resume, cover letter, SSU application form,
and a list of three references (with detailed contact information).
The official job posting and information about application procedures
can be found at www.sonoma.edu/hs/jobopps.html.
PIs for this research project are Dr. Hall Cushman (Department of
Biology; cushman@sonoma.edu) and Dr. Ross Meentemeyer (Department of
Geography; ross.meentemeyer@sonoma.edu) at Sonoma State University.
Information about both investigators and SOD research at SSU can be
found on the following web pages:
www.sonoma.edu/biology/faculty_research.html
www.sonoma.edu/users/c/cushman/
www.sonoma.edu/users/m/meentemeyer/
www.sonoma.edu/gic/
suddenoakdeath.sonoma.edu/
[ Part 12: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 10:56:34 -0700
From: David Thomson <dthomson@HARVEYECOLOGY.COM>
Subject: Researchers say whaling (may have) altered the food chain
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Ecolog (and especially passenger pigeon fanatics ;-)
I thought you would appreciate this news and search out the paper on the
Academy's web site. - David Thomson
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/141208_whales25.html
============================================
Thursday, September 25, 2003
Researchers say whaling altered the food chain
By ROBERT McCLURE <mailto:robertmcclure@seattlepi.com>
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Jim Estes clearly remembers the day when he peered down from a skiff in
Alaska's Aleutian Islands and saw what looked like "The Invasion of the Sea
Urchins."
The spiny round blobs had eaten right through the underwater kelp forest
that shelters many marine creatures. Normally rare except in deeper waters,
the urchins were jostling for space almost up to the beach.
"There were just urchins everywhere," said Estes, a researcher with the U.S.
Geological Survey in Santa Cruz, Calif. "I was astonished. I just saw lots
of urchins where I had not seen them in the past."
For years, Estes had been trying to figure out why the sea otters of western
Alaska, which feed heavily on urchins, were disappearing. When he saw the
urchin explosion, the researcher knew instantly the otters weren't dying
from lack of food.
That realization and another five years of scientific work led to
publication of a study scheduled for release today that sets forth a radical
and potentially important new idea: An ecological chain reaction dating to
industrial-scale hunting of whales in the North Pacific a half-century ago
has driven the widespread decline of Alaskan seals, sea lions and otters
that have puzzled scientists for decades.
The killing of whales caused a collapse in the food chain, the scientists
believe. As a half-million whales were wiped out by Japanese and Russian
whaling fleets after World War II, killer whales that once preyed on the
larger "great" whales had to look for other food to eat.
So, the scientists theorize, some of the killer whales turned to seals
instead. But before whaling, seals were never as numerous as whales. And it
takes lots of seals to equal the calories in a single great whale.
It wasn't long before most of the seals were eaten up and the killer
whales -- also known as orcas -- turned their attention to Steller's sea
lions. Then, when those grew rare enough, they went after otters.
"If our hypothesis is correct, either wholly or in significant part,
commercial whaling in the North Pacific Ocean set off one of the longest and
most complex ecological chain reactions ever described," says the paper
being published online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences.
Without otters to eat them, sea urchins proliferated. Urchins, in turn,
hammered kelp forests just off the Alaskan coast.
The new hypothesis argues strongly against environmentalists' longtime
contention that a Seattle-based fishing fleet set to catch a little over 3
billion pounds of Alaskan pollock this year has fueled the decline of sea
lions by stealing their food. The pollock fishery, the nation's largest,
provides the fish used in sandwiches at Burger King and McDonald's and other
fast-food outlets, as well as much of the imitation crab consumed in this
country.
The paper, Estes said, carries a message for those trying to manage
fisheries one species at a time:
"Food webs are way more complicated than that, and when you take a species
out ... it's going to have effects on a number of different things, many of
which are impossible to imagine," Estes said.
The theory could revolutionize scientists' evaluation of the Bering Sea and
the Gulf of Alaska, which have seen puzzling declines in some species and
increases in others.
However, the authors acknowledge that so far they haven't proved anything,
and that there are other potential explanations for the crashes in numbers
of seals, sea lions and otters. It's also possible that their theory only
partially explains the collapses, and that other factors such as fishing and
climate change also are at work, said the authors and some of their critics.
Still, Estes said: "There's quite a bit of evidence that is consistent with
this explanation. I'm not positive, but I think it's reasonably compelling
in my mind that this is what happened."
The paper points out that killer whales today are a lot more common than
scientists once thought. It wasn't until 1994 that researchers first counted
them across a large range of Alaskan waters, and it took several years to
compile that data.
At the same time, researchers were watching otter populations plummet. A key
clue to the fact that the otters were being eaten by killer whales was that,
although they were disappearing, no one was finding lots of otter carcasses.
But researchers did see killer whales eating otters. And, while no one was
carefully studying the matter in the 1970s and '80s, people remembered a
similar pattern: No carcasses, just plummeting numbers.
As the researchers counted up how many killer whales cruise the Bering Sea
and Gulf of Alaska, and the numbers of seals and sea lions and otters and
their caloric values, they found that a shift of less than 1 percent in
killer whales' diet could account for the declines.
The new interpretation isn't as radical as it first sounds, the authors say.
Scientists have long argued that the New World's earliest aboriginal hunters
wiped out mastodons and other large animals. And scientists are finding out
that in just the last century or so, killing off of wolves in the Rockies
allowed elk to proliferate, and they munched down lots of trees.
If the theory about whaling is correct, it remains unclear what the
implications are for modern-day officials deciding, for example, how to
manage Alaskan fisheries.
"We're not advocating controlling the population of killer whales," said
Alan Springer of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks, lead author of the
paper. "The lesson is that it advocates a precautionary approach whether
you're fishing whales or finfish or crabs or whatever."
Doug DeMaster, director of the National Marine Fisheries Service's Alaska
Fisheries Science Center, said he fears some people will interpret the new
theory as explaining all the population swings.
"It's pretty clear it's not just one factor that's driving dynamics of large
marine mammals in the high latitudes. It's pretty clear there's multiple
factors," DeMaster said. "Climate change is an important piece, as well as
subsistence harvest and fisheries and a lot of other things."
DeMaster also questions to what degree killer whales ever relied on the
great whales as a food source.
But the research team behind the new paper dug up an 1874 history of the
whaling industry that said the term "killer whales" originated with whalers,
who first called them "whale killers."
"This is a speculative study that will require a lot more research to either
refute or accept," DeMaster said.
And critics of the new theory wonder: Why haven't the killer whales shifted
back to eating more whales as the larger whales' populations have rebounded
to varying degrees in the '90s?
The answer from the authors of the new paper: Maybe they have, at least to
some degree. Springer and his co-authors say the fact that no one documented
killer whales eating larger whales or seals or sea lions doesn't mean it
didn't happen.
"In the Atlantic, no one has ever seen humpback whales copulate, but there
is no doubt that they do it," Springer said.
The new paper is attracting support among some longtime observers of ocean
trends.
"It's a circumstantial argument, but it's a circumstantial argument that
ties together a lot of loose ends that the alternative explanations don't
tie together, and it makes sense," said Jeremy Jackson, a scientist at the
Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla, Calif. "This is a really
important paper, because it exposes the complexity that we need to address
if we're going to manage and protect marine ecosystems in a realistic way."
Estes, thinking back to his day on the skiff at Adak Island, says he doesn't
blame the Japanese and Russian whalers for doing what they did.
"There's no way someone could have looked forward from the early 1940s and
said this is going to happen," Estes said. "They would have locked them up."
=====================
[ Part 13: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 15:26:53 -0400
From: Rick Mellon <rmellon@VOICENET.COM>
Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
First, I hope Dave McNeely's apology reflects that his statement was
probably scientifically incorrect and not that it was politically
inappropriate, since the latter should have no place in a scientific
discussion.
Second, you might be interested in the following passages from an
article I wrote for the Delaware Valley Ornithological Club's journal
Cassinia No. 63, issued in November, 1990, titled "An Ornithological
History of the Delaware Valley Region".
While habitat destruction in the Delaware Valley created a major impact
on its fauna, I am not aware of any global extinctions of birds that
resulted. Species losses were a secondary result of the changing
habitats which had profound effects on the abundance and ranges of many
species. However, similar undisturbed habitats in other areas of the
state or in other states or Canada prevented the extermination or even
near extermination of any Delaware Valley species. One species that was
heavily impacted in Pennsylvania, although not extirpated, by the
destruction of habitat, was the Passenger Pigeon.
Forbush wrote, "The Pigeons were reduced greatly in numbers on the whole
Atlantic seaboard during the first two centuries after the settlement of
the country, but in the west their numbers remained apparently the same
until the nineteenth century. There was no appreciable decrease there
during the first half of that century; but during the latter half,
railroads were pushed across the plains to the Pacific, settlers
increased rapidly to the Mississippi and beyond, and the diminution of
the Pigeons in the west began. Already it had become noticeable in
western Pennsylvania and western New York, along the Appalachian
mountain chain and in Ohio. This was due in part to the destruction of
the forests..." (Pearson 1917). He goes on to discuss the destruction of
the beech forests and, farther north, the pine/hemlock forests.
Presumably the destruction of the central Appalachian oak forests also
played a critical role since acorns were a primary food of the pigeon.
While the destruction of habitats in the East played a critical role in
the reduction of the pigeon, market hunting apparently drove the bird to
extinction. Forbush continues, "The net, though used by fowlers almost
everywhere in the East from the earliest settlement of our country, was
not a great factor in the extermination of the Pigeons in the
Mississippi valley states until the latter half of the nineteenth
century. With the extension of the railroads and telegraph lines through
the states, the occupation of the netter became more stable than before,
for he could follow the birds wherever they went. The number of men who
made netting an occupation after the year 1860 is variously estimated at
from 400 to 1000. Whenever a flight of Pigeons left one nesting place
and made toward another, the netters learned their whereabouts by
telegraph, packed up their belongings, and moved to the new location,
sometimes following the birds for a thousand miles at one move... .In
addition to these there were the local netters, who plied the trade only
when the Pigeons came their way.
"Possibly the last great slaughter of Pigeons in New York, of which we
have record, was some time in the [18]70s. A flock had nested in
Missouri in April, where most of the squabs were killed by pigeoners.
This flock then went to Michigan, where they were followed by the same
pigeoners, who again destroyed the squabs. The Pigeons then flew to New
York State, and nested near the upper Beaverkill in the Catskills, in
the lower part of Ulster County. It is said that tons of the birds were
sent to the New York Market from this nesting place, and that not less
than fifteen tons of ice were used in packing the squabs" (Pearson
1917).
Forbush concludes, "The New York market alone would take one hundred
barrels a day for weeks, without a break in price. Chicago, St. Louis,
Boston and all the great and little cities of the north and east joined
in the demand. Need we wonder why the Pigeons have vanished?" (Pearson
1917).
The numbers of pigeons that once graced our skies is beyond imagination.
In 1813, while traveling 55 miles through Kentucky, Audubon reportedly
saw a flight of Passenger Pigeons that lasted for three days, in which
the "light of noonday was obscured as by an eclipse." He estimated that
a small part of the flock, one mile wide and three hours in duration,
contained over one billion birds (Pearson 1917). The largest nesting and
winter roosting areas contained dimensions of three to ten miles wide
and lengths up to forty miles long. As late as 1878 a nesting area in
Michigan was estimated at 100,000 acres. Within 25 years the Passenger
Pigeon was virtually extinct in the wild (Pearson 1917).
In southeastern Pennsylvania, John Dillin recalled the Passenger Pigeon
as a regular migrant, in small numbers during the time from 1864 to
1881, with the largest flock of about 300 birds (Dillin 1910). Farther
north, in eastern Sullivan and western Wyoming counties, Herman Behr
recounts, "The spring following a fine crop of beech-nuts would
invariably witness a fine flight of Pigeons and the abundance of their
special delicacy would tempt them to stay through the summer months.
"It was in April more than in any month of the spring that their arrival
could be expected. Then, when the Last white of winter had vanished
before the warm breath of a southwest wind, the flying host of wings
would be seen coming on with the wind at terrific speed. In flocks of a
hundred or of thousands they would gradually overspread the sky, flying
at different altitudes, but all of them coursing in the same direction.
Those, which expected to alight in the vicinity, flew low just above the
tree-tops, while others, whose goal was farther on, passed at high
altitude, some four to six hundred feet above the ground. One particular
spring in the forepart of the seventies I remember standing on an
elevated spot near our barn whence an extensive view could be had for
miles in all directions. Flock after flock followed each other across
the sky, each pursuing the same northeasterly course. Not only above my
head, but on all sides as far as the eye could reach, I could see
nothing but Pigeons! The sky was full of them, a perfect maze of beating
wings, cut here and there by rifts of blue. It reminded me of an
oncoming storm, of black, angry clouds, hurtling up at tremendous
velocity and with that rushing sweep of sound, ominous of what is to
come. For the combined beat of wings overhead was audible and sounded
like the hissing of some immense sky-rocket" (Behr 1911).
Behr writes of their breeding in great numbers on several occasions, but
that he was too young to observe them. Presumably, this would have been
in the late 1860s or early 1870s. By the mid-1880s, "there was a
noticeable decrease." He concludes, "The final passing of the Passenger
Pigeons occurred for me in 1886 and was made memorable by their
appearance once more in unmistakable numbers. Again the hiss of crowding
wings was heard overhead and the chatter of greeting flocks; again that
bewildering charge of swiftcoursing wings was offered to our eyes, but
it was destined to be the last pageant, the final review foreshadowing
dissolution. They, too, seemed to have premonitions, for before the buds
had burst to joyous life, palpitating to the touch of a glorious spring,
the fated host had passed, vanishing once and for all over the hills and
far away" (Behr 1911).
Richard Mellon
Mellon Biological Services
200 Flint Court South
Yardley, Pa. 19067
215-493-0697
-----Original Message-----
From: Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news
[mailto:ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU] On Behalf Of Dave McNeely
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 11:21 AM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
It seems that a couple of people found my reply to William Silvert's
statement that it seems that there was no great effect of passenger
pigeon
extinction to be inappropriate. I aplogize to anyone, including Bill,
whom
I may have offended. Thanks, Dave McNeely
[ Part 14: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 15:58:26 -0400
From: "CECIL, John" <jcecil@AUDUBON.ORG>
Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeons and J. J. Audubon
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To read an account by J. J. Audubon on the Passenger Pigeon follow the follo
ing link the click on extinct birds and then Passenger Pigeon.
John
http://www.audubon.org/bird/BoA/BOA_index.html
------------------------------------------------------------
John P. Cecil
National Audubon Society
545 Almshouse Road
Ivyland, Pennsylvania 18974
PH: 215-355-9588 ext. 15
jcecil@audubon.org
------------------------------------------------------------
Visit Audubon Online: www.audubon.org/bird/iba
-----Original Message-----
From: Steve Brewer [mailto:jbrewer@OLEMISS.EDU]
Sent: Thursday, September 25, 2003 12:38 PM
To: ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU
Subject: Fwd: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
>Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 09:34:31 -0700
>To: William Silvert <ciencia@SILVERT.ORG>
>From: Steve Brewer <jbrewer@olemiss.edu>
>Subject: Re: Passenger Pigeons (again)
>Cc:
>Bcc:
>X-Attachments:
>
>Bill,
>
>I think it is useful to review what Audubon had to say about
>passenger pigeons. He witnessed their flocks first-hand, described
>their migration and feeding patterns, and their slaughter by hunters.
>
>He made casual attempts to quantify their numbers. He estimated that
>one flock could have covered an astounding 180 square miles,
>composed of over a billion birds. He mentioned that the birds were
>nomadic and followed the mast crops of oaks. He witnessed their
>foraging habits. They apparently ate a lot of acorns. Of a foraging
>flock in an oak forest, he wrote "The rear flanks are continually
>rising, passing over the main-body, and alighting in front, in such
>rapid succession, that the whole flock seems still on the wing. The
>quantity of ground thus swept is astonishing, and so completely has
>it been cleared, that the gleaner who might follow in their rear
>would find his labour completely lost."
>
>He described oak forests or oak-beech forests as their preferred
>roosting areas. Indeed, in visiting a roost, he mentions that the
>sheer weight and numbers caused individual tree and branch falls. He
>repeatedly refers to the ground in these areas as appearing
>"snow-covered" as a result of the piles of droppings. We can only
>imagine what impact this would have had on nutrient cycling and
>nitrophilic (phobic) plants. This is an issue I haven't heard anyone
>talk about.
>
>Considering all this, it is hard to imagine that passenger pigeons
>did not have some effect on oak dispersal or nutrient cycling and
>plant species composition within roosts. It is difficult to say how
>reduced acorn dispersal would have affected the oaks, however,
>because other factors such as fire suppression and herbivory by
>overpopulated deer have also reduced successful regeneration by
>oaks. Furthermore, their poor dispersal relative to alluvial pioneer
>species may be a result of their inherently poorer seed production.
>They are, after all, mast seeders.
>
>I do not believe for a second that the large numbers were caused by
>a release from competition with Indians. If anything, before the
>arrival of Europeans, the frequent burning of forests by Indians
>could have contributed to the persistence of oak forests and made
>foraging easier or more efficient for pigeons. Also, people seem to
>forget that, while Europeans brought disease to the Indians, they
>also brought them guns and a new lifestyle (e.g., free-range
>livestock ranching). Hence, the arrival of Europeans may have
>indirectly increased competition between Indians and pigeons, at
>least in some areas. There were lots of oak forests up until the
>1800s. I believe that these birds could easily have escaped
>competition with most Indian tribes. For example, DeSoto's
>expedition encountered the Chickasaws in essentially one town near
>Tupelo, Mississippi, in 1540 (before disease reduced their numbers).
>Most of the Chickasaw Nation was uninhabitated at this time,
>however, providing ample territory for pigeon roosts. There is a
>place called Pigeon Roost ~50 miles from the Chickasaw town. The
>only time any significant competition would have occurred is when
>the Chickasaws began settling their entire territory in the 1700s
>and early 1800s, coinciding with the threat of settlement of their
>territory by whites and a time at which the legendary "billion-bird"
>flocks were seen. By this time, the Chickasaws were free-range
>livestock ranchers and had guns. They could have contributed to the
>species' demise by overhunting and perhaps by inadvertantly
>intensifying the competitive effects of their free-ranging hogs and
>other livestock, which were also feeding on acorns. So, I am willing
>to bet that the arrival of Europeans indirectly increased the
>negative interactions between Indians and pigeons.
>
>Audubon describes the wholesale slaughter of huge flocks by men
>lying in wait at pigeon roosts with guns and hogs (to clean up the
>remaining waste). Ironically, despite the deep impression this had
>on him, he still insists that only the only way this species would
>go extinct was if it lost its habitat. He apparently bases this
>hypothesis on arcane estimates of the bird's ability to double or
>quadruple its numbers in a single year and by finding no decrease in
>the enormous sizes of harvests over a 20-year period in southern and
>midwestern states in the early 1800s, but this is very shaky
>speculation.
>
>Good luck with your research,
>
>Steve Brewer
>
>
>
>
>
>>Here are the comments that I have received so far. These were all se
t to me
>>off the list, but I received so many inquiries to pass on what I lea
ned
>>that I suggest that any further information be posted to the list. T
anks to
>>all who wrote.
>>
>>I was originally going to identify the people who wrote me, but afte
>>consulting with the list moderator, David Inouye, I am posting the r
sponses
>>anonymously. Apologies to anyone who feels that they are being depri
ed of
>>credit for their ideas.
>>
>>Bill Silvert
>>
>>#1:
>>
>>Unfortunately, shortly after they went extinct from Northern Michiga
and
>>Wisconsin, these areas were completely deforested in the "timber era
" The
>>loss of the passenger pigeon was superceded by this more signficant
vent.
>>
>>An anecdotal note on passenger pigeons: Here in Michigan and much o
the
>>midwestern US we have a shrub called Staghorn Sumac, with red berrie
in the
>>fall. Nothing eats the slightly fuzzy berries. Dan Janzen, king of
>>hypotheses about extinct dispersers, suggested that these were dispe
sed by
>>Passenger Pigeons before their extinction. Interesting. It would b
cool
>>if somewhere there were some gut content studies or anything of the
ike.
>>
>>#2:
>>
>>Passenger pigeons were feeders on acorns. I think Sara Webb
>>suggested that the loss of passenger pigeons reduced the dispersal
f
>>acorns. Her paper is in Quaternary Research (vol26, pp 367-375). W
>>certainly find that oak dispersal is limited in Illinois. Fakhir Ba
zaz
>>mentioned that in an early paper in Ecology, Although oaks will ea
ily
>>grow in open, sunny fields, they are rare in these locations because
the
>>seeds do not get there. Most secondary succession in Illinois is
>>dominated by old, abandoned farm fields. Oak trees too far from the
e
>>fields for most acorns to be dispersed into them. In modern times,
>>acorns are distributed by squirrels. In general, they do not go ou
>>into open fields. The passenger pigeon might have been able to disp
rse
>>acorns into such habitats.
>>
>>#3:
>>
>>Neumann, Thomas W. 1985. Human-wildlife competition and the passende
>>pigeon: population growth from system destabilization. Human Ecology
>>13(4):389-410.
>>
>>Neumann does not address the results of the pigeons' extinction.
>>Instead, he argues that the pigeon population was not large before
>>European settlement. He says pre-settlement, the pigeons would not h
ve
>>had much food because native people would have been eating much of t
e
>>mast produced. He concludes that the large population sizes of pigeo
s
>>represent an outbreak after release from competition.
>>
>>#4:
>>
>>I have two fine books on the natural history of the passenger pigeon
I
>>would suggest you look at Mitchell, M.H. 1935. The passenger pigeon
n
>>Ontario. The University of Toronto Press, and Schorger,A.W.1955. The
>>passenger pigeon: its natural history and extinction. TheUniversity
f
>>Wisconsin Press. They both have substantial references. I believe th
y
>>might help.
>>
>>In response to my second posting about the relative impact of pigeon
and
>>Indians, correspondent #5 wrote:
>>
>>I am also skeptical of these claims. In our Department office in gr
d
>>school were two stuffed passenger pigeons. I have also seen many ma
y
>>acorns. I seriously doubt those birds ate many acorns, much less ac
ed
>>as dispersal agents.
>>
>>May I suggest an alternative hypothesis: Europeans arrived, planted
>>orchards (fruit) and farms (grain) and associated insect pests. Pig
ons
>>suddenly had wonderful food sources and populations exploded.
>>
>>Just a thought. And I could be wrong.
Steve Brewer
Associate Professor
Department of Biology
PO Box 1848
University, MS 38677-1848
telephone: (662) 915-1077
FAX: (662) 915-5144
e-mail: jbrewer@olemiss.edu
Brewer's Webpage - http://home.olemiss.edu/~jbrewer/
Ole Miss Biology Webpage - http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/biology/index.html
"Behold, Dionaea muscipula! [Venus Fly-Trap], Let us advance to the
spot on which Nature has seated it!" William Bartram
[ Part 15: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 14:44:07 -0400
From: Patrick Bohlen <pbohlen@ARCHBOLD-STATION.ORG>
Subject: Research Assistant III--Archbold Biological Station
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Research Assistant III^×Archbold Biological Station
We seek a highly motivated research assistant to assist with our research
program under the supervision of Dr. Patrick Bohlen at the MacArthur Agro-
ecology Research Center (MAERC), a division of Archbold Biological Station,
in south central Florida (www.archbold-station.org). The research
assistant will work on research projects investigating the ecological
structure and function of subtropical rangelands in a working agricultural
setting. The research focuses on nutrient (C, N and P) cycling in
grassland, pasture and wetland ecosystems in relation to natural and human
influences including fire, fertilization, grazing, and other management
practices. The research projects include shorter-term studies that are
funded externally by granting agencies and long-term projects supported by
Archbold Biological Station and supplemented by external funds. The duties
of the Research Assistant III will include: assisting and organizing field
sampling; collecting and processing soil, plant and water samples;
analyzing soil and plant extracts and water samples for nutrients;
supervising undergraduate research interns; managing laboratory facilities
including inventory and purchases; managing and analyzing incoming data on
multiple projects; and performing literature searches. The successful
candidate should have a B.S or M.S. (preferred) in ecology, environment
science or related field with lab and field experience relevant to the
position. Applicants must be able to work independently and with others
and be able to do strenuous fieldwork under hot, humid subtropical
conditions. Experience with nutrient analysis, soil and plant sampling and
strong background in biology and ecology a plus. This is a permanent, full
time position with an excellent benefits package. Starting annual salary
will be commensurate with experience and will be a minimum of $24,000.
MAERC is located at Buck Island Ranch, a full scale, 10,300-acre cattle
ranch, managed by Archbold Biological Station on a 30-year lease from the
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. The Center is located 20
miles from the small town of Lake Placid and candidates must be willing to
live in a remote rural location. Modest housing is available to rent on
site. Applicants should send 1) a letter of application, 2) a resume or CV
with GPA, and 3) names, phone numbers and e-mail addresses for three
references to: Dr. Patrick Bohlen at pbohlen@archbold-station.org, or
MacArthur Agro-ecology Research Center, 300 Buck Island Ranch Rd., Lake
Placid, FL, 33852. The application deadline is November 1, 2003 and the
position will remain open until a suitable candidate is found. Contact Dr.
Bohlen at (863) 699-0242 for further information. Archbold is an equal
opportunity employer and encourages applications from women and minorities.
[ Part 16: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 15:04:30 -0400
From: Jim Schneider <schne181@MSU.EDU>
Subject: Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantship
Ph.D. GRADUATE RESEARCH ASSISTANTSHIP
Michigan State University
Department of Fisheries and Wildlife
Assessing the Landscape Ecology and Population Demographics of
White-tailed Deer in an Agro-Forest Ecosystem
The Department of Fisheries and Wildlife at Michigan State University
in East Lansing, Michigan is inviting applications for a Graduate
Research Assistantship beginning January 2004, or earlier. The
assistantship is on a 12-month basis and pays $1,200/month and
includes tuition waiver and health benefits.
Degree Qualifications: Applicants must hold an M.S. degree in
wildlife ecology, biology, or management; zoology or a related field
and have competitive GPA and GRE scores. Preference will be given to
candidates with strong quantitative and GIS skills, previous
telemetry experience, and demonstrated ability to conduct field
research under potentially harsh field conditions.
The objectives of the project are to assess the dynamic interactions
among physical landscape characteristics and white-tailed deer (i.e.,
adults and fawns) movement patterns and population demographics in
southern Michigan.
Applicants should send a letter of application (indicating a
statement of research interests and professional goals), resume, and
copy of transcripts to: Dr. Henry Campa, III, Department of Fisheries
and Wildlife, Michigan State University, Room 13 Natural Resources
Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1222, e-mail: campa@msu.edu, phone:
517/353-2042.
[ Part 17: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 16:52:20 -0400
From: James Vonesh <voneshjr@ZOO.UFL.EDU>
Subject: Community ecology position - University of Flordia
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Community Ecologist
The Department of Zoology at the University of Florida invites applications
or a tenure-track position at the level of ASSISTANT OR ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR.
We seek community ecologists who are strongly quantitative, committed to lin
ing data with theory, and complement existing departmental strengths in ecol
gy, evolution, physiology, behavior, and genetics. Preference will be given
o individuals who integrate community ecology with other levels of organizat
on (e.g., with ecosystem dynamics or population structure). Taxonomic focus
nd system are completely open. This colleague will be expected to establish
n internationally recognized, externally funded research program; supervise
raduate students; and teach undergraduate and graduate courses. Please submi
a curriculum vitae, reprints of your three most significant papers, stateme
ts of research and teaching interests, and have three letters of reference s
nt to Community Ecology Search Committee, Department of Zoology, PO Box 1185
5, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611-8525. Applications must be r
ceived by November 3, 2003. Electronic submission of materials is encouraged
please consult the URL (below) for instructions. Questions should be direct
d to: ecosearch@zoo.ufl.edu. Information about the department, University of
Florida, and north-central Florida can be accessed at: http://www.zoo.ufl.ed
/CommEcoSearch/ The University of Florida is an Equal-Opportunity Employer.
e encourage applications from minorities and women.
[ Part 18: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 25 Sep 2003 17:20:07 -0700
From: John Bishop <bishop@VANCOUVER.WSU.EDU>
Subject: Director Job
Could you please bring this job advertisement to the attention of anyone
who might be interested?
Thank you,
John Bishop
As seen in the 26 September issue of Science:
DIRECTOR, SCIENCE PROGRAMS
Washington State University (WSU) Vancouver and the School of Biological
Sciences invite applications for appointment at the ASSOCIATE or FULL
PROFESSOR level, beginning August 2004. Ph.D. is required. We seek an
individual with an established, externally funded research program and
demonstrated teaching, leadership, and administrative skills. Area of
research is open; applicants complementing current strengths in ecology,
environmental science, and neuroscience are preferred.
WSU, a Tier I research institution, offers competitive salaries, startup
packages, and research support. Research expectations and teaching loads
are consistent across the four WSU campuses. WSU Vancouver offers B.S. in
biology and M.S. in environmental science. Continuing enrollment growth is
expected to offer significant opportunities for program expansion. Located
across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, WSU Vancouver features new
facilities, significant opportunities for research, a small-college
teaching atmosphere, many neighbor institutions and agencies for
collaboration, and excellent quality of life. For more information, see
website: http:// www.vancouver.wsu.edu/programs/sci/default.htm.
Send curriculum vitae; up to three reprints; cover letter summarizing
research, teaching interests, and administrative experience; and contact
details for three letters of reference (including e-mail addresses) to: Dr.
John Bishop, Chair, Director Search Committee, Washington State University,
Vancouver, 14204 N.E. Salmon Creek Avenue, Vancouver, WA 98686-9600.
E-mail: bishop@vancouver.wsu.edu. Review of applications begins November
28, 2003.
Washington State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action
Educator and Employer.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
John Bishop
Assistant Professor Ph: 360 546-9612
School of Biological Sciences Fx: 360 546-9064
Washington State University Vancouver
www.vancouver.wsu.edu/fac/bishop/home-long.html
Mailing Address:
Washington State University
14204 NE Salmon Creek Ave
Vancouver, WA 98686 USA
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^
From LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sat Oct 11 10:43:34 2003
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 00:00:26 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news"
<ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 1 Oct 2003 to 2 Oct 2003 (#2003-243)
[ Part 1: "Included Message" ]
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 00:00:26 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news"
<ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 1 Oct 2003 to 2 Oct 2003 (#2003-243)
There are 2 messages totalling 62 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. ozone filters
2. Research Technician Position
[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 11:30:09 -0400
From: B. Momen <bm144@UMAIL.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ozone filters
Dear Ecologers:
I need 12 small charcoal filters and fumigating motors for our closed ozone
exposure chambers (4 feet diameter, 6 feet tall) to be used in the green
house. Any info on where to purchase these would be appreciated.
B. Momen
Dept. of Natural Resource Sci. & LA
University of Maryland, College Park
301 405 1332, bm144@umail.umd.edu
[ Part 3: "Included Message" ]
Date: Thu, 2 Oct 2003 11:51:22 -0400
From: Jim Schneider <schne181@MSU.EDU>
Subject: Research Technician Position
Please address questions regarding the below position to Dr. Kim
Scribner (scribne3@msu.edu) or Gene Rummel (rummel@hr.msu.edu).
------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: FW-JOBS <schne181@msu.edu>
To: fW-JOBS
Subject: MSU-FW Research Technician Position
Copies to: scribne3@msu.edu
Send reply to: FW-JOBS <schne181@msu.edu>
Date sent: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 11:46:20 -0400
Research Technician Position
A 1-year research technical position is available immediately in the
laboratory of Dr. Kim Scribner in the Departments of Fisheries and
Wildlife and Zoology at Michigan State University.The position
involves both laboratory and computational data collection and
analysis for a large collaborative study of the genealogical basis of
disease transmission in free-ranging white-tailed deer. Laboratory
work will involve microsatellite genotyping and mtDNA sequence
analyses. Knowledge in analytical approaches for estimation of
individual relatedness, parentage, and spatial structure would be
desirable. The MSU application website address is
www.hr.msu.edu/HRsite/forms/Staffforms.htm. Applicants should send a
cover letter and resume including contact information for three
references to either Kim Scribner or Gene Rummel. Please send either
electronically (scribne3@msu.edu or rummel@hr.msu.edu), fax (517-432-
1699) or mail at Dept. Fisheries & Wildlife, Michigan State
University, East Lansing Michigan 48824-1222 (KS) or Gene Rummel,
Human Resources, 110 Nisbet Bldg. Please refer to position number
P30387. Applications should be received by 17 October. Michigan State
University is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer
------- End of forwarded message -------
From LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sat Oct 11 10:43:51 2003
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 00:00:29 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: Society News and Business Only"
<ESANEWS@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ESANEWS digests <ESANEWS@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ESANEWS Digest - 23 Sep 2003 to 3 Oct 2003 (#2003-24)
There is one message totalling 272 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Policy News from ESA's Public Affairs Office
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 16:58:56 -0400
From: David Inouye <inouye@umd.edu>
Subject: Policy News from ESA's Public Affairs Office
Policy News from ESA's Public Affairs Office
A Bi-Weekly Publication of the Ecological Society of America
October 3, 2003
In this issue:
EPA NOMINEE DEBATE FOCUSES ON BUSH'S ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD
SENATE PROVIDES WILDFIRE FIGHTING FUNDS
CONFERENCE MANAGERS ADD ARCTIC REFUGE DRILLING PROVISION TO ENERGY
DRAFT
SENATE COMPRISE REACHED ON 'HEALTHY FORESTS'
LANDMARK MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION BILL PASSES HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE
WHITE HOUSE PANEL SEEKS TO SIMPLIFY ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES CONGO BASIN FORESTS BILL
RUSSIA 'UNDECIDED' ON KYOTO CLIMATE TREATY
NEW GUIDELINES MAY DROP PROTECTIONS FOR SOME FEDERAL LANDS
EPA NOMINEE DEBATE FOCUSES ON BUSH'S ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD
Utah Republican, Governor Mike Leavitt did not come under heavy fire
during his confirmation hearings last week. Democrats instead used
his
confirmation hearing to denounce President Bush's environmental
policies. Leavitt, a former chairman of the National Governors
Association, appealed to the Senate to look at his environmental
record
in judging his fitness.
Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY), said she still plans to block a
Senate vote on Leavitt's nomination until the White House identifies
which of its officials directed EPA, without scientific basis, to
assure
New Yorkers that air pollution from the World Trade Center rubble posed
no threat to them.
Two Senate Democrats running for president, John Edwards of North
Carolina and Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, also have threatened to use
parliamentary means to prevent Leavitt from taking office. However, the
Senate's lone independent, James Jeffords (VT), who normally votes with
the Democrats, said he would support Leavitt's nomination and expects
him to be confirmed. "I think his heart is in the right place, but I'm
concerned he'll find himself as frustrated as Administrator Whitman
was," Jeffords said.
Only a simple majority on the committee is required to send Leavitt's
nomination to the Senate. With 11 Republicans, eight Democrats and an
independent on the panel, there was little doubt he would win the
committee's approval. However, the Senate Environment and Public Works
Committee's eight Democrats and one independent boycotted the October
1st committee vote on the nomination leaving the committee short of a
quorum, and putting off a vote on Leavitt to October 15. The Democrats
claimed Leavitt had not replied to their written questions adequately.
SENATE PROVIDES WILDFIRE FIGHTING FUNDS
The Senate passed the $19.6 billion FY 04 Interior and Related Agencies
Appropriations bill by unanimous consent, including $400 million in
emergency firefighting funds for the Forest Service and Bureau of Land
Management.
The floor manager of the bill, Sen. Conrad Burns (R-MT), said he
understood the $400 million will not be enough to completely reimburse
the Forest Service's and BLM's firefighting accounts, but hopes to
address that issue in conference. Burns asked the agencies to "get
out their pencils and give us a number."
Senator Byron Dorgan (D-ND), who co-sponsored the firefighting
amendment, criticized the annual practice of forcing the agencies to
borrow from other programs to cover their firefighting costs. "We
really do have to stop this process of underfunding these accounts at
the beginning of the year," Dorgan said.
ESA joined a broad range of groups in calling for a full reimbursement
of Forest Service accounts that were raided for firefighting funding.
ESA is also participating in a new coalition that will seek to address
the chronic underfunding of firefighting, a practice that leads to
funding for other Forest Service activities such as ecological
research.
CONFERENCE MANAGERS ADD ARCTIC REFUGE DRILLING PROVISION TO ENERGY
DRAFT
Republican conference managers on Monday added Arctic drilling language
to their discussion draft on the omnibus energy bill, ensuring a
partisan battle and raising doubts that the bill itself will survive.
Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici (R-NM) and House Energy
and Commerce Committee Chairman W.J. "Billy" Tauzin (R-LA) added the
Arctic leasing title from the House-passed bill to a joint discussion
draft that is serving as a chairman's mark for the conference.
The title -- which would permit energy exploration on the coastal
plain
of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge -- will be the subject of a
meeting between Republican and Democratic staff, one of the ongoing
staff meetings on the Domenici-Tauzin draft.
Senator Joe Lieberman (D-CT), a presidential candidate, immediately
renewed his filibuster threat.
A spokesman for The Wilderness Society said the House language on ANWR
also has troublesome provisions that would weaken environmental reviews,
wildlife protection, public participation, resource agency authority,
and raise the bar on judicial review.
Domenici said public opinion might persuade some senators to change
their minds on ANWR, especially in light of the Iraq war, the Aug. 14
blackout and recent gasoline, natural gas and electricity price
spikes.
Last week, 43 senators signed a letter to Domenici and Tauzin saying
they would support a filibuster against Arctic drilling. That would
be
enough to prevent drilling supporters from gaining the 60 votes needed
to break a filibuster.
ESA's position on Arctic drilling is available on our website at
http://www.esa.org/pao/statements_resolutions/resolutions/anwr.htm.
SENATE COMPRISE REACHED ON 'HEALTHY FORESTS'
Senators said they've reached a tentative bipartisan agreement on a
bill to ease environmental restrictions on logging and speed thinning
projects in national forests in hopes of reducing the threat of
wildfires.
"There's a deal in principle," said Sen. Pete Domenici (R-NM) one of
the chief negotiators on the forest legislation.
A final agreement was delayed until senators could ascertain whether
the Bush administration would support the proposal in a conference
committee with the House, which has passed its own bill.
The compromise measure would allow thinning projects on some 20 million
acres of fire-prone national forests, with half the work restricted to
areas near homes and communities, an aide said. And the aide said the
deal would require that courts consider long-term risks of thinning
projects and mandate protection for old-growth forests.
Staff continue to hammer out the final language of the compromise,
which still faces a possible filibuster from Democratic opponents,
despite the blessing of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD), and
an uncertain fate in any future conference committee with the House.
Environmentalists have said the House bill would allow logging of
old-growth forests, cut public participation in forest management and
jeopardize endangered species.
LANDMARK MARINE MAMMAL PROTECTION BILL PASSES HOUSE SUBCOMMITTEE
The House Subcommittee on Fisheries Conservation, Wildlife and Oceans
yesterday passed a bill that would amend major portions of the Marine
Mammal Protection Act (MMPA). The MMPA established a moratorium, with
certain exceptions, on taking marine mammals in U.S. waters and the high
seas, as well as on importing marine mammals and marine mammal products.
Fisheries subcommittee Chairman Wayne Gilchrest (R-MD), sponsor of the
bill, proposed an amendment changing five sections of the 1972 act,
affecting the international transportation of marine mammals, polar bear
hunting and other issues.
The subcommittee passed both the amendment and bill by a voice vote.
The full House Resources Committee will likely consider the amendment
next month, a subcommittee staff member said.
The amendment would clarify Section 4 of the act to state that any U.S.
citizen who legally possesses a marine mammal product may temporarily
export it for noncommercial purposes. The amendment would also change
the act's definition of harassment from an activity that "injures" to an
activity that "disturbs or is likely to disturb" a marine mammal.
Another approved amendment would clarify Section 10 language that
requires the Department of Interior to advertise twice a year
applications for the importation of polar bear trophy kills. A final
amendment adds a new section to the act, which conforms MMPA language
with the International Dolphin Conservation Program -- a legally binding
instrument for dolphin conservation and ecosystem management in the
eastern tropical Pacific Ocean.
WHITE HOUSE PANEL SEEKS TO SIMPLIFY ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
A White House Council on Environmental Quality task force is
recommending that federal agencies make it easier for developers and
the government to avoid lengthy environmental studies often blamed for
delaying projects. The group wants agencies to create categories of
projects that would be deemed to have no environmental impact, according
to the group's report.
If a project fits into one of those broad categories, no additional
environmental assessments would be required.
Signed into law by President Nixon in 1970, the National Environmental
Policy Act requires review and consideration of alternatives before
federal authorities allow any major project that could adversely
affect
the environment.
Environmentalists said many of the task force recommendations for
improving NEPA implementation -- through new technology, "best
practices" and more modern information and management systems - made
sense. But some feared that recommendations on categorical exclusions
could weaken NEPA.
HOUSE COMMITTEE APPROVES CONGO BASIN FORESTS BILL
The House International Relations Committee on Thursday approved a bill
to authorize $37 million to support a plan to preserve the tropical
forests of Africa's Congo Basin. The two-year bill would support the
international Congo Basin Forest Partnership, launched by Secretary of
State Colin Powell at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in
Johannesburg, South Africa, last September.
RUSSIA 'UNDECIDED' ON KYOTO CLIMATE TREATY
Opening a major international conference on climate change in Moscow,
Russian President Vladimir Putin said his country remains undecided on
whether to sign the Kyoto Protocol to decrease emissions of greenhouse
gases blamed for global warming.
Senior Russian officials said in the days leading up to the conference
that until there were firm commitments of investment from foreign
firms, the European Union and others would "wait in vain" for Russian
ratification of the Kyoto agreement.
NEW GUIDELINES MAY DROP PROTECTIONS FOR SOME FEDERAL LANDS
The Interior Department on Monday issued new guidelines that could
allow oil and gas development as well as off-road vehicles on
previously
off-limits federal lands.
The guidelines were the result of an agreement between Interior
Secretary Gale Norton and Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt (R) to settle a
lawsuit the state had filed against the department. Leavitt has since
been nominated to serve as administrator of the Environmental Protection
Agency and is awaiting confirmation by the Senate.
The new guidelines will allow the Bureau of Land Management to continue
to protect pristine lands, but only after engaging in a planning process
that weighs such protection against other potential uses, including
mining, grazing, logging and recreation.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
---------
Sources: Congressional Green Sheets; E&E Daily; The Washington Post
Send questions to Maggie Smith, ESA Policy Analyst, Maggie@esa.org
If you received Policy News from a friend and would like to receive it
directly, please email the command "sub esanews {your first name and
last name}" to listserv@listserv.umd.edu
If you wish to unsubscribe to the ESANews and your biweekly Policy
News, send the command "signoff ESANEWS" to listserv@listserv.umd.edu.
Visit the ESA website at: http://www.esa.org/
------------------------------
End of ESANEWS Digest - 23 Sep 2003 to 3 Oct 2003 (#2003-24)
************************************************************
From LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sat Oct 11 10:43:58 2003
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 00:00:12 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news"
<ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 2 Oct 2003 to 3 Oct 2003 (#2003-244)
[ Part 1: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 00:00:12 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news"
<ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 2 Oct 2003 to 3 Oct 2003 (#2003-244)
There are 4 messages totalling 186 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Graduate Research Assistant Sought
2. Call for Papers The Coastal Society 19th Conference - May 23-26, 2004
3. Ph.D, Candidate (insect outbreaks and forest succession)
4. Call for Nominations for 2004 National Wetlands Awards
[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 09:34:16 -0400
From: Robert Froese <froese@MTU.EDU>
Subject: Graduate Research Assistant Sought
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Graduate Position in Modelling of Forested Ecosystems
An assistantship is available for a Ph.D. student to participate in a resear
h
project involving the aspatial modelling of individual tree mortality. The
project seeks to extend recent research on the basal area increment
sub-component of the Northern Idaho variant of the Forest Vegetation
Simulator. FVS is a forest vegetation modelling framework developed and
maintained by the USDA Forest Service and used extensively by industry,
government and academia. In this work, application of measurement error
statistical techniques to the mortality sub-component will be investigated.
The project will also leverage new, geographically extensive maps of soil
parent rock and recent research in an effort to refine the use of parent roc
as a model predictor. While focused on northern Idaho data, this research i
expected to be generalizable to other forested conditions and modelling
frameworks.
Qualified candidates should have an analytical background coupled with
familiarity with modelling of forested ecosystems and comfort with strongly
quantitative analysis. A Masters degree, and at least one degree in
forestry, natural resources management, plant ecology or botany is favoured.
Proficiency in spoken and written English is a necessity.
MTU is located in Houghton, Michigan in the heart of the scenic Keweenaw
peninsula and Lake Superior. Houghton is a relatively small, friendly and
outdoors-oriented town, with extensive forest, water, and winter recreation
opportunities.
The assistantship comes with a competitive stipend and covers the cost of
tuition. Interested persons should send a copy of their curriculum vitae,
recent GRE scores and a statement of research interests and experience to
Dr. Robert Froese. Electronic submissions are preferred but hard copies are
also accepted. Send submissions to:
Dr. Robert Froese
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Technological University
1400 Townsend Drive
Houghton, MI 49931
email: froese@mtu.edu
Michigan Technological University is an equal opportunity educational
institution/equal opportunity employer.
--
Robert Froese, PhD, RPF (Brit. Col.)
Assistant Professor, Forest Biometrics
School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science
Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931.
I work for MTU but I speak for myself unless stated explicitly otherwise.
[ Part 3: "Included Message" ]
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 12:51:10 -0400
From: Laura Jodice <jodicel@CLEMSON.EDU>
Subject: Call for Papers The Coastal Society 19th Conference - May 23-26, 20
4
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CALL FOR PAPERS & POSTERS
Measure for Measure:
How Do We Gauge Coastal Stewardship?
The Coastal Society (TCS) 19th International Conference
May 23-26, 2004
Newport, Rhode Island
-How do we measure coastal resources and their functions?
-How do we gauge human impacts relative to ^Ónatural^Ô systems?
-How should our assessments be used to anticipate, fashion, and govern our
coastal futures?
Please join us in Newport, Rhode Island in May 2004, to examine and
discuss these challenging questions. The Coastal Society^Ňs 19th biennial
conference (TCS19) will focus on how coastal managers, resource users, law
and policy makers, educators and students, and other coastal community
members measure and assess coastal resources, functions and human impacts.
The call for papers is available via the TCS 19 Conference website
http://www.thecoastalsociety.org/conference/tcs19/
Abstracts are Due December 1, 2003.
For additional information on The Coastal Society and the TCS 19
Conference, contact:
Judy Tucker,Executive Director
The Coastal Society
P.O. Box 25408
Alexandria, Virginia 22313-5408
PH: (703) 768-1599
FAX: (703) 768-1598
E-MAIL: coastalsoc@aol.com
[ Part 4: "Included Message" ]
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 15:40:13 -0400
From: "Fran[ISO-8859-1] çois Lorenzetti" <lesieur.daniel@UQAM.CA>
Subject: Ph.D, Candidate (insect outbreaks and forest succession)
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Ph.D., Biology, UQŔM ^Ö Insect outbreaks & Forest succession
A doctoral candidate position is available to study the effects of
recurring Forest Tent Caterpillar (FTC) outbreaks on the successionnal
trajectories in the southern portion of the boreal forest (Abitibi).
Outbreaks of the FTC are a natural disturbance of a particular type: the
short-term impact on trees is relatively minor but outbreaks can extend
over a considerable area. The long-term impact of this type of disturbance
is virtually unknown. The successful candidate will thus have the
opportunity to contribute with his-her research to our understanding of
disturbance regimes of intermediate intensity acting at very large scales.
The candidate will be co-supervised by François Lorenzetti, adjunct
professor, Université du Québec en Outaouais, and researcher, Institut
Québécois d^Ňaménagement de la foręt feuillue, and by Yves Bergeron,
professor, Université du Québec ŕ Montréal, and director, Chaire
industrielle en aménagement forestier durable. The position is available
immediately and must be filled not later than January 2004. Please send
your CV, a cover letter and the names of two referees to:
François Lorenzetti
Chercheur, Institut Québécois d'Aménagement de la Foręt Feuillue
58, rue Principale
Ripon, Québec
J0V 1V0
Courriel : florenzetti@iqaff.qc.ca
Téléphone : (819) 983-6589
Télécopieur : (819) 983-6588
[ Part 5: "Included Message" ]
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 16:31:34 -0400
From: wetlands <wetlandsawards@ELI.ORG>
Subject: Call for Nominations for 2004 National Wetlands Awards
Each year the environmental community comes together to honor
individuals who have dedicated their time and energy to protecting our
nation's precious wetlands. The 2004 Awards will be given in six new
categories: Education and Outreach; Science Research; Conservation and
Restoration; Landowner Stewardship; State, Tribal, and Local Program
Development; and Wetland Community Leader.
The National Wetlands Awards Program honors individuals from across the
country who have demonstrated extraordinary effort, innovation, and
excellence through programs or projects at the regional, state, or local
level. Program co-sponsors - the Environmental Law Institute, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, U.S.D.A. Forest Service, U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service, NOAA Fisheries, and Natural Resources Conservation
Service - believe that rewarding these efforts helps ensure that future
generations will have quality wetlands, biological diversity, and clean
water.
Nomination forms for the 2004 National Wetlands Awards Program are now
available. To download the nomination form, please visit our website at
http://www.eli.org/nwa/nwaprogram.htm. The deadline for submitting
nominations is December 15, 2003. Organizations and federal employees
are not eligible.
For more information or questions about the National Wetlands Awards
Program, please e-mail wetlandsawards@eli.org, or contact Erica Pencak
at 202-939-3822.
***
The Environmental Law Institute is an independent, non-profit research
and educational organization based in Washington, DC. ELI serves the
environmental profession in business, government, the private bar,
public interest organizations, academia, and the press.
From LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sat Oct 11 10:44:10 2003
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 00:00:06 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news"
<ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 3 Oct 2003 to 4 Oct 2003 (#2003-245)
[ Part 1: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 00:00:06 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news"
<ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 3 Oct 2003 to 4 Oct 2003 (#2003-245)
There are 6 messages totalling 288 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. Natural Resources Program Coordinator Vacancy - Minnesota DNR - REVISED
DEADLINE AND QUALIFICATIONS
2. Centaurea Seed Bank
3. Special issue on ~{!0~}water resources remote sensing~{!1~}, Canadian
Journal of Remote Sensing
4. Volunteers for Wildlife Research in Peru, Fauna Forever, New Phase
5. caterpillars on Smilax?
6. New England fluvial geomorphology short courses
[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 17:14:03 -0500
From: Richard Baker <rich.baker@DNR.STATE.MN.US>
Subject: Natural Resources Program Coordinator Vacancy - Minnesota DNR -
REVISED DEADLINE AND QUALIFICATIONS
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE DEADLINE AND QUALIFICATIONS FOR THIS POSITION HAVE
BEEN REVISED FROM EARLIER POSTINGS.
*******************************************************************
Natural Resources Program Coordinator Vacancy
Analyst for Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Division of Ecological
Services
Application deadline EXTENSION: October 17, 2003
Location: St. Paul, MN.
Duration: Temporary through December, 2004
Responsibilities:
Compile, evaluate and analyze natural resource data related to
Minnesota wildlife "species of greatest conservation need" using
GIS tools and technology to assist with the preparation of a
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plan. The work includes:
1) identify and compile relevant data sets and layers;
2) identify gaps in our current knowledge;
3) analyze existing data to identify conservation needs and
priorities; and
4) collaborate with DNR scientists in interpreting the results and
significance of analyses; and
5) succinctly summarize and display analysis in a comprehensive
conservation plan.
Qualifications REFINEMENT:
A. Bachelor's degree in biology, wildlife ecology, conservation
biology, landscape ecology, ecology, wildlife management, zoology or
related AND three years of advanced professional experience in
preparation and implementation of ecological assessments of species and
/or natural communities; OR
B. Master's degree in above degrees AND two years of advanced
professional experience in preparation and implementation of ecological
assessments of species and /or natural communities.
Additional skills required:
*Ability to apply GIS and data analysis techniques to natural resource
data;
*A broad knowledge of ecological science and Minnesota's natural
history;
*Experience designing research studies and analyzing complex data
sets;
* A solid working knowledge of analytical tools including GIS
technology, statistical analysis techniques, database management
processes and modeling approaches;
* A working knowledge of spreadsheets, databases, Windows NT and 2000
and multivariate statistical applications in ecology;
*GIS experience with both vector and raster data and their applications
(ArcView, Spatial Analyst, Image Analyst, or ERDAS);
*Human relations skills to motivate, provide guidance, and achieve
cooperation with clients, peers, and staff;
*Advanced degrees are preferred; and
*Strong project management skills.
Salary: $41,739 - 61,533/year. Medical, dental, life insurance,
pension, and deferred compensation plans offered.
Contact:
Lee Pfannmuller
Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
500 Lafayette Road, Box 25
St. Paul, MN 55155
Lee.pfannmuller@dnr.state.mn.us
Phone: 651.296.0783
Fax: 651.296.1811
Application Process: To be considered, please submit a letter of
interest and vitae or resume to the address listed above prior to
October 17, 2003.
[ Part 3: "Included Message" ]
Date: Fri, 3 Oct 2003 18:51:09 -0600
From: Lewis Stringer <ltiptons@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Centaurea Seed Bank
Dear colleagues,
I am looking for data on observed seed bank densities of areas invaded
by any of the numerous perennial Centaurea species. If anyone has any
recommendations I would be much obliged.
Sincerely,
Lewis Stringer
Montana State University
Land Resources and Environmental Sciences
Bozeman, MT. 59715
____________________________________________________________________________
___
Instant message during games with MSN Messenger 6.0. Download it now
FREE!
[ Part 4: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 00:31:04 -0400
From: X.B. Wu <xbw@TAMU.EDU>
Subject: Special issue on ~{!0~}water resources remote sensing~{!1~},
Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing
Water availability and quality of a region directly affects its level of
economic development. This is particularly true in arid and semiarid
regions of the world. In many parts of the world, hydrological gauge
stations are sparse and water inventory is incomplete. Poor knowledge on
spatio-temporal distribution of surface water makes it difficult for water
resource managers and policy makers to develop adequate water management
plans and to establish wise water use policies. Quantifying and modeling
water cycling at various spatial scale have been an important and active
research field in the past 50 years. Remote sensing can play a significant
role in determining evaporation and transpiration, surface water production
capacity of various surface cover types, and in estimating the spatial
distribution of water balance, and in scaling up site specific measurements
of water quantity and quality to regional and global scale. As an example,
China is one of the fastest developing countries in the world where water
issues are very serious. Constant shortage of water in Northern China has
not only restricted the economic productivity but also increased the
chances of sand storm, while frequent flooding in Southern China has caused
loss of life and reduction in economic output. Many countries in Africa
have suffered from serious droughts, causing severe social and economic
interruptions.
The aim of this special issue of the Canadian Journal of Remote Sensing is
to compile the state-of-the-art remote sensing research contributing to the
improvement of surface water modeling and management. It will contain both
invited and submitted works. Manuscript submissions are particularly
sought in the following research areas employing remote sensing techniques:
- Estimation of soil moisture and evaporation
- Measurements of precipitation
- Snow and ice dynamics in mountainous areas
- Land cover and land use change and its impact on regional water cycling
- Biophysical parameters and their use in hydrological models
- Hydrological modeling of river basins of various scales
- Interaction of biosphere and hydrosphere, eg. coupling of carbon and
water cycling
- Early warning of flooding and drought
All papers submitted must follow the journal format requirement. Review of
submitted papers will follow the regular journal standard. The guest
editors are applying for publishing funds. If approved, some page charges
maybe waived.
Guest Editors: Peng Gong and Jingming Chen
Dr. Peng Gong
Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
University of California, Berkeley
151 Hilgard Hall
Berkeley, CA 94720-3110
Tel. 510 642-5170
Email: gong@nature.berkeley.edu
Website: http://www.cnr.berkeley.edu/~~gong/
Dr. Jing M. Chen
Department of Geography and Program in Planning
University of Toronto
100 St. George St., Room 5047
Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 3G3
Tel: (416)978-7085
Fax: (416)946-3886
Email: chenj@geog.utoronto.ca
Website: http://www.geog.utoronto.ca/info/facweb/Chen/Chen%27s%
20homepage/home.htm
Time schedule:
Paper submission deadline: November 30, 2003
Notice of review results: January 31, 2004
Final decision for inclusion: February 28, 2004
Desirable publication date: August 2004
[ Part 5: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 13:38:06 -0400
From: Alan Lee <faunaforever@YAHOO.CO.UK>
Subject: Volunteers for Wildlife Research in Peru, Fauna Forever, New Phase
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FUNDRAISING VOLUNTEERS WANTED FOR WILDLIFE RESEARCH IN THE AMAZONIAN
JUNGLES OF PERU FOR PROJECT FAUNA FOREVER - A RESEARCH INITIATIVE OF THE
TAMBOPATA RESERVE SOCIETY (TReeS, UK Registered Charity No. 298054) THAT
AIMS TO DETERMINE THE EFFECT OF TOURISM ON MAMMALS, REPTILES, FROGS AND
BIRDS AT 5 LODGES IN THE TAMBOPATA AREA, ONE OF THE MOST BIODIVERSE REGIONS
OF THE PLANET.
Over the duration of the project, the Project Fauna Forever research team
will require assistants to contribute their time and energy towards a
challenging initiative that aims to improve the way man uses the rainforest
and its natural resources. No previous experience is needed, although an
interest in wildlife is essential.
The project is broken into 3-month phases:
7 February 2004 ^Ö 28 April 2004 (Herpetology Spaces only)
12 May 2004 ^Ö 1 August 2004 (Herpetology Spaces only)
15 August 2004 ^Ö 4 November 2004 (Bird and Herpetology spaces)
18 November 2004 - 7 February 2005 (NEW PHASE - Spaces available on all
teams)
Volunteer assistants will be required to undertake fundraising to
participate. We try and provide as much support for this as possible.
Contact us at faunaforever@yahoo.co.uk for more details or for more
information check out the website:
www.faunaforever.com
[ Part 6: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 18:12:45 -0400
From: David Inouye <inouye@umd.edu>
Subject: caterpillars on Smilax?
I am working with Smilax rotundifolia (Smilacaceae) - greenbrier,
catbrier - the commonest greenbrier in the northeastern U.S. This summer
I discovered a caterpillar defoliating many plants. Even after
consulting North American and European publications, I have not been
able to identify the caterpillar nor rear them to adulthood (they die in
captivity even when fed and watered). Their numbers are declining as
the summer ends. Largest instars are approximately 2 cm long and 4 mm
wide with lengthwise narrow black and white stripes; the head is black
and the underbelly is golden brown. They do not seem to move during the
day, rather they sit in mixed-age clusters on the stems and drop to the
ground (or onto my head) when disturbed. If anyone has detected this
insect or has suggestions for other resources please let me know. I
would like to find out if it is introduced.
Thank you,
Scott Ruhren
Scott Ruhren, Ph.D.
Department of Biological Sciences
Ranger Hall
University of Rhode Island
Kingston, Rhode Island 02881
Phone: 401-874-2626 FAX: 401-874-5974
ruhren@etal.uri.edu
[ Part 7: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sat, 4 Oct 2003 19:41:47 -0400
From: eann@JUNO.COM
Subject: New England fluvial geomorphology short courses
A series of fluvial geomorphology short courses is being offered in
Concord, NH and Augusta, ME this year. Space is still available for the
next course "Understanding River Response and Adjustment" that will be
held in Concord October 15-16 with an optional field trip October 17th
and in Augusta October 29-30 with optional field trip October 31st.
For more information, course descriptions, and access to an on-line
registration form, please go to
http://www.field-geology.com/short_courses.htm. Please call John Field
at 207-491-9541 or send e-mail to jfield@field-geology.com if you have
any additional questions.
John Field, Ph.D.
Field Geology Services
P.O. Box 985
Farmington, ME 04938
Telephone: 207-491-9541
E-mail: jfield@field-geology.com
Web: www.field-geology.com
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
E. Ann Poole, M.Sc., Ecologist & Environmental Planner
479 N State St, F-2, Concord, NH 03301
<eann@juno.com> 603.230.9870
~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~ ~*~
From LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU Sat Oct 11 10:44:22 2003
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 00:00:07 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news"
<ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 4 Oct 2003 to 5 Oct 2003 (#2003-246)
[ Part 1: "Included Message" ]
Date: Mon, 6 Oct 2003 00:00:07 -0400
From: Automatic digest processor <LISTSERV@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Reply-To: "Ecological Society of America: grants, jobs, news"
<ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
To: Recipients of ECOLOG-L digests <ECOLOG-L@LISTSERV.UMD.EDU>
Subject: ECOLOG-L Digest - 4 Oct 2003 to 5 Oct 2003 (#2003-246)
There are 3 messages totalling 84 lines in this issue.
Topics of the day:
1. How to teach Ecology?
2. Singing Insects of North America
3. Teaching Ecology
[ Part 2: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 03:21:07 -0300
From: VOLTOLINI <jcvoltol@UOL.COM.BR>
Subject: How to teach Ecology?
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Dear friends,
I would like to receive suggestions about books and articles on different ap
roaches to teach ecology. Is there any review about this subject ?
I would like to learn more about the theory around teaching ecology...
Does anyone can help me please?
Thanks...
Voltolini
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Prof. J. C. VOLTOLINI
Grupo de Estudos em Ecologia de Mamiferos (ECOMAM)
Universidade de Taubate, Departamento de Biologia
Praca Marcelino Monteiro 63, Bom Conselho.
Taubate, SP. CEP 12030-010. BRASIL.
Tel: 0XX12 - 2254165 (Lab. Zool.) ou 2254277 (Depto. Biol.)
E-Mail: jcvoltol@uol.com.br
http://www.ecomam.hpg.ig.com.br
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Tutto di noi č un angelo con un'ala e
possiamo volare soltanto se ci abbracciamo"
[ Part 3: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 16:08:29 -0400
From: David Inouye <inouye@umd.edu>
Subject: Singing Insects of North America
7. Singing Insects of North America [pdf, wav]
http://buzz.ifas.ufl.edu/
Even as a work in progress, this Web site should prove a tremendously useful
resource for anyone interested in crickets, katydids, and cicadas of North
America (minus Mexico). The site comes courtesy of entomologists Thomas
Walker of the University of Florida and Thomas Moore of the University of
Michigan, who have compiled an excellent collection of song samples and
species accounts (including distribution maps, identification keys, photos
and drawings, literature references, and so on). Professional research
aside, amateur bug lovers will also enjoy exploring this Web site; the audio
clips make it easy to identify backyard serenaders without having to collect
a specimen. [RS]
>From The NSDL Scout Report for the Life Sciences, Copyright Internet Sc
ut
Project 1994-2003. http://scout.wisc.edu/
[ Part 4: "Included Message" ]
Date: Sun, 5 Oct 2003 17:03:36 -0700
From: Marc Legault <legaultm2000@YAHOO.COM>
Subject: Teaching Ecology
Hello,
I don't know if this is the advice you are looking for or if it would be up
our alley to read but John Bellamy Foster's book Marx's Ecology is a terrifi
survey of materialist ecology. Probably a terrific starting point!
Marc Legault
Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada
---------------------------------
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˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙˙
Thanks to discussion with TVR, I have decided to put a link to back files of the discussion group. This months back files.
The link to complete archives is available elsewhere.
This text was originally an e-mail. It was converted using a program
RUPANTAR- a simple e-mail-to-html converter.
(c)Kolatkar Milind. kmilind@ces.iisc.ernet.in