Browsing by Subject "wildlife management"
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Item The Use of Remote Cameras to Monitor Traffic Activity(2013-12-09) Padilla Paniagua, Manuel AntonioRemote Infrared-triggered cameras are commonly used in wildlife management research. Cameras are used for population estimates, identification, and behavioral observations. Road systems are an important factor in wildlife management research and are monitored using a variety of methods. The purpose of this study was to use infrared-triggered cameras as a novel, cost efficient tool to measure traffic activity for use in wildlife management. I conducted a pilot study in order to determine which traffic monitoring system would be the most accurate and cost effective. This pilot study was conducted on a heavily trafficked road comparing Cuddeback and Reconyx cameras to pneumatic road counters and manual observation. I used the Cuddeback Attack? digital infrared-triggered cameras in a field study at Camp Bullis, San Antonio on three different road types (Paved, gravel, and trail). Eighteen cameras collected a total of 58,658 vehicle observations over the course of 12 months. I determined that vehicle observations made by month and hour were dependent on each of the road types by Pearson?s Chi-squared test (P < 0.0001) with paved roads having the highest observations. Traffic activity was highest during temperate months (March/October) and hours (900-1000). The results can be used at Camp Bullis to determine when and where to best conduct population estimates on their white-tailed deer population as paved roads may bias the estimate. Overall, vehicle monitoring by camera may provide researchers with a baseline on how traffic may or may not affect convenience sampling bias on wildlife migration, distribution, or nesting habits.Item Understanding Participation in Wildlife Conservation Programs on Private Lands(2010-01-14) Sorice, Michael G.One major lesson derived from the implementation of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) over the past 30 years is that direct regulation is not the only nor the optimal way to protect endangered species on working lands because of an undue burden imposed on private landowners. The role of a voluntary conservation program is to rearrange incentives so that society bears the cost rather than the landowner. Employing a survey research methodology, I used theories of reasoned action and random choice to explore landowners? stated preferences for conservation programs. I found landowners? stated interest in compensation programs to be moderate at best. For those willing to consider programs involving endangered species, associating land management requirements for species conservation with direct benefits to the landowner is important, but perhaps not as important as ensuring that the program provides adequate financial incentives, consideration of the term of the program, and a level of certainty regarding the landowner?s future obligations under the ESA. Landowners are not a homogenous group. I identified two classes of landowners according to preferences for program structure. One group was highly sensitive to program structure, aside from financial incentives, while the other was likely to participate if adequately compensated with financial and technical assistance. These differences related to opinions on endangered species protection and dependence on their land for income. Voluntary incentive programs increasingly are a popular tool to maintain and enhance conservation; however, these programs are only successful insofar as landowners choose to enroll. This research demonstrates that improving recovery efforts on private lands requires program administrators to have a more complete understanding of landowners? views on endangered species and conservation programs in general, as well as their motivations for owning and operating their land. By doing so, programs with broader appeal and greater efficacy can be designed and implemented.Item Wildlife and water: collective action and social capital of selected landowner associations in Texas(Texas A&M University, 2007-04-25) Wagner, Matthew WayneIn Texas, landowner associations for the management of common-pool resources such as wildlife and groundwater have become increasingly popular. Successful management of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) depends upon the collective decision-making of landowners. Likewise, aquifer reserves are a trans-boundary resource subject to the "rule of capture." Numerous factors may affect the success of common-pool associations, including property ownership and habitat characteristics, landowner demographics, and social capital. I used a mail questionnaire to explore the relationship between these factors and their effect on association activities and management practices for eight Wildlife Management Associations (WMAs) occurring within the Lower Post Oak Savannah (LPOS) and the Central Post Oak Savannah (CPOS). In addition, I compared responses of members of WMAs in CPOS to members of the Brazos Valley Water Alliance (BVWA), a groundwater association situated in the region. Compared to CPOS, members of WMAs within the LPOS belonged to much larger groups, were generally more recent landowners that met more often, raised more money using more funding methods, and tended to have longer association membership than CPOS landowners, yet they had lower social capital. CPOS landowners owned significantly more land and considered relaxation/leisure and hunting more important land uses than LPOS landowners. The smaller group size in CPOS may be the most important factor in building social capital. Intra-association trust was positively influenced by the longevity of property ownership, the number of association meetings, the percentage of males in the association, and other factors. Negative influences on trust included absentee ownership and Habitat Cover Index, which was a measure of the amount of wooded habitat present. In CPOS, members of the BVWA were part of a much larger, more heterogeneous, and more recently formed group than members of WMAs. They also placed greater importance on utilitarian aspects of their properties, as opposed to land stewardship for conservation as practiced by members of WMAs. If associations are kept small ( < 50) with more frequent meetings, greater social capital and information sharing may be achieved, which may lead to increased land stewardship practices. However, landowners may be motivated more by their shared values independent of any benefit from their association.