Publications

A synoptic inventory of physical and chemical properties and plankton assemblages of 27 mountain lakes was conducted at Mount Rainier National Park in 1988. From 1990–1993, die opportunity was presented to resurvey six of these lakes to determine inter-annual change within die set of characteristics surveyed in 1988. If changes were evident, a second objective was to provide guidance to...

Connectivity of discrete habitat patches may be described in terms of the movements of individual organisms among such patches. To examine connectivity of widely dispersed alkali lake systems, we recorded post-breeding and subsequent breeding locations of color-banded American Avocets (Recurvirostra americana) in the western U.S. Great Basin, from 1995-1997. Among individuals observed...

Butyltin compounds, including mono-, di-, and tributyltin (MBT, DBT, and TBT) were measured in livers of 40 adult river otters (Lutra canadensis) collected from rivers and coastal bays in Washington and Oregon, USA. Butyltins were found in all the river otters, at a concentration range of 8.5–2,610 ng/g, WW. The greatest concentration of total butyltins of 2,610 ng/g, WW, was found in a...

Tree-ring chronologies for mountain hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) were used to reconstruct the water level of Crater Lake, a high-elevation lake in the southern Cascade Range of Oregon. Reconstructions indicate that lake level since the late 1980s has been lower than at any point in the last 300 years except the early 1930s to mid 1940s. Lake level was consistently higher during the Little...

We investigated chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants in aquatic mustelid species on the Fraser and Columbia Rivers of northwestern North America. Carcasses of river otter (Lutra canadensis) (N=24) and mink (Mustela vison) (N=34) were obtained from commercial trappers during the winters of 1990–91 and 1991–92. Pooled liver samples were analyzed for organochlorine pesticides...

Tailed frogs (Ascaphus truei) occur in permanent, cold streams in northwestern North America. Their tadpoles reportedly undergo metamorphosis after 2-4 years. Coastal populations that we examined transformed in 2 yr from the Olympic peninsula in Washington to northern Oregon, but in 1 yr from central Oregon to northern California. One inland site in northern California had a 2-yr period...

We studied pairing success in male rock ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus) in northern Alaska to learn whether males obtaining more females possessed phenotypic traits that influenced female choice directly, whether these traits permitted males to obtain territories favored by females, or whether both processes occurred. The number of females per male varied from zero to three. Several male and...

The 13 chapters in this book were selected from the 75 research papers presented at the Fourth Biennial Conference of Research on the Colorado Plateau. The theme of this meeting centered around research, inventory, and monitoring on lands over the Colorado Plateau, with a focus on the newly created BLM Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. The conference, held on 15-18 September...

Many applied and theoretical investigations require information on how productivity varies in time and space (Temple and Wiens 1989. DeSante 1995). Examples include studies of habitat quality, population trends, life-history tactics, and metapopulation dynamics. From a demographic perspective, productivity is the number of young counted at a given time of year, produced per adult (e.g...

In July 1981, 5 adult rhinoceros auklets (Cerorhinca monocerata) were captured on the ground near nesting areas on each of Protection and Destruction Islands, Washington. The birds were euthanized, and their livers and kidneys removed and analyzed. Levels (I?g / g wet weight) of DDE (0.11 to 0.95), polychlorinated biphenyls (no residue detected [ND] to 1.1), mercury (0.60 to 1.8), and...

Powerlines benefit raptors by providing enhanced nesting and roosting sites. However, they also can kill raptors by electrocution and raptors can interfere with power transmission. The electrocution problem has been reduced by correcting existing lethal lines and implementing electrocution safe designs for new lines. Remedial actions include pole modifications, perch management and...

), northern harriers (Circus cyaneus), burrowing owls (Athene cunicularia), and short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) inside and outside a military training site in the Snake River Birds of Prey National Conservation Area, southwestern Idaho. The Orchard Training Area is used primarily for armored vehicle training and artillery firing by the Idaho Army National Guard. Relative abundance of...