Browsing by Author "Nowlin, Michelle"

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Open Access
An Evaluation of Natural Heritage Programs
(2021-04-30) Rose, Victoria
NatureServe, a nonprofit that seeks to provide access to high quality biodiversity data, works with a network of natural heritage programs across the United States, Canada, Latin America, and South America to collect data about rare and at-risk species. In 2020, NatureServe conducted a survey of the natural heritage programs it works with in the United States and Canada. NatureServe’s goal was to assess the status of the natural heritage programs it works with by better understanding how these programs operate and identifying ways to improve struggling natural heritage programs. This report analyzes the responses to the 2020 survey. The introduction section of this report provides an overview of NatureServe, natural heritage programs, and past studies of natural heritage programs. NatureServe is a non-profit that seeks “to provide the scientific basis for effective conservation action” through a public-private partnership with a network of natural heritage programs. The natural heritage programs that NatureServe works with are government organizations located across the United States, Canada, Latin America, and South America that were created to “gather, organize, and distribute” high quality data about the biodiversity in the jurisdictions in which they are located. Natural heritage programs can vary greatly in size, budget, staff, and program priorities. In 2016, NatureServe conducted a survey similar to the one conducted for this report and produced a series of descriptive statistics to analyze the results. The methods section of this report provides information on the 2020 survey, describes the analyses of the survey responses, and critiques the structure of the 2020 survey. NatureServe distributed the survey to natural heritage programs in the United States and Canada and received 64 responses. The survey asked questions about budgets, staff, data collection, and challenges faced by natural heritage programs. I created a linear regression model with the size of a natural heritage program’s element occurrence data backlog as the dependent variable and a natural heritage program’s estimated funding, average yearly data requests, number of programmatic positions filled, and number of programmatic positions that need to be filled. Descriptive statistics were conducted on the survey responses. The survey could be improved by refining the purpose of the survey, using more precise language in the questions, and refining the answer choices to closed ended questions. The results section of this report describes the results of the analyses conducted on the responses to the 2020 survey. The linear regression model was unable to explain the variation in the size of a natural heritage program’s data backlog in a statistically significant way. This section of the report also provides tables of descriptive statistics of the survey results grouped into categories of challenges, funding, stakeholders, staffing, data and tools, land management, guiding statute, collaborating with other programs, and COVID-19. The discussion section of this report discusses the results of the linear regression model and provides recommendations on actions that NatureServe can take to improve the natural heritage program network based on the descriptive statistics. There was no statistically significant relationship between the size of a program’s element occurrence data backlog and the independent variables. This could be due to the high variability between natural heritage programs that defies accurate predictions by quantitative models. Alternatively, the size of the backlog could be explained by variables not included in the model and not captured in the survey. Natural heritage programs consistently identify funding and staffing as challenges that they face. The average budget for a natural heritage program did not change significantly between the 2016 and 2020 survey. To address the funding challenges faced by natural heritage programs, NatureServe could consider encouraging programs to ask for more government funding, apply for more grants, and consider ways to increase funding from the private sector. Additionally, the staffing needs of natural heritage programs did not change significantly between the 2016 and 2020 survey. NatureServe could address the staffing needs faced by natural heritage programs by encouraging natural heritage programs to implement intern and extern programs and connect with university career services centers to increase recruitment of new staff. The report offers the following conclusion. A successful natural heritage program is one that can remain flexible and responsive to the challenges that it will face in the coming years. NatureServe can support the natural heritage programs in its networks by helping them to address their funding and staffing challenges. Regular and continued monitoring of the status of natural heritage programs would be helpful moving forward in order to identify new challenges and to determine if the responses to past challenges have been effective.
Open Access
An Exploratory Analysis of California and North Carolina Stakeholders' Perceptions of Honey Bee Decline
(2015-04-24) Schrall, Corrine
Honey bees contribute over $15 billion to crop production value every year in the United States, pollinating one-third of the American diet. However, over the last thirty years, honey bee colonies in the U.S. have faced several significant threats to their health, resulting in an average annual hive loss of 33% over the last ten years. This study explores 31 California and North Carolina stakeholders’ opinions on honey bee health through one-hour, individual interviews in order to assess the perceived challenges and potential solutions to honey bee decline. Across stakeholder groups, more than half of the participants identified pathogens and pests, forage and nutrition, and pesticides as primary concerns, and all interviewees offered meaningful ideas to address this pressing issue.
Open Access
Constitutional Conservation in California: Evaluation of Environmental Rights in Law and Governance
(2023-04-28) Carter, Michelle Elizabeth
The United States legal system has played a crucial role in modern environmental protection. However, environmental laws are difficult to enforce, reactive, and do not adequately protect ecosystems and human health. New legal movements like Rights of Nature and Green Amendments seek to close these gaps by granting legal rights to either ecosystems or human communities to defend their natural environments. Through a comparative legal analysis, this project concludes that the most effective policy option is to grant humans the right to a clean and healthy environment. This approach offers numerous advantages, including compatibility with existing state laws, established precedent in other states, and anticipatory and preventative language. To put this policy into action at the state level, the project includes a stakeholder analysis and assessment of California's legal landscape. Findings suggest that such an amendment is likely to pass through California's state legislature.
Open Access
Perceptions of Campus Farm Missions at Liberal Arts Institutions: An Exploratory Case Study of the Ivy Plus Sustainability Working Group and Duke Endowment Schools
(2016-04-29) Pineault, Madelyn; Vining, Erin
Traditionally associated with land-grant institutions as a means for technical farming instruction and experience, campus farms have expanded into the liberal arts space where farming and food systems may not be a primary component of an institution’s mission or history. In these contexts, the motivations for establishing a campus farm and the missions that they follow are diverse and less evident. In an effort to provide the Duke Campus Farm and broader liberal arts community with insights into how campus farm missions are stated and realized at peer institutions, we conducted a multi-case, exploratory study of campus farms at institutions in the Ivy Plus Sustainability Working Group and The Duke Endowment. The goal of our study is to determine how students and staff view the missions and goals of the campus farm at their institution and how these perceptions align with the official mission and goals of the farm. Interviews with campus farm staff and student survey responses from the schools of interest revealed mission themes of education, community, and production. Official missions aligned with staff and student perceptions in most cases and were strongly focused on education. Dissimilarities between official missions and staff and student perceptions revealed challenges to meeting the mission as well as impacts realized beyond the official mission. Further analysis identified trends in staff and student responses showing that campus farm staff members seek to better integrate farm activities with university academics as well as integrate with the broader farming community. Campus farms also attract students from diverse program areas and students are gaining education in agriculture and food systems despite diverse motivations for farm engagement beyond education. In contrast to land-grant institutions, community building and engagement were common themes in campus farm missions and student motivations for involvement. We provided recommendations to our client, the Duke Campus Farm, and to other campus farms in the liberal arts community to help them better fulfill their missions and gain insights from other campus farms.
Open Access
Policy Analysis and Adaptive Management Guidance for Addressing Invasive Wild Boar in the State of São Paulo
(2017-04-27) Chen, David
The introduction of invasive wild boar (sus scrofa) in the 1990’s has caused significant harm to the native ecology, economy, and society of Brazil’s wealthiest and most populated state, São Paulo. This report draws upon the experiences and management approaches taken at the state and federal level in the United States to provide the Secretariat of the Environment of São Paulo: (1) a review of policies and methods utilized at the state and federal-level in the United States for managing wild boar, (2) a policy analysis of three state-wide wild boar management policy alternatives revolving around public participation in wild boar management, and (3) final recommendations for a state-wide policy approach for wild boar management with an adaptive management framework, including a maximum entropy model for suitable wild boar habitat in the state of São Paulo. This report ultimately recommends that the Secretariat of the Environment of São Paulo (SMA) adopt policy alternative 4, Government Implemented Wild Boar Control, and create a state-wide wild boar management plan implemented by state and local wildlife agencies with minimal private wild boar management efforts. This report recommends limiting public participation in boar removal to control on private land and strictly prohibiting public participation on all State and Federal Conservation Units within São Paulo. The SMA’s Wildlife Department should implement an adaptive management plan that maximizes removal effectiveness by (1) utilizing modern removal methods in an effective sequence and (2) prioritizing removal efforts to protect critical natural resources in areas susceptible to wild boar damage and invasion before resilient populations can be established.
Open Access
Pursuing Pig-Poop Power A situation assessment of Duke University’s proposal to power a CHP plant using renewable biogas
(2018-04-27) Hannon, Brendan
Swine waste in North Carolina is a wicked problem that impacts human health, water quality, soil health and the global climate. Smithfield Foods, the largest hog producer in North Carolina (and the world) recently announced their intention to capture methane from their hog farms that could be used as a renewable biogas. This comes at a time when Duke University is searching for energy sources that will help it achieve its carbon neutrality goals. This report provides a situation assessment of the plan for Duke University to power a proposed Combined Heat and Power plant using renewable biogas from eastern North Carolina. The analysis considers the nascent biogas market as a part of the Food-Water-Energy nexus to identify necessary research to ensure such a market would be truly sustainable. The report concludes with a proposal that might address issues of nutrient cycling and environmental justice caused by the current system of CAFO hog production in North Carolina in addition to GHG emissions.