Point Pelee National Park in Ontario, Canada has been affected by a long history of human activity. This activity has encouraged the establishment of approximately 276 exotic invasive plant species. These plants decrease biodiversity and effective function of ecosystems within the Park. A 5 Year Exotic Plant Species Management Plan for the Park was written in 1990. Since that time inventories have been done on some of the species but a monitoring of all the high priority exotic invasive plants has not. As part of this study an inventory of the high priority exotic invasive plants and their spatial extent in the Park, was created. From May to September, 2011 a comprehensive inventory took place within a 5.5km stretch in the terrestrial area at the southern end of the Park. Systematic belt transects were performed, on foot, from west to east at 100 m intervals. Within the quadrats percent cover of each plant species was determined. The data collected in the field were compiled using geographic information systems (GIS), resulting in maps of the extent of the most abundant species studied. Analysis as part of this study included using the data to determine which plants and areas are higher priorities for management within the Park. Quadrats were analysed for diversity using the Simpson Index and, since the data was non-parametric, comparisons were made across diversity and native richness using the Kruskal Wallis test. Alliaria officinalis is the only non-native species that is widespread within the study area. Other non-native species with a high potential for invasiveness were observed but only consisted of a few individuals along roads and paths. Some non-native species were present along or near roads and paths in denser patches (17-100% plot coverage). Recommendations include removal of some non-native species deemed to be a potential threat to native richness and diversity, followed by re-vegetation with native species, and continued monitoring. Future restoration efforts are best directed at the area around DeLaurier, along west beach and at the Tip. These areas have the lowest diversity and native richness and therefore need the most improvement.

“It seems to me that Canadian sensibility has been profoundly disturbed, not so much by our famous problem of identity, important as that is, as by a series of paradoxes in what confronts that identity. It is less perplexed by the question ‘Who am I?’ than by some such riddle as ‘Where is here?’” - Northrop Frye Canada is the only country in the world that knows how to live without an identity. – Marshall McLuhan As Canadians we struggle with issues of identity. Our land is so vast that it can never be simply categorized and our culture is so diverse and rich that it can never be reduced to a single group or ancestry. In Ontario, the question of identity is equally complex. Larger than many counties, Ontario is made up of three distinct geographic regions, its edges defined by borders on five US states and two provinces, and it is home to one of the most culturally diverse populations in the world. Ontario holds 40% of Canada’s population and Toronto, it’s capital, is the largest city in the country. Sitting at the very centre of Toronto’s educational and ceremonial core is Queen’s Park, home of the Provincial Legislature the place from which Ontario is governed and the place which is tasked with embodying and representing all of Ontario. Composed of a 19th century building and a generous public landscape, Queen’s Park is easily recognizable at a distance, yet it suffers from a deficit of meaning and identity. The park may ‘work’ in the most basic sense but leaves much to be desired for one of the most prominent, and symbolically significant places in both the city and the province. Over the course of its 150 years of history, the park has seen the disappearance of Taddle creek, various alterations in the landscape, the accrued collection of monuments and memorials, the demolition and construction of several buildings and countless public gatherings. All of these manipulations, deletions, additions and events fail to suggest anything other than our society remains supplicant to greater powers, disconnected from its environment and unsure of its identity. Yet, in spite of all these issues, Queen’s Park is full of potential. The goal of this thesis is to test the capacity of architecture to give voice to a new vision for Ontario’s capital that more fully reflects the forces at work in society. Equally significant for this thesis has been my own parallel quest for meaning and identity as a woman in the 21st century who is both prospective architect and engaged citizen. I deeply felt a need to find architectural sources of inspiration founded on compassion, empathy and an engagement with the land. This desire for meaning has led me to discover the ancestral heritage of Ontario and to take ownership of my own roots. These two streams, one architectural and one personal are woven together to build a design approach for Queen’s Park. The thesis is organized in four parts, completing one cycle of design. Part 1: ‘Stories of Migration’ uses female voices extending back to the land’s geological formation in order to invent a mythology for Toronto and to engage with the voice of the other. Part 2: ‘Capitols of Identity’ uses case studies of civic architecture and public space in Ontario to explore the relationship between power, landscape and place in cities. Part 3: ‘Messages of Queen’s Park’ recovers the lost identity of this urban artifact by forging more meaningful connections to its physical and metaphorical context. And finally, Part 4: offers a concluding vision to the building and landscape which create memorable spaces for civic engagement and play for the people of Ontario.

Protected areas are considered to be the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation strategies and are valued sources of human well-being and ecosystem services. Yet they are not immune to the unprecedented impacts being felt worldwide. As an example, increased human activity, including development, transport of invasive species, and contributions to climate change, are transforming protected areas within the Laurentian Great Lakes into new and novel ecosystems. It is in this context of uncertainty that I explored the practice of managing for resilience. Canada’s first national marine conservation area, Fathom Five National Marine Park in Lake Huron, functioned as the study area. Besides profound and complex ecosystem change, Fathom Five is also experiencing governance challenges in the form of tangled responsibilities and issues of legitimacy. The resilience-based approach recommended elements that strengthened the capacity of the park to cope with and recover from disturbance and maintain its defining structures, functions, and feedbacks. This included a reduction of vulnerabilities (e.g., limit exposure to coastal fragmentation, manage disturbance regimes, and maintain functional and response diversity), an increase in adaptability (e.g., need to foster social learning, innovation, and improved governance structures), and an ability to navigate change (e.g., better express desired state, identify thresholds, and influence transformations), within established management practices. More specifically, methods to make spatial planning and monitoring more operational and resilience-based, were developed. For spatial planning, the decision-support tool Marxan with Zones was utilized and demonstrated how themes of representivity, replication, and connectivity could be applied in a resilience-based zoning context. For monitoring, a multivariate distance-based control chart method was developed to detect a decrease in resilience of the parks coastal wetland fish communities. Although an increase in variability was observed, a regime shift was not reported during the years investigated (2005-2012). In summary, the thesis provided an original contribution to science by examining the uncertainties and complexities facing a freshwater protected area and reframing practical conservation solutions through a resilience lens.

This practicum investigates the use of recreational vehicles and park model trailers within the east central Vancouver Island area with the objective of developing an understanding of their use as an alternative affordable housing option. As part of this research, and in order to provide a base reference point for a later analysis within the study, a review of literature on the topics of homelessness, evolution of the travel trailer, mobile home policy, living in an RV on the street, living in an RV park, and the emergency use of travel trailers was conducted. In addition, this research includes a review of Provincial regulations such as the BC Building Code, Residential Tenancy Policy Guideline how they relate to the use of RV and park model trailers. As well, this study includes a review and analysis of the zoning bylaw of various local governments on Vancouver Island with respect to the use and classification of RV and park model trailers. This practicum forms a case study of local government officials, campground operators and recreational vehicle dwellers on the use of RVs and park model trailers within the study area. [truncated]

Typescript. / Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Hawaii at Manoa, 1973. / Includes bibliographical references (p. 86-91). / viii, 91 leaves ill., map, tables ; 28 cm

No description available.

This thesis explores the importance of caravan parks as a provider of long term housing in rural areas. Previous research on caravan parks in the Australian housing system focused on the metropolitan and coastal regions, with little analysis given over to parks in rural areas. There is a similar dearth of research on rural housing in Australia. In previous housing studies rural housing has been discussed as a residual of that in the capital cities. In many instances, rural areas are absorbed into broader metropolitan/non-metropolitan constructs. This is despite the complexity and range of housing issues in rural places. This research has brought these two fields together, particularly to determine whether the problems in the rural housing market are a factor for people living in caravan parks. Previous studies on caravan parks have demonstrated that caravan park residents have socio-economic characteristics that would make it difficult for them to access housing. They have low incomes, a reliance on government benefits and higher mobility rates compared to the general population. Caravan park residents have a greater propensity to poverty. Thus for these residents, caravan parks offer housing that is affordable and accessible. In many instances it is housing of last resort, or housing used in times of crisis. Previous research into rural housing has found that rural areas have greater incidences of after housing poverty as a result of lower incomes. There are also problems of housing accessibility, particularly for specific groups, such as the aged, youth, and the disabled. Rural areas also are encountering the migration of 'urban refugees'. This group has high levels of need which creates a further strain on a market. The Shires of Chinchilla and Murilla in Queensland were selected as case studies because they they have a stable caravan park industry and they are rural without being remote. Interviews were undertaken with a variety of individuals representing a range of organisations. This included a large sample of long-term caravan park residents. The residents who participated in the research were, similarly to the general profile of park residents, disadvantaged. They also had low incomes with a reliance on government benefits. The majority of the residents had located to the case study region from the South-East of the State. It was also found that the majority of residents migrated to the area and immediately moved into a caravan park. Interestingly, there were no family households in the park, and very few young people. Also, caravan parks were not utilised as crisis accommodation. This is attributed to the discriminatory practices of the park operators as a form of 'risk management'. This research found that caravan parks play an important role in the housing system of rural areas. Specifically, they are not a residual form of the dominant tenures, but are a separate component of the housing market. Many residents did not consider the broader housing market, and immediately moved into the park. Residents did not explicitly consider their housing choice within the context of the broader market. While housing related issues did arise, the majority of residents individualised their experiences; that is, their housing experience is related to their own individual situation and not because of any problems in the market.

The conservation status of the widely-distributed whale shark Rhincodon typus is presently listed as 'Indeterminate - Data Deficient'. One of the main hindrances to obtaining biological data on whale sharks that is relevant to determining its 'conservation status' is that this species has rarely been recorded as occurring in sufficient numbers to obtain quantitative data. However, R. typus does form aggregations at Ningaloo Marine Park (NMP), Western Australia, annually between March and June. This has enabled studies to be made of aspects of the biology of R. typus and of the possible impacts of the ecotourism industry on this species. Using a position provided on vessels involved with the whale shark ecotourism industry at NMP, R. typus was observed on 360 separate occasions in 1995, 1996 and 1997, and it was possible to sex 90.3% of these sharks. The majority of the sexed sharks (84.6%) were male and ranged in length from 4 to 12 m, with a mean of 7.4 m, while the females ranged in length from 4.5 to 8.5 m, with a mean of 6.2 m. The size and degree of abrasion of the claspers was used as an indicator of whether or not a male shark had mated. Using such criteria, it was estimated that male whale sharks start to mature at ca 8 m and that ca 50% are mature by the time they reach 8.6m. Observations suggested that R. typus feeds by using both suction and flow-through mechanisms. The prey that were observed being ingested included coral spawn, tropical krill, mysids and small jellyfish. The contents of a faecal sample contained parts of the exoskeleton of copepods and the scales of small fishes. The degree of mouth distension, which is assumed to be related to feeding activity, was low during most observation periods. Photographs of the scars and natural patterning on the skin of individual sharks were used to construct a photographic library for subsequent identification of these sharks. The features used for identifying individual sharks were chosen because they were considered likely to remain for a protracted period. The Whale Shark Photo -identification Library that was produced provides details on the characteristic features of 52 R. typus that were present at NMP. Six individuals were recorded at NMP in both 1995 and 1996, four in both 1996 and 1997, and one in both 1995 and 1997. No identified whale sharks were recorded in all three years. Rhincodon typus was distributed widely throughout NMP, with most boat and aerial sightings lying within 1 - 2 Ism of the reef crest between Tantabiddi and Turquoise Bay. Rhincodon typus was typically sighted in water depths of 10 to 30 m. The sharks were predominantly travelling parallel to Ningaloo Reef, with significantly more moving in a northward than southward direction. Acoustic tracking of R. typus in 1997 suggested that this species remains within NMP for extended periods and is at the surface for ca 17% of daylight hours. The number and species of fauna observed to be associated with R. typus were recorded, and a new species of copepod, Pandarus sp. nov., which lives on the skin of R. typus has been described. Golden trevally (Gnathanodon speciosus), miscellaneous trevally (Carangid sp.), remora (Remora sp.) and slender suckerfish (Echeneis naucrates) were common. The prevalence of Pandarus sp. nov. was inversely proportional to the number of Remora sp. and E. mucrates in 1996, while the opposite was true in 1997, suggesting that Pandarus sp. nov. were preyed on by these diskfish. Rhincodon typus is the basis of the ecotourism industry that operates within NMP each year. While there was considerable variation in the number of tour vessels searching for whale sharks at NMP each year, the greatest mean number of vessels operating per week in successive whale shark seasons were 6.7 during Week 8 (April 19 - 25) of 1995, 6.1 during Week 7 (April 12 - 18) of 1996 and 6.9 during Week 8 (April 19 - 25) of 1997. The greatest mean numbers of whale sharks sighted per week in each year were 5.1 during Week 14 (May 31 - June 6) of 1995,4.2 during Week 6 (April 5 - 11) of 1996 and 4.1 during Week 8 (April 19 - 25) of 1997. Tourists, who were permitted to swim alongside R. tyus, interacted with sharks for a mean period of 19.3 rnin in 1995, 14.2 min in 1996 and 9.5 rnin in 1997. The reduction in the duration of interaction in three successive years suggests that, over time, R. typus may have become slightly less tolerant of the ecotourism industry at NMP. The mean minimum distance between vessel and shark during each interaction was 20.7 m in 1995, 21.3 m in 1996 and 31.0 m in 1997. The mean minimum distance between tourist and shark during each interaction was 1.5 m in 1995, 2.05 m in 1996, and 2.1 m in 1997. The mean minimum distance of vessel and tourist from R. typus during each individual interaction decreased as the duration of the interaction increased. Therefore, both R. typus and this industry must be carefully monitored to ensure that the impacts of humans are kept to a minimum and thereby ensure that whale sharks return to NMP each year. An ethology of whale shark behaviours, which included banking, porpoising, diving and eye-rolling, was produced in an attempt to determine whether there is evidence that the ecotourism industry has a negative impact on R. opus at NMP. The frequency of behavioural change was greatest in the first 0 - 5 min of an observation. Eye-rolling by R. typus was recorded as a reaction to flash-photography, while banking was often recorded when SCUBA was used and/or tourists swam beneath the head of the shark. The swimming speed of R. typus at NMP was rarely too fast for tourists to maintain proximity to the sharks. Several sharks possessed both recent and healed scars, which were probably inflicted by vessel contact. The recent wounds indicate that vessels had caused injuries to R. typus within NMP. These individuals tended to display a higher frequency of avoidance behaviours and reduced interaction times. Recommendations are provided to the Western Australian Department of Conservation and Land Management which are aimed at reducing the potential deleterious effects of the ecotourism industry on the whale sharks at NMP.

Thesis (M.F.A.)--Rochester Institute of Technology, 1989. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 23).

Thesis (M.S. - Hydrology and Water Resources)--University of Arizona. / Includes bibliographical references.