no abstract provided by author / Master of Science

The objectives were (1) to survey the helminthfauna of the beaver, <i>Castor canadensis</i>, collected in western Maryland, particularly Garrett County, (2) to relate the helminth infections to sex, age, weight, and general condition of the beaver, and (3) to record any evidence of gross pathology involving helminths. A sample of 63 beaver, 31 males and 32 females, was obtained from Garrett, Alleghany, and Washington Counties in Maryland through fur sealing stations and the University of Maryland Natural Resources Institute at LaVale. Five helminths were found. <i>Travassosius americanus</i> infected 98,4%; <i>Castorstrongylus castoris</i>, 96.8%; <i>Stichorchis subtriquetrus</i>, 50.8%; <i>Trichostrongylus</i> sp., 36.5%; and <i>Gongylonema</i> sp., 11.1%. The unknown <i>Trichostrongylus</i> species is probably a new host record, while the <i>Gongylonema</i> sp. confirms a tentative description by another researcher in 1916 who speculated on the description of another researcher from an 1896 report. The 63 beaver surveyed were infected with at least one helminth, with a mean number of worms per infection of 220.49 (±67.52). Infections ranged between 8 and 837 helminths. The combined number of helminths per infection decreased with age; the sex had little effect, except for <i>S. subtriquetrus</i> where the rate was slightly greater in females (59%) than in males (42%). The 1½ to 3 year old beaver appear to have higher mean numbers of worms per infection with <i>T. americanus</i> and <i>C. castoris</i> than do younger or older hosts. <i>Gongylonema</i> sp. Was more prevalent in older beaver where they had a greater mean number of worms. The males and females of the helminth occurred in the esophagus of the beaver embedded parallel to each other in zipper-like burrows which caused severe irritation of the mucosal lining. <i>Gonglyonema</i> sp. Appeared to be the only helminth which had obvious pathology connected with its presence in beaver. / M.S.

Thesis (M.S.)--Humboldt State University, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 25-27). Also available via Humboldt Digital Scholar.

This study investigated the relationship between flood duration of beaver ponds in eastern Ontario and their productivity for waterfowl. The primary objective was to assess the effect of removing water from a beaver pond for one year had on the subsequent productivity of the wetland. Productivity was estimated by sampling water chemistry, standing crops of aquatic invertebrates, vertebrates, algae and vegetation composition and distribution in naturally occurring and managed beaver ponds of varying ages during 1994 and 1995. Three ponds in each of the following categories were sampled; managed ponds reflooded in 1993, managed ponds reflooded in 1991, naturally occurring beaver ponds reflooded in 1992-93, and naturally occurring old flood ponds ($>$5 years old). / Results from this study indicate that beaver pond productivity is negatively affected by flooding duration. Removal of a portion of the beaver dam on old flood ponds may be an effective means of rejuvenating the wetland. Positive effects on the productivity of the wetland should be realized for several years after reflood. Variability in results indicates that other environmental variables were also affecting the overall productivity of beaver ponds. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)

Thesis (M.A.)--University of Montana, 2008. / Title from title screen. Description based on contents viewed Aug. 7, 2008. Includes bibliographical references (p. 110-123).

The term “delta area” refers to a region roughly 40 miles long and 15 miles wide situated 65 miles east of San Francisco Bay where the San Joaquin and Sacramento Rivers join and enter Suisun Bay. The waterways in this area are fresh water from these rivers, but they are affected by the ocean tides and to some extent by the salinity of the ocean water. The rgeion ecompasses about 507,000 acres, most of which has been reclaimed for agricultural purposes by the construction of levees to contain the tides and high waters. The word “islands” is used locally to designate this area. The part played by beavers in the exploration and colonization of this nation was a very important one. The fur trappers in their quest for new areas in which to trap, vigorously explored unknown regions. Knowledge concerning the geography of the new land was passed on the colonists who were eagerly seeking new and suitable sites for home and farms. Thus did the beaver and other fur-bearing animals indirectly speed the development of the nation.

No description available.

Three sets of linear regression models relating vegetation and hydrographic variables to observed beaver colony densities were developed for 3 study areas in Quebec where the effects of trapping on beaver densities were considered negligible. The first two study areas were located in mature northern hardwood forest. This research focused principally on the first study area, Papineau-Labelle Wildlife Reserve, where beaver colony density and habitat variables were studied at a 1:20,000 scale on 20 4-sq-km sample plots. Over 700 habitat variables were collected and generated from forest inventory maps, a computerized forest stand database, and base maps using a digitizer, microcomputer, mainframe and SAS programs. From the set of 32 models presented, the model explaining the most variation (95%) showed that beaver colony densities increased with density of stream length between 2% and 6% gradient and amount of wetland broadleaf cover forest area and decreased with forest stand area between 60 and 100 years of age. A set of decision rules was developed to help managers select the best model for determining beaver colony density according to availability, effort needed to measure and generalizability of the habitat information, and according to desired precision of the estimation. The model explaining the most variation (62%) in beaver colony numbers with the least measurement effort used total stream length measured from maps with the line intercept method. In the second study area, Gatineau Park, hydrographic and shoreline vegetation variables in 63 4-sq-km quadrats were examined. The model explaining the most variation (35%) in beaver colony numbers showed that beaver colony densities increased with density of stream length in the 1 % to 10% gradient class. The third study area was located in the boreal forest of the St. Lawrence North Shore area and included 49 trapping units in which the effects of trapping on colony densities was considered negligible. Beaver density on the traplines was related to % cover as portrayed on 1: 50,000 scale MER summary forest inventory maps. Of the set of 4 models retained, the model explaining the most variation (61 %) in beaver colony numbers showed that beaver colony densities increased with the area of young broadleaf cover and the burnt area. In the 2 mature northern hardwood study areas, hydrographic characteristics seemed to explain beaver colony density variations, whereas in the boreal forest where clearcutting and fires disturbed the forest, a significant portion of beaver colony density variation seemed to be explained by food abundance differences. The sets of models in Papineau-Labelle and the St. Lawrence North Shore are considered of potential use to furbearer managers in Quebec because they provide a relatively low cost means to determine potential beaver colony densities. / Master of Science

No description available.

This thesis examines the various futures presented by the original children's theatre of the Federal Theatre Project. Combining original archival research and play analysis, I investigate four plays from the Federal Theatre's canon: The Emperor's New Clothes (1935) and A Letter to Santa Claus (1938) by Charlotte Chorpenning, Revolt of the Beavers (1937) by Oscar Saul and Lou Lantz, and Pinocchio (1938-9) by Yasha Frank. I posit that the futures presented by the four plays allowed the spectators to envision a new American future beyond the Great Depression: of prosperity, of class equality, of individual agency. These futures were in conversation with the larger unspoken political goal of the Project - to produce theatre relevant to its time and place, and thus to its audiences' time and place. By analyzing the plays and their reception by young, adult, and critical audiences, my thesis reveals a a critical genealogy, one that can be traced through conservative arts criticism in the 1930s through present-day attacks on national arts such as PBS and the NEA / text