There is no abstract available for this thesis. / Department of Anthropology

A stratified sampling method was used to study the effects of two prescribed fires on a 250-acre section at the northwest end of Fork Ridge, Hoosier National Forest, in the spring of 1993 and 1995. An unburned area at the southeast end of Fork Ridge, adjacent to the burned area, and with similar forest communities, was used as a control area. Three growing seasons after the last fire, the burned area exhibited noticeable differences in understory vegetation. Herbaceous species diversity and richness, total herb cover on mesic sites, and mean percent cover and relative frequency for mesic-site, shade-tolerant species were greater on the burned area than on the unburned area. Dry-site, shade-intolerant tree seedlings including scarlet oak (Quercus Coccina), chestnut oak (Quercus prinus), sassafras (Sassafras albi dum), and tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) had higher relative frequency in the burned area, while shade-tolerant flowering dogwood (Cornus Florida) had lower relative frequency. / Department of Biology

During autumn 1993, the U. S. Forest Service began implementing a program of prescribed surface fire in the Fork Ridge region of Hoosier National Forest. To determine the effects of the prescribed surface fire on ground- and shrub-nesting nearctic migrants, I conducted vegetation structure sampling, bird abundance surveys, and nest searches during the 1996 and 1997 breeding seasons. The prescribed surface fire drastically reduced understory vegetative cover from 0.0 to 2.5 m above ground and the density of live stems < 5.0 cm dbh. Herbaceous cover < 0.5 m tall in the burned site returned to levels similar to the unburned site within 2 years of the burn.Prescribed burning had little effect on overall avian species diversity, but altered the community composition. In 1996, there were 12 species present in the unburned site which were absent in the burned site and 9 species present in the burned site which were absent in the unburned site. In 1997, there were 9 species present in the unburned site which were absent in the burned site and 7 species present in the burned site which were absent in the unburned site. As a guild, ground- and shrub-nesting nearctic migrants and residents were less abundant in the burned site compared to the unburned site. Conversely, species such as Indigo Buntings (Passerina cyanea) and White-breasted Nuthatches (Sitter carolinensis) were more abundant in the burned site.Nests in the burned site had a 25% success rate, whereas nests in the unburned site had a 44% success rate. Nest parasitism did not differ between the burned site (1.2 cowbird eggs/nest) and unburned site (0.9 cowbird eggs/nest). Worm-eating Warblers (Helmitheros vermivorus) were the only ground- and shrunb-nesting nearctic migrant found in the burned site. Worm-eating Warbler nests in the burned site were characterized as having greater understory cover than surrounding burned areas. My results suggest that prescribed surface fires in Fork Ridge may be negatively impacting some ground- and shrub-nesting migrants by altering nesting habitat. / Department of Biology

This project is submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Masters Degree in Landscape Architecture at Ball State University. It involves the creation of a Concept Master Plan for a 16-acre parcel of privately owned land located in the northern Hoosier National Forest (the "Project Site"). The Project Site includes about eight acres of wooded hills and approximately eight acres of gently sloping cleared area, which had been previously farmed, two creeks and a one-acre pond.The Concept Plan presented in this paper attempts to achieve the clients' program, i.e., enhancing the aesthetics of the Project Site and enriching the environmental complexity of its ecosystem through an integrated set of interventions that have as their focus maintaining a clearing in the woods.The design process includes a historical and contextual analysis of the Project Site and the region; identifying strong points, opportunities for enhancement and problems to be solved. Various alternatives to address issues are evaluated; and specific projects are then integrated into the Concept Plan.The two key dualities of the Project Site from which all else flows are: (i) hills/valley and (ii) clearing/forest. Enhancing and articulating these two pairs of complementary elements are the core opportunities at the Project Site. All other problems and opportunities are subordinate to these two unifying elements. Among the key near-term problems to be solved are: (1) stabilizing the pond; (2) minimizing the presence of alien invasives and opportunistic native species; (3) introducing appropriate native plant species which encourage a more varied fauna; (4) enhancing the functionality and aesthetics of wetlands; (5) developing naturalistic vistas based on existing topography; and (6) providing for an enriched diverse environment that requires a minimum of ongoing maintenance and intervention.The Concept Plan is composed of two elements:1.Description of specific "capital" projects which were selected during the evaluation process described above; and2.Management/maintenance plan, which is programmatic in nature and deals with ongoing activities such as monitoring, managing the growth of alien invasives and opportunistic natives, replacement and augmenting planting, etc.Measures proposed in the Concept Plan will arrest succession at the savanna stage to maintain a continuous, layered forest edge. New native plant species will be introduced, generating a more diverse landscape than would otherwise exist. Man-made elements such as a shelter and bridge will meet the clients' functional needs and serve as focal points and aesthetic elements. / Department of Landscape Architecture

This creative project examined design and management alternatives for the Hardin Ridge Recreation Area located in the Hoosier National Forest. The design intent of the project was to develop Hardin Ridge into a wildland recreation facility which offered visitors a variety of experiential opportunity and choice, and provided experiences which could effectively accommodate a demographically diversified population. This project would also provide environmental educational opportunities and attempt to retain the integrity of the sites natural systems. An examination of the importance and benefits of outdoor recreation, National Forest Service recreational planning, outdoor recreation demographic diversity and outdoor recreation design issues was conducted in formulating the projects design criteria and theory. This design criteria and theory was then utilized to create the design concepts directly applicable to the Hardin Ridge project site and develop a design ideology applicable to most U.S. wilderness recreation areas. The final product of the study was a design and management plan which effectively addressed the design objectives at Hardin Ridge and created a design model capable of meeting similar design objectives at the national level. / Department of Landscape Architecture

<p>  </p> <p>Alterations to the historic fire regime have contributed to widespread regeneration failure in <em>Quercus</em> L. (oak) forests of the eastern United States. Composition has shifted from <em>Quercus</em> and other fire-adapted species to dominance by mesophytic species. While land managers often focus efforts on restoring <em>Quercus</em> regeneration, the herbaceous layer experiences reduced cover and diversity of herb and graminoid species resulting from the increased woody stem density in fire-suppressed forests. Declining abundance of <em>Quercus</em> species and diversity in the herbaceous layer reduce the overall habitat quality and ecosystem functions provided by the forest. A combination of overstory harvests and prescribed burning are often conducted to restore the plant community in <em>Quercus</em> forests affected by mesophication. Initiated in 2010, our study on the Hoosier National Forest in Indiana conducted shelterwood and midstory (mechanical, chemical, or none) harvests followed by prescribed burning on a less productive site, while leaving a more productive site unburned. Our objective was to evaluate the survival and competitive response of <em>Quercus</em> spp. within the regeneration layer and whether diversity and cover increased in the herbaceous layer following treatments. Using nested circular plots, we measured seedling survival and resprout response, in addition to regeneration density before and after treatments. We measured the percent cover of herbaceous-layer species within quadrats and calculated species richness, evenness, and diversity. Using multiple mixed-effects models, ANOVA, and NMDS ordination, we evaluated woody species regeneration and herbaceous-layer composition before and after treatments. Post-treatment, monitored <em>Quercus</em> spp. seedlings at the burned site displayed greater survival (> 94%) and resprouting (> 92% of monitored stems), which exceeded most competing species, including<em> Acer</em> spp. (~ 59% survival and resprouting) and <em>Fraxinus americana </em>(72% survival and resprouting). <em>Q. alba</em> seedling (< 3.8 cm DBH) densities doubled after burning; it was one of the most abundant species (9,864 stems ha-1) at the burned site. NMDS ordination indicated a clear shift in regeneration species composition with the burn driving a shift away from mesophytic species towards greater importance of <em>Quercus</em> species. Additionally, our burned site had significantly increased herbaceous-layer richness, Shannon diversity index, and total cover compared to pre-treatment. Percent cover increased across all plant functional groups within the herbaceous layer, with trees/shrubs exhibiting the greatest increase. Herbaceous-layer composition at the burned site significantly shifted toward greater importance of graminoids and herbs post-treatment. Post-treatment, the unburned site contained fewer, and less competitive, <em>Quercus</em> seedlings compared to non-<em>Quercus</em> competitors and displayed no significant compositional shifts in seedling species composition post-harvest. Our unburned site exhibited significant, but minor, increases in herbaceous-layer richness, evenness, diversity, and total cover. Herbaceous-layer composition at the unburned site was significantly different post-treatment, shifting towards greater importance of vines, trees/shrubs, and herbs. The more-productive unburned site would likely require multiple burns to produce adequate competitive <em>Quercus</em> seedlings to perpetuate dominance in the developing stand. Burning would also likely result in greater increases in herbaceous-layer diversity compared to harvesting alone. Conversely, the shelterwood, followed by a single burn, on the less productive site had a more substantial effect on the herbaceous layer, and likely produced an adequate density of <em>Quercus</em> reproduction to ensure future dominance by the genus.</p>

No description available.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / In 1964, Muncie Central High School got the “death penalty” at the hands of the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s (IHSAA) new commissioner, Phil N. Eskew, after post-game brawling at a boys basketball game led to a broader investigation of the entire program. In the closing moments of the game, a Muncie Central opponent was bloodied by an inbound pass to the face and fans erupted in violence, swarming the floor. The ensuing investigation revealed racial tensions, issues of sexual mores, political discord, and deep problems in the web of interrelationships that make up the phenomenon of Hoosier Hysteria. After a closed-door hearing and two days of deliberations, Eskew and the IHSAA Board of Control announced their decision, and the punishment prescribed made front page headlines across the state and beyond.