Agonistic behavior of ground squirrels was studied for two years in north-eastern Utah at an elevation of 6,300 feet. The main objective was to determine what role agonistic behavior had in regulating density in a population. All individuals in an unconfined population were trapped I marked I and observed from towers. Detailed data on behavior and density were recorded. Though loss from a variety of factors occurred throughout the year I agonistic behavior had an important role in regulating the population at least twice during the year. In spring some squirrels I usually yearling males and late emerging yearling females, were unable to establish territories. Breeding density was thus limited. In summer an overproduction of young was greatly reduced through aggression in, and movement of, young squirrels. This appeared to be the more important to the population in terms of numbers lost. Agonistic behavior was influenced by density, visibility, movement, and intrusion of nonresidents on areas; by age, sex, and aggressiveness of squirrels; and by time of day and season--all probably warrant consideration in any study of agonistic behavior.

An ecological study on the Morgan Creek and the East Fork of the Salmon River, Idaho, Bighorn Sheep herds was conducted from July 1, 1966 to February 28, 1970. The Morgan Creek population numbered about 100 animals upon termination of the study. The trend of this population was downward. The East Fork population numbered about 50 animals and the trend appeared to be stable or slightly downward. Productivity of both herds was low. Lamb mortality was high and recruitment to the breeding herd low. Low recruitment rates coupled with hunting pressure caused a decl ine in the ram component of both herds. The lungworm-pneumonia complex and scabies mites localized in the ears were common disease-parasite problems for bighorns on the Morgan Creek and East Fork ranges. Poor nutrition was postulated as the reason for endemic disease and parasite problems. Cougars, coyotes, bobcats and eagles were evaluated as mortaility factors. Evidence did not indicate that any of these were a serious limiting factor. Accidents and poaching also were evaluated as mortal ity factors, but it was not possible to determine the extent to which they contributed to mortality. Food habits of bighorns and deer were studied on the Morgan Creek winter range. Bighorns were found to use 69 percent grasses, 27 percent browse and 4 percent forbs. The primary grass utilized was Agropyron spicatum 11 anditfie primary browse was Cercocarpus ledifollus. Considerable competition for forage existed between deer and bighorns. Competition did not occur between bighorns and elk or antelope. Domestic livestock use has converted most of the range in the vicinity of Challis to sagebrush, which is not quality bighorn habitat. Deer numbers have greatly increased because of the habitat change. Livestock now compete with bighorns for the limited amount of remaining grass and deer compete by decimating the mountain mahogany (C. ledifolius. Shortage of protein during the winter is a serious problem for bighorns. Winter range rehabilitation, consisting of sagebrush eradication and accompanied by reduction of deer and domestic livestock usage, is suggested to restore ranges for the benefit of bighorns. Transplanting of bighorns to suitable areas historically inhabited by bighorns is suggested to increase bighorn distribution in Idaho and to stabilize current statewide downward trends In bighorn numbers until winter range rehabilitation problems can be solved. Breeding occurred in November and December, and lambing in May and June. Twinning did not occur. Several trapping methods were evaluated and a total of 43 bighorns were trapped, Of these, 7 were transplanted, 7 were instrumented with radio transmitters, 23 were neckbanded and 6 accidently killed. Morgan Creek bighorn sheep migrated an average of 22.4 airline miles to summer ranges. The shortest migration was 19 miles and the longest 28.5 miles. East Fork bighorns were found to migrate about 17 airline mi les to summer range. Analysis of winter range indicated a canopy coverage of 34 percent for shrubs, forbs and grasses, 42 percent bare soll and erosion pavement and 24 percent natural rock. Forage production was low at 128 to 669 pounds/acre green weight, Big sagebrush contributed 40 percent of the herbage production. Usage on all sites was moderate to excessive. Erosion was very evident, and range condition trend estimated to be downward. Only about 805 percent of the 16,676 acres of winter range within the Morgan Creek study area was quality habitat avai lable to bighorns during most winters. Sagebrush, little used by bighorns, dominated 56 percent of the winter range. Grasses, indicative of quality bighorn habitat, dominated only 17 percent of the winter range. Idaho's statewide bighorn sheep populations have decreased approximately 50 percent since 1960. Ram components have decreased about 85 percent since 1960. Increased numbers of hunters have harvested fewer rams under the two-week open season 3/4-curl regulation and the point of diminishing returns has begun to operate. Depresslng the ram component below an undetermined level may interfere with reproduction. Therefore, a limited harvest by control led permit regulations and controlled distribution of hunters is recommended.

Social interactions and relationships in an unconfined population of Uinta ground squirrels were studied for two years following a 60% reduction in population size. Frequencies and patterns of interactions were evaluated in the context of the breeding cycle and compared to similar data collected before the population reduction. Males defended territories in early spring, within which they courted females. They were highly aggressive toward other males. After the first month of activity, male aggressiveness declined and they occupied individual home ranges for the remainder of the year. Females were tolerant of other squirrels until early in pregnancy, when they became intolerant and established territories of their own. All other squirrels were excluded. Yearling females emerged later than adults, were bred later, and became territorial later. Females maintained territories through gestation and lactation, until the young appeared above ground. Juveniles interacted chiefly with siblings for the first three weeks after emergence. Nuzzles and play bouts were the primary forms of interaction observed. As older juveniles gradually expanded their home ranges, they began to encounter other squirrels. Most such interactions were aggressive. Some juveniles disappeared, apparently due to dispersal. Males were more likely to disperse than females. Frequency of aggressive encounters in the population was affected more by the time of season than by population density per se. Still, there was generally a lower frequency of aggressive encounters under low density conditions. Not all age-sex groups were affected uniformly. Adult and yearling males were involved in encounters less frequently at low density. Late in the season, females of all ages and juvenile males were involved in encounters more frequently despite lower density. Frequency of sexual encounters per initiating male was higher at low density for the last two months of the year, due primarily to unusual yearling activity. At low density there was a fundamental change in the social role of yearling males in the population. Where at high density they were non-breeders and entirely subordinate, yearlings now competed for and courted females, and defended territories against other males. Late in the 1970 season, the exceptionally vigorous yearling male cohort harassed juveniles aggressively and sexually, causing increased dispersal of juvenile males and retarded sexual development of males returning in 1971 as yearlings. Activity of a single cohort at low density thus caused social stresses previously noted only at high density.

The small mammal communities of central Africa are not well understood, and the southwestern section of Gabon has not been previously surveyed except for some recent work in Monts Doudou. At five sites within the Gamba Complex we set out to 1) document the species of terrestrial rodents (Muridae) and shrews (Soricidae) weighing less than 100 g, 2) compare the community composition between inland and coastal sites, and 3) evaluate our sampling protocols. Using a combination of pitfall lines, Sherman live traps, and snap traps we captured 721 individuals of 12 rodent and 10 shrew species in 15,792 trap-nights. The rodent community was dominated by Hylomyscus stella and the shrew community by Sylvisorex johnstoni, in agreement with nearby studies. The coastal sites were less diverse with 3 rodent species and 1 shrew species only found at inland sites. The inland Rabi site had the most diverse small mammal community due to 2 species captured in secondary forests and fields near the oil facility. Our use of pitfalls was essential to our capture of shrews, and our protocol of switching from live to snap traps midway through the trapping period resulted in more species than expected. The ecological factors influencing distribution patterns of small mammals in central Africa is not well understood. We evaluated the role of disturbance at paired inland and coastal sites using landscape variables generated from satellite imagery. Regression analyses revealed that while the amount of forest present at a site was strongly correlated with rodent richness (F = 16.437; df = 1; p = 0.001), shrew richness was negatively correlated with the amount of roads (partial F = 12.232; df = 1; p = 0.007) and rainfall (partial F = 6.035; df = 1; p = 0.036) and positively with elevation (partial F = 6.832; df = 1; p = 0.028). Our results suggest that while disturbance at Rabi has created additional habitats for rodents, the loss of specialist rodents from coastal sites reflects their inability to tolerate the edge-affected, fragmented, and less diverse forests in that region.

The prairie deer region of South Dakota extends west from the Missouri River to the Black Hills. The region borders the states of Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota, and is approximately 40,000 square miles in extent. Biologists believe that present deer numbers on these prairies are similar to those of pre-homestead days. The present large numbers of deer in certain counties have given many prairie ranchers and farmers cause for concern. The region's first deer season (bucks only) in 1952 resulted from earlier increases in mule and whitetail herds. After a closed season in 1953, a hunter's choice of "any deer" for 9 days was in force in 1954, and nearly 5,000 deer were killed throughout the region. This type of hunt was changed to bucks only in 1955 for the same length season. The 3 recent harvests on the prairies increased South Dakota's big-game hunting area from about 3,500 square miles in the Black Hills to nearly 30,000 square miles. Some counties had no open season during the 3 previous harvests.

This thesis examines results of a survey conducted in the Southwestern United States focusing on attitudes towards invasive plants, public preferences for information sources and willingness to volunteer in invasive plant management. This research demonstrates that the public is interested in the problem and control of invasive plants. In a broad context there is agreement among respondents that invasive plants pose a threat to the environment and control efforts, including the use of herbicides, should be allowed to occur. Given the differences between general and specific attitudes towards invasive plants, it is suggested education and awareness programs be designed to fit specific rather than general attitudes. The interested public reflected in this research desires more information about invasive plant species and their control, and prefers to receive it through brochures and pamphlets. The study revealed a small subsection of the overall population that was capable and willing to assist in volunteer efforts existing in the Western United States. Recreation, farm and grassroots environmental organizations are recommended as being potential sources of volunteers and participants in invasive plant control.

The purpose of this study was to understand the similarities and differences in the early careers of women and men resource managers in Regions 4 and 6 of the U.S. Forest Service (FS). Since the early family socialization of boys and girls has been shown to differ, it was hypothesized that differences would also be found in the early career goals of men and women and in their ability to fit into an organization like the Forest Service, experience personal satisfaction, and become contributing, productive members. Although more similarities than differences were observed, women had slightly different definitions of two important career goals: service to an important cause and becoming a competent manager. Both men and women possessed similar career goals and were experiencing similar levels of early career success. Immediate supervisors on first permanent FS assignment had a much stronger influence on the early careers of the women in the study.

Like many ranchers in the West, ranchers in West-Central Colorado are reevaluating their management strategies in the face of forces like drought, rising land prices, and encroaching development. While ranchers seek answers on alternative management strategies, research and Extension personnel search for adequate means of diffusing needed information. Relative to many rural western communities, ranchers in West-Central Colorado show high interest in alternative range management ideas, and many implement changes to their ranch management based on these ideas. This can partially be attributed to a unique support system of Extension and agency personnel with effective, untraditional outreach and land-management approaches. A survey was mailed to all 647 persons on the mailing list for the CSU Tri-River Extension Office, including Forest Service and BLM permittees in Mesa, Delta Montrose, San Miguel, Ouray, Hinsdale, Saguache, and Gunnison counties. The survey was designed to gain insight on how ranchers perceive current Extension efforts, how they learn new management information from peers and Extension/agency personnel, and how they apply these new ideas to their operations. Subsequent qualitative interviews with respondents gathered information on the process of adapting and implementing range management innovations into individual operations. This paper presents the findings of the survey and interviews, and implications for future outreach efforts.

Wildlife management has been defined as lithe manipulation of wild populations of vertebrate animals in their relation to man and his interests" Wildlife management, then, could not exist in the absence ot either wildlife or humans. Converting this idea to the waterfowl situation, we can say that there are no waterfowl problems other than as they exist in the minds of men. (Wil1s, 1951) These words by the Chief of the IllinoIs Natural History Survey precede a plea for fundamental facts and a basic understanding of waterfowl upon which sound management can in turn be based. l"or only through sound management can the waterfowl problems created by and existing in the minds of men be solved. Furthermore, an analysis of the whole requires an understanding of its components. These ideas focus attention on the individual species of waterfowl and further narrow attention to specific problems and specific areas.

Range professionals are frequently involved in the arranagenent of range development projects, both dornesticalY and internationally. '!he success record of such projects has been uneven, particularly for projects in deveoloping nations. '!he objective of this study was to provide ~e specialists a better understanding of potential management obstacles and barriers to success. '!his is accomplished through an examination of the management of three AID-funded pastoral development proj ects in Africa: the Tanzanian Masai Livestock and Range Management Project, the Sanali Central Rangelarrls Development Project, and the ~tho Lard Conservation and Range Development Project. 'Ibe study examined the effects of two ilTIportant aspects of proj ect management, organizational structure and goal and strategy development, on project perfonnance. Firrlings indicated two major themes: project perfonnance is improved by actions that 1) increase flexibility and 2) result in appropriate strategies. Flexibility was increased by support from politically pcMerful institutions (e.g., pcMerful ministries, donors, etc.), ability to m:xlify internal stnlctures and external linkages to other organizations during implementation, ability to m:xlify strategy during implementation, devolution of operational decision-making to field levels, allowing field staff control over the resources needed to implement their activities, and participation in decision-making by pastoralists. Appropriate strategies are those having a high congruence with the interests of key actors (i. e., donors, national ministries, local administrators, pastoralists) , with pastoral household goals and extant production strategies, with the resources and capabilities locally available, and with inten1al structures and external linkages