This dissertation is a fragment of a larger -project that explores the works of five major oral mythtellers from Haida Gwaii, whose myths were transcribed in 1900 and 1901 by John Swanton: Haayas of the Hliiyalang Qiighawaay (Isaac Haias), Kingagwaaw of the Ghaw Sttlan Llanagaay (Walter Kingagwo), Gumsiiwa of the Xhiida Xhaaydaghaay (Job Moody), Ghandl of the Qayahl Llaanas (Walter McGregor) and Skaay of the Qquuna Qiighawaay (John Sky). While this larger frame constitutes the overall context, the thesis itself focuses on several myths that in their turn form only a small part of a larger whole, a part that is representative and unique at the same time: Skaay's Qquuna Cycle. The focus of the dissertation thus mirrors the structure of Skaay's work, which consists - to use one of Skaay's central images - of a series of boxes within boxes. The method of investigation is polyphonic, that is, a variety of different voices and discourses - including academic monologues, fictional dialogues, narratives, poems, autobiographical accounts, and various quotations - combine in order to do justice not only to the complexity of the myths but also to their inherent openness that allows a myriad of different readings, each of which depends on the concrete situation in which the myth is read or told (including social, historical and political conditions), the cultural background of the listener / reader and his or her familiarity with Haida culture, the individuality and predispositions of the listener/reader, and much more. What is in the innermost box of the myths, the dissertation concludes, will be something different for each listener/reader. Since the most important voice in the polyphonic choir is that of the mythteller, Skaay in this case, the analyzed myths are quoted in full length in Haida. Most of them are accompanied, for copyright reasons, not by Robert Bringhurst's poetic translations (which are easily accessible in Skaay's Being in Being) but by a modified version of Swanton's translations from 1905.

Typescript. Includes vita and abstract. Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (leaves 62-64). / During the nonbreeding season I observed the degree of site faithfulness of individual Sanderlings, Calidris alba, on the Pacific coast of southcentral Oregon, and the linear home range size was estimated. Home range size of Oregon birds and range sizes of individuals wintering in coastal areas of California and Peru were compared to determine if annual migration distance from the high arctic breeding ground is positively correlated with home range size. Oregon sanderlings on average remained within a minimum range of 17 kID during the nonbreeding season from October thrcugh April, although spring data are sparse. The Oregon home range is significantly larger than that of birds in Bodega Bay, California, and similar to that of birds in Peru. Therefore home range size is not correlated with distance from the breeding ground.

This dissertation is a fragment of a larger -project that explores the works of five major oral mythtellers from Haida Gwaii, whose myths were transcribed in 1900 and 1901 by John Swanton: Haayas of the Hliiyalang Qiighawaay (Isaac Haias), Kingagwaaw of the Ghaw Sttlan Llanagaay (Walter Kingagwo), Gumsiiwa of the Xhiida Xhaaydaghaay (Job Moody), Ghandl of the Qayahl Llaanas (Walter McGregor) and Skaay of the Qquuna Qiighawaay (John Sky). While this larger frame constitutes the overall context, the thesis itself focuses on several myths that in their turn form only a small part of a larger whole, a part that is representative and unique at the same time: Skaay's Qquuna Cycle. The focus of the dissertation thus mirrors the structure of Skaay's work, which consists - to use one of Skaay's central images - of a series of boxes within boxes. The method of investigation is polyphonic, that is, a variety of different voices and discourses - including academic monologues, fictional dialogues, narratives, poems, autobiographical accounts, and various quotations - combine in order to do justice not only to the complexity of the myths but also to their inherent openness that allows a myriad of different readings, each of which depends on the concrete situation in which the myth is read or told (including social, historical and political conditions), the cultural background of the listener / reader and his or her familiarity with Haida culture, the individuality and predispositions of the listener/reader, and much more. What is in the innermost box of the myths, the dissertation concludes, will be something different for each listener/reader. Since the most important voice in the polyphonic choir is that of the mythteller, Skaay in this case, the analyzed myths are quoted in full length in Haida. Most of them are accompanied, for copyright reasons, not by Robert Bringhurst's poetic translations (which are easily accessible in Skaay's Being in Being) but by a modified version of Swanton's translations from 1905. / Arts, Faculty of / English, Department of / Graduate

The present study has attempted to investigate some of the more basic questions concerning the toxicity and accumulation of mercury in the purple shore crab, Hemigrapsus nudus. This rocky intertidal denizen is found in abundance along the entire Pacific coast of the United States from Sitka, Alaska, to the Gulf of California where it dominates the mid-tide pool region. Local specimens were collected just north of the Pacific Marine Stations, Dillon Beach, Marin County, California. The animal is hearty and can be kept in a state of good health for long periods of time in the laboratory with minimum care and negligible mortality. Most importantly, as a middle intertidal inhabitant, H. nudus would be among the first groups of organisms to feel the stress of environmental contamination from an industrial source located on the open coast. This, coupled with its wide distribution, indicates its possible use as an environmental monitor.

For the west coast of North America, from northern California to southern Washington, a habitat suitability prediction framework was developed to support wave energy device siting. Concern that wave energy devices may impact the seafloor and benthos has renewed research interest in the distribution of marine benthic invertebrates and factors influencing their distribution. A Bayesian belief network approach was employed for learning species-habitat associations for Rhabdus rectius, a tusk-shaped marine infaunal Mollusk. Environmental variables describing surficial geology and water depth were found to be most influential to the distribution of R. rectius. Water property variables, such as temperature and salinity, were less influential as distribution predictors. Species-habitat associations were used to predict habitat suitability probabilities for R. rectius, which were then mapped over an area of interest along the south-central Oregon coast. Habitat suitability prediction models tested well against data withheld for crossvalidation supporting our conclusion that Bayesian learning extracts useful information available in very small, incomplete data sets and identifies which variables drive habitat suitability for R. rectius. Additionally, Bayesian belief networks are easily updated with new information, quantitative or qualitative, which provides a flexible mechanism for multiple scenario analyses. The prediction framework presented here is a practical tool informing marine spatial planning assessment through visualization of habitat suitability. / Graduation date: 2012

The hypothesis of this study is that there is a relationship between race attitudes and "denominocentrism, " and with certain social categories, e.g., age, social class, income, education, etc., in the Church of the Brethren in the Pacific Coast Region. If a relationship can be identified and analyzed, the results will be of value as tools in helping to understand, predict, and change human behavior. It might be further suggested that if there is a strong relationship between attitudes and certain social categories in the church, attitudes of the Brethren on these issues, and perhaps on many more, are, to a large extent, conditioned by, if not the direct outgrowth of, certain socio-economic factors.

New data on human skeletal remains from Site 35 in Salango, Ecuador is combined with existing data presented by Jastremski (2006) to compile a more comprehensive report about the health conditions of the people. Site 35, which is associated with the Manteño culture that flourished in the Integration period from A.D. 500 – 1532, has been determined to comprise a singular population that is represented by a minimum of 27 individuals. In addition to more comprehensive conclusions about Site 35, this thesis uses the data from Site 35 in an extended comparison of health among prehistoric sites from six additional sites to observe general trends over time and across geography. Through an indepth analysis of distinct health traits, the general conclusion matches previous reports that the overall quality of health in Ecuador declined over time. However, the present analysis shows a less dramatic decline for coastal sites than for inland sites. / Includes bibliography. / Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2013.

The 2004 Indian Ocean and 2011 Tohoku tsunami events have shown the destructive power of tsunami inundation to the constructed environment in addition to the tragic loss of life. A comparable event is expected for the Cascadia Subduction Zone (CSZ) which will impact the west coast of North America. Research efforts have focused on understanding and predicting the hazard to mitigate potential impacts. This thesis presents two manuscripts which pertain to estimating infrastructure damage and determining design loads of tsunami inundation. The first manuscript estimates damage to buildings and economic loss for Seaside, Oregon, for CSZ events ranging from 3 to 25 m of slip along the entire fault. The analysis provides a community scale estimate of the hazard with calculations performed at the parcel level. Hydrodynamic results are obtained from the numerical model MOST and damage estimates are based on fragility curves from the recent literature. Seaside is located on low lying coastal land which makes it particularly sensitive to the magnitude of the events. For the range of events modeled, the percentage of building within the inundation zone ranges from 9 to 88%, with average economic losses ranging from $2 million to $1.2 billion. The second manuscript introduces a new tsunami inundation model based on the concept of an energy grade line to estimate the hydrodynamic quantities of maximum flow depth, velocity, and momentum flux between the shoreline and extent of inundation along a 1D transect. Using the numerical model FUNWAVE empirical relations were derived to tune the model. For simple bi-linear beaches the average error for the tuned model in flow depth, velocity, and momentum flux were 10, 23, and 10%, respectively; and for complex bathymetry at Rockaway Beach, Oregon, without recalibration, the errors were 14, 44, and 14% for flow depth, velocity, and momentum flux, respectively. / Graduation date: 2013

Marine non-native species threaten economic and environmental health, making it crucial to understand factors that make them successful. Research on these species, therefore, allows for greater preparedness and informed management of biological invasions and increases understanding of elements structuring biological communities. Among the marine non-native species, and particularly the fouling community, non-native ascidians are a taxon of particular concern because they can crowd out native benthic species and smother mariculture products. This thesis addresses management for ascidians and other fouling organisms and includes research on the invasiveness of this taxon in addition to the invasibility of recipient fouling communities. On the West Coast of the U.S., limited efforts have been made to coordinate biofouling management across states, despite the myriad vectors increasing propagule pressure over time along coastal states. Building on recent state and local efforts, I developed a Pacific Regional Biofouling Plan for the states of Oregon and Washington to help start a consensus-driven process by which these states could create a forum for more comprehensive coordination efforts, following California's lead. As states address authority gaps, the biofouling management framework I've written is meant to be used to guide the conversation between managers as various stages of coastal management are realized. To better inform the scope and efficacy of management and regulatory efforts, the study of invasions ecology asks and aims to answer questions regarding recipient community interactions and characteristics of the non-native species themselves. Studies that identify characteristics that make ascidians successful (invasiveness) and determine the influence native communities have on their success (invasibility) are important for assessing overall risk of establishment and spread from non-native ascidians. Therefore, I aimed to: 1) explore the hypothesis that fouling communities on suspended, artificial structures are more invasible than benthic habitats; and 2) identify characteristics influencing predation patterns on the native Distaplia occidentalis versus non-native ascidian species using mensurative and experimental studies in Charleston Marina, Oregon. I conducted a series of feeding assays, surveys, and a caloric content analysis. Feeding assays were conducted with a suite of predators. The flatworm predator (Eurylepta leoparda) was found to be highly selective on the native ascidian Distaplia occidentalis, and only preyed on whole colony samples. Feeding assay data suggest that test (tunic) structure or thickness may be an influential factor affecting nudibranch (Hermissenda crassicornis) predation rates on native versus non-native ascidians, with greater predation on the native ascidian species. Non-native ascidians may escape predation in floating but not benthic environments on the Oregon coast due to their palatability characteristics, likely tunic structure and low caloric content. In this case, this suite of predators may indirectly facilitate the invasion of docks but provide at least partial resistance to the invasion of natural benthic areas. The chapters herein address gaps in management and scientific knowledge regarding non-native species of the marine fouling community. Future work enhanced by my efforts could include the development of the coastal biofouling management plan, coordinated by the Western Regional Panel on Aquatic Invasive Species Coastal Committee, and broadening the geographic and taxonomic scope of my research with a more comprehensive study of predator-prey interactions involving non-native ascidians and a diverse suite of predators. These interactions may be an important factor in explaining the success of ascidians and other fouling organisms on floating structures and lack of success on nearby benthic substrata.

As the focus of over 70 years* of archaeological research, Oaxaca, Mexico, is one of Mesoamerica*s best understood regions. Yet, despite the volume of work in Oaxaca, information about one of its key resource areas, the central Pacific coast, remains limited. Specifically, the ambiguous role of Oaxaca*s Central Coast in interregional relationships during pre-Hispanic times to the sites of Monte Alban and Tututepec has been a chronic problem and major source of debate for decades. The purpose of this thesis is to begin clarifying the role of Oaxaca*s Central Coast in interregional networks and its pre-Hispanic history. Analysis utilized surface observations, surface collections, and information from limited excavations performed by the Proyecto Arqueologico Laguna de Manialtepec (PALM) in the Manialtepec Basin, located on the Central Coast of Oaxaca. The data was then mapped using ArcGIS software to render settlement and artifact patterns. Based on the results of this project I suggest a history of settlement for this area. I also argue that the Basin contained three centers, maintained interregional interactions, and was invaded by the Mixtecs of highland Oaxaca during the Late Postclassic Period (A.D. 1200-1500).