This study sought to explore the access and alteration “rules experience” within an Ontario wetlands case study framework. The study interviewed two key stakeholder groups, key-involved stewardship agencies and key-identified wetland property owners, and aggregated them as a single response group. There were significant overlaps between these groups and the final identified potential respondent group was thirteen. All potential respondents were invited to participate in a detailed exploration of the rules experience via a thorough semi-structured interview process within the existing context of a Long Point, Ontario study area. For their own specified reasons, eight of thirteen identified and invited potential respondents chose to provide a response for analysis. It was imagined that very specific questions about each discovered rule in the study area might provide insight into to effect and understanding of specific rule characteristics within the study area; however, nothing exceptional was revealed with respect to rule characteristics using a small detailed study group. Study area respondents appeared to have focused and specific knowledge of a collection of study area rules (often within their direct interest), but few respondents had a relatively comprehensive knowledge of the entire alteration and access rules framework. The most interesting results within in the interview process, including the most interest in response provision by respondents, centred more generally on wetland management- with emphasis on private and public management initiatives. In this theme, while generally supportive of the apparent goals of the existing rules, respondents were divided as to how management should actually function within the study area. Despite interest by both key informant groups in wetland conservation and maintenance, the application of public rules on private and/or organized wetland spaces occasionally appear to conflict. During the study, there appeared to be much more interest in wetland alteration rules, and, expectedly, a strongly expressed desire to have these rules more carefully scrutinized and adapted to the study area. The study area is fortunate to have a history of public and private interest in wetland conservation; this study highlights the need for these similarly interested groups to work together to reconcile the differences in expected applications of public rules.

The geographic isolation of populations can result in a metapopulation effect where regional dynamics of extinction and colonization are more important to population viability than local dynamics of individuals' birth or death. When this partial isolation is maintained for many generations genetic variability can be geographically structured. Populations of temperate-zone anuran amphibians are often considered to be geographically isolated on relatively small spatial scales due to the animals presumed high site fidelity and strict dependence on moisture for respiration and breeding. As a result, temperate, pond-breeding anuran amphibian populations are considered likely candidates to test hypotheses of metapopulation theory, movement and phylogeography. Using data from the Fowler's toad, (Bufo fowleri) I test the applicability of metapopulation theory, the likelihood of limited movement and the strength of phylogeographic structure. Specifically, I show that the generalization of the amphibians-as-metapopulations paradigm, due to their limited dispersal capabilities, is not supported (I). Bufo fowleri movement is well described by an inverse power function. Whereas most individuals do not move, some move long distances. There is no sex bias to this movement and I propose the hypothesis that the animals moving the longest distances are aided by the passive action of lake currents (II). B. fowleri juveniles are not a dispersal stage. They move neither farther nor faster than adults. The observation of predominantly juvenile contribution to a dispersal pool is due to their abundance---there are simply many more juveniles than adults (III). My observations of amphibian population turnover do not support the predictions of two specific metapopulation models when parameterized on a local (<10km) or regional scale (~300km) (IV). B. fowleri populations in Canada exhibit both shallow and deep phylogeographic structure. The shallow divisions are geo

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Examining human settlement in the Long Point Region of Ontario, the author attempts to frame the analysis in terms of a general theory of human settlement. Significant variables are isolated, analysed and explained in terms of regularities of human behaviour. To test the logic and content of the study, the analysis is then inverted. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)