Half the world’s river volume is affected by flow alterations and/or fragmentation, a figure that is likely to increase with the current global surge in hydropower development. At the same time, freshwater biodiversity is in rapid decline. In fluvial ecosystems, streamflow is a master variable, shaping riverine species’ habitat over space and time. Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta) are examples of species that need fluvial habitats for reproduction and juvenile rearing, and whose flow needs can come in conflict with hydropower production objectives. This necessitates tools for predicting the effect of fluvial habitat alteration on fish production. In this thesis, I applied the individual-based model inSTREAM to simulate salmon and trout in the Gullspång Rapids, a residual flow stretch of the Gullspång River, Sweden, over a ten-year period. InSTREAM uses sub-daily time steps to simulate individual fish interacting with their biotic and physical environment, and tracks the fitness consequences of their main actions: habitat and activity selection. For inSTREAM input, I had to describe key habitat features, create a 2D hydraulic model of the rapids, model river temperature, and gather data on salmon and trout eco-physiology and life history characteristics in the Gullspång River. I ran simulation experiments varying either flow input, the number of spawners, spawning gravel, shelter and boulder availability, or temperature. Flow alterations had limited benefit. Only the scenario where the current minimum flow was set three times higher yielded increased production, and only for trout. Trout dominated salmon in competition, and production was density dependent. The model predicted that the only way to increase production of both species at current spawner numbers was to add instream structures offering more energetically profitable feeding positions. / Half the world’s river volume is affected by flow alterations and/or fragmentation –a figure that is likely to increase with the current global surge in hydropower development. Streamflow shapes the river habitat for species like Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and brown trout (S. trutta) –species that need rivers for reproduction and for juvenile rearing. In this thesis, I applied the individual-based model inSTREAM to simulate how salmon and trout interact with the physical and living environment in the Gullspång Rapids, a residual flow stretch in the Gullspång River, Sweden. InSTREAM follows individuals through spawning, egg development, and juvenile rearing until out-migration. I ran simulation experiments over ten years, varying either flow input, the number of spawners, spawning gravel, shelter availability, or temperature. Flow alterations had limited benefit; only in the scenario where the current minimum flow was tripled did production increase, and only for trout. Trout dominated salmon in competition for food and space, and production was density dependent. The model predicted that the only way to increase production of both species at current spawner numbers was to add instream structures offering more energetically profitable feeding positions. / <p>Article 2 part of thesis as manuscript, now published.</p>

The purpose of this thesis is to accurately identify residents of a boomtown who are either experiencing a higher level of well-being, or lower level of well-being. By definition, we consider the former to be winning, and the latter to be losing. Multivariate ordinary least squares regression analyses help to distinguish between winners and losers by generating statistical coefficients which will show both strength and direction of the relationship between individuals and various indicators of social well-being. The data used in this thesis are from a community impact study issued in the spring of 2009, to residents of Uintah County, UT. Uintah County is a modern-day boomtown that is dependent on natural resources, particularly oil and natural gas, as a large part of the economy and social make-up of the community. The key independent variables used in this study are age, length of residence, and income, and are regressed against a variety of well-being indicators including community satisfaction, closeness with neighbors, satisfaction with law enforcement, satisfaction with local schools, and satisfaction with medical and health services. The results indicate that the older a resident is, the longer they have lived in the community, and the less money they have, the more satisfied with well-being indicators they will be. Income had little significant effect on the well-being indicators, though age and length of residence are positively statistically significant in every model. As a result, there remains much to discover for the future of boomtown research, including the effects income has on well-being, as well as the indications boomtowns have on communities in the early parts of the twenty-first century.

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Grass-roots conservation efforts, implemented at the local level, have become increasingly popular within the U.S. and abroad. The conservation and natural resource literature has touted these initiatives as more effective when compared to top-down management efforts. As localities are given more responsibility for managing their own natural resources, their ability to do so effectively has become a major concern. I sought to determine the capacity of these community-based natural resource management (CBNRM) groups to contribute to successful ecosystem management in the state of Illinois, with three primary objectives: to determine the primary components of capacity within a CBNRM organization (chapter 2); to identify the relationship between the levels of capacity in a CBNRM organization and the quality of natural resource management planning conducted by the group (chapter 3); and, to evaluate the effects of resource management plans (RMPs) produced by CBNRM groups on the ecological integrity of the prescribed area. This multi-disciplinary project necessitated reliance on the principles of both sociology and ecology, as required by explorations of socio-ecological systems. This dissertation is an attempt to model the success of CBNRM initiatives by examining changes in ecological integrity and attainment of conservation goals. It is my intent that this model can be used by CBNRM groups in Illinois and other contexts to best meet their goals, and by organizations seeking to assist CBNRM groups as an investment guide to determine what type of assistance is most likely to lead to environmental change. I found motivation, leadership, respect, mutual interest/shared values, outreach/education, marketing, communication, planning, funding and equipment/supplies were the most important drivers of CBNRM group capacity. Additionally, my results show that capacity varied significantly among groups with low, moderate and high RMP success, and that group capacity was predictive of the degree of RMP success. Lastly, I found bird indicators increased, especially at the 7-8 year post-RMP mark, providing some evidence of the utility of CBNRM initiatives in affecting positive environmental change.

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Recent inspections conducted on levee safety in the U.S. that participate in the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Levee Safety Program under Public-Law 84-99 have shown that the overwhelming majority (>95%) of these levees have at least some deficiency associated with them, and many being identified as having an unacceptable safety rating (≈30%). In the U.S., many levees were constructed using funding from the federal government, but the responsibility of operation and maintenance of the levees were turned over to local government bodies. Given the local funding of levee maintenance, the socioeconomic characteristics of these levee-protected communities may be useful in identifying which communities may not have the economic, social, and / or political capital to maintain their levees to an acceptable safety standard. Using the lens of socio-hydrology, this study examines the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of levee-protected communities and their relationship to the safety rating of their levee system. Using GIS, socioeconomic data were compiled for each of the evaluated Illinois levee systems from the US Census and the USACE’s National Levee Database (NLD). In addition to socioeconomic data, the NLD contained information on a levee’s age, protection level, estimated value of structures within the levee-protected area, ownership, inspection status, safety rating, and other structural details. The value of levee-protected agricultural lands was also assessed using a soil productivity index used by the state of Illinois to assess taxes on farmland. This information was compiled to investigate the potential differences of socioeconomic characteristics of communities with unacceptable to those with an acceptable levee rating. To assess the differences between the compiled socioeconomic information, the Independent Samples U-Test was implemented to quantify differences between communities with an acceptable verse unacceptable safety rating. In this study, 71 levee systems were identified with a levee safety rating and socioeconomic data from which to perform the statistical comparison between levee systems with an acceptable versus unacceptable safety rating. Of these 71 levees systems, 28 had an unacceptable and 43 had an at least minimally acceptable safety rating. The results from the Independent Samples U-Test showed that five variables with substantial variance (α ≤ 0.2, 80% CI) between the levee safety ratings were, the age of the levee, property value per structure, the average soil productivity index, per capita income, and the percentage of population being black. Using these substantial variables, a binary logistic regression model was created to see if they could be used to realistically predict the levee system’s safety rating. The regression model was able to accurately predict 84% of the ‘acceptable’ group while only correctly predicting 25% of the ‘unacceptable’ group resulting in an overall accuracy of 61%. The inability of this model to predict a levee system’s safety rating underscores the complexities in trying to determine which socioeconomic factors are important for identifying a given levee system’s safety rating. This finding also suggests there are potentially other variables which may be more robust predictors of a community’s ability to adequately maintain their levee. Future research should investigate these complexities in identifying which communities can adequately maintain their levee system.

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No description available.