Master of Landscape Architecture / Department of Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Alpa Nawre / Historically, industrial riverfronts often polluted waters and sites with chemicals, leading to degraded ecosystem health and reduced numbers of aquatic wildlife downstream. These sites currently pollute the environment through residual chemicals and waste left behind by industrial-era production factories. Urban riverfront redevelopment offers many possibilities to restore wetland ecosystems and reestablish site connections to surroundings through human access. By redeveloping urban rivers for wetland protection and stormwater management, cities can begin to regain their connections with the landscape while providing resilient ecosystems through restoration. This proposal identifies possibilities for riverfront redevelopment as wetlands and tools for restorative action aiding increased human access and wildlife health. A stormwater management plan utilizing phytotechnology is proposed for the ARMCO Site at 7000 Winner Rd. Kansas City, MO, a former steel manufacturing site, adjacent to the Missouri River and Blue River waterways. Using plant material and landscape design, the ARMCO riverfront has been redesigned to unlock the full potential of treatment wetlands and showcase emerging treatment methods that could soon become typical cleanup procedure. A template for remediation design has been created with the techniques identified for remediation, stormwater treatment, and habitat creation outlined in the master plan proposal. Nine precedent studies have been used to identify key concepts for design phasing aimed at human accessibility and modifications of restorative tools. Careful deliberation of stormwater containment and flood plain levels define site layout while contributing design responses adaptable for year-round functionality coupled with landscape interest for each season. The techniques and planting palette have been tailored to address the specific site contaminants for the Missouri River riverfront but are adaptable for various contaminants and ecosystems.

The persistence of grizzly bears (<i>Ursus arctos</i>) in western Alberta is threatened by increasing human activities on the landscape. The Foothills Research Institute Grizzly Bear Program (FRIGBP) hypothesizes human-caused landscape change in Alberta causes long-term stress in individual bears, resulting in impaired biological functions and, when many bears are affected, decreased population performance. To facilitate the evaluation of individual grizzly bear health within the FRIGBP, the objective of my research was to develop and assess the usefulness of a health function score system for grizzly bears. From a large set of complex biological data collected from grizzly bears from 1999 to 2007, I merged 14 � constituent� variables into four health functions; growth, immunity, movement, and stress. For each health function, I calculated individual scores by adding ranked and weighted variable percentiles. I found that health function scores corresponded well with health status of individual bears based on values for multiple constituent variables. The score system facilitated quick screening of health in individual bears, identification of bears with reduced health, and comparison of health profiles between bears. I examined the usefulness of the score system by evaluating relationships presumed to exist under the working hypothesis of the FRIGBP. Results generated from health function scores were compared with those from constituent variable values using statistical and graphical techniques. I concluded that scores likely provided clearer depiction of wildlife health relationships than did constituent variables because they were not influenced by capture method, sex, or outlying observations. By using the score system, I found support for the proposed positive relationship between human-affected landscape condition and stress, but not for inverse relationships between stress and other health functions. The usefulness of the score system could be increased by minimizing use of redundant constituent variables, e.g., in growth and immunity, and removing the influence of potential confounding factors, e.g., capture.

The persistence of grizzly bears (<i>Ursus arctos</i>) in western Alberta is threatened by increasing human activities on the landscape. The Foothills Research Institute Grizzly Bear Program (FRIGBP) hypothesizes human-caused landscape change in Alberta causes long-term stress in individual bears, resulting in impaired biological functions and, when many bears are affected, decreased population performance. To facilitate the evaluation of individual grizzly bear health within the FRIGBP, the objective of my research was to develop and assess the usefulness of a health function score system for grizzly bears. From a large set of complex biological data collected from grizzly bears from 1999 to 2007, I merged 14 � constituent� variables into four health functions; growth, immunity, movement, and stress. For each health function, I calculated individual scores by adding ranked and weighted variable percentiles. I found that health function scores corresponded well with health status of individual bears based on values for multiple constituent variables. The score system facilitated quick screening of health in individual bears, identification of bears with reduced health, and comparison of health profiles between bears. I examined the usefulness of the score system by evaluating relationships presumed to exist under the working hypothesis of the FRIGBP. Results generated from health function scores were compared with those from constituent variable values using statistical and graphical techniques. I concluded that scores likely provided clearer depiction of wildlife health relationships than did constituent variables because they were not influenced by capture method, sex, or outlying observations. By using the score system, I found support for the proposed positive relationship between human-affected landscape condition and stress, but not for inverse relationships between stress and other health functions. The usefulness of the score system could be increased by minimizing use of redundant constituent variables, e.g., in growth and immunity, and removing the influence of potential confounding factors, e.g., capture.

No description available.

The pichi Zaedyus pichiy (Xenarthra, Dasypodidae) is a poorly known, diurnal armadillo inhabiting arid and semi-arid regions of Argentina and Chile that has endured substantial population declines. My objective was to elucidate different aspects of the natural history of Z. pichiy as a first step towards establishing a conservation plan. Wild and captive pichis were studied. Body temperature of wild pichis averaged 35.2±1.2 °C and was highly variable (range 32.2 – 38.3 °C). Temperature measurements of semi-captive males showed that pichis can survive energetically challenging periods by entering hibernation or daily torpor. Stomach contents of poached animals revealed that pichis feed predominantly on insects but also ingest plant material, vertebrates and arachnids. This opportunistic, omnivorous feeding strategy allows them to thrive where food type and availability vary seasonally. The reproductive cycle of pichis was studied by means of histological and fecal hormone analyses. Pichis are seasonal breeders that produce one yearly litter of 1 to 2 offspring, and the initiator of breeding season seems to be an increase in daylength. The absence of regular estrous cycles and corpora lutea in non-pregnant females, and immediate mating attempts after pairing, all suggest that pichis are induced ovulators. Clinical examinations and hematological, serological and coproparasitological analyses of free-ranging pichis, and necropsies and histological examinations of confiscated pichis and roadkills, indicate that the populations are currently in good health. While parasites were often found, no severe pathologies were observed. Infections with potentially zoonotic diseases were rare: only a few pichis were seropositive for Trypanosoma cruzi, none had antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii, and none of the histologically examined individuals presented lesions attributable to these pathogens. Elevated ambient humidity levels often caused moist dermatitis with epidermal detachment in captive pichis. Poaching is currently considered to have a much higher negative impact on the wild populations than disease epidemics. Mortality due to heavy poaching activity may be difficult, if not impossible, to compensate by the current birth rates. This preliminary database on the natural history and reproduction of pichis will assist efforts to conserve this little-known species of armadillo.