I examined the relationship between exotic and native cavity-nesting birds in the Sonoran desert near Tucson, Arizona during 1988 and 1989. I attempted to limit cavity availability in 1989 by plugging cavities that were unused, or used by exotics, in 1988 with rubber test tube stoppers. Numbers of nests of any species did not significantly change between 1988 and 1989. Control plots showed similar results. I found no significant negative correlations between number of nests of European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and any other cavity-nesting species. Of the cavity characteristics examined, species only differed in size of cavity openings. My data indicate that exotic and native cavity-nesting birds were not competing for nest cavities. An excess of available nest cavities is the probable reason for this lack of competition. Temporal differences in cavity use among species may have helped contribute to the abundance of cavities.

Habitat use of Merriam's turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) was characterized in the Prescott National Forest, Arizona, between March 1991 and August 1992. Roost sites were generally found in canyons or on hillsides, and contained a large number of ponderosa pine trees, and Gambel oak seedlings and trees. Turkeys fed on juniper berries, generally in small groups of large juniper trees within ponderosa pine stands. Turkeys fed on acorns in stands of Gambel oak on hillsides. Turkeys feeding on grass/forb vegetation tended to be on flat areas with a large amount of forb and grass cover. Turkeys loafed under Gambel oak, in areas with large amounts of Gambel oak growth near openings, on hillsides or in canyons. Turkeys also loafed under juniper trees; these areas had a large basal area of alligator juniper and high numbers of Gambel oak seedlings.

In 1992, I surveyed 359 National Park Service units to determine the presence of coyotes and to assess problems and management activities. Coyotes were reported in 42% of all parks in 1992. Management activities for coyotes varied, but in general coyotes were not a management problem. I examined the annual, seasonal, and daily movements of coyotes (Canis latrans) near the Rincon Mountain District of Saguaro National Monument from December 1991 through December 1992. I estimated annual and seasonal home-range areas and daily movements using minimum convex polygon (MCP) and harmonic mean (60% isopleth) estimates from 1,412 point relocations and 432 continuous relocations of 9 coyotes (6 M and 3 F). The average annual MCP home range estimate was 15.7 km2 and harmonic mean was 2.3 km2 Annual and seasonal home range areas did not differ (P > 0.05) between suburban and rural areas or between males and females. Daily average MCP estimate was 1.5 km2 and harmonic mean was 0.5 km2 Daily movements of coyotes also did not differ (P > 0.05) between study areas or sexes.

This study was conducted to determine if suburban development adjacent to Saguaro National Monument (SNM) affected coyote (Canis latrans) populations. I estimated density, described grouping behaviors, and analyzed the diets of coyotes living near the interface of SNM and Tucson, Arizona from November 1991 to December 1992. I used a mark-resighting method to estimate the density of coyotes in a 13 km² area. Seven territorial groups (n = 48 coyotes) lived in the 13 km² area. Group size varied among behavioral seasons. I compared diets of coyotes between 2 areas: suburban and rural. Coyote scats from the suburban area contained less (P < 0.05) plant material annually, and less mammal material during coyote breeding and gestation periods than the scats from the rural area. Dog food, bread, and other human related items comprised 35% of the coyotes' annual diets in the suburban area. Supplemental sources of food in the suburban area helped support high densities of coyotes.

Women have been historically written out of human achievement. This is especially true in organized conservation. Historical analyses of the Progressive conservation era and the period following to the New Deal have understated women's organized participation in conservation. Through an analysis of Women's Clubs' records, newspapers, and magazines from 1900-1932, Arizona clubwomen's activities regarding natural resources are examined. The clubwomen are found to have been mutually and simultaneously supportive of conservation, preservation, civic improvement, nature study, and recreation--antagonistic issues at differing times. They reconciled those conflicts by advocating management solutions based upon resource renewability. Behind a shield of patriotism, maternalism, and housekeeping, the clubwomen used resource conservation to encourage a healthy future for humans and the environment. Conservation also served to advance their status as women through community service and self-education.

I determined reliable methods for monitoring Sonoran populations of the desert tortoise. Tortoises were significantly clumped (p < 0.001) on three 1-mi² plots in Arizona, but were not significantly different from random (p > 0.05) on a 1-km² plot, supporting the use of smaller plots in mark-recapture population studies. Simulations showed that Program CAPTURE's Jackknife and Darroch estimators are robust to variations in capturability, which confound most commonly used estimators (e.g., Lincoln-Petersen). Mean capturability determines which estimator is most appropriate for a given population. These methods were applied to data from several tortoise populations. CAPTURE's Jackknife method estimated 70 tortoises/km² in a Mazatzal Mountain, Arizona, population surveyed during 1992. Density was corrected with the mean maximum distance moved method. Regression of CAPTURE estimates indicated two separate populations were stable or increasing from 1990 to 1992, while a third declined. Program JOLLY estimated high survivorship for these three populations (87-100%), but recruitment was lowest for the decreasing population (0-17 tortoises/year).

Brown and rainbow trout perennially dominated Bright Angel Creek; native species (flannelmouth and bluehead suckers) generally occurred only during spawning (March and April-May, respectively) and initial rearing of juveniles (bluehead sucker only). Flannelmouth suckers spawned at depths between 20-40 cm, currents between 0.4-0.8 m/sec, and over loosely compacted substrates (gravel, rock). Speckled dace abundance had markedly decreased since previous investigations, possibly due to brown trout becoming the dominant predator in the stream. Four native and 6 non-native species were taken in Kanab Creek; spawning was documented for bluehead sucker and speckled dace. Small bluehead suckers (160 mm) were perennial residents below a barrier 6.2 km above the mouth. Larger individuals (>200 mm) were absent in winter, but spawned in the lower 3.2 km of the stream in April and early May. Bluehead suckers spawned in shallow waters (25 cm), slow currents (0.25 m/sec), and over loosely compacted substrates (pebble, gravel).

The purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between (1) selected seedling conditions and (2) the participating farmers' knowledge of planting techniques and the seedling mortality of trees supplied by the Pan American Development Foundation's Agroforestry Outreach Project in Haiti. During the spring of 1990 planting season, 18 sample farmers and the trees they received were studied to determine the correlation of several seedling conditions with seedling mortality. Rootball condition, leaf drop, plant turgor, and internal box temperature were measured during seedling transportation from nursery to the field. The farmers' knowledge of planting techniques was determined by a test over a planting guide. The most significant findings were that the seedling mortality was not strongly correlated to either the individual conditions measured or the farmers' knowledge of planting techniques. Collectively, these seedling conditions accounted for approximately 25 percent of the total variation in the seedling mortality.

Reproductive success and survival of birds often are impractical to measure. Therefore, biologists frequently rely on measures of bird abundance alone to evaluate habitat quality for breeding birds. I examined whether results from standard survey techniques for birds during the breeding season reflected number of nesting pairs and reproductive success of 5 passerine species. Abundance of 3 species was positively associated with number of nesting pairs, but the relationship between abundance and reproductive success varied among these species. Differences in detectability of breeding males may partly explain why abundance and number of nesting pairs were related in some species and not in others. Variations in the availability and quality of habitat patches among plots could produce the different relationships I observed between abundance and reproductive success. My results suggest that measures of reproductive success as well as abundance should be used to determine habitat quality for breeding birds.

The stability of lower treeline in the southwestern United States has been the subject of recent debate. An understanding of seed predation and dispersal is required to evaluate these predictions. Experimental plots were established along the oak woodland/semi-desert grassland boundary to investigate seed predation and dispersal of emory oak, a common lower treeline species. An aviary experiment investigated acorn selection by grey-breasted jays, important emory oak seed dispersers. I found sufficient acorn dispersal for emory oak recruitment in adjacent grassland, and that seed predation does not limit oak recruitment in adjacent grasslands; in fact, acorns dispersed into adjacent grasslands are more likely to escape predation. I determined that grey-breasted jays select and cache acorns in a manner favorable to oak recruitment. Taken collectively, these studies and other research into emory oak life history stages illustrate mechanisms by which rapid downslope shifts in lower treeline can occur.