Geology topics

C. J. Chizinski

Publications and source records attributed to C. J. Chizinski.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2022

Visualizing social-ecological intensities for management of recreation visitors in a multiuse system

Accounting for the variation of visitor conflicts and ecological disturbance of outdoor recreation activities across space and time can cause difficulty for managers seeking to make decisions in social-ecological systems (SESs). We develop a method to quantify and visualize social and ecological intensities resulting from outdoor recreation. We demonstrate the utility of our method at Valentine National Wildlife Refuge, where we conducted onsite surveys for an entire year of recreationists participating in consumptive (i.e., hunting), intermediate-consumptive (i.e., fishing) and nonconsumptive (e.g., hiking) activities. We use survey results and combine them with expert consensus by engaging refuge managers and scientists (i.e., Delphi method) to chart patterns in social (e.g., visitor conflicts) and ecological (e.g., damages to natural resources) intensities across multiple spatial and temporal scales. We highlight unexpected patterns that are revealed by collectively considering multi-activity groups through space and time and combining different survey methods (onsite, Delphi method). Based on the consensus reached using the Delphi method , the consumptive group had the greatest potential for social conflicts and ecological disturbances. Social and ecological intensities (i.e., hotspots) of recreation varied across lake types and seasons, highlighting high-intensity areas and periods on the refuge. Accounting for diverse outdoor recreation activities and coinciding social and ecological intensities will allow managers of SESs the ability to concomitantly preserve ecological resources, prioritize conservation efforts, and minimize visitor conflicts. We demonstrate the utility and ease of use of this technique, which can be implemented by managers and scientists within their respective SES of interest.

Nebraska↗

USGS2020

Understanding sportsperson retention and reactivation through license purchasing behavior

Most state and provincial fish and wildlife agencies have access to important information about patterns in sportsperson participation through their license databases. Using transaction data from Nebraska Game and Parks Commission's electronic hunting and fishing license system, we tracked license purchases of Nebraska, USA, resident license holders in 2010 through 2017. We categorized sportspersons by gender and yearly purchases as hunting only (Hunter), fishing only (Angler), a combination of hunting and fishing (Hunter–Angler), or no purchases (Inactive). The probability of movement among active sportsperson groups was limited and varied little based on initial group participation. The Angler group had the greatest probability of an individual transitioning to the Inactive group (females = 0.39; males = 0.33). The Hunter–Angler group had the greatest probability of an individual remaining within the same group (females = 0.65; males = 0.76). There was a relatively low probability of an individual in the Hunter group moving to the Angler group and vice versa (≤0.02). The sportsperson population is dynamic and understanding patterns of sportsperson participation is important for the future of fish and wildlife management in North America. Using data readily available to most fish and wildlife agencies has the potential to significantly improve our understanding of hunter and angler participation and aid management agencies and conservation organizations in the development of more effective strategies for managing sportspersons. © 2020 The Wildlife Society.

Wildlife Society Bulletin↗

USGS2019

Mortality, perception, and scale: Understanding how predation shapes space use in a wild prey population

Attempts to assess behavioral responses of prey to predation risk are often confounded by depredation of prey. Moreover, the scale at which the response of prey is assessed has important implications for discovering how predation risk alters prey behavior. Herein, we assessed space use of wild Ring-necked Pheasants ( Phasianus colchicus ) in response to spatial and temporal variation in recreational hunting. We radio-marked pheasants and monitored space use at two spatial scales: short-term seasonal home range, and nightly resting locations. Additionally, we considered temporal variation in predation risk by monitoring space use prior to and during the pheasant hunting season. Although we found no change in nightly resting location, pheasants subjected to predation risk expanded their home range and shifted home range location even when invulnerable to predation. Home range formation was plastic, with home ranges expanding and contracting as risk fluctuated before and during the hunting season. Depredation reduced the measured response within the population, obscuring the potential importance of perceived predation risk in shaping prey communities, particularly when not measured at the appropriate scale. By assessing space use of a wild prey population at multiple scales, considering spatial and temporal variation in predation risk, we show that not only does predation risk affect space use, but that the effects at the population level may be challenging to assess when not measured at the appropriate ecological scale because of the direct effects of differential mortality on the same behaviors.

Nebraska↗

USGS2019

Simulating detection-censored movement records for home range analysis planning

Home range estimation is an important analytical method; yet best practices for addressing the effects of spatial variation in detection probability on home range estimates remains elusive. We introduce the R package “DiagnoseHR,” simulation tools for assessing how variation in detection probability arising from landscape, animal behavior, and methodological processes affects home range inference. We demonstrate the utility of simulation methods for home range analysis planning by comparing bias arising from three home range estimation methods under multiple detection scenarios. We simulated correlated random walks in three landscapes that varied in detection probability and constructed home ranges from locations filtered through a range of sampling protocols. Home range estimates were less biased by reduced detection probability when sampling effort was increased, but the effects of sampling day distribution were marginal. Like others, we found that kernel density estimates were the least affected by variation in detection probability, while minimum convex polygons were most affected. Our results illustrate the value of quantifying uncertainty in home range estimates and suggest that field biologists working in conditions with low-detection may wish to weight sample-size greater than concerns about temporal autocorrelation when designing sampling protocols.

Article↗

USGS2019

Ecosystem size predicts social dynamics in recreational fisheries

Recreational fisheries are complex adaptive systems that are inherently difficult to manage due to a heterogeneous user group (consumptive vs. non-consumptive) that utilize patchily distributed resources on the landscape (lakes, rivers, coastlines). There is a need to identify which system components can effectively predict and be used to manage nonlinear and cross-scale dynamics within these systems. We examine how ecosystem size or waterbody size can be used to explain complicated and elusive angler-resource dynamics in recreational fisheries. Waterbody size determined angler behavior among 48 Nebraska, U.S.A. waterbodies during an 11-year study period. Angler behavior was often unique and nonlinear across waterbody sizes. For example, anglers spent more time fishing and harvested more fish at larger waterbodies compared to smaller waterbodies. Time fished increased across smaller waterbodies but reached a threshold at larger waterbodies. The number of fish released increased as a function of waterbody size across smaller waterbodies but then plateaued. Subtle changes in waterbody size caused abrupt changes in angler behavior—that is, waterbody size structures angler-resource dynamics in recreational fisheries. We believe that including waterbody size, a simple and easily measured metric, in fisheries management will increase effectiveness of cross-scale actions and minimize unintended consequences for recreational fisheries. Applying uniform management actions (e.g., harvest regulations) across small and large waterbodies may elicit contrasting angler-resource responses. Waterbody size may also be useful for understanding angler typologies. Based on our findings, we expect that ecosystem size is a prominent and valuable system component that will determine and explain coupled user-resource dynamics in other complex adaptive systems.

Ecology and Society↗