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Efroymson RA, Peterson MJ, Jett RT, Griffiths NA, Carter ET, Fortner AM, DeRolph CR, Ku P, Matson PG, Pilla RM, Mathews TJ. Remedial effectiveness of a pond biomanipulation: Habitat value and concentrations of polychlorinated biphenyls in fish. J Hazard Mater 2024; 461:132587. [PMID: 37778310 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2023.132587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 09/09/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023]
Abstract
The fish and plant communities in a pond contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in East Tennessee, USA, were manipulated to reduce ecological and human-health risk associated with exposure to the chemical contaminants. We evaluated the success of the remedial action using a habitat valuation approach, as well as measuring PCB concentrations in fish. Risk reduction objectives included: alter the fish community to favor fish that do not resuspend, bioaccumulate, or biomagnify PCBs; stabilize contaminated sediments to improve water quality; and stabilize shoreline soils and enhance riparian habitat. Fish targeted for removal included gizzard shad, largemouth bass, and nonnative carp. Reduced PCB concentrations in fish have characterized the new bluegill-dominated community, although a weir-overtopping event led to the need for additional removals of gizzard shad and largemouth bass. Sunfish abundance is high, as was intended. Moreover, amphibian and waterbird diversities have increased in the years following biomanipulation, possibly owing to improvements in the riparian zone and increased structural (vegetation) complexity in both the aquatic and terrestrial environment. Thus, the remedial action has improved aspects of habitat value, and PCB concentrations in sunfish have dropped below the remediation level (risk-based target value) for this pond (1 µg/g in fish fillets or 2.3 µg/g in whole body fish).
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - R Trent Jett
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
| | | | | | | | | | - Peijia Ku
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, USA
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Jager HI, Nair SS, Efroymson RA, DeRolph CR, Parish ES, Wang G. Ecosystem services from partially harvested riparian buffers can offset biomass production costs. Sci Total Environ 2023; 889:164199. [PMID: 37207772 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2023.164199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
There is a broad consensus that riparian buffers provide environmental benefits and increase resilience to climate change. In this study, we examined the potential benefits of multi-zone riparian buffers with outer layers planted in perennial crops (i.e., partially harvested buffers). This was accomplished by developing a simplified regional modeling tool, BioVEST, which was applied in the Mid-Atlantic region of the USA. Our analysis revealed that a substantial portion of variable costs to produce biomass for energy can potentially be offset by values provided by ecosystem services from partially harvested riparian buffers. Ecosystem services were monetized and found to represent a substantial fraction (median = ~42 %) of variable production cost. Simulated water-quality improvements and carbon benefits generally occurred where buffer area was available, but hotspots occurred in different watersheds, suggesting potential trade-offs in decisions about buffer locations. A portion of buffers could be eligible for ecosystem service payments under US government incentive programs. Partially harvested buffers could represent a sustainable and climate-resilient part of multi-functional agricultural landscapes, and one that could become economically viable if farmers are able to reap the value of providing ecosystem services and if logistical challenges are resolved. Our results suggest that payments for ecosystem services can close the gap between what biorefineries are willing to pay and what landowners are willing to accept to grow and harvest perennials along streams.
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Affiliation(s)
- Henriette I Jager
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038, United States of America.
| | | | - Rebecca A Efroymson
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038, United States of America
| | | | - Esther S Parish
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038, United States of America
| | - Gangsheng Wang
- Institute for Water-Carbon Cycles & Carbon Neutrality, Wuhan University, Wuhan 430072, China
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McManamay RA, Parish ES, DeRolph CR, Witt AM, Graf WL, Burtner A. Evidence-based indicator approach to guide preliminary environmental impact assessments of hydropower development. J Environ Manage 2020; 265:110489. [PMID: 32292167 DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2020.110489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2019] [Revised: 03/18/2020] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Global expansion of hydropower resources has increased in recent years to meet growing energy demands and fill worldwide gaps in electricity supply. However, hydropower induces significant environmental impacts on river ecosystems - impacts that are addressed through environmental impact assessment (EIA) processes. The need for effective EIA processes is increasing as environmental regulations are either stressed in developing countries undertaking rapid expansion of hydropower capacity or time- and resource-intensive in developed countries. Part of the challenge in implementing EIAs lies in reaching a consensus among stakeholders regarding the most important environmental factors as the focus of impact studies. To help address this gap, we developed a weight-of-evidence approach (and toolkit) as a preliminary and coarse assessment of the most relevant impacts of hydropower on primary components of the river ecosystem, as identified using river function indicators. Through a science-based questionnaire and predictive model, users identify which environmental indicators may be impacted during hydropower development as well as those indicators that have the highest levels of uncertainty and require further investigation. Furthermore, an assessment tool visualizes inter-dependent indicator relationships, which help formulate hypotheses about causal relationships explored through environmental studies. We apply these tools to four existing hydropower projects and one hypothetical new hydropower project of varying sizes and environmental contexts. We observed consistencies between the output of our tools and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission licensing process (inclusive of EIAs) but also important differences arising from holistic scientific evaluations (our toolkit) versus regulatory policies. The tools presented herein are aimed at increasing the efficiency of the EIA processes that engender environmental studies without loss of rigor or transparency of rationale necessary for understanding, considering, and mitigating the environmental consequences of hydropower.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A McManamay
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX, 76798-7266, USA.
| | - Esther S Parish
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Christopher R DeRolph
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - Adam M Witt
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37831, USA
| | - William L Graf
- Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Alicia Burtner
- Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, Washington, DC, 20426, USA
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McManamay RA, Parish ES, DeRolph CR. A dataset of eco-evidence tools to inform early-stage environmental impact assessments of hydropower development. Data Brief 2020; 30:105629. [PMID: 32426425 PMCID: PMC7225375 DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2020.105629] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2020] [Revised: 04/20/2020] [Accepted: 04/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The datasets described herein provide the foundation for a decision support prototype (DSP) toolkit aimed at assisting stakeholders in determining evidence of which aspects of river ecosystems have been impacted by hydropower. The DSP toolkit and its application are presented and described in the article “Evidence-based indicator approach to guide preliminary environmental impact assessments of hydropower development” [1]. Development of the DSP and the output for decision support centralize around 42 river function indicators describing the dimensionality of river ecosystems through six main categories: biota and biodiversity, water quality, hydrology, geomorphology, land cover, and river connectivity. Three main tools are represented in the DSP: A science-based questionnaire (SBQ), an environmental envelope model (EEM), and a river function linkage assessment tool (RFLAT). The SBQ is a structured survey-style questionnaire whose objective is to provide evidence of which indicators have been impacted by hydropower. Based on a global literature review, 140 questions were developed from general hypotheses regarding the impacts of dams on rivers. The EEM is a model to predict the likelihood of hydropower impacting indicators based on a several variables. The intended use of the EEM is for situations of new hydropower development where results of the SBQ are incomplete or highly uncertain. The EEM was developed through the compilation of a dataset containing attributes of dams, reservoirs, and geospatial information on environmental concerns, which was combined with data on ecological indicators documented at those sites through literature review. The model operates through 247 “envelopes” and weighting factors, representing the individual effect of each variable on each indicator, all available through spreadsheets. Finally, the RFLAT is a tool to examine causal relationships amongst indicators. Inter-indicator relationships were hypothesized based on literature review and summarized into node and edge datasets to represent the structure of a graphical network. Bayes theorem was used estimate conditional probabilities of inter-indicator relationships based on the output of the SBQ. Nodes and edges were imported into R programming environment to visualize ecological indicator networks. The datasets can be expanded upon and enriched with more detailed questions for the SBQ, building upon the EEM with to develop more sophisticated models, and identifying new relationships for the RFALT. Additionally, once the tools are applied to numerous hydropower developments, the output of the tools (e.g. evidence of impacted indicators) becomes a very useful dataset for meta-analyses of hydropower impacts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A McManamay
- Department of Environmental Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798-7266, United States
| | - Esther S Parish
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States
| | - Christopher R DeRolph
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States
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Pracheil BM, McManamay RA, Parish ES, Curd SL, Smith BT, DeRolph CR, Witt AM, Ames S, Day MB, Graf W, Infante D, McCoskey DN, Rugani K, Vezina C, Welch T, West A. A Checklist of River Function Indicators for hydropower ecological assessment. Sci Total Environ 2019; 687:1245-1260. [PMID: 31412459 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.06.049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2019] [Revised: 06/03/2019] [Accepted: 06/03/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Hydropower generation has advantages for societies that seek low-carbon, renewable energy alternatives, but sustainable hydropower production will require an explicit consideration of potential tradeoffs between socioeconomic and environmental priorities. These tradeoffs are often explored during a formal environmental impact assessment process that can be complex and controversial. The steps taken to address stakeholder concerns through impact hypotheses and field studies are not always transparent. We have created a Checklist of River Function Indicators to facilitate stakeholder discussions during hydropower licensing and to support more transparent, holistic, and scientifically informed hydropower environmental analyses. Based on a database of environmental metrics collected from hydropower project studies documented by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), the International Hydropower Association, the Low Impact Hydropower Institute, and peer-reviewed scientific literature, our proposed Checklist of River Function Indicators contains 51 indicators in six categories. We have tested the usefulness of the Indicators by applying them to seven hydropower projects documented by FERC. Among the case study projects, 44 of the 51 Indicators were assessed according to the FERC documentation. Even though each hydropower project presents unique natural resource issues and stakeholder priorities, the proposed Indicators can provide a transparent starting point for stakeholder discussions about which ecological impacts should be considered in hydropower planning and relicensing assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda May Pracheil
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America.
| | - Ryan A McManamay
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America
| | - Esther S Parish
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America
| | - Shelaine L Curd
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America
| | - Brennan T Smith
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America
| | - Christopher R DeRolph
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America
| | - Adam M Witt
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, United States of America
| | - Shannon Ames
- Low Impact Hydropower Institute, Lexington, MA 02420, United States of America
| | - Mary Beth Day
- Kearns & West, San Francisco, CA 94104, United States of America
| | - Will Graf
- Department of Geography, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, United States of America
| | - Dana Infante
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States of America
| | - Dana N McCoskey
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, United States of America
| | - Kelsey Rugani
- Kearns & West, San Francisco, CA 94104, United States of America
| | - Corey Vezina
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, United States of America
| | - Timothy Welch
- Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Water Power Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington, DC 20585, United States of America
| | - Anna West
- Kearns & West, San Francisco, CA 94104, United States of America
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McManamay RA, Troia MJ, DeRolph CR, Olivero Sheldon A, Barnett AR, Kao SC, Anderson MG. A stream classification system to explore the physical habitat diversity and anthropogenic impacts in riverscapes of the eastern United States. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198439. [PMID: 29924829 PMCID: PMC6010261 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2017] [Accepted: 05/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Describing the physical habitat diversity of stream types is important for understanding stream ecosystem complexity, but also prioritizing management of stream ecosystems, especially those that are rare. We developed a stream classification system of six physical habitat layers (size, gradient, hydrology, temperature, valley confinement, and substrate) for approximately 1 million stream reaches within the Eastern United States in order to conduct an inventory of different types of streams and examine stream diversity. Additionally, we compare stream diversity to patterns of anthropogenic disturbances to evaluate associations between stream types and human disturbances, but also to prioritize rare stream types that may lack natural representation in the landscape. Based on combinations of different layers, we estimate there are anywhere from 1,521 to 5,577 different physical types of stream reaches within the Eastern US. By accounting for uncertainty in class membership, these estimates could range from 1,434 to 6,856 stream types. However, 95% of total stream distance is represented by only 30% of the total stream habitat types, which suggests that most stream types are rare. Unfortunately, as much as one third of stream physical diversity within the region has been compromised by anthropogenic disturbances. To provide an example of the stream classification’s utility in management of these ecosystems, we isolated 5% of stream length in the entire region that represented 87% of the total physical diversity of streams to prioritize streams for conservation protection, restoration, and biological monitoring. We suggest that our stream classification framework could be important for exploring the diversity of stream ecosystems and is flexible in that it can be combined with other stream classification frameworks developed at higher resolutions (meso- and micro-habitat scales). Additionally, the exploration of physical diversity helps to estimate the rarity and patchiness of riverscapes over large region and assist in conservation and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan A. McManamay
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Matthew J. Troia
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Christopher R. DeRolph
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Arlene Olivero Sheldon
- The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Conservation Science, Eastern Regional Office, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Analie R. Barnett
- The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Conservation Science, Eastern Regional Office, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
| | - Shih-Chieh Kao
- Environmental Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee, United States of America
| | - Mark G. Anderson
- The Nature Conservancy, Eastern Conservation Science, Eastern Regional Office, Boston, Massachusetts, United States of America
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Pracheil BM, McManamay RA, Bevelhimer MS, DeRolph CR, Čada GF. A traits-based approach for prioritizing species for monitoring and surrogacy selection. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2016. [DOI: 10.3354/esr00766] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
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DeRolph CR, Schramm MP, Bevelhimer MS. Predicting environmental mitigation requirements for hydropower projects through the integration of biophysical and socio-political geographies. Sci Total Environ 2016; 566-567:888-918. [PMID: 27280379 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2016.05.099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/15/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Uncertainty about environmental mitigation needs at existing and proposed hydropower projects makes it difficult for stakeholders to minimize environmental impacts. Hydropower developers and operators desire tools to better anticipate mitigation requirements, while natural resource managers and regulators need tools to evaluate different mitigation scenarios and order effective mitigation. Here we sought to examine the feasibility of using a suite of multi-faceted explanatory variables within a spatially explicit modeling framework to fit predictive models for future environmental mitigation requirements at hydropower projects across the conterminous U.S. Using a database comprised of mitigation requirements from more than 300 hydropower project licenses, we were able to successfully fit models for nearly 50 types of environmental mitigation and to apply the predictive models to a set of more than 500 non-powered dams identified as having hydropower potential. The results demonstrate that mitigation requirements are functions of a range of factors, from biophysical to socio-political. Project developers can use these models to inform cost projections and design considerations, while regulators can use the models to more quickly identify likely environmental issues and potential solutions, hopefully resulting in more timely and more effective decisions on environmental mitigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R DeRolph
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, PO Box 2008, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038, United States.
| | - Michael P Schramm
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, PO Box 2008, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038, United States
| | - Mark S Bevelhimer
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Environmental Sciences Division, PO Box 2008, 1 Bethel Valley Road, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6038, United States
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DeRolph CR, Nelson SAC, Kwak TJ, Hain EF. Predicting fine-scale distributions of peripheral aquatic species in headwater streams. Ecol Evol 2014; 5:152-63. [PMID: 25628872 PMCID: PMC4298442 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.1331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2014] [Revised: 09/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Headwater species and peripheral populations that occupy habitat at the edge of a species range may hold an increased conservation value to managers due to their potential to maximize intraspecies diversity and species' adaptive capabilities in the context of rapid environmental change. The southern Appalachian Mountains are the southern extent of the geographic range of native Salvelinus fontinalis and naturalized Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo trutta in eastern North America. We predicted distributions of these peripheral, headwater wild trout populations at a fine scale to serve as a planning and management tool for resource managers to maximize resistance and resilience of these populations in the face of anthropogenic stressors. We developed correlative logistic regression models to predict occurrence of brook trout, rainbow trout, and brown trout for every interconfluence stream reach in the study area. A stream network was generated to capture a more consistent representation of headwater streams. Each of the final models had four significant metrics in common: stream order, fragmentation, precipitation, and land cover. Strahler stream order was found to be the most influential variable in two of the three final models and the second most influential variable in the other model. Greater than 70% presence accuracy was achieved for all three models. The underrepresentation of headwater streams in commonly used hydrography datasets is an important consideration that warrants close examination when forecasting headwater species distributions and range estimates. Additionally, it appears that a relative watershed position metric (e.g., stream order) is an important surrogate variable (even when elevation is included) for biotic interactions across the landscape in areas where headwater species distributions are influenced by topographical gradients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher R DeRolph
- Center for Geospatial Analytics, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University Box 7106, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695
| | - Stacy A C Nelson
- Center for Geospatial Analytics, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University Box 7106, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695
| | - Thomas J Kwak
- U.S. Geological Survey, North Carolina Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, North Carolina State University Box 7617, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695
| | - Ernie F Hain
- Center for Geospatial Analytics, College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University Box 7106, Raleigh, North Carolina, 27695
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