DOCSLIB.ORG

Standard Operating Procedures for Wild Horse and Burro Double-Observer Aerial Surveys

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Standard Operating Procedures for Wild Horse and Burro Double-Observer Aerial Surveys Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management Standard Operating Procedures for Wild Horse and Burro Double-Observer Aerial Surveys Chapter 16 of Section A, Biological Science Book 2, Collection of Environmental Data Techniques and Methods 2–A16 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey Cover. Horse group photographed in Frisco Herd Management Area, Utah. Photograph by Chad Hunter, Bureau of Land Management, 2012. Standard Operating Procedures for Wild Horse and Burro Double-Observer Aerial Surveys By Paul C. Griffin, L. Stefan Ekernas, Kathryn A. Schoenecker, and Bruce C. Lubow Chapter 16 of Section A, Biological Science Book 2, Collection of Environmental Data Prepared in cooperation with the Bureau of Land Management Techniques and Methods 2–A16 U.S. Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Department of the Interior DAVID BERNHARDT, Secretary U.S. Geological Survey James F. Reilly II, Director U.S. Geological Survey, Reston, Virginia: 2020 For more information on the USGS—the Federal source for science about the Earth, its natural and living resources, natural hazards, and the environment—visit https://www.usgs.gov or call 1–888–ASK–USGS. For an overview of USGS information products, including maps, imagery, and publications, visit https://store.usgs.gov. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. Although this information product, for the most part, is in the public domain, it also may contain copyrighted materials as noted in the text. Permission to reproduce copyrighted items must be secured from the copyright owner. Suggested citation: Griffin, P.C., Ekernas, L.S., Schoenecker, K.A., and Lubow, B.C., 2020, Standard operating procedures for wild horse and burro double-observer aerial surveys: U.S. Geological Survey Techniques and Methods, book 2, chap. A16, 76 p., https://doi.org/10.3133/tm2A16. ISSN 2328-7055 (online) iii Preface The U.S. Geological Survey has been collaborating with the Bureau of Land Management to develop statistically reliable methods for wild horse and burro aerial survey data collection and analysis for more than a decade. In cooperation with Colorado State University, the U.S. Geological Survey tested several methods in herds with known abundance, resulting in two scientifically defensible aerial survey and population estimation techniques. These methods are now being applied by the Bureau of Land Management across the western United States, enabling better management of wild horses and burros. The purpose of these Standard Operat- ing Procedures is to provide detailed instructions to the Bureau of Land Management wild horse and burro specialists who need to fly aerial surveys for management. Acknowledgments Many pilots, wild horse and burro specialists, survey crew members, aviation managers, and scientists contributed to the development, testing, and refinement of these methods. Jason Ransom (National Park Service) and Francis Singer, previously of the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Fort Collins Science Center, now deceased, were drivers behind early tests of these and other potential methods as viable approaches to wild horse and burro abundance estimation on Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. BLM staff from the Grand Junction, Colorado, Cody, Wyoming, and Billings, Montana, Field Offices were instrumental in early validation tests. Invaluable improvements were made through surveys carried out jointly by USGS scientists, BLM wild horse and burro specialists from throughout the west, along with cooperating U.S. Forest Service staff in comanaged complexes. We gratefully acknowledge all that work that formed the foundation of these survey methods, as well as advice and reviews of early drafts of these Standard Operating Procedures from dozens of coworkers in USGS, BLM, and U.S. Forest Service. We appreciate review by the U.S. Department of the Interior Executive Aviation Subcommittee. We appreciate guidance throughout the research and development process from Zack Bowen (USGS); Joan Guilfoyle, Dean Bolstad, and Alan Shepherd (BLM); and Tom Frolli (U.S. Forest Service). iv Contents Preface ...........................................................................................................................................................iii Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................iii Introduction.....................................................................................................................................................1 Standard Operating Procedure 1—Conducting Aerial Surveys with the Simultaneous Double- Observer Method..............................................................................................................................2 Overview.................................................................................................................................................2 Introduction............................................................................................................................................2 Pre-Survey Planning.............................................................................................................................2 Daily Preparations and Supplies ........................................................................................................3 Safety .............................................................................................................................................3 Fire Restrictions ..................................................................................................................3 Weather and Flight ......................................................................................................................4 Survey Areas .........................................................................................................................................4 Equipment...............................................................................................................................................4 GPS Use .........................................................................................................................................5 Crew Positions and Duties ..................................................................................................................6 Survey Procedures—How to Conduct Survey Flights ...................................................................6 Preflight .........................................................................................................................................6 Flight Pattern.................................................................................................................................6 How to Search—Maintaining Observer Independence for Initial Detection ....................7 Counting and Photographing Horses after Detection is Announced ................................10 Recording Location ...................................................................................................................10 Defining Sighting Covariate Categories .................................................................................11 Waypoint ............................................................................................................................11 Time (hh:mm)......................................................................................................................11 Species ...............................................................................................................................12 Total Count .........................................................................................................................12 Detected By .......................................................................................................................12 Side of Ship ........................................................................................................................12 Activity ................................................................................................................................12 Visual Field .........................................................................................................................13 Percent (%) Concealing Vegetation ...............................................................................16 Distance..............................................................................................................................17 Light Level ..........................................................................................................................17 Topo Class ..........................................................................................................................17 Percent (%) of Ground Snow-Covered ..........................................................................18 Protocol OK? ......................................................................................................................18 Comments ..........................................................................................................................19 Data-Recording Shortcut—Default Values ...........................................................................19 What to do When the Same Group is Detected Twice ........................................................19
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Chapter 2 Management Plan
    Chapter 2 Management Plan Mahogany Canyon in the High Rock Canyon Wilderness 2.1 INTRODUCTION This chapter contains objectives and decisions for managing the natural, physical and cultural resources described in the Act and those located in parts of the planning area not included in the National Conservation Area or designated Wilderness Areas. Background information is provided for each of these resources to establish points of reference for the decisions that follow. 2.2 PROGRAM-SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES AND DECISIONS 2.2.1 LAND HEALTH STANDARDS Land Health Standards are expressions of physical and biological condition or degree of function required for sustainable environmental health. These standards engender measurements that describe on- the-ground conditions in relation to the four fundamentals of healthy, properly functioning ecosystems that are identified at 43 CFR § 4180. These fundamentals are: • Watersheds in properly functioning physical condition; soil and plant conditions support infiltration, soil moisture storage, and the release of water that is in balance with climate and landform and maintain or improve water quality, water quantity, and timing and duration of flow. Ecological processes, including the hydrologic cycle, nutrient cycle, and energy flow, are maintained in order to support healthy biotic populations and communities. • Water quality complies with State water quality standards and achieves BLM management objectives. • Habitats are restored or maintained for listed, proposed, candidate and other special status species. BLACK ROCK-HIGH ROCK RMP 2-1 JULY 2004 Chapter 2 –Management Plan Standards are achieved through the use of guidelines developed for specific programs and uses. Because the Standards were originally applied to livestock grazing, guidelines for livestock grazing (Appendix B) will continue to apply to that use.
    [Show full text]
  • Josie Pearl, Prospector on Nevada's Black Rock Desert
    JUNE, 1962 40c • • • • . Author's car crossing the playa of Black Rock Desert in northwestern Nevada. On Black Rock Desert Trails When Dora Tucker and Nell Murbarger first began exploring the Black Rock country in northwestern Nevada they did not realize what a high, wide and wild country it was. On the Black Rock a hundred miles doesn't mean a thing. In the 10,000 square miles of this desert wasteland there isn't a foot of pavement nor a mile of railroad— neither gasoline station nor postoffice. Antelopes out-number human beings fifty to one. There's plenty of room here for exploring. By NELL MURBARGER Photographs by the author Map by Norton Allen S AN illustration of what the want to! Ain't nothin' there!" is known as "the Black Rock country," Black Rock country affords Thanking him, we accepted his re- the desert from which it derives its in the way of variety and con- port as a favorable omen and headed name actually is a stark white alkali trast, we made a J 50-mile loop trip out into the desert. Almost invariably playa, averaging a dozen miles in out of Gerlach last June. Our previous we find our best prowling in places width and stretching for 100 miles exploring of the region had been mostly where folks have told us there "ain't from Gerlach to Kings River. Merging in the northern and eastern sections, nothin'." imperceptibly with the Black Rock on so we hadn't the slightest idea of what Rising precipitously from the dead the southwest is the section known as we might find in the southern part.
    [Show full text]
  • Brxs R43.Pdf
    MINERAL RESOURCES OF THE KUMlVA PEAK 38-BV 60"OUADRANGLE INTRODUCTION Parallel Survey. Descriptions of mines and prospects within the auadranale were made bv HI! 11 91 51. Lincoln 11 9231. The Kumiva Peak 30' by 60' Quadrangle lies about 40 ~anderburg-(1936). ~vertdn11947). onh ham i1969); miles north of Reno in western Nevada. The southern and Johnson (1977). Descriptions of the geology of the boundary is the 40th parallel and the western boundary, Washoe County portion of the quadrangle were included in the 120th meridian, lies about % mile west of the Nevada- the work by Bonham (1969); Johnson (I9771 described California state line. Portions of Washoe and Pershing the geology of the Pershing County part of the quadrangle. Counties, the northern half of Pyramid Lake, and a large During 1984-85, the Nevada Bureau of Mines and part of the Pyramid Lake Indian Reservation ail lie within Geology conducted a mineral inventory of the Sonoma- this quadrangle. Gerlach Resource Area for the Bureau of Land Management The John Fremont end Kit Carson party traveled through and, as part of that project,many mines andprospects in the central portion of this area in early January 1844. The the Kumiva Peak 30' by 60' Quadrangle were examined Fremont party discovered and named Pyramid Lake and and sampled. Field data were collected by Jack Quade, passed along its eastern shore on their way south. The J. V. Tingley, R: B. Jones, and L. J. Garside. In 1986, earliest mining activity, gold and silver prospecting, began T. L. T. Grose reported on several prospects in the about 1670 in Cottonwood Canyon in the northern Fox southern part of the quadrangle and, in 1967, J.
    [Show full text]
  • United States Department of the Interior U.S. Geological Survey
    UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY RESOURCE ASSESSMENT OF THE BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT'S WINNEMUCCA DISTRICT AND SURPRISE RESOURCE AREA, NORTHWEST NEVADA AND NORTHEAST CALIFORNIA An Interim Project Status Report by Jeff L. Doebrich \ George V. Albino 2, Charles E. Barker 3, Wendell A. Duffield 4, Victor C. Dunn s, Willam F. Hanna 6, Joseph P. McFarlan 7, Dawn J. McGuire 8, Michael S. Miller 9, Stephen G. Peters \ Donald Plouff 10, Gary L. Raines \ Don L. Sawatzky1, and Gregory T. Spanski " United States Geological Survey Open-File Report 94-712 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards or with the North America Stratigraphic Code. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. 1994 'USGS, MS 176, Reno Field Office, Mackay School of Mines, University of Nevada, Reno, NV 89557-0047 2U.S. Geological Survey, Unit 62101, APO AE 09811-2101 3USGS, MS 971, Box 25046, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225-0046 4USGS, Bldg. 3, 2255 North Gemini Dr., Flagstaff, AZ 86001-1698 5Bureau of Land Management, 705 E. 4th St., Winnemucca, NV 89445 6USGS, National Center, MS 927, 12201 Sunrise Valley Dr., Reston, VA 22092-0001 7Bureau of Land Management, P.O. Box 460, Cedarville, CA 96104 8USGS, MS 973, Box 25046, Denver Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225-0046 'Western Field Operations Center, U.S. Bureau of Mines, E. 360 Third Ave., Spokane, WA 99202 10USGS, MS 989, Bldg.
    [Show full text]
  • STATE of NEVADA Brian Sandoval, Governor
    STATE OF NEVADA Brian Sandoval, Governor DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE Tony Wasley, Director GAME DIVISION Brian F. Wakeling, Chief Mike Cox, Big Game Staff Biologist Pat Jackson, Carnivore Staff Biologist Cody McKee, Elk Staff Biologist Cody Schroeder, Mule Deer Staff Biologist Peregrine Wolff, Wildlife Health Specialist Western Region Southern Region Eastern Region Regional Supervisors Mike Scott Steve Kimble Tom Donham Big Game Biologists Chris Hampson Joe Bennett Travis Allen Carl Lackey Pat Cummings Clint Garrett Kyle Neill Cooper Munson Matt Jeffress Ed Partee Kari Huebner Jason Salisbury Jeremy Lutz Kody Menghini Tyler Nall Scott Roberts Cover photo credit: Mike Cox This publication will be made available in an alternative format upon request. Nevada Department of Wildlife receives funding through the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration. Federal Laws prohibit discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, sex, or disability. If you believe you’ve been discriminated against in any NDOW program, activity, or facility, please write to the following: Diversity Program Manager or Director U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Nevada Department of Wildlife 4401 North Fairfax Drive, Mailstop: 7072-43 6980 Sierra Center Parkway, Suite 120 Arlington, VA 22203 Reno, Nevada 8911-2237 Individuals with hearing impairments may contact the Department via telecommunications device at our Headquarters at 775-688-1500 via a text telephone (TTY) telecommunications device by first calling the State of Nevada Relay Operator at 1-800-326-6868. NEVADA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE 2017-2018 BIG GAME STATUS This program is supported by Federal financial assistance titled “Statewide Game Management” submitted to the U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Humboldt County Elk Management Sub-Plan
    HUMBOLDT COUNTY ELK MANAGEMENT SUB-PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 2 BACKGROUND 3 PLAN GOAL 5 SCOPE OF THE PLAN 5 HUMBOLDT COUNTY PLAN PROCESS 6 POTENTIAL ELK CARRYING CAPACITY ASSESSMENT 7 STEERING COMMITTEE PROCESS 9 PLANNING UNIT SPECIFICS 10 UNITS 031 11 UNITS 032 13 UNITS 033 15 UNIT 034 17 UNIT 035 20 UNIT 051 22 MANAGEMENT ACTIONS 25 NDOW 25 BLM 27 USFS 27 USFWS 28 APPENDIX 30 1 INTRODUCTION Low densities of elk have been reported in many portions of Humboldt County with the bulk of the sightings occurring recently in unit 051. Based on observations that started as early as 1990 to 2014, it appears a small group of elk established a home range within the Santa Rosa Range. This small herd has continued to increase throughout the last two decades. In January of 2013, two cow elk were collared to track movement and use areas. Since the start of that project, to date, one collar has been recovered with data of known use areas. The second collar is due to fall off in August of 2015. In January 2014, the first elk survey flight was conducted. During this survey, a total of 21 elk were observed. All 21 animals were bulls with no cows being located. Prior to this survey, animals have been observed from the air on several occasions, incidentally during other specie surveys. Another follow-up survey was conducted in March 2015 to try to determine the number of elk existing in the Santa Rosa Range. During this flight no elk were observed.
    [Show full text]
  • Mining Districts of Nevada
    NEVADA BUREAU OF MINES AND GEOLOGY REPORT 47 Second Edition MINING DISTRICTS OF NEVADA Joseph V. Tingley MACKAY SCHOOL OF MINES 1998 UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA RENO CONTENTS Historical background Development of mining districts in Nevada Previous work Organization of report Acknowledgments District descriptions References Appendix A List of Nevada mining district names Appendix B Nevada mining districts listed by county Appendix C Nevada mining districts listed by commodity Figure 1. Record of proceedings of miners’ meeting at Gold Hill, 1859 Figure 2. Mining laws of the Reese River mining district Figure 3. DeGroot’s map of Nevada Territory, 1863 Figure 4. Menardi’s map of Nevada, 1908 Plate 1 Mining districts of Nevada Note: Hyperlinks are denoted by underlined blue text. PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION Most of the major changes included in the second edition of Mining Districts of Nevada resulted from mineral assessment work carried out in south central Nevada between 1992 and 1996 (Tingley and others, 1993, 1997). Six new mining districts, Cedar Spring, Gold Range, Jamestown, Pocopah, Rainstorm, and Trappmans, have been added in Nye County and two districts, Joe May Canyon and White Caps, have been added in Clark County. Six Nye County districts, Antelope Springs, Cactus Springs, Clarkdale, Kawich, Wellington, and Wilsons, and three districts in Lincoln County, Don Dale, Groom, and Papoose, have boundary modifications and new material has been added to their descriptions in the text. In the northern part of the state, the boundary of the Argenta district, Lander County, has been modified to reflect the development of a major gold mine; gold has now surpassed barite as the major commodity produced from this district.
    [Show full text]
  • Geochemical Data for Environmental Studies of Mercury Mines in Nevada
    U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Geochemical Data for Environmental Studies of Mercury Mines in Nevada by John E. Gray, Monique G. Adams, James G. Crock, and Peter M. Theodorakos Open-File Report 99-576 This report is preliminary and has not been reviewed for conformity with U.S. Geological Survey editorial standards. Any use of trade names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. U.S. Geological Survey, P.O. Box 25046, MS 973, Federal Center, Denver, CO 80225-0046 ISBN 0-607-93726-2 1999 U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Bruce Babbitt, Secretary U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Charles G. Groat, Director ________________________________________________________________________ For additional information Copies of this report can write to: be purchased from: Chief Scientist, Central Region Books and Open-File Reports Mineral Resources Program U.S. Geological Survey U.S. Geological Survey Federal Center Box 25046, Federal Center Box 25046 Denver, CO 80225-0046 Denver, CO 80225-0046 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………………………………….……………………………………………………….. 4 General Geology and Mineralogy…………………………....…………………………….………… 5 Sample Collection and Preparation………………………………………………………………….. 5 Analytical Methods……………….……………..…………………………………………………… 6 Solid Sample Analysis………………………...………………………………………………… 6 Inductively Coupled Plasma-Atomic Emission Spectrometry……………...………...……. 6 Atomic Absorption Spectrometry………..……………………………...………………….. 7 Water Sample Analysis…..……...……………...…..…………………………………………… 7 Inductively
    [Show full text]
  • University of Nevada, Reno Geology, Alteration, Paragenesis, And
    University of Nevada, Reno Geology, Alteration, Paragenesis, and Geochemistry of the Vortex Zone of the Hycroft Gold-Silver Deposit, Humboldt County, Nevada A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Science in Geology by Karl Lowry Dr. Tommy Thompson/Thesis Advisor December, 2013 THE GRADUATE SCHOOL We recommend that the thesis prepared under our supervision by KARL LOWRY entitled Geology, Alteration, Paragenesis, And Geochemistry Of The Vortex Zone Of The Hycroft Gold-Silver Deposit, Humboldt County, Nevada be accepted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE Tommy Thompson, Ph. D., Advisor Christopher Henry, Ph. D., Committee Member Thom Seal, Ph. D, Graduate School Representative Marsha H. Read, Ph. D., Dean, Graduate School December, 2013 i Abstract The Hycroft gold-silver mine is a low sulfidation epithermal hot spring deposit located 55 miles west of Winnemucca, NV near the Blackrock desert. It is located in the historic Sulphur district, which has had mining on and off since the late 1800’s. Sulphur was the main commodity initially, with the later discovery and mining of silver, alunite, and mercury through the first half of the 20th century. Gold was discovered in the district in 1974 by the Duvall Corporation. The first gold mining and recovery by heap leach was conducted in 1983 by Standard Slag. Allied Nevada acquired the property in 2008 and discovered the Vortex zone through induced polarization and resistivity surveys. The oldest rocks in the region are the Permian Happy Creek Volcanic Series. These are overlain by the Auld Lang Syne Group of metamorphosed argillaceous to sandy sedimentary rock.
    [Show full text]
  • Fly Ranch Nature Walks a Facilitator’S Guide
    Fly Ranch Nature Walks A Facilitator’s Guide “Walking is the great adventure, the first meditation, a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind. ​ Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.” - Gary Snyder Welcome. What follows is a guide to prepare you for facilitating groups during walks at Fly Ranch. We are developing this initiative so that in the future folks who are passionate about the project may sign up and become trained as a Nature Walk Guide. Fly Ranch Nature Walks are offered as a collaboration between Friends of Black Rock-High Rock and Burning Man Project, both of which are nonprofit organizations. Friends of Black Rock-High Rock inspires legacies of public land stewardship in the entrancing Black Rock Desert region through conservation and education. Burning Man is a network of people inspired by the values reflected in their Ten Principles and united in the pursuit of a more creative and connected existence in the world. Together we wish to create awe-inspiring experiences that will create connections to the beauty and wonder of Fly Ranch and the surrounding areas. So what is a Guide? We are members of the community passionate about the Fly Ranch project who want to help others engage with this special place. More specifically, we: ● Facilitate an educational and informative experience for participants ● Manage logistics: headcounts, waivers, access, parking, route, and departure ● Establish the energetic tone for the experience and represent the values of the project ● Make sure the group remains safe and practices Leave No Trace values ● Answer questions and provide locations of resources for further information Just as important as understanding what we are is knowing what we are not.
    [Show full text]
  • On Black Rock Desert Trails
    • • • • . Author's car crossing the playa of Black Rock Desert in northwestern Nevada. On Black Rock Desert Trails When Dora Tucker and Nell Murbarger first began exploring the Black Rock country in northwestern Nevada they did not realize what a high, wide and wild country it was. On the Black Rock a hundred miles doesn't mean a thing. In the 10,000 square miles of this desert wasteland there isn't a foot of pavement nor a mile of railroad— neither gasoline station nor postoffice. Antelopes out-number human beings fifty to one. There's plenty of room here for exploring. By NELL MURBARGER Photographs by the author Map by Norton Allen S AN illustration of what the want to! Ain't nothin' there!" is known as "the Black Rock country," Black Rock country affords Thanking him, we accepted his re- the desert from which it derives its in the way of variety and con- port as a favorable omen and headed name actually is a stark white alkali trast, we made a J 50-mile loop trip out into the desert. Almost invariably playa, averaging a dozen miles in out of Gerlach last June. Our previous we find our best prowling in places width and stretching for 100 miles exploring of the region had been mostly where folks have told us there "ain't from Gerlach to Kings River. Merging in the northern and eastern sections, nothin'." imperceptibly with the Black Rock on so we hadn't the slightest idea of what Rising precipitously from the dead the southwest is the section known as we might find in the southern part.
    [Show full text]
  • Wild Horses and the Bureau of Land Management: a Policy Review and Critique
    UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations 1-1-1998 Wild horses and the Bureau of Land Management: A policy review and critique Julene Haworth University of Nevada, Las Vegas Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/rtds Repository Citation Haworth, Julene, "Wild horses and the Bureau of Land Management: A policy review and critique" (1998). UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations. 930. http://dx.doi.org/10.25669/73k7-nnio This Thesis is protected by copyright and/or related rights. It has been brought to you by Digital Scholarship@UNLV with permission from the rights-holder(s). You are free to use this Thesis in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s) directly, unless additional rights are indicated by a Creative Commons license in the record and/ or on the work itself. This Thesis has been accepted for inclusion in UNLV Retrospective Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Scholarship@UNLV. For more information, please contact [email protected]. INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the microfilm master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter free, while others may be from any type of computer printer. The quality of this reprodactiom is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction.
    [Show full text]