California Department of Parks and Recreation

Analyses of fossil mammal faunas from 2945 localities in the United States demonstrate that the geographic ranges of individual species shifted at different times, in different directions, and at different rates in response to late Quaternary environmental fluctuations. The geographic pattern of faunal provinces was similar for the late Pleistocene and late Holocene, but differing environmental gradients resulted in dissimilar species composition for these biogeographic regions. Modern community patterns emerged only in the last few thousand years, and many late Pleistocene communities do not have modern analogs. Faunal heterogeneity was greater in the late Pleistocene.

Abstract: Urbanization and habitat fragmentation are major threats to wildlife populations, especially mammalian carnivores. We studied the ecology and behavior of bobcats ( Lynx rufus ) and coyotes ( Canis latrans ) relative to development in a fragmented landscape in southern California from 1996 to 2000. We captured and radiocollared 50 bobcats and 86 coyotes, determined home ranges for 35 bobcats and 40 coyotes, and measured their exposure to development ( “urban association” ) as the percentage of each home range composed of developed or modified areas. Both species occupied predominantly natural home ranges. Adult female bobcats had low levels of urban association, significantly lower than coyotes, adult male bobcats, and young female bobcats. Home‐range size was positively correlated with urban association for coyotes and adult male and young female bobcats, suggesting that human‐dominated areas were less suitable than natural areas in some important way. Animals more associated with non‐natural areas had higher levels of night activity, and both bobcats and coyotes were more likely to be in developed areas at night than during the day. Survival rates were relatively high and were not related to urban association, at least for animals>6–9 months of age. Mortality rates from human‐related causes such as vehicle collisions and incidental poisoning were also independent of urban association. In this region, even the few animals that had almost no human development within their home range were vulnerable to human‐related mortality. Carnivore conservation in urban landscapes must account for these mortality sources that influence the entire landscape, including reserves. For bobcats, preserving open space of sufficient quantity and quality for adult females is necessary for population viability. Educating local residents about carnivores is also critical for conserving populations in urban areas.

The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the most important predictor of aboveground biomass (-9.1 megagrams of carbon per hectare per degree Celsius), primarily by reducing woody productivity, and has a greater impact per °C in the hottest forests (>32.2°C). Our results nevertheless reveal greater thermal resilience than observations of short-term variation imply. To realize the long-term climate adaptation potential of tropical forests requires both protecting them and stabilizing Earth's climate.

This study’s intent is to offer a generalizable model for undertaking economic impact studies that tourism professionals can use to conduct similar studies in their own communities. A conceptual rationale for undertaking economic impact studies is described. The four principles central to the integrity of economic impact analyses are reviewed: exclusion of local residents, exclusion of “time-switchers” and “casuals,” use of income rather than sales output measures of economic impact, and correct interpretation of employment multipliers. The economic impact of a festival on Ocean City, Maryland, is offered as an exemplar.

Although research has shown that performance quality leads to experience quality, the mediating role of experience quality in the effect of performance quality on overall satisfaction and revisit intentions has not been fully investigated. In this paper, satisfaction is conceived within the context of a tourism experience that is cumulative or sequential in nature. Four major stages of this experience are identified: performance quality, experience quality, overall satisfaction, and revisit intentions. Using data from a tourist survey in Northeast Ohio, the mediating role of experience quality is examined. Results indicate that tourist experience is cumulative in the sense that performance quality leads to experience quality, which in turn contributes to satisfaction and revisit intentions. In addition, experience quality fully mediates the relationship between performance quality and overall satisfaction. Thus, promoters should particularly emphasize the experience quality dimensions, which benefits tourists are likely to obtain when visiting the attraction.

Ecologists who specialize in translational ecology ( TE ) seek to link ecological knowledge to decision making by integrating ecological science with the full complement of social dimensions that underlie today's complex environmental issues. TE is motivated by a search for outcomes that directly serve the needs of natural resource managers and decision makers. This objective distinguishes it from both basic and applied ecological research and, as a practice, it deliberately extends research beyond theory or opportunistic applications. TE is uniquely positioned to address complex issues through interdisciplinary team approaches and integrated scientist–practitioner partnerships. The creativity and context‐specific knowledge of resource managers, practitioners, and decision makers inform and enrich the scientific process and help shape use‐driven, actionable science. Moreover, addressing research questions that arise from on‐the‐ground management issues – as opposed to the top‐down or expert‐oriented perspectives of traditional science – can foster the high levels of trust and commitment that are critical for long‐term, sustained engagement between partners.

The mitochondrial electron transport chain enzyme cytochrome c oxidase (COX) is defective in patients with sporadic Alzheimer's disease (AD). This defect arises from the mutation of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). To develop a tissue culture system that would express this genetically derived bioenergetic lesion and permit characterization of its functional consequences, we depleted Ntera2/D1 (NT2) teratocarcinoma cells of endogenous mtDNA and repopulated them with platelet mtDNA from AD patients. Cytochrome c oxidase activity was depressed in the resulting AD cytoplasmic hybrids (cybrids) compared with cybrids prepared with mtDNA from non-AD controls. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and free radical scavenging enzyme activities were significantly elevated in AD cybrids. A COX defect in NT2 AD cybrid lines indicates that AD patients possess mtDNA COX gene mutations that are sufficient for determining this biochemical lesion. Expression of unique functional characteristics (increased ROS production and free radical scavenging enzyme activities) relevant to neurodegeneration demonstrates the utility of these cells in defining AD pathophysiology at a cellular level. This in vitro tissue culture model of AD may prove useful in drug screening.

Experience use history (EUH) was hypothesized to be linked to recreational place bonding and resource substitution behavior. Trout anglers (n = 203) of two Trout Unlimited chapters were surveyed (response rate = 71%) for EUH, place bonding, and resource substitution. Four classifications (Beginners, Visitors, Locals, and Veterans) of EUH were formed, a 26-item scale was rated to form five dimensions of place bonding (Familiarity, Belongingness, Identity, Dependence, and Rootedness), and number of alternative equivalent streams recorded as resource substitutes. The EUH classifications were shown to be linked to different types and degree of place bonding, and to a lesser degree, with substitution behavior among trout anglers. Veterans and Locals had higher degrees of place bonding, while Veterans and Visitors had the highest degree of substitution behavior.

Prevailing measures of street design have largely ignored the relational properties between local and global street design as correlates of walking behaviour. This study contributes to understanding relationships between the syntactical properties of street design and walking behaviour by examining whether space syntax measures in New Urbanist and conventional suburban neighbourhoods are associated with the walking patterns of residents in these communities. Relying on geographic information systems, survey data and travel diaries, the study relates control, local integration and global integration to walking behaviour, while adjusting for the effect of individual- and household-level characteristics. It finds significant relationships between the number of leisure trips and all three syntactical measures. It also finds a consistent positive relationship between total utilitarian walking and two of the space syntax variables, control and global integration. By explaining individuals' walking behaviour using relational measures of street design, urban designers and planners are encouraged to expand their consideration of how street design may influence walking beyond the local purview.

Abstract Passive acoustic monitoring could be a powerful way to assess biodiversity across large spatial and temporal scales. However, extracting meaningful information from recordings can be prohibitively time consuming. Acoustic indices (i.e., a mathematical summary of acoustic energy) offer a relatively rapid method for processing acoustic data and are increasingly used to characterize biological communities. We examined the relationship between acoustic indices and the diversity and abundance of biological sounds in recordings. We reviewed the acoustic‐index literature and found that over 60 indices have been applied to a range of objectives with varying success. We used 36 of the most indicative indices to develop a predictive model of the diversity of animal sounds in recordings. Acoustic data were collected at 43 sites in temperate terrestrial and tropical marine habitats across the continental United States. For terrestrial recordings, random‐forest models with a suite of acoustic indices as covariates predicted Shannon diversity, richness, and total number of biological sounds with high accuracy ( R 2 ≥ 0.94, mean squared error [MSE] ≤170.2). Among the indices assessed, roughness, acoustic activity, and acoustic richness contributed most to the predictive ability of models. Performance of index models was negatively affected by insect, weather, and anthropogenic sounds. For marine recordings, random‐forest models poorly predicted Shannon diversity, richness, and total number of biological sounds ( R 2 ≤ 0.40, MSE ≥ 195). Our results suggest that using a combination of relevant acoustic indices in a flexible model can accurately predict the diversity of biological sounds in temperate terrestrial acoustic recordings. Thus, acoustic approaches could be an important contribution to biodiversity monitoring in some habitats.

This article explores characteristics and crime scene behavior of 20 sexually sadistic serial murderers. The pairing of character pathology with paraphilic arousal to the control and degradation of others is examined as it manifests itself in their murders. Commonalities across murders and across murderers are highlighted, i.e., the execution of murders that are well-planned, the use of preselected locations, captivity, a variety of painful sexual acts, sexual bondage, intentional torture, and death by means of strangulation and stabbing.

Abstract: Rana muscosa (mountain yellow‐legged frog) was eliminated by introduced fishes early in this century in many of the lakes and streams in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, California. In waters not inhabited by fish, however, R. muscosa has disappeared from many sites within the parks during the past 30 years, and it appears to have gone extinct in some drainage systems. Fragmentation of populations may have caused or contributed to these recent extinctions, because R. muscosa populations are significantly more isolated from one another by fish at present than in prestocking conditions. A total of 312 lake‐sites in 95 drainage basins were surveyed for amphibians and fish in 1989–1990. For the 109 sites containing R. muscosa, we delineated networks of sites connected to one another via fishless streams, and we compared these present fishless networks (“present networks”) to those expected for the same sites assuming that fish had not been introduced to the parks (“former networks”). Most present networks consist of only one site (mean = 1.4), whereas the former networks average 5.2 sites. This difference represents approximately a 10‐fold difference in connectivity of populations, which is defined as the mean number of potential dispersal links (fishless streams) per network. Connectivity averages only 0.43 in present networks, in contrast to 4.15 in former ones.

Urban tree canopy is widely believed to have myriad environmental, social, and human-health benefits, but a lack of precise canopy estimates has hindered quantification of these benefits in many municipalities. This problem was addressed for New York City using object-based image analysis (OBIA) to develop a comprehensive land-cover map, including tree canopy to the scale of individual trees. Mapping was performed using a rule-based expert system that relied primarily on high-resolution LIDAR, specifically its capacity for evaluating the height and texture of aboveground features. Multispectral imagery was also used, but shadowing and varying temporal conditions limited its utility. Contextual analysis was a key part of classification, distinguishing trees according to their physical and spectral properties as well as their relationships to adjacent, nonvegetated features. The automated product was extensively reviewed and edited via manual interpretation, and overall per-pixel accuracy of the final map was 96%. Although manual editing had only a marginal effect on accuracy despite requiring a majority of project effort, it maximized aesthetic quality and ensured the capture of small, isolated trees. Converting high-resolution LIDAR and imagery into usable information is a nontrivial exercise, requiring significant processing time and labor, but an expert system–based combination of OBIA and manual review was an effective method for fine-scale canopy mapping in a complex urban environment. © 2012 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). [DOI: 10.1117/1.JRS.6.063567]

The notion that parks have a positive impact on proximate property values was recognized in the debates surrounding the pioneering of large urban parks in England in the first half of the nineteenth century, and subsequently in the spread of this movement to the US in the latter half of that century. The empirical basis for these early assertions was rudimentary and naïve. This paper reviews contemporary research using the more advanced analytical procedures now available to social scientists that has examined this issue. The findings confirm the initial rationale and suggest that a positive impact of 20% on property values abutting or fronting a passive park is a reasonable starting point guideline for estimating such a park's impact.

This article discusses the viability of targeting heavy spenders (as distinguishedfrom heavy users) in regional travel marketing. A sample ofsummertravel parties, contacted in a three-county region in Michigan's UpperPeninsula, was divided into light, medium, and heavy spenders based on each party's total expenditures in the region. Although only 33% of the parties were classified as heavy spenders, the expenditures ofthis segment accounted for 78% of the expenditures of the sample as a whole. Heavy spenders were distinguishable from the othersegments on the basis oftheirlargerparty sizes, longer length of stay, greater involvement with recreation, andgreaterpropensity to use information disseminated by the region's travel industry. Findings suggest how the region's appeal to heavy spenders could be maximized and how its existing market ofheavy spenders could be encouraged to stay longer and return in thefuture. However, few insights emerged on how potential heavy- spenders who have never visited the region could be reached.

The effect of greenways on surrounding residential property values remains somewhat of an unknown quantity. Though several studies have ascertained that nearby residents tend to view greenways as positive or neutral amenities that increase or have no discernible impact on property values and saleability, these results are mostly based on anecdote rather than actual market data. Using the hedonic pricing method, this study demonstrates that greenways may indeed have significant positive impacts on proximate properties’ sales prices. Adjacency to a greenbelt produced significant property value premiums in two of three neighborhoods. Physical access to a greenbelt had a significant, positive impact in one case, but was insignificant in two others. No negative greenway impacts were recorded.

Craft or “boutique” breweries are increasing in numbers in the USA, and in other parts of the developed world. Many are located in rural areas, and have become new rural tourism visitor experiences, related to wine tourism and linked to the growth in culinary tourism. This study offers a clearer understanding of what factors most influence brand loyalty to craft beer, and craft breweries, and sheds light on methodologies for assessing loyalty to other rural tourism, and culinary tourism, experiences. It is based on a survey of patrons visiting and purchasing from two micro-breweries in rural North Carolina, USA, examining concepts used in brand loyalty research including access, environmental consumption, connections with the community, satisfaction, and desire for unique consumer products. Results show that connection with the community, desire for unique consumer products, and satisfaction are the three factors that most align themselves with brand loyalty to rural brewery visits. Connection with the community was the most important factor in influencing brand loyalty especially among those born in the study region, and/or resident there, as well as among tourists. The paper notes implications for rural breweries, for destination management organizations and for marketing and development strategies.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a global impact on the tourism sector. With tourism numbers dramatically reduced, millions of jobs could be lost, and progress made in equality and sustainable economic growth could be rolled back. Widespread reports of dramatic changes to protected and conserved1 area visitation have negative consequences for conservation finances, tourism businesses and the livelihoods of people who supply labour, goods and services to tourists and tourism businesses. This paper aims to share experiences from around the world on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on protected area tourism; and considers how to build resilience within protected area tourism as a regenerative conservation tool.

While the importance of tourism shopping is widely recognised and tourism destinations are aware of the contributions of shopping, there is still little known about the actual behaviour and expectations of tourists, and what influences their preferences and behaviours. Previous research findings consistently indicate that certain associations exist among age, gender and trip typology or trip activity profiles with tourists’ shopping behaviours and preferences. Therefore, the current study examines the effectiveness of age, gender and trip typology as predictor variables for tourists’ shopping behaviours. Shopping behaviours are examined by tourists’ actual involvement in five different categories of ‘shop or browse’ activities. The results indicate that there are distinct groups prevalent in certain categories of shopping activity participation and age, gender and trip typology are significant factors influencing the preference patterns in certain categories of shop or browse activities. Therefore, trip typology, age and gender can serve as useful indicators for configuration of tourist shopper consumer profiles, and the implications are suggested. Better information about patterns and predictor factors of tourist shopping behaviour can lead to improved planning, marketing and management of sales, expenditures and opportunities in the industry.

More than a decade has passed since a relationship between community noise exposure and the prevalence of annoyance was synthesized by Schultz [T. J. Schultz, J. Acoust. Soc. Am. 64, 377–405 (1978)] from the findings of a dozen social surveys. This quantitative dosage–effect relationship has been adopted as a standard means for predicting noise-induced annoyance in environmental assessment documents. The present effort updates the 1978 relationship with findings of social surveys conducted since its publication. Although the number of data points from which a new relationship was inferred more than tripled, the 1978 relationship still provides a reasonable fit to the data.