Scholarship & Research
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Item Rethinking water conflict and cooperation: a re-analysis of interviews in Montana and an example study from the Big Hole River watershed(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2024) Bjorklund, Erin Nicole; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Sarah P. Church; This is a manuscript style paper that includes co-authored chapters.Climate change heightens the supply and demand imbalance for freshwater, increasing the potential for conflict between water users. However, conflict is not the only outcome, as water demands can also create space for cooperation. The Basins at Risk (BAR) scale is one of the most prominent numerical measurements for analyzing the level of conflict or cooperation in freshwater-related events reported in public news sources. However, few studies in the U.S. West and none within Montana have utilized this method and little has been done to investigate alternative applications of the BAR scale beyond news event analysis. Therefore, this study examines 1) water conflict and cooperation trends in Montana and 2) how interview data can contribute to nuanced understandings of water conflict and cooperation. The intensity and type of issue for water events in Montana were cataloged and analyzed in a re-analysis of 63 interviews conducted for the Montana Drought Vulnerability Assessment. Results revealed that from the perspective of Montanan water stakeholders, cooperation over water resources outweighs conflict, and low-intensity conflictive and cooperative events are more prominent. The re-analysis results informed the selection of an example study utilizing the BAR scale to analyze event data (n=314) and primary interviews (n=11) collected in the Big Hole Watershed, Montana. Event data was sampled from 7 Montana news sources between the years 2007 and 2023. Primary interviews were conducted in February, March, and April 2024 with a variety of stakeholders in the Big Hole River Watershed (e.g., anglers, ranchers, fishing guides, Big Hole Watershed Committee board members, Fish, Wildlife and Parks). These data show the value of including primary interviews in a study utilizing the BAR scale. Moreover, results from this study can help researchers and resource managers monitor and identify water conflict and cooperation, by showing a nuanced understanding of conflict and cooperation.Item From lethargy to leadership: America's origins and obligations as an arctic nation(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Letters & Science, 2021) Kramer, Samuel Charles; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Brett WalkerAt present, temperatures in the Arctic are rising twice as fast as the global average. This drastic increase has been the catalyst for a number of vicious cycles that exacerbate climate change, such as the melting of both permafrost and ice sheets. New waterways, opened due to melting ice, have provided access to once impossible to reach resources and brought competing ambitions of both Arctic and non-Arctic nations to the forefront. The prospect of easily accessible resources such as oil, natural gas, and minerals has amplified the issues of territory and ownership in the Arctic with many nations responding with an increase in nationalism and militarization. Outcomes of this geopolitical competition will have consequences that reach far beyond the Arctic. Equally as important are the effects that these rivalries will have on the indigenous groups that live and subsist in the Arctic --many of which have been victims of systematic disenfranchisement and racism. As a result of the purchase of Alaska in 1867, the United States belongs to an exclusive company of nations that own or oversee territory in the Arctic. These eight nations, the United States, Canada, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, and Denmark (via Greenland), despite sharing the designation of being an Arctic nation, all possess distinct ambitions and interests in the far North. Cooperation, however, is imperative to address the myriad challenges that the Arctic faces in the twenty-first century. In order for the United States to become, and remain, a responsible Arctic ally, I argue, we must first reexamine our origins as an Arctic nation and recognize the connection between the purchase of Alaska and the conquest of the American West. Acknowledging the continued existence of exploitation and colonialism in Alaska is a necessary step the United States must take on the path towards responsibility in the Arctic.Item The value of fresh water as an economic input: evidence from Florida oyster fisheries(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 2019) Dahl, Caleb Eliot; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Richard ReadyNatural resources contribute to a number of processes that humans depend on for economic benefits. A notable example is fisheries. Fishery productivity is largely dictated by environmental factors. When an ecosystem is altered, the effect on its fisheries can be catastrophic. As development intensifies throughout the world, an increasing number of fisheries are affected by environmental change driven by human behavior. A relevant example is Florida's oyster industry in the Gulf of Mexico, including the famous Apalachicola Bay fishery. As development and population have increased in the surrounding region, the river system that drains into the Florida Gulf has seen diminished water supply. Oysters rely on a particular mix of fresh and saltwater, so changes in the fresh water level affects the ecosystem and the fishing industry. In this thesis, I analyze the effect and value of freshwater input in the oyster fisheries of the Florida Gulf. I find that the effect of freshwater inflow on oyster productivity varies by season, with quarter three flow being of primary importance. Depending on the county and valuation method, I find a standard deviation change in freshwater inflow to be worth between $318,650.98 and $834,004.81 over two years in the context of oyster fisheries. While this specific situation is of particular interest, this work also contributes to the broader literature regarding the role and value of natural resources as economic inputs.Item A needs assessment of integrated resource management educational activities as perceived by cattle producers in Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1996) Knerr, Virginia Lynn; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: C. Van ShelhamerItem Holistic approach to natural resource and human management : a case study of the Himalayan National Parks in Nepal(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1994) Sherpa, Nima Wangchu; Chairperson, Graduate Committee: Clifford MontagneItem Study of natural resource conservation integrated in a high school program(Montana State University - Bozeman, 1956) Lane, David W.Item Resource development and the Missouri River Basin(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1951) Bowman, Robert W.Item Assessing potential impacts of logging and road construction on the soil and water resources in a semi-primitive area(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1973) Aasheim, Ronald JayItem A programming model for evaluating changes in resource use in the Bitterroot Valley of Montana(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1972) Hash, Charles T.Item National forest timber harvest variability(Montana State University - Bozeman, College of Agriculture, 1984) Forrester, Albert AyersIt has long been the goal of the United States Forest Service to stabilize timber dependent communities via a sustained yield, even-flow of timber from the National Forests. This policy has been based upon the assumption that timber markets have a destabilizing impact on these communities since private timber operators harvest at varying rates. This paper examines the question of whether or not private harvests are more variable than Forest Service harvests. Statistically, it is shown that Forest Service harvests are not stable and that private harvests are much less variable than national forest harvests. The focus of the paper then turns to an explanation of the variability in Forest Service harvests. Timber sales policies and the Forest Service contract are given as two possible sources of this variability. Regression analysis shows that, for the most part, timber harvests are not significantly related to sales and that apparently there is enough slack in the timber contracts to allow operators time to alter harvest rates according to changes in the economy. Econometric analysis shows that harvests do respond to changes in the economy. Thus harvest variability is not solely due to variability in Forest Service timber sales. Because of the apparent lack of rigidity in timber contracts, evidenced by contract extension, termination, alteration, and slack in the contract period, it is proposed that firms harvesting national forest timber will behave differently than firms harvesting under private contracts. Specifically, it is proposed that firms reduce harvest rates dramatically when prices fall, perhaps ceasing operations altogether, and increasing harvest rates when prices rise. Econometric analysis shows that such behavior in national forest timber supply is present. The evidence provides a partial explanation of national forest harvest variability.