Linking Management and Riparian Physical Functions to Water Quality and Aquatic Habitat

Stream and wetland riparian areas are able to sustain a state of resiliency based on the ecosystem’s ability to attain the functions of its ecological potential. This resiliency allows an area to provide and produce desired and valued water quality and aquatic habitat ecosystem services. Maintaining healthy aquatic and riparian habitats depends on “management” allowing for, or facilitating natural recovery of riparian functions. Altering grazing management practices in Maggie Creek lead to changes in riparian functionality, water quality, and aquatic habitat. Maggie Creek basin, historically renowned for its fishery, is one of only a few watersheds in Nevada capable of supporting Lahontan Cutthroat Trout (LCT) (Oncorhynchus clarkia ssp. Henshawi) meta-populations. Prior to 1993, the majority of Maggie Creek was grazed by cattle throughout the growing season. Decades of intensive grazing, water development, and road construction degraded aquatic and riparian habitats. By the early 1990’s, a majority of the Maggie Creek watershed was rated as nonfunctional or functional-at-risk condition with unstable banks, channel incision, loss of riparian vegetation, wide shallow channels, excessive erosion and deposition, reduced stream flows, and increased water temperatures. As mitigation for their 1993 South Operations Area Project mine dewatering, Newmont Mining Company, in cooperation with the Elko District Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the Elko Land and Livestock Company, developed the Maggie Creek Watershed Restoration Project to enhance LCT habitat. The project was developed to enhance 82 miles of stream, 2000 acres of riparian habitat and 40,000 acres of upland watershed primarily through prescriptive livestock management. Beginning in 1994, grazing systems were implemented for portions of the perennial/intermittent streams. This greatly reduced the frequency and duration of hot season grazing on Maggie Creek and its tributaries. The objective of this paper is to compare 1994 and 2006 stream and wetland riparian assessments using proper functioning condition (PFC) protocol and water quality data.

Plantinga＇s Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism Revisited

Alvin Plantinga＇s Evolutionary Argument against Naturalism （hereafter ＂EAAN＂） is an argument intended to prove that atheism is not highly probably true in the Darwinian framework. Many critics believe that this argument Cannot work. I am one of them; but I have a different perspective. In my view, although EAAN was originally elaborated for defending theism, the failure of EAAN itself will not consequently undermine theism （as a religious position）, but will definitely undermine reliabilism （as an epistemological position）. My points include： （1） in Plantinga＇s epistemological reliabilist narrative, it is quite hard to clarify the meaning of the term ＂reliability＂ （as a key word of his whole narrative）, and it is the ambiguity of this term that makes some steps in Plantinga＇s argument more confusing than it ought to be; （2） conversely, if he wiped out this terminological ambiguity, the whole EAANnarrative based on ＂reliability＂ would have to be given up, and this cost may be too high for any EAANadherent to pay.