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Often the greatest challenge in wildlife management is not the management of the animals themselves, but rather the human component of human-wildlife conflict. Persuasive and emotional dialogue is extensively used by private organizations and groups to promote specific agendas. In contrast, a persuasive educational format is often used by science-based groups to promote an agenda. We investigated the effects and importance of word choice using surveys involving wildlife and environmental issues. While topics were identical, survey questions were written to be Persuasive Educational or Persuasive Emotional in structure and were administered to students and to faculty-staff of Berry College. Based on results of surveys completed (n=568), responses could generally be manipulated depending on textual format. However, significant direct exposure to wildlife on the Berry College campus may have influenced the degree of manipulation achieved among both groups of respondents. Results of the study demonstrate the importance of word choice in influencing perspectives. Clearly understanding the perspectives and attempting to identify likely experiences of an audience is essential in order to effectively use written and/or oral delivery of information to achieve public support.

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Milorganite® as a potential repellent for non-venomous snakes. Milorganite® is the biosolids by-product left from the activated sludge process from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District. Within a climate-controlled building, two triangular enclosures consisting of panels (2.4 × 1.2 m) resulting in 2.6 m2 floor surface area, were secured to plastic floor covering and provided with cypress mulch and a container of water. Corners of the enclosure were demarcated using a 63.5-mm monofilament line placed 10 cm above the floor, providing a .09-m2 visible triangle of floor surface area. Round metal containers (8.3 × 3.0 cm) were secured to a board and individually placed within each enclosure corner. Treatments consisted of a control, or the addition of 250 mg or 500 mg Milorganite® within respective metal containers, within each corner. Wild-caught snakes (n=20), including rat (Elaphe spp.), corn (Elaphe guttatus), king (Lampropeltis spp.), black racer (Coluber constrictor priapus), and pine (Pituophis melanoleucus) snakes, were placed individually within an enclosure for a 24-hour period. Activity of the snake was digitally recorded using an infrared camera placed above an enclosure. Treatment application was repeated for each individual snake. The amount of time each snake spent within the respective enclosure corners or outside the demarcated areas during the 24-hour period was utilized as an indication of the effectiveness of Milorganite® as a repellent. During the 1440-min trials, snakes spent more time (p<.01) in the control corner (559.9 ± 98.9 min) or outside the demarcated areas (548.49 ± 89.1 min) compared to the 250-mg Milorganite® (214.5 ± 70.1 min) or 500-mg Milorganite® (117.2 ± 21.6 min) -treated areas. While not different (p>.05), there was a trend toward a dose-response effect of the Milorganite® treatment levels. Results of this study indicate Milorganite® demonstrated potential

The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Milorganite® as a potential repellent for non-venomous snakes. Milorganite® is the biosolids by-product left from the activated sludge process from the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewer District. Within a climate-controlled building, two triangular enclosures consisting of panels (2.4 × 1.2 m) resulting in 2.6 m2 floor surface area, were secured to plastic floor covering and provided with cypress mulch and a container of water. Corners of the enclosure were demarcated using a 63.5-mm monofilament line placed 10 cm above the floor, providing a .09-m2 visible triangle of floor surface area. Round metal containers (8.3 × 3.0 cm) were secured to a board and individually placed within each enclosure corner. Treatments consisted of a control, or the addition of 250 mg or 500 mg Milorganite® within respective metal containers, within each corner. Wild-caught snakes (n=20), including rat (Elaphe spp.), corn (Elaphe guttatus), king (Lampropeltis spp.), black racer (Coluber constrictor priapus), and pine (Pituophis melanoleucus) snakes, were placed individually within an enclosure for a 24-hour period. Activity of the snake was digitally recorded using an infrared camera placed above an enclosure. Treatment application was repeated for each individual snake. The amount of time each snake spent within the respective enclosure corners or outside the demarcated areas during the 24-hour period was utilized as an indication of the effectiveness of Milorganite® as a repellent. During the 1440-min trials, snakes spent more time (p<.01) in the control corner (559.9 ± 98.9 min) or outside the demarcated areas (548.49 ± 89.1 min) compared to the 250-mg Milorganite® (214.5 ± 70.1 min) or 500-mg Milorganite® (117.2 ± 21.6 min) -treated areas. While not different (p>.05), there was a trend toward a dose-response effect of the Milorganite® treatment levels. Results of this study indicate Milorganite® demonstrated potential

Often the greatest challenge in wildlife management is not the management of the animals themselves, but rather the human component of human-wildlife conflict. Persuasive and emotional dialogue is extensively used by private organizations and groups to promote specific agendas. In contrast, a persuasive educational format is often used by science-based groups to promote an agenda. We investigated the effects and importance of word choice using surveys involving wildlife and environmental issues. While topics were identical, survey questions were written to be Persuasive Educational or Persuasive Emotional in structure and were administered to students and to faculty-staff of Berry College. Based on results of surveys completed (n=568), responses could generally be manipulated depending on textual format. However, significant direct exposure to wildlife on the Berry College campus may have influenced the degree of manipulation achieved among both groups of respondents. Results of the study demonstrate the importance of word choice in influencing perspectives. Clearly understanding the perspectives and attempting to identify likely experiences of an audience is essential in order to effectively use written and/or oral delivery of information to achieve public support.