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This article provides a counterstory to damaging, dominant narratives concerning migrant experiences and border crossings. Through counter-storytelling, I share Rey's lived experiences as a transfronterizx (transborder) student who crossed the United States–Mexico border daily to attend school and eventually, participate in school music. The overarching question guiding the study was: What are a transfronterizx student's experiences navigating school and school music in the United States? Based on the findings, Rey encountered literal and metaphorical barriers as he pursued an education in the United States. In particular, navigating language, deficit-based teaching practices, surveillance, and policing were key in his narrative. Currently as a music educator, Rey draws from his personal transfronterizx background to inform his music teaching practices in a predominantly Latine school community. Considerations for working with migrant students and families are discussed in light of ongoing sociopolitical issues, including the need for more culturally and linguistically responsive practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clean air interstate rule (CAIR) was a regional cap-and-trade program announced in 2005 which covered 27 eastern US states and sought to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants. The rule was later vacated after a court found that the non-targeted design of the program did not comply with the Clean Air Act provision to regulate interstate air pollution. Using a custom air pollution dispersion model, I calculate the interstate SO2 pollution from 493 coal-fired power plants across the United States between 1997 and 2020. In a difference-in-differences setup with plants not covered by CAIR in the control group, I estimate the treatment effect of the program on overall- and cross-border SO2 emissions and find a 24% reduction in overall emissions and reduces the risk that a plant violates air quality standards across state borders by 2–4%. I report evidence of heterogeneous treatment effects where the reduction in overall emissions attributed to CAIR is lower among plants transporting SO2 in excess of 1% of the National Air Quality Standards to another state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Can well-defined access rights to publicly owned land be as effective as privatization in increasing productivity and wealth? In this paper, I evaluate the impact of public property rights using the 1934 Taylor Grazing Act, which determined secure access rights for ranchers to newly created, large grazing districts in the Western United States. Using satellite-based vegetation data, I exploit spatial discontinuities across grazing district boundaries and find that public lands with well-defined access rights for ranchers are at least 10% more productive than lands without. Immediately after establishing grazing districts, ranchers inside these districts held more cattle, and reported higher income and farm values than their counterparts outside. Despite ranchers being unable to invest in publicly owned lands, these magnitudes are similar to outright privatization. Instead, I argue that secure access rights resolve uncertainty around future usage and align the incentives of ranchers and regulators, thus incentivizing sustainable and profitable usage. I provide two results supporting this hypothesis: Areas with stronger pre-reform state capacity show larger increases in vegetation; and, monthly patterns on vegetation are consistent with the adoption of productivity-increasing fallowing practices. I investigate alternative explanations, and find no empirical support for differential initial productivity, negative spillovers, or systematic local manipulation of boundaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigations of the links between human infrastructure and ecological change have provided eye-opening insights into humanity's environmental impacts and contributed to global environmental policies. Fences are globally ubiquitous, yet they are often omitted from discussions of anthropogenic impacts. In the present article, we address this gap through a systematic literature review on the ecological effects of fences. Our overview provides five major takeaways: 1) an operational definition of fencing to structure future research, 2) an estimate of fence densities in the western United States to emphasize the challenges of accounting for fences in human-footprint mapping, 3) a framework exhibiting the ecological winners and losers that fences produce, 4) a typology of fence effects across ecological scales to guide research, and 5) a summary of research trends and biases that suggest that fence effects have been underestimated. Through highlighting past research and offering frameworks for the future, we aim with this work to formalize the nascent field of fence ecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Border fences have a long history in the United States, and that history is deeply entangled with the rise of the carceral state. As fences along the U.S.-Mexico border grew over the course of the twentieth century, they increasingly restricted the mobility of migrants both as they crossed the U.S.-Mexico divide and once they were within U.S. territory. This article analyzes how fear of being apprehended, arrested, detained, or deported has forced migrants to remain in the shadows; and it argues that as border fences expanded in length and height, they transformed the United States into a massive, carceral state. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under an experimental features study requested by the Federal Highway Administration, the Indiana Department of Transportation installed a proprietary cable median barrier system, i.e., the Brifen four-rope wire rope safety fence (WRSF), to assess issues in installation, maintenance, and repair of this WRSF system and to evaluate its in-service performance. The WRSF system was installed at two different sites, respectively. A total of 157 median crashes were examined to evaluate the safety performance of the WRSF system in terms of the effectiveness in intercepting errant vehicles and crash outcomes. Field visits were conducted to identify possible improvements to the layout of the WRSF system according to the roadway configurations. The construction and repair costs were examined to provide useful information for cost-effectiveness analysis. Models were developed to enable an in situ estimate of the damage to the WRSF system after each crash. This paper presents the process and findings for the field installation, safety evaluation, and cost analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suburbanization has been a prominent urban process in the United States since the World War II. It has transformed American cities in profound ways in every single aspect of urban development; from population and wealth distributions, through political organization and affiliations, to the built environment. This paper investigates the link between gated communities and the process of suburbanization in the context of socio-economic inequality. It has been shown time and again in the scholarly literature on suburbanization, that suburban neighborhoods in American cities have been traditionally more affluent and less diverse than central cities. The research on gated communities in the US also shows that they are, on average, more affluent compared to other communities in terms of family income and housing values. Are gated communities then simply a new form of suburban communities? Is the gated community in fact a suburban community with the added element of security features? The paper investigates these questions based on segregation and spatial analyses. The research contributes to the long line of studies on suburbanization, gating and the larger issues of urban inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Arab Spring had some serious consequences in terms of human mobility, Europe finding itself facing an extremely dynamic and uncertain emergency situation, crying out for a prompt response, putting under pressure the foundations and the components of the EU's migration policy asking for a clear reconsideration of its strategy on cross-border migration, mobility and security. Alerted by this unprecedented phenomenon and in addition by the terrorist and organised crime experiences of the previous years, the European elites came out with the EUROSUR and the Smart Borders Initiative. This research targets many problems, wondering if the European Union is erecting fences and building walls at its external frontiers, this being a clear return to the realist perceptions, or it's constructing bridges which connects cultures, heading towards inclusive practices. By analysing the viability of the EUROSUR proposal and of Smart Borders Initiative we wish to give a prognosis of the direction where the EU is heading in border security and immigration policy matters, envisaging the creation of an e-fortress Europe with invisible fences rather than a promise land, Eldorado. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2009, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) executed a year-long field study at a refinery in Corpus Christi, TX, to evaluate the use of passive diffusive sampling technology for assessing time-averaged benzene concentrations at the facility fence line. The purpose of the study was to investigate the implementation viability and performance of this type of monitoring in a real-world setting as part of EPA;s fence-line measurement research program. The study utilized 14-day, time-integrated Carbopack X samplers deployed at 18 locations on the fence line and at two nearby air monitoring sites equipped with automated gas chromatographs. The average fence-line benzene concentration during the study was 1075 parts per trillion by volume (pptv) with a standard deviation of 1935 pptv. For a 6-month period during which wind direction was uniform, the mean concentration value for a group of downwind sites exceeded the mean value of a similar upwind group by 1710 pptv. Mean value differences for these groups were not statistically significant for the remaining 6-month time period when wind directions were mixed. The passive sampling approach exhibited acceptable performance with a data completeness value of 97.1% (n 579). Benzene concentration comparisons with automated gas chromatographs fielded an r² value of 0.86 and a slope of 0.90 (n 50). A linear regression of duplicate pairs yielded an r² of 0.9Τ, unity slope, and zero intercept (n 56). In addition to descriptions of technique performance and general results, time-series analyses are described, providing insight into the utility of 2-week sampling for source apportionment under differing meteorological conditions. The limitations of the approach and recommendations for future measurement method development work are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Ditch fencing and culvert cattle crossing Best Management Practice (BMP) was evaluated in this study with regard to phosphorus (P) and nitrogen (N) load reductions and economic feasibility in the Lake Okeechobee (LO) basin. The BMP was implemented at a 170m section of a drainage ditch within a ranch in the LO basin and flow and concentration (N and P) data at the upstream and downstream of the ditch were collected for one pre-BMP (June–October, 2005) and three post-BMP (June–October, 2006–2008) periods. During the pre-BMP period, downstream total P (TP) load was 20% (67.0kg) higher than the upstream, indicating the cattle crossing to be a source of P. Downstream loads of TP in 2006 and 2008 (post-BMP periods) became 26% (14.7kg) and 11% (85.9kg) lower than the upstream loads, respectively indicating that the BMP reduced the P loads. The site was a sink for N for all periods except the 2007. Unusual dry conditions during 2007 resulted in the addition of P and N at the BMP site, probably due to the release of P and N from soil and plants. Average of three post-BMP period load showed a 10% reduction of TP loads at the downstream (251.8kg) compared to the upstream (281.0kg) location. To consider potential P contributions from the soil and plant, two scenarios, conservative and liberal, were considered to estimate P load reductions due to the BMP. For the conservative scenario, P contribution from soil and plant was considered, while for liberal it was not. Reductions in P loads for conservative and liberal scenarios were 0.35 and 0.44kg/day, respectively. Phosphorus removal cost for the conservative scenario was $12.61/kg of P, which is considerably less than the cost of other P reduction strategies in the basin. Overall, results show that the BMP can reduce P concentration and loads from ranches without causing adverse impact on cattle production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Transportation planners are increasingly incorporating roadway design features to mitigate impacts of highways on wildlife and to increase driver safety. We used camera and track surveys to evaluate wildlife use before and after construction of 3 wildlife underpasses and associated fencing on a new section of United States Highway 64 in Washington County, North Carolina, USA. We recorded 242 occasions of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) use of underpass areas before highway construction began. Following completion of the highway, we collected 2,433 photographs of 9 species with deer representing 93% of all crossings. Adjusting for differences in number of monitoring days, white-tailed deer use of underpass areas averaged 6.7 times greater after the new highway and underpasses were completed. We recorded 3,614 wildlife crossings of ⩾20 species based on track counts, representing most medium and large mammals known to occur in the area and several reptiles and birds. After completion of the highway, we documented wildlife mortality due to vehicle collisions during a 13-month period and recorded 128 incidences representing ⩾24 species. Within fenced highway segments, mortalities were lowest near underpasses and increased with distance from the underpasses. However, we also documented more mortalities in fenced areas compared with unfenced areas. With greater distance from an underpass, animals with smaller home ranges seemed less likely to reach the underpass and instead attempted to climb over or crawl under fencing. Based on collision reports from adjacent highway sections, the new section of United States Highway 64 experienced approximately 58% fewer wildlife mortalities (primarily white-tailed deer), suggesting underpasses and fencing reduced the number of deer-vehicle collisions. Continuous fencing between underpasses may further reduce the number of vehicle collisions for deer but additional design features (e.g., buried fencing) should be considered for other wildlife species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Smithsonian Institution's traveling extension, its Museum on Main Street program, stops in rural libraries and other public facilities, where local historians and archivists may add their own supplementary exhibits and events. It has been touring Between Fences, an examination of fences in U.S. history. The present study examines a stop in the Community Library in Ketchum, Idaho, in the summer of 2009. Local organizers supplemented the touring material with displays of fences in the history and culture of the U.S. West. These displays, mostly of photographs and paintings, regarded fences bordering ranches and farms as almost natural parts of the landscape. The Smithsonian exhibit, on the other hand, openly acknowledged fences' complicity in issues of public and private ownership. Regrettably, it sidestepped the most contentious aspects of national border issues--Minutemen and xenophobia, for example--but its very foregrounding of fences' history realizes a founding dream of cultural studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the study which determines the effectiveness of nest predation management practices of the endangered Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow in the U.S. It examines the willingness of Cape Sable Seaside Sparrow in accepting predator exclosure fences which are designed around their nests to increase their survival and protection. It notes how the position of the fences were constantly changed to understand the aspects in which female species disliked. However, only one female accepted the fences and recommends to stop nest exclosure technique due to low acceptance rates.

The article explores the dichotomous and contentious interpretations of fences, walls, and physical, philosophical, and psychological barriers of all types, from playpens and prisons to boundary-line real and virtual fences. It describes fences featured at the "Between Fences Smithsonian" traveling exhibition. It also explores how fencing has help mold and reflect Americans' views of private and public spaces. It discusses different North American perspectives on barriers and boundaries in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Multivariate clustering based on fine spatial resolution maps of elevation, temperature, precipitation, soil characteristics, and solar inputs has been used at several specified levels of division to produce a spectrum of quantitative ecoregion maps for the conterminous United States. The coarse ecoregion divisions accurately capture intuitively-understood regional environmental differences, whereas the finer divisions highlight local condition gradients, ecotones, and clines. Such statistically generated ecoregions can be produced based on user-selected continuous variables, allowing customized regions to be delineated for any specific problem. By creating an objective ecoregion classification, the ecoregion concept is removed from the limitations of human subjectivity, making possible a new array of ecologically useful derivative products. A red–green–blue visualization based on principal components analysis of ecoregion centroids indicates with color the relative combination of environmental conditions found within each ecoregion. Multiple geographic areas can be classified into a single common set of quantitative ecoregions to provide a basis for comparison, or maps of a single area through time can be classified to portray climatic or environmental changes geographically in terms of current conditions. Quantified representativeness can characterize borders between ecoregions as gradual, sharp, or of changing character along their length. Similarity of any ecoregion to all other ecoregions can be quantified and displayed as a “representativeness” map. The representativeness of an existing spatial array of sample locations or study sites can be mapped relative to a set of quantitative ecoregions, suggesting locations for additional samples or sites. In addition, the shape of Hutchinsonian niches in environment space can be defined if a multivariate range map of species occurrence is available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the efficacy of an animal-activated scarecrow and a monofilament fence at reducing white-tailed deer use of soybean plots in Missouri. Impact of high deer populations; Description of the study area; Methods; Results.

Provides information related to fencing and native plant restoration of endangered plants in Hawaii. Benefits of fencing for the safety of restoration projects; Importance of intensive management of feral mammals and nonnative plants; Association of fencing with constant maintenance and monitoring of the restoration projects.

This study considers the conflict between farmers and cattle raisers over the fencing of animals and crops in Kansas during the 1870s. At that time, Kansas counties were given the option to retain the traditional fence laws (requiring crops to be fenced in) or to adopt the herd laws (requiring the restraining of animals by means of herding). Since barbed wire fencing did not reach Kansas until later, and a detailed agricultural census was recorded in 1875, this study tests alternative hypotheses as to why in 1875 approximately half the counties chose fence laws while the others chose herd laws. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The pioneers used familiar modes of fencing in order to help establish effective settlement in Nebraska and Kansas. Ordinarily they started with zigzag rail fence, hut soon resorted to substitutes as timber ran short. Hedges. especially of Osage orange, became unusually important in eastern Kansas and southeastern Nebraska. Due to observance of herd law, few enclosures of any kind were made in most of Nebraska and in western Kansas before barbed wire became dominant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the cost of farm fencing in the United States agricultural sector in the nineteenth century and approaches to its reduction. Efforts to shift legal responsibilities for adequate fencing from farmers; Search for cheaper fencing materials to ease financing.

The article discusses several basic alternate strategy that individuals can use in protecting their homes and families from terror attacks in the U.S. Buildings homes on a high ground can be an advantage as it will not flood and everything can be viewed from the top. Gated steel fences can offer protection from intruders in which an electrified fence adds additional perimeter security. Key information about having high outer walls and use electronic sensors is further presented.

The article focuses on energy industry infrastructure in the United States citing issues of facilities systems surveillance and cyber-security issues. Government agencies must be concerned with increasing investments on security, installing cameras and protecting facilities against cyber crimes. Still, the most important defense against terrorism would be to build barriers around the facilities to protect from bombers on vehicles.