What do woodpeckers and boll weevils have in common? They're both being pinpointed by computer maps. ARS scientists originally designed the maps to show cotton growers where and when boll weevil populations have reached damage levels. But in a new pilot study, scientists with the U.S. Department of the Interior's Fish and Wildlife Service are adapting the maps to track and protect endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers in a Mississippi wildlife refuge. The weevil maps sketch state and country boundaries, geographical features and areas such as farms, cities, parks and lakes. The maps are color-coded to show size and locale of weevil populations. USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service may also adapt the maps to pinpoint where and when to restrict pesticide spraying in environmentally sensitive zones.
Boll Weevil Research, Mississippi State, MS
Glenn Wiygul/John Reinecke, (601) 323-2230

Call it "Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Leafy Spurge." Purge Spurge, a new computerized knowledge bank on the noxious weed, will soon be available from ARS. As one of the worst seeds in the Northern Great Plains and Canada, leafy spurge infests at least five million acres in the United States. The database--thousands of pages of scientific articles, maps and photographs--is on CD-ROM. Farmers and land managers can search the disk for information on the biology, history and control of the weed. Purge Spurge will run on any personal computer using Windows 3.1 or later version with a CD-ROM drive.
Northern Plains Soil and Water Research Center, Sidney, MT
Neal Spencer, (406) 482-2020

Water flow in irrigated fields can now be measured by custom-designed flumes that increase the accuracy of monitoring the amount of water used. A new ARS computer program, called Flume 3.0, custom-designs flumes as measuring devices for specific sites. Before, engineers had to select from existing shapes and sizes or design flumes through trial and error. Too frequently, design limitations were discovered only after construction. Using flumes can cut in half the amount of water that some irrigation districts now report as unaccounted for. Currently, that can be as much as 30 percent of the total water delivered to fields. Engineers say Flume 3.0 can design similar measuring devices for municipal water districts and sewage treatment plants to monitor water flow.
U.S. Water Conservation Laboratory, Phoenix, AZ
Albert J. Clemmens, (602) 379-4356

Last Updated: December 13, 1996
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