Geology topics

Research about Durham County, North Carolina

Source-linked reports with geographic coverage including Durham County, North Carolina.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

USGS2026

How hunters and non-hunters view barriers to allowing hunting access in an urban county

Barriers to allowing hunting of white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) on private land shape hunter recruitment, retention, and reactivation efficacy as well as the ability of wildlife management agencies to use hunting as a management tool. Understanding perceptions of these barriers is crucial in urbanizing landscapes where there are increased challenges to allowing hunting access, and deer may persist in relatively high numbers. We compared barriers to allowing hunting access on one’s property among hunters (n = 281) and non-hunters (n = 874) who did not have hunting occur on their property across urban, suburban, and rural groups in Durham County, North Carolina. (i.e., six groups). Rural landowners tended to perceive geographic barriers (e.g., property size) as less problematic than suburban and urban landowners, irrespective of personal participation in hunting, but landowners who hunted tended to view all barriers as less problematic than those who did not. Small property size, human population density, and housing density were viewed as important barriers to allowing hunting access for all groups, but suburban and urban non-hunters perceived the challenges as greater barriers compared to other groups. Conversely, the complexity of hunting regulations was viewed as a minor barrier to allowing hunting among all landowners. Safety concerns, not knowing other hunters, and disagreement with hunting as a practice showed the greatest contrasts between landowners who hunted and those who did not, with the latter group reporting the barriers as more important. Barriers to hunting identified in this study aligned with variables that predicted whether land is huntable (e.g., property size, housing density) in prior research. Our results indicate that developing public outreach highlighting hunting safety and creating landowner-hunter partnership programs may help facilitate hunting access in urbanizing areas.

North Carolina↗

USGS2025

Emotions and political identity predict public acceptance of urban deer management

Addressing public preferences can enhance wildlife management effectiveness and reduce backlash. We conducted novel research on public acceptance of wildlife management by accounting for the role of underexplored drivers including emotion and political identity across an urban-to-rural gradient. Using data from a 2022 survey about white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ) in Durham County, North Carolina, we analyzed drivers of acceptance for three management strategies: passive management, lethal management by hunting, and lethal management by professionals. Support for deer management varied across the urban-to-rural gradient, as rural residents favored hunting but were less supportive of passive management compared to urban and suburban residents. Emotions and general attitudes toward deer were the strongest predictors of management acceptance. Support for passive management was higher among residents with more positive emotions toward deer, whereas support for lethal strategies was higher among those with more negative emotions. Additionally, political identity emerged as a complex yet influential factor in shaping support for lethal management. Conservative respondents exhibited a higher acceptance of hunting, whereas liberal respondents exhibited a higher acceptance of professional sharpshooting. Collectively, our results demonstrate the ways in which emotions, politics, and other socio-demographic factors interact to influence public support for deer management across the urban–rural gradient. When direct experience with wildlife is lacking (e.g., in urban areas), emotions may act as heuristic guides that shape preferences. Managers aiming to increase deer management acceptability could integrate insights about emotional, political, and demographic drivers of public management support in communication efforts, potentially rendering urban deer management more effective.

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USGS2014

Use of stable isotopes of nitrogen and water to identify sources of nitrogen in three urban creeks of Durham, North Carolina, 2011-12

A preliminary assessment of nitrate sources was conducted in three creeks that feed nutrient impaired Falls and Jordan Lakes in the vicinity of Durham County, North Carolina, from July 2011 to June 2012. Cabin Branch, Ellerbe Creek, and Third Fork Creek were sampled monthly to determine if sources of nitrate in surface water could be identified on the basis of their stable isotopic compositions. Land use differs in the drainage basins of the investigated creeks—the predominant land use in Cabin Branch Basin is forest, and the Ellerbe and Third Fork Creek Basins are predominantly developed urban areas. Total nutrient concentrations were below 1 milligram per liter (mg/L). All measured nitrate plus nitrite concentrations were below the North Carolina standard of 10 mg/L as nitrogen with the highest concentration of 0.363 mg/L measured in Third Fork Creek. Concentrations of ammonia were generally less than 0.1 mg/L as nitrogen in all creek samples. More than 50 percent of the total nitrogen measured in the creeks was in the form of organic nitrogen. Total phosphorus and orthophosphate concentrations in all samples were generally less than 0.2 mg/L as phosphorus. The isotopic composition of surface water (δ 2 H H20 and δ 18 O H2O ) is similar to that of modern-day precipitation. During July and August 2011 and May and June 2012, surface-water samples displayed a seasonal difference in isotopic composition, indicating fractionation of isotopes as a result of evaporation and, potentially, mixing with local and regional groundwater. The dominant source of nitrate to Cabin Branch, Ellerbe Creek, and Third Fork Creek was the nitrification of soil nitrogen. Two stormflow samples in Ellerbe Creek and Third Fork Creek had nitrate sources that were a mixture of the nitrification of soil nitrogen and an atmospheric source that had bypassed some soil contact through impermeable surfaces within the drainage basin. No influence of a septic or wastewater source was found in Cabin Branch. Results from this study suggest that it is possible to distinguish sources of nitrogen and biogeochemical processes on nitrate using stable isotopes of nitrogen and oxygen in small creeks of Durham County, North Carolina.

North Carolina↗

USGS1994

Sediment characteristics and sedimentation rates in Lake Michie, Durham County, North Carolina, 1990-92

A reservoir sedimentation study was conducted at 508-acre Lake Michie, a municipal water-supply reservoir in northeastern Durham County, North Carolina, during 1990-92. The effects of sedimentation in Lake Michie were investigated, and current and historical rates of sedimentation were evaluated. Particle-size distributions of lake-bottom sediment indicate that, overall, Lake Michie is rich in silt and clay. Nearly all sand is deposited in the upstream region of the lake, and its percentage in the sediment decreases to less than 2 percent in the lower half of the lake. The average specific weight of lake-bottom sediment in Lake Michie is 73.6 pounds per cubic foot. The dry-weight percentage of total organic carbon in lake-bottom sediment ranges from 1.1 to 3.8 percent. Corresponding carbon-nitrogen ratios range form 8.6 to 17.6. Correlation of the total organic carbon percentages with carbon-nitrogen ratios indicates that plant and leaf debris are the primary sources of organic material in Lake Michie. Sedimentation rates were computed using comparisons of bathymetric volumes. Comparing the current and previous bathymetric volumes, the net amount of sediment deposited (trapped) in Lake Michie during 1926-92 is estimated to be about 2,541 acre-feet or slightly more than 20 percent of the original storage volume computed in 1935. Currently (1992), the average sedimentation rate is 38 acre-feet per year, down from 45.1 acre-feet per year in 1935. To confirm the evidence that sedimentation rates have decreased at Lake Michie since its construction in 1926, sediment accretion rates were computed using radionuclide profiles of lake-bottom sediment. Sediment accretion rates estimated from radiochemical analyses of Cesium-137 and lead-210 and radionuclides in the lake-bottom sediment indicate that rates were higher in the lake?s early years prior to 1962. Estimated suspended-sediment yields for inflow and outflow sites during 1983-91 indicate a suspended-sediment trap efficiency of 89 percent. An overall trap efficiency for the period of 1983-91 was computed using the capacity-inflow ratio. The use of this ratio indicates that the trap efficiency for Lake Michie is 85 percent. However, the suspended-sediment trap efficiency indicates that the actual overall trap efficiency for Lake Michie was probably greater than 89 percent during this period.

North Carolina↗

USGS1993

Bathymetry of Lake Michie, Durham County, North Carolina, 1990-92

This map report presents the results of a bathymetric survey conducted as part of a 1990-92 study on the effects of sedimentation on Lake Michie, located in northeastern Durham County, North Carolina. Bathymetric data collected at the lake during 1990-92 indicate that, under normal pool conditions at the spillway elevation of 341.0 feet above sea level, the storage volume is 11,070 acre-feet, and the surface area is 508.7 acres. The maximum depth recorded in the lake was 75 feet at approximately 500 feet upstream of Lake Michie Dam.

North Carolina↗