Graduation Date
Fall 2019
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Arts degree with a major in Social Science, Environment and Community
Committee Chair Name
Matthew Johnson
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Barbara Clucas
Second Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Third Committee Member Name
Gregg Gold
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Subject Categories
Environment and Community
Abstract
Landscape conversion and impacts of synthetic pesticides from agriculture pose threats to natural habitats critical to preserving biodiversity and ecosystem services. Pest management is a concern for all agriculture, and many conventional practices can negatively affect the environment through drift, runoff, and harming non-target species. Winegrapes are particularly at risk of damage from rodents, which can girdle vines and destroy root systems.
One alternative to reduce rodent numbers that has shown promise in agriculture is the use of barn owl (Tyto alba) boxes. The Johnson Lab at Humboldt State University has been researching barn owl behavior and ecology in vineyards in Napa Valley, CA, and this thesis builds on this work. Seeking to better understand how farmers’ underlying environmental values relate to the use of barn owl boxes and other sustainable practices, a survey was conducted of 71 California grapegrowers. Overall, more grapegrowers had mutualist value orientations (64%) than found in other populations. However, there was a disconnect between the use of barn owl boxes and environmental value orientations, with most respondents (80%) reporting the use of owl boxes regardless of underlying values. These results suggest the use of barn owl boxes is experiencing a normalization and a diminution in their perception as a progressive practice. This opens the door for future research to examine whether this is true of other sustainable winegrowing techniques and advance our understanding of the relationships between values and sustainable farming methods.
Citation Style
APA
Recommended Citation
Estes, Brooks R., "Environmental values of California winegrape growers and the use of barn owls (Tyto alba) as a tool for integrated pest management" (2019). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 332.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/332