John K. Thomas

Texas A&M University | TAMU · Department of Sociology and Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences

integrated pest management

Section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986 and the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 require certain facilities that manufacture, process or otherwise use certain chemicals in quantities that exceed threshold amounts within a calendar year to report the quantities that they released into the environment or...

The spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is believed to result from HIV-infected individuals who are unaware of their infection and, thus, the possible consequences of their sexual behavior for others. However, differential rates of HIV infection between countries may reflect a different set of circumstances. We obtained data from the World...

The spread of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is believed to result from HIV-infected individuals who are unaware of their infection and, thus, the possible consequences of their sexual behavior for others. However, differential rates of HIV infection between countries may reflect a different set of circumstances. We obtained data from the World...

Abstract Metropolitan encroachment into surrounding countrysides has had noticeable consequences on American agriculture. This research examines gross farm sales in five categories of crops and five categories of livestock and poultry by county proximity to metropolitan areas. A seven-category classification of counties was derived from the 1983 an...

U.S. agricultural structure

The influences of economic factors, agricultural pesticides, and industrial carcinogenic wastes on rates of cervical and ovarian cancer mortality were examined for 254 Texas counties. Regressor variables included: median family income, county proportion of state female employment in agriculture, county proportion of state female employment in the c...

Relationships between median family income, female employment in agriculture and manufacturing, agricultural pesticide usage, and industrial carcinogenic wastes and rates of female breast cancer mortality were examined for 254 Texas counties. Data for most of the variables were averaged for the period 1980 to 1990. Levels of carcinogenic wastes rep...

this document is to describe the progress that has occurred in the management of toxic chemical wastes among Texas manufacturers who report to the TRI. In 1994, 1,215 manufacturers in 138 counties released 250.1 million pounds and transferred off-site 273.3 million pounds of toxic chemical wastes. This document overviews the status of these release...

In this study, we assess personnel needs of the Law Enforcement Division (LED) of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). The LED's mission is to enforce Texas’ laws and regulations regarding hunting, fishing, and other uses of wildlife resources for recreational and commercial purposes. Texas is a leading state nationally in outdoor recrea...

To detennine the characteristics of wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) hunters in Texas, and their attitudes and preferences concerning turkey hunting and management, we developed and mailed a self-administered questionnaire to a sample of licensed turkey hunters in Texas and members of the Texas Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF)...

Four ordinary least squares regression models were run for age-, race-, and sex-adjusted cancer mortality rates, standardized by the direct method. Digestive cancer, genital cancer , lymphatic and hematopoietic cancer, and urinary cancer rates were based on the average number of cancer related deaths for the period 1986 to 1994 and the 1990 size of...

wildlife management

Environmental-justice proponents have argued that demographic factors unevenly affect the location of manufacturing and waste facilities and, thus, differences in exposure risks and outcomes. In this paper, statistical relationships among demographic factors, toxic chemical wastes released by Texas manufacturing facilities who participated in the E...

Abstract Multiple indicators of the structure of agriculture were extracted from the U.S. Census of Agriculture for the years 1982, 1987, and 1992, and used to extend previous work by Wimberley (1987). Exploratory factor analysis results for each year yielded three dimensions of agri-structure: corporate-commercial, farming-firm, and small-farm. Fa...

U.S. farm program

A national overview of the regulations of all 50 US state wildlife agencies was compiled for amphibian and reptile (excluding threatened or endangered species) conservation. A key contact from each state agency was interviewed by telephone. The tendency to regulate commercialization was related to regulation of collection, but neither commercializa...

Most of the land in Texas is privately owned and is an important as a source for hunting recreation. Profit maximization theory (PMT) and economic behavioral theory (EBT) were used to explain differences in the net incomes of Texas landowners who sold hunting leases during the 1989-90 hunting season. In 1990, 4621 landowners who were licensed to se...

unregulated wildlife use

Rural communities are often dependent on natural resources for their economic and social survival. This study describes the unique social and economic use of rattlesnakes by rural communities. It examines the organization of rattlesnake roundups conducted in 5 of 16 Texas rural communities in 1991. A rattlesnake roundup is an annually conducted com...

The 1985 resident and nonresident angling rates for 49 U.S. states were examined in relation to an array of 19 independent variables that reflected population, resource, and management budget characteristics of each state. Descriptive analyses characterized clusters of states that were above the national average in resident and nonresident angling...

Agricultural consemation research was revived by rural sociologists in the late 1970s and gained momentum during the 1980s. Most of this research was focused, however, on social and farm organizational factors affecting technology adoption and diffusion. Few studies included environmental factors such as soil characteristics, land physiography, and...

The purpose of this study is to examine the employment mobility patterns of male and female agricultural graduates. A 30% random sample (n = 5,049) was selected among agricultural students who had attended 1862 southern land-grant universities during 1977. A mail survey conducted with agricultural alumni in 1987 resulted in 2,049 respondents. Findi...

Abstract Despite a high prevalence of poverty among minorities in nonmetropolitan areas, research and policy concerns regarding poverty have continued focusing on metropolitan minorities. This study uses a model integrating individual, household, and structural factors to examine poverty among Latinos, blacks, and Anglos in nonmetropolitan and, for...

Abstract Agricultural technologies are becoming increasingly complex requiring farmers to bundle selected technologies. Technology bundling results in a variety of different farming systems. Features of diffusion and farming systems theories are combined to define an analytical model, which assesses background, diffusion, and technology belief fact...

This study measured the educational value of exhibitry as a method of transferring wildlife information to high school students. Two schools with similar student body profiles were selected and randomly assigned control and experimental group statuses. Pretests measured students' identification and natural history knowledge of 16 mammals. Eight ani...

A statewide assessment of the status of environmental science (ES) in Texas school districts was conducted in 1985. Respondents were 126 science curriculum supervisors and 278 teachers (grades seven through twelve) representing 339 (38 percent) of those independent school districts (ISDs) (N = 893) having at least one science-certified teacher. The...

In response to the need for evidence of 4-H impact on youth development, a national, randomly selected adult sample--710 former 4-H members, 743 former members of other youth organizations, and 309 nonparticipants in youth organizations--was contacted by telephone in 1985. The life skills perspective was utilized to measure the impact of 4-H in hel...

A nationwide telephone survey of 1,761 adults was conducted in 1985 to measure the impact of the 4-H program to help young people develop basic competency, coping, and contributory life skills needed to become self-directing, productive, and contributing members of society. Findings indicated that, overall, 4-H alumni and past participants of other...

A 1985 national study compared 710 former 4-H members, 743 former members of other youth organization, and 309 nonparticipants in youth organizations to determine impact of 4-H on youth development. The study measured 4-H program effectiveness in developing knowledge/skills, self-expression, and skills for helping others. The study found 4-H alumni...

The objective of this research was to develop a practical, deductive model of human orientations to ward wildlife and which provided the prescription required in the development of alternative biology curricula. The need for this research was supported, in part, by the magnitude of time and money spent by U.S. residents to participate in nonharvest...

Fifty years ago concern with the widespread prevalence of tenant farming. Researchers then compared the tenant farm with the full-owner farm and generally found tenant farms to be smaller and less productive. Operators of tenant farms used less effective farming practices, were less involved in community affairs, were younger, and had less educatio...

Evaluated the status of wildlife education as evidenced in 221 articles gleaned from 9078 published within selected wildlife and education journals from 1973-1985. Resultant information was used to develop a model of wildlife conservation with special emphasis on education, including those agencies involved in wildlife education; constituency group...

The recreational and aesthetic value of wildlife is partly reflected in the Texas hunt lease system and rural land markets. The results of an extensive survey of Texas hunters and a land valuation model are utilized to develop estimates of the value of wildlife in Texas. Although this cannot be precisely calculated, estimates clearly indicate that...

Utilizing data from a study of Southern, nonmetropolitan youth, this paper reports the patterns of congruency and deflection in occupational and educational attitudes and attainment. Descriptive comparisons of status aspiration, expectations and attainment were made for 427 white and 268 black males from six Deep South states. Aspirations and expec...

Deepening shortages of highly qualified scientists, managers, and technical professionals seriously threatens American agriculture. The purpose of this study is to investigate the degree to which gender differences exist in former agricultural students' acquiring employment in the agricultural industry after leaving college. Data were obtained usin...

Thesis--Texas A&M University. Vita. Bibliography: leaves 158-176. "Major subject: Sociology."