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The article presents a study which analyzes the impact of tree shade on electricity consumption in the U.S. The study was administered by comparing the electricity consumption of two identical buildings with the same temperature and located in different shade conditions using regression model. The study reveals that shade from trees helps lower inside temperature and power consumption since trees serves as a natural complement to artificial air-conditioning.

We analyzed data for 39 states to identify factors that influence sales of wildlife-related specialty license plates. Wildlife plate sales were not statistically influenced by specialty plate price, the number of other specialty plates available, or the requirement to display two plates. There was some evidence that sales of wildlife plates are positively related to per capita income. In addition, sales of wildlife plates appeared to be influenced positively by the percent of individuals who engage in wildlife-related recreation. We failed to observe strong ethnicity impacts on sales of wildlife plates, but did find consistent evidence that wildlife plate sales were related negatively to the percentage of the population in the 18-24 age range. Finally, there was evidence that sales of wildlife plates are significantly higher in the South than elsewhere in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigates the intergenerational wealth transfer among politicians in the U.S. Mitigation of the structure of politics against occupational following; Legacy of the restrictions of sons on electoral jurisdictions; Impact of politician father on the political career of the son.

The article responds to an article in the current 2007 issue which is critical of the authors' earlier publication in the journal. The authors agree that populations of most states are growing, that cities are sprawling, and that species around growing cities may be imperiled by urban population growth and expansion. To do an actual experiment using cities with a control would be unrealistic. The statistical findings of the authors was that there was no evidence that spatial-distribution aspects of sprawl are ecologically relevant, but that human population growth was the primary cause of species imperilment in the U.S.

The article analyzes the responses of respondents to a public opinion poll about the implications of attitudes about children learning to hunt for game management. The poll reveals that the changing deer population dynamics combined with changing patterns of human hunting may create conditions that make management of deer populations in the U.S. by the traditional means of public sector licensing of citizen hunters increasingly ineffective in a number of states. Factors that contribute to the decline population of hunters in the country are mentioned.

Using the Environmental Scorecard ratings of Congressmen and Senators published annually by the League of Conservation Voters, we explore empirically whether political support for pro-environment legislation, aggregated across each legislative body, is sensitive over time to changing economic conditions — that is, whether there is a political trade-off between economic conditions and the environment. Using LCV scorecard ratings from 1970 to 2008, we find evidence, consistent across both the House and Senate, that political support for the environment is related to per capita income, but this general tendency can be decomposed into sharp differences by party. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]