Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Land & Water UseStudy Guide,Test
March 2
2/21/17Bellwork - Read about the gray wolf on page 235 and answer the critical thinking.
Lecture - Rangelands & Other Land Use
Video: Bozeman Science, Forestry & Rangelands
HW - pg 354-360
Remember to find your lab notebook for Friday!
Rangelands & Other Land Use
RangelandsRangelands are vast natural landscapes in the forms of grasslands, shrublands, wetlands and deserts
They provide valuable grazing lands, source of high-quality water, clean air, and open space
A habitat for a diverse wide array of animals and plants
Rangelands are being compromised by overgrazing and desertification
OvergrazingOccurs when plants are exposed to grazing for too long without recovery periods
Consequences include
- Pastures are less productive - Biodiversity decreases by reducing natural vegetation- Erosion- Negatively impacts watershed- Increases the incidence of disease in native plants- Affects land to point where sustainability is
threatened
Desertification The conversion of useable land to more desert like, typically losing vegetation and wildlife
Often caused by overgrazing, soil erosion, prolonged drought, climate change or overuse of available resources
Steps to desertification1. Overgrazing results from animals eating all available plant life2. Rain washed away trampled soil because it can’t hold water anymore3. Wells, springs, and other water sources dry up4. Vegetation that is left dies from drought or take for firewood5. Weeds unsuitable for grazing take over6. Wind and dry heat blow away topsoil
Federal Rangeland ManagementMethod include
1. Controlling the number and distribution of livestock so that the carrying capacity is not exceed
2. Restoring degraded rangeland3. Moving livestock from one area to another to allow plants to recover4. Fencing off stream area to reduce damage to waterways5. Suppressing the growth of invasive plant species6. Replanting barren rangelands with native grass to reduce soil erosion7. Providing supplemental feed at selected sites8. Locating water holes, water tanks, and salt blocks at points that do not
degrade the environment
Relevant lawsTaylor Grazing Act (1934) - requires grazing permits on federal lands
Renewable Resources Planning Act, 1974 - mandates periodic assessments of forests and rangelands in US. conducted by U.S. Forest Service.assessment includes the analyses of wildlife and fish, biodiversity, water, outdoor recreation, wilderness, urban forests, and the effects of climate change on these resources
Public Rangelands Improvement Act, 1978 - established and reaffirmed a commitment to manage, maintain, and improve the condition of public rangelands so that they become as productive as possible
Other Land Use
Urban Land DevelopmentEnergy needs of building account for ½ of sulfur dioxide emissions, ¼ of nitrous oxide emissions, and ⅓ of carbon dioxide emissions
Green Building1. Energy conservation through government and private industry rebates and tax incentives for solar
and other less-polluting forms of energy2. Resource efficient building techniques and materials3. Indoor air quality4. Water conservation through the use of xeriscaping5. Designs that minimize waste while utilizing recycled materials6. Placing buildings whenever possible near public transportation hubs though a multitude of venues
such as light rail, subways, and park and rides7. Creating environments that are pedestrian friendly by incorporating parks, green-belts, and
shopping areas in accessible areas8. Providing historical and cultural aspects of the community while at the same time blending into the
natural feeling and aesthetics of a community
Suburban sprawl & UrbanizationUrbanization - movement of people from rural areas to cities and the changes that accompany it
Suburban sprawl - the outward spreading of a city and its suburbs to low density rural lands. Causes more car dependence, destruction of habitats, and other health, environmental and cultural issues
Today more people live in urban communities than rural communities
Reasons for this shift - access to jobs, higher standards of living, easier access to health care, mechanization of agriculture, and access to education
Urbanization - Pro with ConsUse less land → less impact on the environment
BUT impact on land is more concentrated and pronounced (like water runoff and flooding)
Better educational delivery system
BUT schools can become overcrowded
Urbanization - Pro with ConsMass transit systems decrease reliance on fossil fuels, so commuting distances are shorter
BUT commuting times are longer because the infrastructure cannot keep up with growth
Urbanization - Pro with ConsThey have better sanitation systems
BUT sanitation systems have greater volumes of waste to deal with
Recycling systems are more efficient
BUT solid waste buildup is more pronounced. Landfill spaces becomes scarce and costly
Urbanization - Pro with ConsLarge numbers of people generate high tax revenue
BUT large numbers of poor people place strains on social services. This results in wealthier people moving from urban areas into suburbs and decreasing the tax base
Urbanization - Pro with ConsUrban areas attract industry due to availability of raw materials, distribution networks, customers, and labor pool
BUT higher population densities increase crime rates and population increase can be greater than job growth
Much of the pollution comes from point sources, enabling focused remediation techniques
BUT since population densities are high, pollution levels are also high (urban heat islands, ozones levels → smog, and water/soil pollution)
Transportation InfrastructureTransportation can be via roadways or water channels
Areas without transportation infrastructure suffer an ecosystem impact
Federal Highway SystemContains approximately 160,000 miles of roadway important to the nation’s economy, defense, and mobility
The systems serves all major U.S. cities, so unlike most industrialized countries, interstates go through downtown areas and facilitate urban sprawl
Federal Highway SystemAs efficient and well-maintained federal highway system can have the following impacts on the environment
- Less pollutants- Reduce greenhouse gases- Improve fuel economy and reduce foreign oil dependence- Improve economy- Improve quality of life
Canals and ChannelsChannels - a relatively narrow body of water than connects two larger bodies of water. Channels can occur naturally or be constructed
The two largest canals in the world of major economic value are the Panama Canal, connecting the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and Suez Canal, connecting the Red Sea and the Mediterranean
Roadless Areas & Ecosystem ImpactsRoadless areas are places where no roads have been built and where, as a result, no logging or other development can occur
The areas are havens for fish and wildlife whose habitats in many other forest areas have been fragmented or entirely destroyed
Roadless Area Conservation Rule (2001)Establishes prohibitions on road (re)construction and timber harvesting on 58.5 million acres of inventoried roadless areas on National Forest System lands. The intent is to provide lasting protection for inventoried roadless areas within the National Forest System in the context of multiple-use management
Public and Federal LandsThe federal government manages public lands. It sets aside area as national parks, wildlife refuges, and wetlands
Management The Bureau of Land Management is responsible for managing 262 million acres of land, about ⅛ of the land in the US
It manages a wide variety of resources and uses; and minerals, timber, forage, wild horse and burro populations, fish and wildlife habitats, wilderness areas, and archaeological, paleontological, and historical sites
National ParksOver 1,100 national parks in the world today, however, many of them do not receive proper protection from poachers, loggers, miners, or farmers
U.S. National Parks are threatened by high demand by large numbers of visitors, which lead to congestion, eroded trails, noise that disrupts wildlife, and pollution from autos and visitors
Relevant LawsYellowstone National Park Act (1872) - preserves the watershed of the Yellowstone River, “for the benefit and the enjoyment of the people”. For the first time, public lands were preserved by the federal government
Relevant LawsNational Park Service Act (1916) - established that national parks are to be maintained in a manner that leaves them unimpaired for future generations and established the National Park Service to manage the parks
Relevant LawsOutdoor Recreation Act (1963) - Laid out the Interior Department’s role as coordinator of all federal agencies for programs affecting the conservation and development of recreation resources
Relevant LawsWilderness Act (1964) - wilderness was defined by its lack of noticeable human modification or presence. Federal officials are required to manage wilderness areas in a manner conducive to retention of their wilderness character
Relevant LawsLand & Water Conservation Fund Act (1965) - established a fund, administered by the National Park Service, to assist the states and federal agencies in meeting present and future outdoor recreation demands and needs of the American people
Relevant LawsNational Trails System Act (1968) - established a national system of recreational, scenic, and historic trails
Relevant LawsWild and Scenic Rivers Act (1966) - established a system of areas distinct from the traditional park concept to ensure the protection of each river’s unique environment. It also preserves certain selected rivers that possesses outstanding scenic, recreational, geological, cultural, or historic values and maintains their free-flowing condition
Wildlife RefugesSystem created by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903 as response to wildlife crisis
Early refuges were established primarily to protect wildlife and in later years also protected waterways
National Wildlife Refuge System, consisting today of 547 refuges encompassing more than 93 million acres and is managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service
WetlandsWetlands - areas that are covered by water and support plants than can grow in water saturated soil. High plant productivity supports a rich diversity of animal life.
Wetlands serve as natural water purification systems removing sediments, nutrients, and toxins from water
U.S. has lost half of its wetlands
90% of wetland habitat loss is due to conversionof the land to agriculture, the rest of the loss is due to urbanization
February 22, 2017
1. Bellwork: Science Focus, pg 2532. Today’s topic: Fishing3. Tonight’s hw: pg 360 - 367
Guiding question:
What kind of fishing technique was this?
Fishing
Review Questions1. What does HIPPCO stand for? pg 250-2542. Draw pictures of the following fishing techniques - bottom trawling, drift net,
long line, and purse-seine (they don’t have to be good drawings) pg 256-2573. What is overfishing and why is it bad? pg 254-2554. What is aquaculture? pg 2855. What are pros and cons of aquaculture? pg 293
Fishing Techniques - Bottom TrawlingFunnel shaped net dragged across the ocean bottom
Fishing Techniques - Drift NetsLong nets hand downs that traps many species, including turtles and dolphins (1992 voluntary ban on driftnets longer than 1.5 miles has had some success)
Fishing Techniques - Long lineContains thousands of baited hooks on longlines
Fishing Techniques - Purse SeineSurrounds large schools of fish spotted by aircraft or sonar, then net is drawn tight
Overfishing Oceans have been looked on as unlimited resources, as a result people are fishing so much that the fish cannot sustain their population
Oceans provide 1% of the world’s food and 10% of the world’s protein
Need to manage fisheries more sustainably
AquacultureKnown as fish farming
Involves stock, feeding, protection from predators, and harvesting
Aquaculture - The GoodOn small local scales, it provides sustainable protein-rich food and economic development to local communities and cheaper than raising livestock
Aquaculture - The BadOn a large industrial scale, creates dense monoculture, reduces biodiversity, wide scale destruction of natural habitats, escape of non-native species into waters
February 23Bellwork - Answer the Critical Thinking on page 362
Today - Mining!
Tomorrow - Cookie Mining Lab (they will sadly not be eaten).
Bring your lab notebook!
HW - None!! (although you should be working on your study guide)
Mining
Review Questions1. What’s a mineral resource? List some examples2. What’s an ore? Distinguish high grade and low grade.3. Define → a) reserves, b) surface mining, c) subsurface mining, d)
overburden, e) spoils, f) open-pit mining, g) strip mining, h) area strip mining, i) contour strip mining, j) mountaintop removal, k) smelting, l) gangue
4. What are environmental effects of mining nonrenewable mineral and energy resources?
5. What are environmental effects of processing nonrenewable mineral and energy resources?
6. What are environmental effects of using nonrenewable mineral and energy resources?
Types of MiningSurface mining - the soil and rock overlaying the mineral deposit is removed and stored
Subsurface (Underground) Mining - large shafts are dug into the Earth, produces less waste and is less destructive than surface mining but unsafe
In Situ Leaching - small holes are drilled and water based chemical solvents are used to extract resources. Less destructive and less expensive but fluids used are toxic.
Global Economics
Global EconomicsThe economy and the environment are intrinsically linked as the environment contains all the resources than can be used in the economy
Global EconomicsPeople in the wealthiest countries are 15% of the global population, on average have incomes 20x greater than 85% of the world, thus consume 20x as much
If the income of the poorest 85% were only ⅓ of the richest countries, the world’s total production and consumption would double
As living standards in poor standards increase, so will the pressure on the carrying capacity of the planet
We need a more sustainable way to live
World Bank The World Bank is a source of financial and technical assistance to developing countries
In 2001 the World Bank endorsed an environment strategy to guide their environmental actions
Their strategy emphasizes improving quality of life, quality of growth, protecting quality of regional and global commons through “greening”
Tragedy of the CommonsGarret Hardin wrote “Tragedy of the Commons” in 1968 that’s a very influential economics theory
It parallels what is happening worldwide in regard to resource depletion and pollution
The commons are natural resources like air, water, animals, and minerals.
Commons are for human use, and those that exploit them become rich
The tragedy comes from this selfish use of the commons, as resources will eventually be depleted
