Draining Lake Powell
This paper explores the fight between draining Lake Powell and keeping it as is. It discusses the gains and the losses due to environmental, economical, and political issues. The bibliography uses sources from public interest publications, environmental organizations newsletters, and government publications to give many sides of the argument and many issues dealing with the subject matter.
REFERENCES AND ANNOTATIONS
Chattergee, Sumana. “Hill gives energy-water added money.” CQ Weekly 24 Oct. 98: 2905.
CQ weekly is a paper that focuses on the actions of the US government. They call themselves “100 reporters and editors, focused solely on Congress, analyze trends, members and upcoming Hill activity.” The paper actually shuts down when the senate and house is at recess. This article spotlights a bill giving money to water and power studies and plan implementation. The article is a good informative letter on the use of this money, and plans that the government has for it. It shows actual thoughts and decisions from US senators and representatives. It shows the use of money to specific programs, as well as totals. It is a good source to find the economic drains and helps along with the government sentiments on the subject.
Franklin, Chris “Let the Colorado River run free” Earth Island Journal Spring 97: 23.
The Earth Island Journal comes from the Earth Island Institute, an environmental foundation which is dedicated to the protecting of our worlds environment, plants, and animals. It did seem strange that in the mission statement they mentioned one living thing to save, the sea turtle. They were created in 1982, and have 32 worldwide projects. Their journal, the Earth Island Journal, is said to be a “tree free” print. What is it printed on I wonder? This article focuses on more than Lake Powell; it talks about the 11 dams which are now on the Colorado, and the ecological changes which are taking place along the whole of the river. It uses examples from the Glen Canyon dam to help the argument, but still does not talk about any positive changes in the Colorado River ecosystem.
The positive aspects of ‘Lake’ Powell are few yet noteworthy. Glen Canyon Dam’s hydroelectric power-plant generates one thousand three hundred mega watts of electricity at full operation. That is enough power to supply three hundred fifty thousand homes. Glen Canyon Dam holds twenty seven million acre feet of water, which is equivalent to twice the Colorado River’s annual flow (Living Rivers: What about the hydroelectric loss?). One of the most valuable reasons for the dam to remain active is that “Lake Powell generates four hundred fifty five million dollars per year in tourist revenue, without this cash inflow, gas-and-motel towns . . . would undoubtedly wilt, and surrounding counties and states would lose a substantial tax base” (Farmer 185). These positive aspects are of no surprise considering they are the reason dams are built in the first place.
“For African Americans, World War II was a fight on two fronts. It was a struggle to prevail over the nation’s external enemies and a battle against a familiar home-grown foe: bigotry” (Allen). When World War II began in Europe in 1939, blacks demanded better treatment than they had experienced during World War I. Black newspaper editors insisted during 1939 and 1940 that black support for this war effort would depend on fair treatment. They demanded that black soldiers be trained in all military roles and that black civilians have equal opportunities to work in war industries at home.
Tedesco, Mark A. "This Fine Piece of Water: An Environmental History of Long Island Sound." Journal of the American Planning Association 69 (2003): 321. BigChalk. 9 Nov. 2005.
Maintaining ecological diversity is necessary for the survival of a biological community. In the United States, American citizens are on the verge of irrevocably damaging one of the country's most unique and diverse treasures - the Florida Everglades. This national park is now the only remaining patch of a river that used to span 120 miles from Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay. Dikes and levees created by the Army Corps of Engineers in the late 1940's drained this river to reduce flooding and increase useable water for the development of the region. This major diversion of water lead to a trickle down effect causing the continual decline of the environmental state of the Everglades. Since then, debates over the Everglades' future have silently raged on for years about how, why, and when the restoration will begin. This ongoing, but virtually unproductive effort has cost taxpayers a great deal without any apparent benefits. Recently, this debate has been amplified by the voices of the sugar industry in Florida, which was attacked for its major contribution to pollution of the Everglades. Now debates rage on with a new effort called the Restudy. Backed by the Army Corps of Engineers, this effort would change the flow of the Everglades, potentially restoring it into the viable community of life that it used to be. The question now is, will this latest attempt to restore the Everglades ever be realized (thus ending the cyclic Everglades debate) or will it simply add up to one more notch on the bedpost of inadequate and failed attempts to save this national treasure. The world is watching to see how the United States will handle this unprecedented cleanup.
Not many people know of the used-to-be 150-mile excursion that the Glen Canyon had to offer. Not many people know how to sail a raft down a river for a week. Not many people know how to interact with nature and the animals that come with it. We seem to come from a world that is dependent on time and consumed in money. Edward Abbey is what you would call an extreme environmentalist. He talks about how it was an environmental disaster to place a dam in which to create Lake Powell, a reservoir formed on the border of Utah and Arizona. He is one of the few that have actually seen the way Glen Canyon was before they changed it into a reservoir. Today, that lake is used by over a million people, and is one of the biggest recreation hot spots in the western United States.
...t the guaranteed developmental boom following the completion of the project will also ensure an even greater and more damaging human impact as there will be more beachfront lighting, boats, and beach pollution. Unconcerned with the negative ramifications of the beach nourishment project, islanders on Topsail prove their allegiance to development, tourism, artificial beaches, the promise for a more booming economy and the selfish desire for hurricane protection even though they riskily built homes on one of the most hazardous and unprotected barrier islands in the United States. Topsail’s willingness to betray the environmental protection organizations it’s worked tirelessly to support makes me question whether the promotion of the Topsail Turtle Project and the Turtle Hospital was a noble cause to save endangered animals or a farce to attract the media and tourism.
The issue that confronts many Kentuckians is whether or not the Williams and Boardwalk Pipeline, commonly called the Bluegrass Pipeline, serves for public use. Many people say that the pipeline will benefit the economy and provide jobs, while others complain that the pipeline will cause more harm than good. I am here to argue with the latter, the pipeline will cause much more harm than good. The pipeline is less for public use and more for national and international.
In Refuge, Terry Tempest Williams blames a natural disaster—the overflowing of the Great Salt Lake in Utah--for the destruction of the place she loved most in the world, the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge. What Williams attempts to explain, however, is that this disaster wasn’t really “natural” at all. Refuge is critiqued by some for being over-dramatized, and Terry Tempest Williams is often criticized for blaming the world and others for the loss of the bird refuge. In fact, Williams is correct when she says that humans are responsible for the flooding of Salt Lake, which was caused by the construction of a railroad causeway that split Great Salt Lake into two bodies of water. The author is not a reckless finger-pointer, she is a realist.
World War I and World War II both had significant social, economic, and political impacts on the lives of African Americans and brought enormous change within American society. Many African Americans viewed the war as an opportunity to fight for their country in exchange for equal citizenship rights at home. Unfortunately this was achieved through neither WWI nor WWII despite the irony of the US fighting a war for democracy abroad when discrimination existed on the home front. The central themes explored in which African American lives have been touched by the World wars are migration, military segregation, racial violence and political power. It is evident that although WWI and WWII did not amount to the momentous leap forward that African Americans desired in the pre-war years, the events undoubtedly had profound impacts on the lives of African Americans and ultimately paved the way for the Civil rights movement.
Edward Abbey's heart lies in the once beautiful Glen Canyon. He describes all of his wonderful childhood stories of him floating down the river and how all it took was a paddleboat and little money. He tells of the great beauty of all the animals, insects, forestry, and ancient scenery the canyon once had. This is why Abbey feels reservoirs are doing terrible things for not only Glen Canyon but every river. When you think about it, a natural river untainted by the ways of machinery and humans is virtually non existent today. Any river large enough to have a dam and produce a substantial amount of electricity probably already has many of them doing so. Abbey feels they are ruining the environment and wildlife is being sacrificed. The risen waters of the reservoir drown all of the life that once lived. All of the beautiful scenery and historic sights are replaced by water marked rocks, muddy banks, and very small amounts of forestry and greenery. He believes the whole river is completely disrupted with every reservoir and dam. He highlights the fact that exploring the river now requires a tour guide boat or enough money to buy your own. Overall, Abbey does give some good reasons behind his opinion. However, I have a different belief on the matter. Although Edward Abbey uses strong personal experiences to persuade the reader to argue that the man made reservoirs are destroying the beautiful canyon and the environment, I think he overlooks the other possible opinions and the benefits of having them.
World War I marked a drastic change in African American history. The war began as a conflict between the Europeans and soon became an event with revolutionary consequences, which would have a big affect on the social, economic, and political future for the black community. The war impacted the black community of Cleveland greatly whether you were male or female, soldier or civilian. The war began in 1914 and ended in 1918, which marked one of the most dynamic periods for the African American community because of migration, racial violence, and political protest. African Americans challenged the American Government, demanded their rights as American citizens, and demanded equality both in subtle and dramatic ways. We should further our knowledge on World War I because it is important to develop a better understanding of how the war affected African Americans and the struggles they faced because of it.
Children’s development, including their brain development, and the differences, both physically and emotionally that, children go through when transitioning into kindergarten. Reviews of different forms have evidence concluding that these programs have short, medium, and long-term benefits that suggest the effects are often greater for more disadvantaged children. “Some of the evidence from model research has produced exciting results in terms of improving educational attainment and earnings and reducing welfare dependency and crime.” (Currie, 2001). “To the point where cost-benefit analysis of these programs suggests they would eventually pay for themselves in terms of cost-savings to the government if it produced even a quarter of the long-term gains of model programs.” (Currie, 2001). This is one of the reasons the government has been pouring an abundance of money into these programs, in fact, Obama just recently announced a one billion dollar investment in early childhood education. “Obama said that less than one-third of 4-year-olds enrolled in preschool and blamed the high cost of these programs for essentially shutting off access to poorer infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. “ (Obama announces $1 billion investment, 2015, p. 1). “He said studies repeatedly show that children who are educated early in life are more likely to
The first national goal focuses directly on the early childhood years: "By the year 2000, all children in America will start school ready to learn." We believe that from the time of birth, all children are ready to learn. However, what we do or don't do as individuals, educators, and collectively as society can impede a child's success in learning. For example, if we do not provide adequate health care and nutrition for our youngsters, those children entering the public schools will already be behind their healthier, properly fed peers. The current educational practices of testing children for kindergarten entry and placement, raising the entrance age to kindergarten, adding an extra "transitional" year between kindergarten and first grade, and retaining children in preschool, kindergarten, or first grade are attempts to obtain an older, more capable cohort of children at each grade level. These educational strategies suggest that current curriculum expectations do not match the developmental level of the children for whom the grade is intended. In effect, these strategies blame the victims, the children, rather than confronting the real problem--an inappropriate curriculum.
* Daily, Gretchen C., ed. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1997.
The more unequal the United States’ education system will grow, the more our poverty line will struggle. Most people believe that hiring tutors or staying long hours after school will help, but little do they realize that all of that can be avoided if every child is given the opportunity to an inexpensive early education. An implemented universal early education program would contribute to a rise in grades, keep families connected, and hope for a better future.