North America has one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world. There are deserts, wetlands, rolling hills, plains, and mountain ranges in the United States alone. But what has been done to preserve America’s incredible biodiversity? There have been many attempts in the past, as well as in recent years. Many people want to preserve the American wilderness, as Ann Malaspina discovered. “In fact, taxpayers, like those in Florida who support the wild lands corridor, are increasingly willing to pay the price to preserve open space” (Malaspina 70). The National Wildlife Refuge system was started to keep the wilderness preserved. Even though in the past great efforts have been made, the American wilderness is rapidly disappearing, and many people and organizations, including the government, have been trying to preserve our precious and diverse ecosystems.
In the mid-1900s, there was a great need for protection. In A Wilderness Bill of Rights, William O. Douglas discusses the need for parks and protected forests in California. When California was made a state, there was 1,900,000 acres of redwood trees throughout the golden state. By 1965, there were only 250,000 acres left, while only 50,000 acres were protected. At the rate they were being cut down, the unprotected redwoods would have been gone in fifteen years (Douglas 51). This shows the extreme need for protection of wilderness. The redwoods of California are extremely historic. They have been there for thousands of years, and are different from all other trees. They are irreplaceable, and it would have a huge impact on the Californian biodiversity.
State forests were, and still are today, very important in keeping individual ecosystems alive and thriving. In California alo...
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... zoos and enclosures, and there has also been recent hatchings in the Grand Canyon. This shows another recent success that is continuing today.
Over the years, there have been many successes in the preservation of the American wilderness. Started by President Theodore Roosevelt, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has done much for the preservation. The National Wildlife Refuge System was started, and although the refuges take away over half of the lands hunters pay to protect and hunt, they have done a lot to protect America’s diverse ecosystems. The American wilderness has been rapidly disappearing, and many people and organizations have been working to slow the pace. As conditions are improving, multiple species have been saved from extinction. The wilderness is beginning to come back to life, even though the systems protecting the lands are not perfect.
These are very difficult questions for me personally to answer because I live in the Pacific Northwest, and I have seen the beauty of the old growth forests first-hand.
The ecological effects of wildfires on Yosemite are among some its greatest benefits. Trees like Bishop Pines and Sequoias have evolved in such a way that their seeds will only open when exposed to high temperatures. The fires also help to clear out dead leaves and weeds, thereby making sunlight accessible to new plants and increasing their chances to germinate (Marder). Wildfires are so essential in areas like Yosemite that over millions of years, plants have developed strategies to be successful in this type of environment. For instance, giant sequoias have developed a thick layer of fire-resistant bark. This bark is “the main explanation for tree survival in intense fires” (Gignoux, Colbert, and Menaut). Fire makes the soil fertile and redistributes the nutrients evenly so that the next generation of trees can cover more space. The fires have helped...
Robbins, Jim. Last Refuge: The Environmental Showdown in Yellowstone and the American West. New York: Morrow, 1993. Print.
Rubensteina, D.R., Rubensteinb, D.I., Shermana, P.W., Gavic T.A., 2006. Pleistocene Park: Does re-wilding North America represent sound conservation for the 21st century? Biological conservation 132, 232-238.
As people of the twenty-first century, we are all too familiar with the frequent occurrence of wildfires in our nation’s forests. Each year millions of acres of woodlands are destroyed in brutal scorches. It has been estimated that 190 million acres of rangelands in the United States are highly susceptible to catastrophic fires (www.doi.gov/initiatives/forest.html.). About a third of these high-risk forests are located in California (www.sfgate.com). These uncontrollable blazes not only consume our beautiful forests but also the wildlife, our homes and often the lives of those who fight the wildfires. The frequency of these devastating fires has been increasing over the years. In fact, in the years 2000 and 2002, it has been reported that the United States has faced its worst two years in fifty years for mass destruction fires (www.doi.gov/initiatives/forest.html.). The increased natural fuels buildup coupled with droughts have been a prevailing factor in contributing to our wildfires and unhealthy forests (www.blm.gov/nhp/news/releases/pages/2004/pr040303_forests.html). Due to the severity of these wildfires, several regulations and guidelines have been implemented to save our forests. In fact, the President himself has devised a plan in order to restore our forests and prevent further destruction of our woodlands.
In the last decade, from the Rockies to New England and the Deep South, rural and suburban areas have been beset by white-tailed deer gnawing shrubbery and crops, spreading disease and causing hundreds of thousands of auto wrecks. But the deer problem has proved even more profound, biologists say. Fast-multiplying herds are altering the ecology of forests, stripping them of native vegetation and eliminating niches for other wildlife. ' 'I don 't want to paint deer as Eastern devils, ' ' said Dr. McShea, a wildlife biologist associated with the National Zoo in Washington, ' 'but this is indicative of what happens when an ecosystem is out of whack. ' ' The damage is worse than anyone expected, he and other scientists say. Higher deer densities have affected growth, survival, and reproduction of many plant species which have aesthetic, economic or ecological value. In some cases, many species of trees have also been shown to have reduced growth as a result of high deer density (Environmental Benefits of Hunting, 1). Deer prefer certain plant species over others and frequently feed on economically valuable tree species. For example, they prefer oak and sugar maple seedlings, as well as acorns, over less palatable species like American Beech and striped maple. Thus, less marketable species are more likely to survive to maturity,
Mader,T.R. Wolf reintroduction in the Yellowstone National Park: a historical perspective. Common Man Institute. 1998. 26 pgs.
...hat it is in process of making for the enrichment of the lives of all of us" ("Greenpeace usa," 2014). By closely viewing the reasons for national parks, the definition of wilderness, a critique of reasons to build or not build roads in a national park, a comparison of preservation, cost-analysis, and conservative approaches to the environment, I feel that the best approach is preservation. This preservation approach would not eliminate access to the park but seek to control public access to protect the natural environment. The end result would allow the current generation to enjoy Yellowstone Park and make sure that future generations could as well. In speaking about wilderness, Robert Nash may have expressed it best when he said, “Its preservation is not only one of the best ideas American culture ever had; it may be a better one than we ever knew” (Nash, 2001).
Seideman, D. (1993). Out of the Woods: Vol. . A Forest of Voices (2nd ed.) [Conversations in Ecology].Mayfield.
Forests cover 31% of the land area on our planet. They produce vital oxygen and provide homes for people and wildlife. Many of the world’s most threatened and endangered animals live in forests, and 1.6 billion people rely on benefits forests offer, including food, fresh water, clothing, traditional medicine and shelter (drug war facts, Page 1).
Species reintroduction has become a hotly debated topic, especially in the states experiencing actual reintroduction efforts. The reintroduction of the lynx into Colorado appeals to many who would like to return the area to it's pristine, pre-developed state. However, the actual costs, both financial and emotional, make this program impractical and illogical.
In 1872 Congress set aside a piece of land in Wyoming, establishing Yellowstone as the country’s first national park. This was followed by the first forest reserve in 1891, and the first wildlife reserve in 1903 (Opener). With the creation of parks and reserves our nations land would be preserved and cared for with the admiration for generations to come. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge [ANWR] was established to protect native plants and animals from human interference. The Refuge would cover 19 million acres, an area about the size of South Carolina (Opener). This land has been sought after for years, as it caries for animals and plants that exist nowhere else on Earth, just like the Amazon Rain forest it needs to be protected and persevered. To protect the ecosystem, most of the Refuge was declared closed to oil...
Thesis: Forests provide the earth with a regulated climate, strong biodiversity, and good nutrient rich soil for plants to strive on.
The United States passed landmark environmental protection laws in the 1970s with a goal to restore waterways and protect natural areas. To protect species from going extinct the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973. The Act is meant to “provide for the conservation of species that are endangered or threatened throughout all or a significant portion of their range, and the conservation of the ecosystems on which they depend” (NOAA).Since its passage, the Act has led to the resurgence of iconic species like the bald eagle and Florida manatee. Across the nation more land is being protected, with President Obama declaring three new national monuments in 2015. And it is not just the federal government that is being proactive, but also states. Located in Southern Illinois, the Cache River State Natural Area protects almost 15,000 acres of vital wetlands. There have also been clean ups of heavily polluted rivers to make them safe not just for humans but also the plants and animals that call those regions home. And down in the Amazon, multiple nations and Non-Governmental Organizations are cooperating to protect the area and combat deforestation. Peru recently declared a 3.3 million acre area as protected and countries are far away as Norway donate money to the conservation effort. With these and other efforts the hope is to slow and reverse the effects of habitat loss
Imagine a world with barren trees in overgrown fields. The only sound to be heard is the wind blowing through the tall grass. A world once full of life now lays empty do to extinction. This is the result of a world that failed to understand the importance of wildlife conservation. Why is wildlife so important? What steps need to be taken to preserve wildlife? How can one become involved in wildlife conservation? These are all important questions that need to be explored in order to help maintain the delicate ecosystem on Earth. Wildlife plays a vital role in this fragile ecosystem and without wildlife the human race would not survive.