Do you love visiting the beautiful National Lakeshores? Hunting, fishing, and camping with friends and family? There have been bills passed around the United States of America on whether or not government should be allowed to sell Federal and National lands. But there has been conservative and sports groups that don’t agree with this bill and has stopped it from happening.
National Parks in Michigan are important. National parks protect the beauty of the forest from people who want to destroy it . On August 25, 1916, president Woodrow Wilson signed the act and created the National Park Service. There are only 4 national parks in Michigan; Isle Royale, Isle Royale National Parks, Mackinac Island, and Pictured Rocks. Pictured Rocks is located
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Its home to many endemic animals. A Republican lawmaker has reversed a plan to sell off millions of acres of federally owned land after outcry from conservative and sports groups. (Abram). “Americans share ownership of approximately 600 million acres of land and water in the United States. These "public lands" include federal designations like national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and monuments, as well as state and local areas owned by the public” (“Protecting Public Lands”). That means anyone who pays taxes is a part owner of these public spaces. “Last I checked, hunters and fishermen were taxpayers,” says Jason Amaro,who represents the south-west chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. “That word ‘disposible’ is scary. It’s not ‘disposable’ for an outdoorsman” (Sainatio). The hunters and fisherman are mad because they pay their taxes, and part of that tax money is used to maintain these wild places. For a lawmaker to just come in and change that, because, according to him, the land is “disposable”. This is unacceptable to those who use this land. People rely on these federal lands, and to know that someone can just go and take that land from you like it didn’t mean or didn’t have use too you really angers people. These arguments were enough to get Jason Chaffetz to withdraw his bill. “I'm a proud gun owner, hunter and love our public …show more content…
“Americans share ownership of approximately 600 million acres of land and water in the United States. These "public lands" include federal designations like national parks, forests, wildlife refuges and monuments, as well as state and local areas owned by the public” (“Protecting Public Lands”). That means anyone who pays taxes is a part owner of hese public spaces. “Last I checked, hunters and fishermen were taxpayers,” says Jason Amaro,who represents the south-west chapter of Backcountry Hunters and Anglers. “That word ‘disposible’ is scary. It’s not ‘disposable’ for an outdoorsman”
A point has to be made about hunting and outdoor life in Illinois, which is a common interest throughout Illinois. Though it may not interest everyone, the livelihood and a portion of income is g...
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park was established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. ANILCA is an act established ”To provide for the designation and conservation of certain public lands in the State of Alaska, including the designation of units of the National Park, National Wildlife Refuge, National Forest, National Wild and Scenic Rivers, and National Wilderness Preservation Systems, and for other purposes.” (96th Congress of the United States, 1980) This act provided for the protection of millions of acres of Alaska’s wilderness through the creation of national parks and preserves, but in doing so, surrounded many small towns and villages by federally protected land.
Michael Cain is an attorney for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and he came to talk to us about the evolution of the public trust doctrine in Wisconsin dealing with navigable water and current development issues related to the public trust. The doctrine states that a sizable body of common law has developed which holds that all navigable waters are held in trust by the state for the public and through the DNR Department of Justice and District Attorneys they have an affirmative duty to protect these public trust waters. With the increase in recreational and developmental pressures the amount of aquatic resources diminishes increasing the importance of this issue and the grounds of the public trust doctrine. This is important because the doctrine provides the foundation for preserving aquatic natural resources for the future.
Mr. Middleton, a journalist, compiled an article describing, in his opinion, the flaws of the Endangered Species Act. He then attempts to back his opinion with studied analyses, researched facts, and testimonies. To summarize Middleton’s (2011) perspective, “Rather than provide incentives for conservation and environmental stewardship, the Endangered Species Act punishes those whose property contains land that might be used as habitat by endangered and threatened species” (p. 79). This quote is broad and generalized yet draws in readers and forces Middleton to spend the rest of the article backing this statement with more logic based facts.
West Virginia is a land of natural beauty. Often described as “wild and wonderful,” the state’s fall foliage, scenic rivers, and abundant wildlife inspired the composition of a ballad. The song, “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” portrays West Virginia as “almost Heaven,” and the phrase is difficult to refute (Danoff, Denver, & Nivert, 1971). According to the West Virginia Department of Commerce (2009), the state ranks among the lowest in the nation for the cost of living, the employee turnover rate, average home prices, and instances of violent crime. Nestled among the rolling hills and winding rivers, one could certainly be convinced that West Virginia is simply a modern day Garden of Eden. However, the mountain state is not without its share of problems. Just as the deceitful serpent perpetuated Adam and Eve’s banishment from paradise, mountaintop removal poses a serious threat to the ecosystem and economy of West Virginia.
Hunting is a very expensive sport to get into. From guns, to tree stands, to even hunting clothes, hunting can be costly. On average, hunters spend $1896.00 per year on hunting (LaBarbera 1). Equipment and expenditures alone in 2001 grossed $24,708,970,000 (for all types of hunting) and $10,673,990,535 of that was of deer hunting (LaBarbera 2). These expenditures then “ripple” through the economy generating three times more impact for the U.S. economy. For many communities, hunting dollars keep them afloat. This money made can also be pumped back into funding wildlife and conservation foundations. In good times and bad, hunters set their sights on spending more time in the fields and forests. Even when economic recession and uncertainty over homeland security have the nation and the economy recoiling, hunters continue to aim their leisure time and money toward shooting sports activities. For example, since 1991, when the nation was mired in a similar recession and war, retail sales have grown nearly 17% (adjusted for inflation). Many just do not realize the positive impacts generated by hunters. A recent report released by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation highlights that Americans spend more on hunting equipment and dogs than they do for ski equipment. If that’s not enough, the $2.4 billion in federal income tax revenue generated by hunters
The current situation today, is that horses and donkeys have exceeded the amount to keep an ecological balance; from 26,600 wildlife to 38,300 wildlife. The horse program enacted by the bill passed in 1971, costs the government approximately $49 million a year. It takes the majority of the budget to manage the already captured horses; taking into account the life of the horses, it has been concluded that the total cost would be closer to $1 billion (Dean Bolstad, Roundup of Wild Horses…). A Federal law, allows the Bureau of Land Management to kill “excess horses to maintain what it calls ‘a thriving natural ecological balance’” (Ginger Kathrens). However, due to retaliation of animal right groups, the BLM has not taken any measures to eliminate
Michigan is the only state in the union composed to two separated peninsulas. At the closest point, the upper and lower peninsulas are a mere five miles apart. In the early twentieth century, the only way to make the trip across the five miles of Lake Michigan and Lake Huron was to take a boat ride from one side to the other. As businesses expanded and industry grew, the demand to cross the lakes for travel and commerce purposes grew. The only way to cross the lake was by means of a ferry service, which was unable to keep up with consumer demand. Michigan residents were unable to get convenient and frequent transport between the peninsulas. They needed a consistent, fast, and safe way to travel freely from the mainland to the upper-peninsula. In response, the construction of a five-mile-long suspension bridge to link the peninsulas was set into action. The construction of the Mackinac Bridge was greatly significant to the national economy, the field of engineering, the efficiency of travel, and the historic symbolism of the state of Michigan.
The United States Pacific Northwest has historically been a significant player in the global fishing industry. However, over the last half-century, the fish population in the area has been declining at an alarming rate. Popular species of fish such as cod and salmon have been particularly susceptible to these decreases. What once was a region flourishing with abundant fish populations, is now in danger of being exploited to the point of extinction of certain species. The majority of these population drops is attributed to increased industrialization and overfishing in the region. The ocean is a commons, as defined by Garrett Hardin in his “The Tragedy of the Commons”, and is being exploited as an open resource, resulting in a reduction of fish and industrial fisheries in the Pacific Northwest. Enforced government regulation is the only viable course of action to deter the declining fish populations. Fisheries have been exploiting the region, and limiting the amount of fish one can catch, particularly of specific species, may lead to more balanced levels of fish population.
Estimates are that at the turn of the twentieth century over two million wild horses roamed free in the western United States. However, having no protection from their primary predator, man, by the 1970’s there numbers had dwindled to less than thirty thousand. In 1971, after a massive public uproar, Congress by a unanimous vote enacted the “Wild Free-Roaming Horse and Burro Act” (Act) that characterizes wild horses and burros as national treasures and provides for their protection.
Years ago, killing animals for food was part of the average man’s everyday life. While, now a days, hunting is questioned by many across the world because it is commonly viewed as a recreational activity. Many residents have a problem with the dangers that come with hunting. Not to mention, as time goes on, society seems to feel differently about animals and how they should be treated. One of the biggest debates is the harvest of white tailed deer. All over the United States, white tailed deer thrive because of the few predators that feast upon them and the large forests and habitats that these deer can flourish in. However, as buildings and subdivisions pop up left and right decreasing the white tailed deer natural habitat, the debate grows stronger. The heart of the debate is centered around ethical issues, human and deer conflicts, safety, and the benefits hunting has on the economy.
Klyza, Christopher McGrory, and Paula Anne Ford-Martin. "Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (1980)" Environmental Encyclopedia. Eds. Marci Bortman, Peter Brimblecombe, Mary Ann Cunningham, William P. Cunningham, and William Freedman. Vol. 1. 3rd ed. Farmington Hills, MI: Gale, 2003. 1 pp. 2 vols. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Gale. GILA RIDGE HIGH SCHOOL. 20 Feb. 2015
By placing this emphasis on beauty in the wilderness the American people expected to see a beautiful wilderness, although in reality these two are not mutually exclusive. Muir supported a form of natural improvement in which alterations to the natural world are made, but not with any economic value in mind. Interestingly, Muir suggests that our wildness is a commodity to which, we are glad to see how much of even the most destructible kind is still unspoiled”. (Muir) By the time the National Park Service was founded in 1916 the American people wanted to be entertained by, and in, nature
The first noticeable step towards conserving the natural resources and wildlife in the United States started with the Lacey Act. The Lacey Act was started by Senator John Lacey in 1900 to stop the drastic drop in the number of animals and decrease in natural resources in the United States. Lacey’s act made it illegal to kill animals for sport and sell them elsewhere to escape from the law also known as market hunters. Thankfully an end was put to them. The Lacey Act is the oldest wildlife protection law in the United States and the prominence does not stop there. Multiple amendments have been made to the Lacey Act over the years to help preserve plants and wildlife. Since then, numerous species have been saved and the conservation of our natural
The topic that I chose to discuss is one that every state has adopted due to the acts that have been taken to preserve and protect our environment, so I chose the Endangered Species Act. The Endangered Species Act prohibits activities affecting threatened and endangered species. There are many organizations in place to enforce the authorities of this act and a couple of the main groups are the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The National Oceans and Atmospheric National Marine Fisheries Services. In this assignment I will elaborate on the Parks and Wildlife efforts and policies on the Endangered Species Act. To put this Act or Law into order, there were strong actions that were threatening the environment for those that research and treat the animals. Since the 1960’s there have been motions to protect animals and in 1966 Congress passed the Endangered Species Preservation Act and bought its first endangered species habitat in Florida. Once again it was revised in 1969 and 1970, but in 1972, President Nixon declared that conservation efforts in the United States aim to prevent the extinction of species that brought together the 93rd Congress to develop comprehensive endangered species legislation. Congress responded and on December 28th the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 was signed and put into order.