Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Problem-Solution Essay
Restore Wetlands or Live in ‘Wet’ Lands
According to data gathered by scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency, 55 square miles of wetland were eroded away in 1985; this statistic has continued to increase exponentially ever since. Wetland protection efforts should be prioritized since they play an important role in coastal states due to its various contributions of natural resources to the nation as a whole. There is a strong belief that even though the government should have more oversight and invest into more effective protective measures, the people themselves must take action if they want action. A wetland is a shallow body of water which lies in a low area and is poorly drained; sediments accumulate from the river flow, and eventually generate fertile and rich soils that provide an ecosystem for a wide range of biodiversity. The rapid destruction of marshland may not have such great of an impact now, as it will in the future. If we take a look at the ‘big picture’, 30 years from now, a drive from New Orleans to the southeastern coast will possibly take no more than thirty minutes.
Coastal Louisiana has always experienced natural wetland loss due to the fluctuation of the river’s course. Since there has been an increase of human activity and interference in these fragile ecosystems, the delta building capability of the Mississippi River has decreased. Currently, all the sediments carried by the river are being shot out into the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Land has been cleared and drained for use in the agricultural, rural and industrial development. Eventually these locations will be constantly faced with threats of inundation due to their relative location (i.e. New Orleans). Reclamation of water or wetlands is in theory all but impossible. Wetland protection is not one of those issues we can set aside and solve later. If we let this matter go unattended there can be very severe consequences, especially to those people living in coastal Louisiana. If there is such “road to recovery”, we must swiftly travel through it and find our way around until we arrive at our destination: marshland recovery.
Over time, there has been a concern on whether wetlands are private or common property, however the real question is, don’t we benefit directly or indirectly from them? According to the section Global Perspectives; “Wetlands have been at the center of environmental disputes in twentieth-century America” (Showers and Cioc). Wetland loss doesn’t only concern the state of Louisiana; there are many marshes worldwide that are being washed away every minute. “The worst losses have been in the state of California, Australia, and New Zealand, which have all lost approximately 90 percent of their wetlands.” (Cullen). Currently the protection of these environments is crucial.
It might take a lengthy amount of time to get Louisiana’s wetlands back to what they were, and though the plan of action is long term, the solutions are out there for people to take advantage and implement them! In order to generate solutions there must be problems and our problem is that we lie unprotected and vulnerable to a series of threats. Some threats range from the lack of adequate environments to sustain the fishing and other industries, to complications in the petroleum refining industries. Coastal erosion affects a wide spectrum of the American life style as well as the nation’s economy. “Coastal erosion and wetland loss threaten 45% of the nation's petroleum refining capacity and 43% of its strategic petroleum reserves.” (USA Today 3) The wetlands provide a perfect environment for petroleum refinery, which a large portion of the nation’s economy depends on. The importance of wetlands is recognized by the ecological and even scientific world, and they can’t stress enough how vital the protection of these is; “(Wetlands) serve as buffer zones for assimilation and reduction of toxic petroleum hydrocarbons released to aquatic environments” (Headley and Peru).
The process of wetland restoration is a timely process, in other words we won’t see results immediately, even though, the course of action has already initiated. Over the past 7 thousand years the natural erosion and wetland creation had not been corrupt until the arrival of settlers and the commencement of urbanization. Long ago the government had little to no intervention in ecological issues, but when they began to see the long term consequences and how quickly America’s resources were diminishing, President Roosevelt set land reservations in key locations around the country. Later on, President Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ever since, the public awareness of the importance of ecology has gradually increased.
It is now 2010; it has been five years since the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Millions of marshes were torn apart. However, thanks to this frontal barrier, the effects of Katrina were not as terrible as they could have been. Storms are getting stronger every year and the destruction rates have been increasing overall. Without marshes as a blockade to stop the storm surge, we are defenseless against the natural disasters. Therefore, the government should have more willingness of spending on funds towards the wetland protection agencies.
According to the National Park Conservation Association’s (NPCA) website, there are only eight parks in the State of Louisiana controlled by the federal government. If the government designated more funds towards the protection of these lands, then more people would be willing to invest their time into the wetland conservation and restoration efforts. They don’t necessarily have to only spend the funds; they can also make funds to run these wetland reservations. Local and state intervention is essential; if they do not pull their share the efforts would be ineffectual. If the local and state government create and enforce strict laws regarding future projects that can potentially affect the wetland environment (or at least approve less projects) as well as control the amount of canal dig outs, they will be doing the state and the environment a huge favor.
Maritime traffic accounts for an indispensable mean of transportation for goods that are shipped to and from America. Many vessels depend on the Mississippi waterway in order to get into the country and deliver raw materials and other products. The only issue with this is that the waves created by the traveling vessels have accelerated the rates of erosion in wetlands. Weirs and floodgates control the amount of water flow through certain regions, if these are employed correctly, the amount of salt water intrusion could be reduced significantly and marshes would flourish more rapidly. Other measures can be taken into effect, for example, we have speed limits on highways and roads, and if these are set in canals and other areas of high traffic the amounts of waves can be reduced. It is natural that they won’t be eliminated completely, but if the intensity of these is slowed the result on wetlands will not be as severe.
Recently schools have begun to teach students about the importance of environmental protection. If the educational system works hand in hand with environmental protection agencies from their legislations, then we can have a larger impact on wetland refurbishment. High schools can incorporate environmental protection curriculums into their electives or graduation requirements, this way more students will not only learn about environmental protection but also get a hands on experience on the field itself. The classes could potentially begin gardens in which they plant flora (i.e. cypress trees) that will eventually be taken out into the wetlands to reinforce them.
Erosion is a problem that we most likely never solve, nevertheless there are plenty of things for us to do in order to slow its effects and save ecosystems. Wetlands are a very important part of Louisiana as well as regions of the entire world; they account for 6% of the world’s land mass. If we let these valuable land masses diminish, especially due to the human activities, then the human kind will have to hand down yet another responsibility for future generations. Wetlands are the habitat of a largely diverse ecosystem; we cannot let them all go to waste. If the erosion rates keep increasing at the rate they are soon our homes will be either under water or at the coast shore. The solutions are there for us to use, it is truly in our hands to restore wetlands or live in wet lands.
Works Cited
"Coastal Erosion: The Crisis." Restore or Retreat : Dedicated to Achieving Comprehensive Coastal Restoration. Web. 27 Sept. 2010..
"Coastal Zones and Sea Level Rise - Saving Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands: The Need for a Long-term Plan of Action | Climate Change - Health and Environmental Effects | U.S. EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. 08 Sept. 2009. Web. 26 Sept. 2010..
Dean, Cornelia. "Hard Choices Seen in Efforts To Help Louisiana Wetlands." New York Times 10 Nov. 2005: A21(L). Gale Science In Context. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
Headley, John V., and Kerry M. Peru. "Wetlands and Petroleum." Encyclopedia of Water Science. By Stanley Wayne. Trimble. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC, 2008. Print.
NPCA, By. "Park List | National Parks Conservation Association." National Parks Conservation Association | Protecting Our National Parks for Future Generations. Web. 29 Sept. 2010..
"Restoring coastal habitats creates jobs." USA Today [Magazine] Apr. 2010: 3. General OneFile. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
Roper, Teryl. "History of Wisconsin Wetland Loss: Graphical Image." University of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries. 1999. Web. 26 Sept. 2010..
"U.S. Wetlands: Are Wetlands a Commons or Private Property?" History in Dispute. Ed. Char Miller, Kate Showers, and Mark Cioc. Vol. 7: Water and the Environment Since 1945: Global Perspectives. Detroit: St. James Press, 2001. 271-279. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
"Wetland and Habitat Restoration at EC." Environmental Concern - Dedicated to Working with All Aspects of Wetlands; the Most Active and Fascinating Ecosystems in the World. Web. 26 Sept. 2010..
"Wetlands." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. Brenda Lerner and K. Lerner. 4th ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2008. 4687-4690. General OneFile. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
According to data gathered by scientists from the Environmental Protection Agency, 55 square miles of wetland were eroded away in 1985; this statistic has continued to increase exponentially ever since. Wetland protection efforts should be prioritized since they play an important role in coastal states due to its various contributions of natural resources to the nation as a whole. There is a strong belief that even though the government should have more oversight and invest into more effective protective measures, the people themselves must take action if they want action. A wetland is a shallow body of water which lies in a low area and is poorly drained; sediments accumulate from the river flow, and eventually generate fertile and rich soils that provide an ecosystem for a wide range of biodiversity. The rapid destruction of marshland may not have such great of an impact now, as it will in the future. If we take a look at the ‘big picture’, 30 years from now, a drive from New Orleans to the southeastern coast will possibly take no more than thirty minutes.
Coastal Louisiana has always experienced natural wetland loss due to the fluctuation of the river’s course. Since there has been an increase of human activity and interference in these fragile ecosystems, the delta building capability of the Mississippi River has decreased. Currently, all the sediments carried by the river are being shot out into the deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico. Land has been cleared and drained for use in the agricultural, rural and industrial development. Eventually these locations will be constantly faced with threats of inundation due to their relative location (i.e. New Orleans). Reclamation of water or wetlands is in theory all but impossible. Wetland protection is not one of those issues we can set aside and solve later. If we let this matter go unattended there can be very severe consequences, especially to those people living in coastal Louisiana. If there is such “road to recovery”, we must swiftly travel through it and find our way around until we arrive at our destination: marshland recovery.
Over time, there has been a concern on whether wetlands are private or common property, however the real question is, don’t we benefit directly or indirectly from them? According to the section Global Perspectives; “Wetlands have been at the center of environmental disputes in twentieth-century America” (Showers and Cioc). Wetland loss doesn’t only concern the state of Louisiana; there are many marshes worldwide that are being washed away every minute. “The worst losses have been in the state of California, Australia, and New Zealand, which have all lost approximately 90 percent of their wetlands.” (Cullen). Currently the protection of these environments is crucial.
It might take a lengthy amount of time to get Louisiana’s wetlands back to what they were, and though the plan of action is long term, the solutions are out there for people to take advantage and implement them! In order to generate solutions there must be problems and our problem is that we lie unprotected and vulnerable to a series of threats. Some threats range from the lack of adequate environments to sustain the fishing and other industries, to complications in the petroleum refining industries. Coastal erosion affects a wide spectrum of the American life style as well as the nation’s economy. “Coastal erosion and wetland loss threaten 45% of the nation's petroleum refining capacity and 43% of its strategic petroleum reserves.” (USA Today 3) The wetlands provide a perfect environment for petroleum refinery, which a large portion of the nation’s economy depends on. The importance of wetlands is recognized by the ecological and even scientific world, and they can’t stress enough how vital the protection of these is; “(Wetlands) serve as buffer zones for assimilation and reduction of toxic petroleum hydrocarbons released to aquatic environments” (Headley and Peru).
The process of wetland restoration is a timely process, in other words we won’t see results immediately, even though, the course of action has already initiated. Over the past 7 thousand years the natural erosion and wetland creation had not been corrupt until the arrival of settlers and the commencement of urbanization. Long ago the government had little to no intervention in ecological issues, but when they began to see the long term consequences and how quickly America’s resources were diminishing, President Roosevelt set land reservations in key locations around the country. Later on, President Richard Nixon established the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and ever since, the public awareness of the importance of ecology has gradually increased.
It is now 2010; it has been five years since the impact of Hurricane Katrina. Millions of marshes were torn apart. However, thanks to this frontal barrier, the effects of Katrina were not as terrible as they could have been. Storms are getting stronger every year and the destruction rates have been increasing overall. Without marshes as a blockade to stop the storm surge, we are defenseless against the natural disasters. Therefore, the government should have more willingness of spending on funds towards the wetland protection agencies.
According to the National Park Conservation Association’s (NPCA) website, there are only eight parks in the State of Louisiana controlled by the federal government. If the government designated more funds towards the protection of these lands, then more people would be willing to invest their time into the wetland conservation and restoration efforts. They don’t necessarily have to only spend the funds; they can also make funds to run these wetland reservations. Local and state intervention is essential; if they do not pull their share the efforts would be ineffectual. If the local and state government create and enforce strict laws regarding future projects that can potentially affect the wetland environment (or at least approve less projects) as well as control the amount of canal dig outs, they will be doing the state and the environment a huge favor.
Maritime traffic accounts for an indispensable mean of transportation for goods that are shipped to and from America. Many vessels depend on the Mississippi waterway in order to get into the country and deliver raw materials and other products. The only issue with this is that the waves created by the traveling vessels have accelerated the rates of erosion in wetlands. Weirs and floodgates control the amount of water flow through certain regions, if these are employed correctly, the amount of salt water intrusion could be reduced significantly and marshes would flourish more rapidly. Other measures can be taken into effect, for example, we have speed limits on highways and roads, and if these are set in canals and other areas of high traffic the amounts of waves can be reduced. It is natural that they won’t be eliminated completely, but if the intensity of these is slowed the result on wetlands will not be as severe.
Recently schools have begun to teach students about the importance of environmental protection. If the educational system works hand in hand with environmental protection agencies from their legislations, then we can have a larger impact on wetland refurbishment. High schools can incorporate environmental protection curriculums into their electives or graduation requirements, this way more students will not only learn about environmental protection but also get a hands on experience on the field itself. The classes could potentially begin gardens in which they plant flora (i.e. cypress trees) that will eventually be taken out into the wetlands to reinforce them.
Erosion is a problem that we most likely never solve, nevertheless there are plenty of things for us to do in order to slow its effects and save ecosystems. Wetlands are a very important part of Louisiana as well as regions of the entire world; they account for 6% of the world’s land mass. If we let these valuable land masses diminish, especially due to the human activities, then the human kind will have to hand down yet another responsibility for future generations. Wetlands are the habitat of a largely diverse ecosystem; we cannot let them all go to waste. If the erosion rates keep increasing at the rate they are soon our homes will be either under water or at the coast shore. The solutions are there for us to use, it is truly in our hands to restore wetlands or live in wet lands.
Works Cited
"Coastal Erosion: The Crisis." Restore or Retreat : Dedicated to Achieving Comprehensive Coastal Restoration. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
"Coastal Zones and Sea Level Rise - Saving Louisiana's Coastal Wetlands: The Need for a Long-term Plan of Action | Climate Change - Health and Environmental Effects | U.S. EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. 08 Sept. 2009. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.
Dean, Cornelia. "Hard Choices Seen in Efforts To Help Louisiana Wetlands." New York Times 10 Nov. 2005: A21(L). Gale Science In Context. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
Headley, John V., and Kerry M. Peru. "Wetlands and Petroleum." Encyclopedia of Water Science. By Stanley Wayne. Trimble. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC, 2008. Print.
NPCA, By. "Park List | National Parks Conservation Association." National Parks Conservation Association | Protecting Our National Parks for Future Generations. Web. 29 Sept. 2010.
"Restoring coastal habitats creates jobs." USA Today [Magazine] Apr. 2010: 3. General OneFile. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.
Roper, Teryl. "History of Wisconsin Wetland Loss: Graphical Image." University of Wisconsin - Madison Libraries. 1999. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.
"U.S. Wetlands: Are Wetlands a Commons or Private Property?" History in Dispute. Ed. Char Miller, Kate Showers, and Mark Cioc. Vol. 7: Water and the Environment Since 1945: Global Perspectives. Detroit: St. James Press, 2001. 271-279. Gale Virtual Reference Library. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
"Wetland and Habitat Restoration at EC." Environmental Concern - Dedicated to Working with All Aspects of Wetlands; the Most Active and Fascinating Ecosystems in the World. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.
"Wetlands." The Gale Encyclopedia of Science. Ed. Brenda Lerner and K. Lerner. 4th ed. Vol. 6. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2008. 4687-4690. General OneFile. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.
Riddle
1. I fall from pinnacles that are perhaps reachable,
Plopping against the surface; sometimes silent, sometimes violent.
I can clean entire cities with my careful cover,
Or destroy entire districts with a trouble-free drift.
Some take pleasure in my presence and even anguish in my absence
Entire communities depend on my charity.
I am the cup-filler and the wet-leak,
That foster fields and feed the flowing-blue-stallions.
2. Inevitable at every instant;
People typically have trouble with me,
I am either protracted, or go by too promptly.
I determine when everything starts and everything ends.
I am the steady thitherto, the constant course span,
Ticking-by-day, never ending, never stopping, and never waiting.
Plopping against the surface; sometimes silent, sometimes violent.
I can clean entire cities with my careful cover,
Or destroy entire districts with a trouble-free drift.
Some take pleasure in my presence and even anguish in my absence
Entire communities depend on my charity.
I am the cup-filler and the wet-leak,
That foster fields and feed the flowing-blue-stallions.
2. Inevitable at every instant;
People typically have trouble with me,
I am either protracted, or go by too promptly.
I determine when everything starts and everything ends.
I am the steady thitherto, the constant course span,
Ticking-by-day, never ending, never stopping, and never waiting.
Boast
Linda is the name given at birth, for it reflects who I am
Its translation to modern English tells that I am the pretty one.
Now when getting to my ancestry; of great ones I descend.
My mother is the motivation to my existence, for she has made me become who I am.
My family is the cloud-filler that makes up the whale-road of my life,
Enough about them let us contemplate me, for there is none of you as central as this beauty.
I have the determination of a hundred when I set my guts on something, the stubbornness of a hurricane hitting the coast.
If I believe in something, and I know I’m precise, have no doubt that I will protect it even with my life
My loyalty lies with only a limited amount of people, my God having the top-dog spot.
My intelligence and wisdom is the battle flasher that saves me from constant wounds.
Your strength does not compare to my intellect,
But wisdom, I am afraid, I have not acquired the easy way, for life has been as harsh as diamonds on my soul.
Yet your strength does not compare to my intellect.
I too have a very well-built body; I stand out among a group of people, like the night-jewel shines among the stars.
It’s delicate and defined curvature is envied by many long-haired females.
Do not let the wool be pulled over your eyes, for the leader that stands before you has come to relieve your hopeless sight.
In the past I have won many honors and willed to become a somebody.
I have been elected vice-president of middle school in eighth grade as well as president in the eleventh grade of my young life.
I have beaten all the competitors state-wise in the anthropology level, winning the number one spot.
Your leadership simply cannot stand up to my steep standards, so move on your ‘superb’ lives if that is was supplies you with happiness.
In the near future I will slay all you inferior brainless and stubborn ones who claimed to be superior,
For a simple body part does not make you any better than I, nor does your ancestor’s blood place you above myself.
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