Thursday, January 31, 2013

"Mesa"


 “The Black Mesa Syndrome” opened my eyes to the true greediness of large mining companies. At the first sight of an untouched pristine mining site, the company willingly made promises to the native Navajo and Hopis of riches, but as the article proved, their promises were never fulfilled. Much how the title says, the greed for coal may be nothing more than an insatiable syndrome or sickness. The “black mesa syndrome like most sicknesses or diseases if not treated well will almost always end in demise. The large mining company’s greed is a sickness that is not confined within the realm of coal. Their dangerous and destructive mining habits forged from greed affect almost all aspects of the environment. The article showed that the “syndrome” affects not only the environment but the people who inhabit it as well. I believe it is up to us to treat this syndrome with strong legislation that will prevent the wrongful eviction of native people from their land or damaging extraction that would possibly completely destroy it

Mountain Top-less


Appalachian Strip Mining
Coal mining is a dangerous industry and profession that provides food for families everywhere, but recently large companies have disrupted the financial stability coal has offered. As the black dust settles, after explosions shatter the rugged peaks of hilly mountains our eyes are treated with the real truth, the injustice of various large coal mining businesses such as the Elk Run Coal Company. Through “When Mountains Move” I was able to see how major coal mining companies actually affect the lives of real people. The article offered a personal point of view through the eyes of Judy Bonds. Judy Bonds is a woman who comes from a long lineage of coal miners and was actually raised in the Appalachian Mountains of West Virginia. The article depicted her varied actions against major coal companies and in doing so revealed the damage done by the corporations. Mountain-topping is a coal extraction method that has completely decimated the summits of mountains dispersed across America. The method not only destroys mountains, but its aftermath has been known to cause brain tumors and silicosis. I believe that the method should be eradicated. Although mining is an unavoidable aspect of our economy, there are better ways we can extract the precious minerals that are integral towards the manufacturing of common products in our everyday lives. 

Thursday, January 24, 2013

Plan Commission members say land use plan is needed


Thursday, January 24, 2013
The Greene County Advisory Plan Commission has been working on a draft of a land-use planning and zoning ordinance since 2010. A draft document was completed in August 2012, however, it's still not ready to be viewed by the public because it hasn't gone through a legal review. That's what Greene County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Joan Bethell said at Wednesday afternoon's meeting of the Greene County Plan Commission. The document has been disseminated to Plan Commission members and two new Greene County Commissioners, Ed Michael and Nathan Abrams. Both commissioners said they would hold off judgment on the document and comment until they've had a chance to read through it.

http://www.gcdailyworld.com/story/1934612.html

Comb-Overs and Collapses




How can a generation recover from the deep and grave mistakes made by its forbearers  In this Ted Talk video the speaker Jared Diamond elaborates on the five factors that contribute to the collapse of societies. For each factor, he gives an example from the Greenland Norse, a Viking society whose negligence led to their inevitable demise.  The five factors consisted of: human impacts on the environment, climate change, friendly neighbors leaving, hostile neighbors coming, and dysfunctional political and cultural practices.  Although most of the seminar was very boring, I did agree with his idea that we have to focus on more than just one issue. Societal collapse occurs because of a culmination of events, so we cannot afford to ignore the various other environmental issues that are currently tormenting our world. Mr. Diamond believes that if these issues aren’t resolved soon, then in the next few decades we will be faced not by a pleasant end, but by an end riddled with disease, war, and famine. I completely agree with Mr. Diamond’s description of our environment on non-sustainable course. If we continue to neglect our environment and fall prey to the same errors and mistakes made by our predecessors then we will essentially be making a “checklist” out of the five factors that foster collapse among societies. We need to maintain our society by focusing on the issues as a whole and not just one whole issue.


Part  2
    · Total Plant and Floral Services- 751 James P Brawley Dr, Atlanta
    · South Fulton Landscape Nursery- 3415 Enon Rd, College Park
    · Georgia Wholesale Nursery- 5600 Peachtree Industrial Blvd Chamblee

    1. If a tree farm is planted and not thinned, then there will not be enough growth room for other plants. Overcrowded trees are under stress from other neighboring trees. Thinning may be done to increase the resistance toward droughts, insect infestation or extreme temperature. Thinning is also a common practice in forestry that is utilized to improve the growth rate or the health of the remaining trees.

    2.The Fernbank Forest reserve in Decatur is an example of an old-growth forest in Atlanta. Toilet paper is an example of a product we use from old-growth forest


       Part 3
    1.The dead organic assortment burned the best because the dry material served as a catalyst for the fire and fueled the flames.

    2.Yes, these assortments do occur naturally. The dead assortment exist on the forest floor, the assortment of green foliage occurs on the trees, and the damp dead assortment exist on the forest floor near a body of water or after rain.

    3. Forest Rangers have to periodically use controlled burns to clear dead material, so that in case of a fire it will not become uncontrollable. 


Thursday, January 17, 2013

Finally Part 3


            1. What are the intended goals and objectives of the United States National Park Service?
The intended goal of the United States National Park Service is to conserve and preserve forest, so that they will not have to import trees from other countries and can save money.
            2.  In general, do the U.S. National Parks achieve their stated objectives?
I honestly do believe National Parks achieve their stated objectives, by implementing and utilizing various campaigns to ensure that their parks are protected from dangers such as forest fires.
           3. Provide a few examples of successes achieved by the Park Service AND examples of failures.
Positive- Park service’s help prevent forest fires, provide fun recreational activities, and most importantly conserve trees and preserve the biodiversity in the area
Negative- Park services also allow ATVs which destroy the terrain. They also evict native people from their land, to help “conserve trees and wild diversity”

Camp "Refoogee"


I dont think refugee camps are funny. I am just trying to make fun of how conservation organizations think they are doing best by evicting the indigenous people.

Settled in their isolated villages, the indigenous people continue with their daily routines, but in the distance the thunderous roar of hummers resonate through the forest. These men and women come and offer demeaning reparations to evict the indigenous people from their land. No, the native villagers are not being removed due to ecological occurrences such as droughts, disease, or flooding, they are being “softly evicted.” “Who are these odd people”, the native people ask? “Who are these men and women who remove us from our land with false promises of ample and fair compensation?” These men and women make false claims against us, stating that we are the true enemies of conservation. “Who are these people?” These people are the nonetheless conservationalist. Yes the conversationalist. This article was very eye opening, as it changed my perception of conservation and conservationalist.  Until this point I believed that conservationalist were the true heroes of environmental preservation, but I now realize they are almost no different from the average person. They too are also ignorant and their methods are very reminiscent of the American way. America believes that their way is best and anyone perceived as less intelligent should merely follow their lead.  The indigenous people such as the Batwa were efficiently and effectively conserving their environment, and needed no outside help. Like Martin Saningo said, his people are the “original conservationalists.”  But now as we continue to intervene and promote our methods of conservation the native’s traditions will begin to diminish. Most if not all of their heritage is passed down orally, so with no records of their existence how will these people retain their hold on their livelihoods. From this article I learned that we should leave the indigenous people alone because, they are already doing a much better job than we ever could.

"Come Away With the Wild!"


Ridged mountains and rugged trails lead to a watery ledge
Rustling leaves startle wild creatures just over a lush green hedge
Paths still untraveled run through dense bushes and shrubs
Animals awake from their slumber, snakes, bears, and even wolf cubs
 File:Biogradska suma.jpg
Wind blows through the trees moaning with gloom
Frost begins to melt, leaving flowers in bloom
The sun rises then graces the land with color and light
Rising over the horizon relieving us from the dark of night
 File:El Toro Wilderness.jpg
Days pass and seasons come and go
The secrets of the wilderness are still unknown
The wild remains pristine with untamed majesty
So can we as people just leave nature be