Caroline Dillard Class Reading 1: 4/16/23

 In Chapter 1 of Humans in the Landscape I found the story of the Channel Island Fox interesting. The Channel Island Fox is an endemic species to the Channel Islands which are off the coast of Southern California. DDT harmed birds and fish mostly but the chemicals worked their way up the food chain. Bird eggshells were a lot thinner so the young did not survive. The golden eagle was forced from Los Angeles to the Channel Islands because of the rapid development. Golden eagles eat mammals. Farmers and ranchers colonized the Channel Islands and brought along with them domesticated pigs. As agriculture eventually declined pigs escaped and became feral animals. The ecosystem of the whole island had now changed because of humans. The golden eagle outcompeted the bald eagle because of the many wild pigs they could eat. The DDT, Gold eagle and pigs were the changing factors of the island. The Channel foxes became prey for the golden eagles and the population swindled to near extinction. Restoration efforts however, saved the foxes and attempted to restore the ecosystem to pre-disturbance conditions. It is interesting how humans had no idea what impacts they were having on an ecosystem they viewed as uninhabited and wild. It makes me wonder what impacts we are having on the environment right now that we either do not know about or don't know the full extent of. Thankfully environmental research is a pressing issue and more data is coming in all the time.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nature Walk

 I took a walk around the Noland trail last week to just be able to say I have done it before my time ends at CNU. This was always a bucket list thing to do and after the 6-mile walk, I wish I had done it a lot earlier. I felt at peace during the walk like I didn't have finals coming up or papers to write. The only thing that was going through my head was "Wow it's been an hour already". The walk calmed my nerves and prepared me for my finals week and everything to get crazy. I wish I did this freshman year so I could have made it a habit before my final semester.
Read more

7. Ivy McDermott 3/18/23 Ch. 11 Environmental Awareness

      The outside reading blog topics have been a daunting topic for me because it's my first time seeing most of these names and I'm not sure where to start; there are so many classic environmentalist authors that had an influence on the world and I'm hesitant to start a book unless I know it's a good one. I liked this chapter because it was in a more positive light and gave a glimpse into how people's words can influence reformation, as well as the different lights and lenses of Rachel Carson, Aldo Leopold, and David Brower.      Leopold used a critical lense of the world without edges, moreso criticizing the conqueror culture, but inspired a sense of ethics for the land in many. Carson used simple terminology and harsh warnings and chose an audience that could help, lending legitimate, simple solutions. Within a decade of Carson's Silent Spring , the UN held it's first conference and created a permanent agency and spurred an environmental movement (pg. 2...
Read more

Third Chapter: Humans in the Landscape: An Introduction to Environmental Studies

The chapter begins by examining the Industrial Revolution, a period of rapid technological advancement and economic growth that had profound implications for the natural world. As factories and machines became increasingly prevalent, the demand for natural resources grew, leading to the exploitation of forests, minerals, and other resources on a massive scale. This, in turn, led to pollution and environmental degradation on a scale never before seen. However, Curry-Lindahl notes that industrialization also brought about a new awareness of environmental issues and a growing movement for environmental conservation. He discusses the emergence of environmental activism in the 19th and 20th centuries, highlighting the work of individuals and organizations who have sought to raise awareness of the impact of human activity on the environment and advocate for change. Overall, the third chapter of "Humans in the Landscape" offers a nuanced exploration of the impact of industrializatio...
Read more