Fluent Essays

the homework questions just require reading the articles,and the requred textbook for the class is-Birdsall, Stephen S., Eugene J. Palka, John C. Malinoswki, and Margo L. Price. The RegionalLandscapes of the United States and Canada: 7th or 8th Edition. New York: John Wiley andSons, Inc. 2009. ISBN: 978- 0470098264 homework__10.docx homework__11.docx homework__9.docx spotted_owl__1_.pdf esa_basics.pdf Unformatted Attachment Preview The Geography of the United States GEG222/AMS220 Homework #10 Chapter 15 -In what ways is California’s climate both one of its greatest benefits and one of its biggest problems? -Explain the conflict between agriculture and urbanization, and where the role of water fits into this. -In what ways does the film making industry benefit the California economy? Consider “image”… -How is it that California’s economy is so successful and the state supports so many people without having a substantial natural resource endowment? Chapter 16 -What is the unique attitude of residents of the Pacific Northwest? What is the relationship to environment and economy? -What is meant by “54-40 or Fight!”? What were the consequences of what eventually happened? -Was the United States’ purchase of Alaska from Russia a good idea? Why or why not? The Geography of the United States GEG222/AMS220 Homework #11 The Endangered Species Act & Spotted Owl Controversy -What does it mean to “take” a species? -What are 3 reasons why environmentalists wanted the spotted owl to be protected, and 3 why opponents did not? Chapter 18 -Why is the biodiversity on Hawaii so unique and delicate? What factors and activities are causing environmental problems? -Explain land ownership dynamics in Hawaii: where did they originate? What problems do they cause today? What steps are being taken to address them? The Geography of the United States GEG222/AMS220 Homework #9 Donald & The Poppers -What is Donlan’s plan? What problems is he trying to solveWhat problems do you foresee with his plan? -What is the Poppers’ plan? What problems are they trying to solve? What problems do you foresee with their plan? -Compare and contrast the two; lay out in which ways each one might be better than the other or worse than the other. Which do you prefer? Something else? No action? Why? Chapter 13 -Why does the federal government control so much of the land in the Empty Interior? Think about history and migration. -What are the challenges facing the National Parks in this region, and how are agencies like the Bureau of Land Management and US Forest Service stepping in? Are they successful? Chapter 14 -What is ‘acculturation’? -How does the cross-border economy work? Who goes where to do what? Ethics and the Environment: The Spotted Owl - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics SCU.EDU ABOUT THE CENTER 4/27/20, 7:44 AM OFFICES & SERVICES ! FOCUS AREAS ETHICS RESOURCES ETHICS SPOTLIGHTS EVENTS SCHOOLS & CENTERS ! DONATE CONTACT US Ethics and the Environment Home › Markkula Center for Applied Ethics › Focus Areas › More › Environmental Ethics › Resources › Ethics and the Environment: The Spotted Owl The Spotted Owl Controversy Environmental Ethics Claire Andre and Manuel Velasquez Short Course in Environmental Ethics For hundreds of years, a handsome, dark-brown owl with white spots has made its home in the lush, old-growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. Under the multilayered canopies of these 200-year-old forests, the owl, known as the northern spotted owl, has fed off the rich plant and invertebrate life created by decaying timber and has nested in the cavities of old trunks. But the towering cedars, firs, hemlocks, and spruces which have served as the owls habitat, also have become a primary source of timber for a multi-billion dollar logging industry. Over the last 150 years, as a result of heavy logging, these ancient forests have dwindled. Only about 10\% of the forests remain, most on federally owned lands. And as the forests have dwindled, so too has the number of spotted owls. Biologists estimate that only Environmental Ethics Articles Green Broncos Videos Carbon Footprint Calculator Teaching Module on Pope Francis Encyclical Environmental Activists, Heroes, and Martyrs Environmental Ethics Fellowship Resources 2,000 pairs survive today. In 1986, a worried environmentalist group petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to list the owl as an endangered species, a move that would bar the timber industry from clearing these lands. In June 1990, after years of heated negotiation and litigation between the government, environmentalists, and the timber industry, the northern spotted owl was declared a threatened species. Under this provision, timber companies are required to leave at least 40\% of the old-growth forests intact within a 1.3 mile radius of any spotted owl nest or activity site, a provision that is vehemently opposed by the timber industry. Industry representatives claim that the measure will leave thousands of Northwest loggers and mill workers jobless, and insist that such protectionist policies thoughtlessly fail to take into account the dire economic consequences of preservation. Environmentalists, on the other hand, argue that society has a fundamental obligation to preserve this rare species and the wilderness it inhabits. The controversy over the northern spotted owl follows on the heels of debates over dolphins, whales, snail darters, and desert tortoises, each raising questions concerning societys obligation to protect animals threatened by extinction. In the case of the spotted owl, we must ask whether and to what extent preserving endangered species and the wilderness they inhabit should take precedence over other considerations, such as major economic dislocations. https://www.scu.edu/environmental-ethics//resources/ethics-and-the-environment-the-spotted-owl/ Page 1 of 4 Ethics and the Environment: The Spotted Owl - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics 4/27/20, 7:44 AM Weighing the Costs and Benefits From the environmentalists perspective, the benefits of preserving the northern spotted owl and its habitat far outweigh any of the costs. First, saving the spotted owl will save an entire ecosystem on which plants, other animals, and humans depend. The spotted owl is considered an indicator species -- a gauge of the health of the ecosystem that provides its habitat. The steady decline of this species signals the demise of other species, such as elk and flying squirrel, that inhabit these forests, and the disruption of the productive forces of nature that sustain human life. The ancient forests and the life they harbor form a complex web of interdependent relationships that play a critical role in preventing soil erosion, floods, and landslides, providing clean water for agriculture and cities, enhancing the productivity of salmon fisheries, enriching the soil with vital nutrients, and ameliorating the greenhouse effect. No amount of reforestation can replace this highly developed and diverse system which has taken millennia to evolve. Second, society ought to preserve this species and the unique ecosystem it represents because of their aesthetic value. What kind of society would trade the magnificence of these virgin forests and the splendor of the life that inhabits them -- owl, elk, bald eagles, and mountain goats -- for paper cups and two-by-fours? To allow such a tradeoff is equivalent to destroying a great work of art that has taken centuries to create, and that will be a source of rich experience for generations of hikers, backpackers, bird-watchers, and millions of others seeking a natural world away from our teeming concrete cities. Finally, the owl and its habitat are of immense scientific value, providing opportunities for inquiry and for increasing our understanding of this unique ecosystem and its role in our lives and in those of future generations. To date, little research has been done on these forests. To allow their demise is to permanently foreclose the possibility of exploration and the benefits generated by new discoveries. Had the obscure organism known as penicillin become extinct before its discovery, millions of human lives would have been lost. Who knows what secrets these forests may hold? Environmentalists admit that saving the owls habitat could cost jobs. But, they argue, these jobs will vanish no matter what. For if cutting continues at its current rate of 125,000 acres a year, the old-growth forests will be gone within thirty years and the mills forced to close anyhow. Many of the jobs in the Pacific Northwest could be saved simply by restricting the export of raw timber, a practice driven by the higher profits made through sales outside of the U.S. In 1988, nearly 4 billion board feet of raw logs were exported from Washington and Oregon. Had those logs been processed in the U.S., thousands of jobs could have been generated. The timber industry, on the other hand, maintains that the benefits of saving the spotted owl are negligible compared to the harm that will be done. Reduced logging in the old-growth forests will harm all Americans and be particularly devastating to communities in the Pacific Northwest. These forests are a primary source of timber for most independent lumber mills in the Northwest, which account for about 65\% of Western wood. Many of the saw mills are entirely dependent on old-growth cuts because their equipment can only handle trees with large dimensions. According to one report, if the volume of old growth declines, up to 28,000 jobs could be lost, leading to increased rates of domestic disputes, divorce, acts of violence, delinquency, vandalism, suicide, alcoholism, and other problems. Nationwide, consumer prices for wood products will rise substantially. And, lumber-poor nations, such as Japan, which depend on massive amounts of timber from the U.S., will suffer. https://www.scu.edu/environmental-ethics//resources/ethics-and-the-environment-the-spotted-owl/ Page 2 of 4 Ethics and the Environment: The Spotted Owl - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics 4/27/20, 7:44 AM Second, timber industry officials state that cutting the old growth is essential if present and future generations are to be provided with the wood and paper products they need. Once these trees have reached their maturity, most of their energy is spent simply maintaining themselves, rather than in new growth. It is in societys best interest to replace these static forests with healthy, young trees that will provide an adequate supply of timber. The industry counters the environmentalists claim that preservation measures ought to be supported because of the aesthetic, scientific, and ecological benefits that would result. Hundreds of thousands of acres of old-growth forests, they argue, have already been set aside as national parks and wilderness areas. Half of Oregons three million acres of old growth is not being logged because it has been designated as wilderness or is unsuitable for logging. Also, logging sites are continually being reforested. Old-growth and second-growth forests provide ample opportunities for aesthetic experiences, recreation, and biological exploration. Moreover, our desire for aesthetic experiences or the value we place on the pursuit of knowledge should not be allowed to override more basic needs of persons, such as the need for jobs or housing. The timber industry disputes the environmentalists call for the use of alternative sources of wood. Second-growth wood, they point out, is less strong, and is knotty and twisted. It cant be used to produce many products, such as fine furniture and musical instruments, requiring the high quality old-growth wood that is characterized by fine, straight lines and few knots. Until substitutes can be found, society has no choice but to rely on wood from old-growth forests. Animal Rights Preservationists also defend their case on the basis of animal rights. Every living creature, they argue, has a right to life. An owl, like any other animal, is the subject of a life that has intrinsic value. To deliberately destroy this animals habitat violates its right to exist. Those opposing protectionist policies claim that while humans may have a duty to prevent unnecessary harm to animals, they are not obliged to forego their own interests in order to protect the interests of animals. We slaughter cattle, pigs, and sheep to meet our needs. Why should an owl, whose habitat is a source of material needed for housing, be given special consideration? A Duty to Preserve Rare Species Some environmentalists counter that we also have an obligation to preserve species. A species represents a vital, non-reproducible combination of genetic processes that has evolved over millions of years. It has an integrity and potentiality of its own, manifest in its unique stages of development and its intriguing adaption to the environment around it. The rarity of some species, such as the regal spotted owl, only increases its value. We have a duty to protect such genetically unique species and to ensure their continued existence. Opponents of protectionist policies reply that it makes no sense to say that we have a duty to preserve species because species is only a category invented by humans to group individual members. In reality, there are only individual animals that are members of a species. And, the interests of these individual animals must sometimes be overridden by the weightier interests of individual human beings. Moreover, simply because something is rare doesnt mean it is more deserving of preservation. Leprosy is rare, but we dont value it. Rarity only intensifies the value of valuable things. Finally, it is argued, the extinction of species is a natural and normal event. https://www.scu.edu/environmental-ethics//resources/ethics-and-the-environment-the-spotted-owl/ Page 3 of 4 Ethics and the Environment: The Spotted Owl - Markkula Center for Applied Ethics 4/27/20, 7:44 AM A recent report on endangered species estimates that by the year 2000, 600,000 plants and animals will become extinct. Extinctions caused by the practices of humans, who are part of nature, are no more unnatural than extinctions caused by other predators. As government officials, environmentalists, and industry representatives work out the details of implementing the new regulations designed to preserve the owl, we can expect the debate over the spotted owl to subside. But the ethical issues it raises will repeatedly appear as our natural resources dwindle. How we resolve these issues will depend on how we weigh the ecological, aesthetic, and scientific benefits of preservation, the rights of animals, and an obligation to preserve species, against economic interests and human needs. Further reading Catherine Caufield, A Reporter at Large: The Ancient Forest, New Yorker (May 14, 1990), pp. 46-84. Center for Philosophy and Public Policy, The Preservation of Species: Why Should We Care? QQ: Report from the Center for Philosophy and Public Policy, Vol. 5, No. 4 (Fall, 1985), pp. 1-5. Alastair S. Gunn, Preservng Rare Species, in Tom Regan, ed., Earthbound: New Introductory Essays in the Environment (Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1984), pp. 289-335. Ted Gup, Owl vs. Man, Time (June 25, 1990), pp. 56-62. This article was originally published in Issues in Ethics - V. 4, N. 1 Spring 1991 Nov 13, 2015 MARKKULA CENTER FOR APPLIED ETHICS Vari Hall, Santa Clara University 500 El Camino Real ABOUT THE CENTER PROGRAMS RESOURCES News Focus Areas Ethical Decision Making Santa Clara, CA 95053 Privacy Policy Ethics Experts for Media Events Training Articles Cases Donate Email Sign-up Curricula 408-554-5319 Maps & Directions Contact Us ! # $ \% S A N TA C L A R A U N I V E R S I T Y © 2020 · Accessibility https://www.scu.edu/environmental-ethics//resources/ethics-and-the-environment-the-spotted-owl/ Login | ! Page 4 of 4 U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service ESA Basics 40 Years of Conserving Endangered Species When Congress passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973, it recognized that our rich natural heritage is of “esthetic, ecological, educational, recreational, and scientific value to our Nation and its people.” It further expressed concern that many of our nation’s native plants and animals were in danger of becoming extinct. Protection The ESA protects endangered and threatened species and their habitats by prohibiting the “take” of listed animals and the interstate or international trade in listed plants and animals, including their parts and products, except under Federal permit. Such permits generally are available for conservation and scientific purposes. Under the ESA, species may be listed as either endangered or threatened. “Endangered” means a species is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. “Threatened” means a species is likely to become endangered within the foreseeable future. All species of plants and animals, except pest insects, are eligible for listing as endangered or threatened. For the purposes of the ESA, Congress defined species to include subspecies, varieties, and, for vertebrates, distinct population segments. As of January 2013, the FWS has listed 2,054 species worldwide as endangered or threatened, of which 1,436 occur in the United States. How are Species Listed? Section 4 of the ESA requires species to be listed as endangered or threatened solely on the basis of their biological status and threats to their existence. When evaluating a species for listing, the FWS considers five factors: 1) damage to, or destruction of, a species’ habitat; 2) overutilization of the species for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes; 3) disease or Bart Gamett/USFWS USFWS The purpose of the ESA is to protect and recover imperiled species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. The Interior Department’s U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the Commerce Department’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) administer the ESA. The FWS has primary responsibility for terrestrial and freshwater organisms, while the responsibilities of NMFS are mainly marine wildlife such as whales and anadromous fish such as salmon. At home in streams and lakes in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Nevada, the threatened bull trout needs clean, cold water with deep pools, logs for hiding, connected habitat across the landscape and, for spawning and rearing, clean streambed gravel. predation; 4) inadequacy of existing protection; and 5) other natural or manmade factors that affect the continued existence of the species. When one or more of these factors imperils the survival of a species, the FWS takes action to protect it. The Fish and Wildlife Service is required to base its listing decisions on the best scientific information available. Candidates for Listing The FWS also maintains a list of “candidate” species. These are species for which the FWS has enough information to warrant proposing them for listing but is precluded from doing so by higher listing priorities. While listing actions of higher priority go forward, the FWS works with States, Tribes, private landowners, private partners, and other Federal agencies to carry out conservation actions for these species to prevent further decline and possibly eliminate the need for listing. What is “Take”? The ESA makes it unlawful for a person to take a listed animal without a permit. Take is defined as “to harass, harm, pursue, hunt, shoot, wound, kill, trap, capture, or collect or attempt to engage in any such conduct.” Through regulations, the term “harm” is defined as “an act which actually kills or injures wildlife. Such an act may include significant habitat modification or degradation where it actually kills or injures wildlife by significantly impairing essential behavioral patterns, including breeding, feeding, or sheltering.” Listed plants are not protected from take, although it is illegal to collect or maliciously harm them on Federal land. Protection from commercial trade and the effects of Federal actions do apply for plants. In addtion, States may have their own laws restricting activity involving l ... Purchase answer to see full attachment