List of Major Topics – Saving the Places we Love

Chapter 1 – “Mountains”

National and state parks

Lumbering

Mountain top mining

Burning of coal – negatives pollution, impact on health

Forest Fires

New diseases and insect infestations target trees

Acid water result of mining – water quality issues

Fly Ash spill in Tennessee

Acid rain

Coal – exporting, use as energy source

Carbon tax

Chapter 2 – “Lakes”

Dams

Great Lakes

Clean Water Act

Contaminants found in fish (like Mercury)

Dredging sediment

Man-made lakes

Blue-green algae

Run-off from farms animal waste and fertilizers (nitrogen)

National Lakes assessment from EPA

Lake Elkhorn

Rain gardens

Stormwater run-off

Weeds and weed harvesting boats (like lawn mowers for lakes)

Sewage treatment

Safe disposal of drugs (traces of common drugs found in water)

Watershed plans

Need for more permeable surfaces

Stormwater fees (Howard county)

Chapter 3 – “Meadows and Grasslands”

Need plans to save meadows – environmental impact of meadows

Decline of butterflies

Decline of ground-nesting birds

Utility Right of Ways (developing as meadows)

Integrated Vegetation Management

The great plains and the dust bowl

Drought

Climate change

Carbon emissions

Draining wetlands for crops/building

Farm Bill

Land preservation

Chapter 4 – “Beaches”

Sea level rise

Oil spills

Santa Barbara’s Channel blow out (oil spill)

Off-shore oil

Exxon Valdez

Deepwater Horizon

Chapter 5 – “Islands”

Hurricanes and large storms increasing

Rising sea level

Increased development on islands

Smith and Tangier – vanishing islands

Beach nourishment environmental effects

Population growth

Dependence on fossil fuels

Flood insurance

“Right of nature” when to rebuild – who decides

Chapter 6 – “Forests”

Lack of outdoor time (kids in nature)

Deforestation

Lumber industry

Conservation vs. Preservation

Environmental Movement

Sustainability Movement

State and National Parks

Responsible forestry

National Park Service vs. Bureau of National Forests

FDR and planting trees during the Great Depression

Endangered Species Act

Earth Day

Too much tourism in National Parks

Public park land

Green Infrastructure plans

Vigilante environmentalists (Vail 1998)

Dee population

Beaver

Tree diseases (Chestnuts, Dutch Elm, Emerald Ash)

Wind damage (bigger storms)

Chapter 7 – “Rivers”

Rivers important for commerce

Flooding

Pollution (water bottles)

Cuyahoga River on fire (Cleveland)

Clean Water Act

Environmental Protection Agency

Industry discharging wastes into water

Groundwater contamination

Run-off

Wild and Scenic River Act

Recycling

Bottle Bills

Dams

Chapter 8 – “Backyards”

History of grass(lawns) backyards

Problems of lawns

Run-off

Dead zones in waterways

Benefits of trees/shrubs

Fertilizers

Using native plants

Rain gardens

Chapter 9 – “Farmlands”

Population growth

Vanishing farmland/rise of suburbs

State and Federal programs to preserve farmland

Factory farming (industrialization of farming)

U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Farm Bill

Importing/exporting of food

Locavore Movement

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Chapter 10 – “Cities”

Hurricanes – Katrina, Sandy

Global Warming

Increased sea level

More people moving to suburbs

Lost industry (i.e. Detroit)

Parks

Sustainability offices (cities)

Revitalize waterfronts

Integration of environmental, social and economic interests

Walkable cities

Chapter 11 – “Alaska”

Tourism

Endangered species

Regulations

Denali National Park

Gold/Copper mining in Alaska

Development vs. Nature

Oil – Alaskan Pipeline

Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge

Increasing population

Hydroelectric Dam

Commercialization

Chapter 12 – “Oceans”

Depleting fish stocks (overfishing)

Aquaculture pros/cons

Ocean dumping (pollution, trash)

Ocean Dumping Act

Contamination of fish

Dead zones

Reefs

Water treatment

Run-off

Fisheries

Sustainable seafood

Chapter 13 – “The Planet”

Droughts and storms

Global Climate change

Desertification

Man’s impact on environment

Carbon Emissions

Energy Resources compared

Coal
Petroleum
Nuclear
Natural Gas
Renewables (solar, wind)

Carbon tax

International involvement in global climate change

Population growth

Sustainable energy

Energy audit

Hybrid cars