Chapter 10 Land, Public and Private. Tuesday, February 16, 16

Transcription

1 Chapter 10 Land, Public and Private

2 The Tragedy of the Commons In 1968, ecologist Garrett Hardin described the tragedy of the commons. Tragedy of the commons- the tendency of a shared, limited resource to become depleted because people act from self-interest for short-term gain.

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4 Externalities Externalities- a cost or benefit of a good or service that is not included in the purchase price of the product or service. In environmental science we are concerned about negative externalities because of the environmental damage for which no one bears the cost.

5 Maximum Sustainable Yield The maximum amount of a renewable resource that can be harvested without compromising the future availability of that resource.

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7 Public Lands National Parks- managed for scientific, educational, and recreational use, and sometimes for their beauty or unique landforms. Managed Resource Protected Areas- managed for the sustained use of biological, mineral, and recreational resources. Habitat/Species Management Areas- actively managed to maintain biological communities. Strict Nature Reserves and Wilderness Areas- established to protect species and ecosystems. Protected Landscapes and Seascapes- nondestructive use of natural resources while allowing for tourism and recreation. National Monuments- set aside to protect unique sites of special natural or cultural interests.

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10 Rangelands Dry, open grasslands that are primarily used for cattle grazing.

11 Forests Areas dominated by trees and other woody vegetation.

12 2/10 It is not what we have that will make us a great nation; it is the way in which we use it. Theodore Roosevelt

13 Timber Harvest Practices Clear-cutting- removing all, or almost all the trees in an area. Selective cutting- removing single trees or relatively small numbers of trees from a forest.

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15 Fire Management Prescribed burns- a fire is deliberately set under controlled conditions.

16 Forests National Parks- established to preserve scenic views and unusual landforms. National wildlife refuges- managed for the purpose of protecting wildlife National wilderness areas- set aside to preserve large tracts of intact ecosystems or landscapes.

17 Federal Regulations National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA)- mandates an environmental assessment of all projects involving federal money or permits. Environmental impact statement (EIS)- outlines the scope and purpose of the project. Environmental mitigation plan- outlines how the developer will address concerns raised by the projects impact on the environment.

18 Residential Land Suburban- areas surrounding metropolitan centers with low population densities. Exurban- similar to suburban areas, but are not connected to any central city or densely populated area.

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20 Urban Sprawl Urban sprawl- the creation of urbanized areas that spread into rural areas. The four main concerns of urban sprawl in the U.S. are: automobiles and highway construction living costs (people can get more land and a larger house in the suburbs for the same amount of money) urban blight (city revenue shrinks as people move to the suburbs) government policies

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23 Government Policies Highway Trust Fund- a federal gasoline tax to pay for construction and maintenance of roads and highways. Zoning- a planning tool to create quieter and safer communities. For example, prohibiting the development of a factory or strip mall in a residential area. Multi-use zoning- allows retail and highdensity residential development to coexist in the same area. Subsidized mortgages- low interest rates offered to people to purchase a home that would otherwise not be able to do so.

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28 Impacts of Urban Sprawl

29 Impacts of Urban Sprawl

30 Impacts of Urban Sprawl

31 Impacts of Urban Sprawl

32 Impacts of Urban Sprawl

33 Impacts of Urban Sprawl

34 Smart Growth Mixed land uses Create a range of housing opportunities and choices Create walkable neighborhoods Encourage community and stakeholder collaboration in development decisions Take advantage of compact building design Foster distinctive, attractive communities with a strong sense of place Preserve open space, farmland, natural beauty and critical environmental areas Provide a variety of transportation choices Strengthen and direct development toward existing communities Make development decisions predictable, fair and costeffective

35 Solutions Smart Growth Tools Limits and Regulations Limit building permits Urban growth boundaries Green belts around cities Public review of new development Zoning Encourage mixed use Concentrate development along mass transportation routes Promote high-density cluster housing developments Planning Protection Preserve existing open space Buy new open space Buy development rights that prohibit certain types of development on land parcels Taxes Tax land, not buildings Tax land on value of actual use (such as forest and agriculture) instead of highest value as developed land Tax Breaks For owners agreeing legally to not allow certain types of development (conservation easements) For cleaning up and developing abandoned urban sites (brownfields) Ecological land-use planning Environmental impact analysis Integrated regional planning State and national planning Revitalization and New Growth Revitalize existing towns and cities Build well-planned new towns and villages within cities

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39 Elemental Composition of the Earth s Crust 34 29

40 Reserves Reserves- the known quantity of a resource that can be economically recovered

41 Types of Mining Surface mining- removing minerals that are close to Earth s surface. Strip mining- removing strips of soil and rock to expose ore. Open pit mining- the creation of a large pit or hole in the ground that is visible from the surface. Mountain top removal- removing the entire top of a mountain with explosives. Placer mining- looking for metals and stones in river sediments

42 Surface mining: Strip Mining Method Surface mining: Dredging Method Subsurface mining: Longwall Method Subsurface mining: Room and Pillar Method

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44 Ore mineral: a type of rock that contains sufficient minerals with important elements, including metals that can be economically extracted from the rock.

45 Ore mineral: a type of rock that contains sufficient minerals with important elements, including metals that can be economically extracted from the rock. Gangue: the commercially worthless material that surrounds, or is closely mixed with, a wanted ore

46 Ore mineral: a type of rock that contains sufficient minerals with important elements, including metals that can be economically extracted from the rock. Gangue: the commercially worthless material that surrounds, or is closely mixed with, a wanted ore Tailings: (also known as slimes, tailings pile, tails,leach residue, or slickens) are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the worthless fraction (gangue) of an ore.

47 Ore mineral: a type of rock that contains sufficient minerals with important elements, including metals that can be economically extracted from the rock. Gangue: the commercially worthless material that surrounds, or is closely mixed with, a wanted ore Tailings: (also known as slimes, tailings pile, tails,leach residue, or slickens) are the materials left over after the process of separating the valuable fraction from the worthless fraction (gangue) of an ore. Smelting: To melt or fuse (ores) in order to separate the metallic constituents.

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49 Tar Creek, Oklahoma Superfund site. A former zinc and lead mine in which room and pillar mining was used Giant spoil pile or chat pile (above), subsidence caused by cave in of underground mine tunnels (below) Acid mine drainage (above) entering a clear creek

50 Types of Mining Subsurface mining- mining for resources that are 100 m below Earth s surface

51 Established 1977 Mine lands must be restored to pre-mining conditions Taxes on mining companies to restore pre-1977 sites

52 Steps of Reclamation Contour the land surface Reestablish soil Reintroduce native plants Animals - Build it they will come Who pays for all of this? 43