Unobstructed views of the Pacific’s vibrant blue water, unfilled wetlands, open-access to beaches, and agricultural lands that remain untouched are all attributes that make up the iconic, beautiful, and diverse California Coast. The protection and land-use decisions throughout the entirety of the California Coastal Zone is entrusted to the California Coastal Commission (CCC), which is widely considered one of the most powerful land-use authorities in the country. When hundreds of people made the pilgrimage to the quaint town of Morro Bay on February 10th to speak at the public hearing in support keeping Dr. Charles Lester as the Executive Director of the CCC, this was the vision of the coast they were working to protect. This hearing regarding Lester’s dismissal ended with tremendous disappointment when the Commission announced that they Lester would be dismissed. For five years, Lester held the powerful position as executive director and worked to maintain a healthy and diverse coast—a coast in which many Californians and visitors think of as precious and irreplaceable. Since the executive director at the CCC makes decisions that could easily be influenced by the monies of developers, it is a job that should be left in the hands of someone not willing to …show more content…
The Coastal Act itself is widely regarded as the world’s leading and arguably most significant coastal law in the nation. There is a great need for the CCC’s executive director to understand not only the complexities of coastal law, but also the importance of coastal resources. Lester’s supporters think Lester was this man. He is “an unsung hero for the California coast, serving the public interest” stated Linda Krop Chief Counsel for the Environmental Defense Center in Santa Barbara. He has fulfilled the CCC’s mission and worked hard to “protect and enhance the California coast and ocean for future generations”. In short, Lester was not a
Investigating the Geographical Processes that are Affecting the Physical and Built Coastal Environment There are three geographical processes that are affecting the physical and built coastal environment, they are; erosion, deposition, and transportation. Erosion is the group of natural processes, including weathering, dissolution, abrasion, corrosion, and transportation, by which material is worn away from the earth’s surface, this is mainly caused by wind, running water, and waves breaking on the coast. Deposition is the depositing something or the laying down of matter by a natural process. Transportation is when sand is moved along the coast by long shore drift. At North Cronulla beach erosion is evident.
The topic the essay is mainly talking about is whether to initiate the San Joaquin River Project. I am with Bill McEwen on his article, “River Plan Too Fishy for my Taste Buds.” I chose this author because I do not think the government should spend more money on the river rights project. The author convinced me that he is more credible and can be trusted by all the experience he has. The article was published in Fresno Bee on March 26,2009 and is surrounded by farms so the people there know what will happen if big businesses were to start a project. McEwen demonstrates how this project will impact the city in a negative way by stating ethos, logos, and pathos.
The amazing part about the steps being taken to try to save the Chesapeake Bay is how much scientists and people who carry out legislation in the local and state governments are working together to try and create policies on businesses and people to
The New England Aquarium’s foray into diversity was tumultuous and administrators learned lessons the hard way. Despite the early problems administrators faced with the minority youth programs, the needs of both parties were eventually addressed. The aquarium was reaching communities they hadn’t before while young people experienced meaningful job opportunities. Problems within the structural frame were present but I’m confident that the work Rosa Hunter was doing would lead them to eventually restructuring, finding easier ways to communicate and working as a group to reach their mission.
Scientists predict a major population crash of Maine lobsters in the near future, due to over-harvesting, increasing demand, and a lack of successful regulatory measures reflecting such factors. The attempt to introduce various policy measures creating more limited access to the resource has been largely ineffective due to the unique ecological, economic, and social characteristics of the state. Further complicating the issue is the matter of thriving lobster populations during recent years when other marine wildlife populations are experiencing severe losses along the same region of the eastern seaboard. This paper examines the conflict between lobster fishermen, scientists, and policy makers regarding attempts to work toward a more sustainable lobster fishing industry.
The Maryland Blue Crab is an essential part of the Chesapeake Bay; from the food chain of the creatures in the water, to the business side of the thriving demand for the crab during the hot summer months, but there is no denying the fact that the crab is just as important alive as it is when it is being harvested by local fisherman. By becoming more informed of the impact the crab has on Maryland’s bay and on the people who live around it, people can take bigger steps in making sure the crab will always be around for decades to come.
Concern On The Coast, Classical Conflict Again Unfolds: Energy vs. Environment." Hartford Courant 16 Oct. 2005, 3 Stars/Final ed., sec. A. Bigchalk Database. 8 Nov. 2005. Tedesco, Mark A. "This Fine Piece of Water:
"The Cost to Human Health." How We Save the Bay. N.p., 2012. Web. 25 Nov. 2013.
Excessive nutrients from agriculture, development, and industry are harming the Chesapeake Bay. These excessive nutrients harm the habitat for many of the bays species. On top of the habitat being depleated, overfishing and diseases are also hurting the bays species. Nutrient loads can be reduced with the help of lawmakers to put a cap on the emissions allowed in the environment. If this is done the dead zone will start to recede, but the time and money need to be spent in order to save the bay.
From reading the author’s book “Ecology of Fear,” Mike Davis’ main thesis for writing this book was to make readers become aware of the underlying problems and threats which have existed or currently exist in Southern California and how these problems shape the way we live today and in the imminent future as well. Although Davis did not really provide us with any remedies for the problems facing Southern California, this book made it very clear to the readers that problems do still exist, although at times they may sound subtle in nature. Of the numerous problems which do exist in Southern California, I will discuss only a handful of the problems that Davis provided us insight to. In the following paragraphs, the main problems of Southern California that I will discuss about are suburbanization and how it made Southern California lose its natural beauty and the effects of overdevelopment, the wild fires which occur and similarities and differences the rich and poor communities faced in terms of adversity, how suburbanization brought people closer to the wildlife, and how numerous books and movies portrayed Los Angeles as the center for calamities. The culmination of all these problems clearly shows that there are many glaring weaknesses of Southern California that need to be closely examined.
...es the Yosemite Falls and the sequoia trees. One of the state’s problems is the appetite for water. The once fertile Owens valley is now dry and its waters tapped by Los Angeles. In the Imperial Valley, the eradication of water is controlled by the All-American Canal which gets its water from the Colorado River. In Central Valley the poor distribution is the water problem that is an imbalance lessened by the vast Central Valley project. California had cutbacks in federally funded water in the 1970sand 80s which led to California cities buying water from areas that had a surplus of water. But California failed to make a long-term to plan and the federal government stopped the funding of water to the state in 2003. But with all this being said and done, California remains to be a unique state with a lot of entertainment, history, agriculture and a productive economy.
One of the major problems affecting, not only oceans around the world, but also many local bodies of water right now is the problem of ocean acidification. You may have heard of ocean acidification, which you may have just disregarded as a problem that affects the large oceans as a whole. However, this acidification also affects the Chesapeake Bay itself. I have come to realize that the acidification of the Chesapeake is a major problem that will affect the diverse ecosystem that all the wildlife is located in, but also the many businesses locally and throughout the state that depend on the health of the ocean and the wildlife located in the
Oysters in the Chesapeake Bay are struggling right now. “Maryland, Virginia, and their federal partners are faced with a historic opportunity. An exhaustive five-year study concluded that importing a foreign oyster is the wrong approach and that restoration of the native oyster should be scaled up and focused.”(cbf 2010). With new plans President Obama put in place, the oyster restoration program is on the right path. “President Barack Obama issued an Executive Order for the Chesapeake Bay in 2009, and in response the federal government set a goal of rebuilding functioning networks of oyster reefs in 20 tributaries by 2025.”(cbf 2010). This type of forward thinking is going to increase the Chesapeake Bay's oyster population.
She was staying on the Southport Island when she helped in establishing the Maine Chapter of “The Nature Conservancy”. In 1956, Carson and some of concerned citizens came together at on the Maine coast to talk about the threats they observed around them and ponder on what could possibly be done. Every idea was promising but none seemed likely to work its way to the end .
The oceans need to be protected because it is where life began and if not taken care of, life as we know it will end. When dangerous substances go into the ocean, ecosystems are suffer and become endangered along with lives of people and of marine life. Surfrider Foundation recognizes the importance of protecting and preserving the quality and biodiversity of the world's coasts because they are truly irreplaceable. There is also historical evidence of ocean pollution being present in the past, but the problem still lingers today. Heal the Bay discovered that,“Did you know there is a DDT and PCB hot spot off the coast of Palos Verdes? This superfund site (which indicates it's one of the most polluted places in the United States), is left over from a 1930's era chemical plant. Because DDT takes so long to break down in the marine environment, it persists to this day, contaminating certain species of fish. There are also highly polluted sediments in the Long Beach area, a sign of the heavy shipping in the port. Heal the Bay works on developing effective capping and removal plans to keep those toxins from spreading” (Heal the Bay). DDT is still highly concentrated in the South Bay area and still contaminating different species of fish. Even after more than 80 years DDT, a toxic insecticide, is still very concentrated and during upwellings, DDT particles come back up and continue to harm marine life. If humans are careless about what is thrown on the floor or sprayed on lawns, it can lead to disastrous affects when it comes to the condition of the ocean's ecosystems, and can endanger life itself leading to a problem that only we can mend.