On May 4th, I had the pleasure of working with the Green Seattle Partnership to help restore a section of the Burke-Gilman trail near 77th. The Burke-Gilman trail wasn’t always a beautiful pathway for the Northwest’s’ many cyclists and runners. “In 1885 Judge Thomas Burke, Daniel Gilman and ten other investors set out to establish a Seattle-based railroad so that the young city might win a place among major transportation centers and reap the economic benefits of trade.” (“Seattle Department of Transportation: Bike Program."). The trail used to be a railroad that serviced the regional logging areas called the Burlington Northern Railroad, however it was abandoned in 1971 (“Seattle Department of Transportation: Bike Program."). Now, as we all know, it’s a very busy paved trail spanning from Gas Works to the University of Washington to Fremont. “The trail can at times be busy and even crowded with cyclists, walkers, joggers and skaters.” People use the Burke-Gilman for commuting as well as recreational purposes. When I arrived at the job site, I was greeted by the organizers, Steve and Jim. I worked mostly with Steve, a very exuberant and entertaining elderly gentleman. It was inspiring to see someone his age with so much spirit and passion about the work he’s doing to help restore the historic trail in his community. Steve kept us students entertained and energetic on an early Saturday morning with all of his stories and knowledge about the local species around the trail. Before we started working he gave us a quick run down of what we would actually be doing to help restore the area. This included pulling invasive species and spreading wood chips that had been dropped off by the City of Seattle. I spent most of my day simpl... ... middle of paper ... ...es of wood chips, we are helping to solve multiple problems. In figures 2 and 4 you can see the before and after images that show how we spread the mulch. It was quite exhausting work. As student volunteers, our work was important because without our manpower, the two organizers simply would not be able to move that much mulch or pull that many invasive species from the ground. With our manpower we were able to clear and prepare a very large area along the Burke-Gilman trail. That stretch of trail is now ready for planting. One of the most rewarding parts of working along this trail was the immense amount of thanks we received from normal citizens that were passing by on the trail. Because of my work, and the work of my fellow classmates, that stretch of trail is no longer a sight for sore eyes. I am excited to see what the ecosystem looks like one year from now.
At the dawn of the Twentieth century, cities, like Dayton, had factories being erected almost every day. The Industrialism period brought many people to cities looking for jobs. As cities became crowded and people overworked, a movement began to spend more time outside enjoying nature and all it has to offer. This created an opportunity that Charles W. Shaeffer saw, and jumped on (Dalton 11). He gave way for the idea of a club for those to spend time together, outdoors, to be involved with one another and to bring the community together as one. In the age of industrialism, in this city of 1000 factories, Dayton Canoe Club helped spark a new found love of outdoors for those in the city, and continues to do so today, 100 years later.
The fertile Great Plains region would provide America with thousands of acres of fruitful farmland that would benefit the new nation’s economic well-being. After the Lewis and Clark expedition, the newly found wildlife species and scenic landscapes resulted in a greater level of appreciation and fascination in nature and instilled a sense of patriotism in many. It would be a few decades till preservation policies came about but without Jefferson’s will to explore westward, our preservation efforts today might not be what they
Every year, over nine million hikers and adventure seekers travel to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park making it the most visited national park in the United States. There are abundant reasons for this, but many popular reasons include over 150 hiking trails extending over 850 miles, a large portion of the Appalachian Trail, sightseeing, fishing, horseback riding, and bicycling. The park houses roughly ten thousand species of plants and animals with an estimated 90,000 undocumented species likely possible to be present. It is clear why there was a pressing interest in making all this land into a national park. My research was started by asking the question; how did the transformation of tourism due to the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park affect surrounding cities such as Gatlinburg and Sevier County, and in return, its effect on the popularity of the park?
And so it was that I found myself standing on a dirt and gravel road, surrounded by equally sleepy classmates at 7:30 am, Monday morning. We all huddled within our baggy jackets, unconsciously mirroring one another in loose jeans, gray or black t-shirts and scuffed, dusty running shoes. In contrast the instructor appeared wide awake and put together, standing before us in a green sweater, pressed khaki slacks and well-worn yet well-maintained hiking boots. He perkily welcomed us to the threshold of Poly Canyon, and with other preliminary descriptions of the upcoming landscape turned and headed down the long, winding service road.
What does it mean to live in a well lived life? Some may define it as where one’s living necessities are met. Others may put value on relationships between other sentient beings. How does such a multitude of social injustices and poor living conditions exist within a country that claims to promote equality for all people? A common expression is that America is a melting pot. In truth, America is a melting pot of discrimination and injustice. For example, African Americans, who are 13% of the population and 14% of drug users, are not only 37% of the people arrested for drugs but 56% of the people in state prisons for drug offenses. Institutional racism is a vital factor that permeates numerous injustices throughout our society. Institutional racism refers to specific policies and/or institutions which consistently result in unequal treatment for particular groups. I argue that institutional racism constitutes an injustice and through using Rawls theory, the veil of ignorance, institutional racism can be rectified.
Can you imagine hiking 2,000 miles only stopping to sleep, eat, and drink? So many people do this every year. They hike the Appalachian Trail. The Appalachian Trail is a 2,181 miles backpacking tail from Georgia to Maine that is being broken down because of overuse, a problem that is motivating organizations to step in and improve the conditions of the trail. As a result of the huge popularity, the trail is deteriorating and dying. Because of the increase in temperature in the atmosphere parts of the trail will never be hiked again. People need to know how important the trail they are hiking is and what needs to be done to save it. The landscape needs to be protected and the land needs to be
...lar choice of activity and I feel this project helps our community run in an unending circle of assistance.
"Homeowners often purchase wood chips to mulch around flower beds, trees or landscaped areas of their property. The wood chips help to retain moisture in the soil, prevent the formation and spread of weeds and halt soil erosion. Depending on the amount of area to be covered by the mulch, homeowners may find they spend hundreds of dollars on this product, which may be obtained for free through local tree services," Jason Writz,
Ms. Jordan led the brown trail at Camp Bridlewood. We learned about naste water treatment. We hiked to a wastewater treatment place, there were a lot of steps to it. We built a water treatment filter using a plastic bottle, cotton balls, and a screen in our group. We took a class picture on the rocks. It was really fun and I was on the top rock.
Working at the Center for Wildlife had a huge impact on my personal growth in many ways. The center was my first experience other than in classes working in my field, so I will always hold a special place for the center, especially with the ...
When I was in the sophomore at large election process, Student Council held an open house where Emma talked to me about Natural Helpers. I was in love with the idea, and I was really excited to see it grow, but when I asked Connor for a project that wasn’t completed, he told me about Natural Helpers. Naturally, I was upset to hear that this project, one of the great ones that StudCo has devised, has fallen. I talked to Connor about why it didn’t get finished, and I understood why it never went through.
An intricate balance has existed between man and the environment since the evolution of the Homo-sapiens’ species. At times throughout history, human ingenuity and will-power seemed to best nature, such as the transportation of water for miles across land in Roman aqueducts, the circumscribing of the globe by Amerigo Vespucci, or the first flight by the Wright brothers in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina; but although these feats were great, until the last few hundred years, the beast that is nature remained unconquered and undisturbed. With the dawn of the industrial revolution in the 1700’s the scale began to tip in favor of man (Industrial). Mass production and industrialization led to environmental destruction via pollution and urbanization. Luckily, for both the planet and mankind, this destruction was recognized and began to be counteracted. President Theodore Roosevelt was one such individual; he stated that, “there can be no greater issue than that of conservation in this country,” and set aside 230 million acres of protected nature in the form of national parks, forests, game preserves and bird reservations (Almanac). Since his pioneering preservation acts, states, counties and even nongovernment-affiliated organizations have set aside and preserved land. One such organization is the Little River Wetlands Project whose mission “is to restore and protect wetlands in the watershed of the Little River, a major tributary of the Wabash River, and to provide educational opportunities that encourage good stewardship of wetlands and other natural ecosystems” (Little).
* Daily, Gretchen C., ed. Nature’s Services: Societal Dependence on Natural Ecosystems. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1997.
Technological innovation has opened the door for recreational riders to enjoy off-road riding without breaking their bank account. With a young and growing customer base, the off-road market is gaining increasing amounts of publicity through televised events like the X-Games. The sport is becoming more organized as clubs and organizations are forming around the country. Organization combined with technology contributes to the development and maintenance of riding trails in environmentally sustainable ways. Safety is always an important issue but is also addressed through organization with better instruction, safety equipment, and the marking of dangerous obstacles throughout trails.