Local Ecosystem The last remaining pieces of what used to be the American wilderness are slowly but surely being erased from the country's landscape. In the very few remaining natural and unaltered locations, many wild animals live which have been hunted to near-extinction in other parts of the country. In the not so long ago time, in the time before settlement from American pioneers, the entire nation was a vast wilderness. However, as the population increased in the United States and the American men moved further west, more of the natural wilderness was cut down and turned first into small villages and then larger cosmopolitan cities. In destroying these areas, humanity has only harmed itself. Many valuable resources like the creation of oxygen and the production of clean water occurs in wilderness locations (Farquhar 1965,-page 239). Natural locations like the Grand Canyon or the Sierra Nevada Mountains have been designated as protected wilderness areas by the United States' government. This protects these areas and ensures that these last wild parts of the nation will remain undisturbed with large amounts of trees and will be able to serve as homes for the wild animals that are indigenous to these regions (Johnston 2000,-page 22). It is up to the true American citizens to stand up for the beauty of the natural world and to support the continued efforts of creating natural landmarks. In Northern Virginia, the environment and ecology of the area are integral to the development of the area and the survival of both animal and human life.

In the commonwealth of Virginia, legislators have become aware of the importance of caring for the nation's natural resources and in trying to preserve as many natural historical landmarks as is possible. In the state alone...

This makes it even more important to protect the areas. Some of the rarest fish, amphibians, and reptiles are found almost exclusively in Northern Virginia. Rare or endangered mammals that reside in Northern Virginia include several types of bats and squirrels. People might question why it is necessary to protect animals which are a type of rodent. However, it is important to remember that rodent species are primary consumer of insect life. Virginia is a heavy agricultural space where much of the nation's crops including cotton, tobacco, and vegetables come from. If too many types of insects are alive in an area, then they can have dire affects on the crops. It is thus important to the entire nation, as well as to the countries to which Virginia crops are exported, for these animals to be allowed to survive and reproduce for future generations.
American history has been marked by individuals who have put the desire for profit above what is best for the environment and subsequent environments. When the settlement of Jamestown, Virginia was first established, the East India Trading Company and their employees had no problem cutting down whole forests in order to use the timber to begin their homes and buildings. It can be argued that people of that time were quite ignorant of the potential ramifications of their actions.

However, modern profiteers cannot argue this same ignorance. To this day, there are individuals and executives in charge of businesses who try to find some…