Local ecosystems: human impacts and global warming effects

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 there are more than thirty national parks which prevents industrialists from developing these areas and limits their abilities to abuse the resources which occur naturally in the region.

Northern Virginia is currently the home of rare animals and rare plants as well. 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 loopholes in the various environmental laws. These men and women are still more concerned with making money than in protecting the environment. These people see the efforts of conservationists as extreme and try to undermine conservation efforts. The actions of industrialists had horrible results in the environment of the country and Virginia in particular. According to Kline (2007), "The resulting eutrophication, the excessive growth of plant life, often killed wildlife through oxygen loss, and land levels dropped as the waters were drained" (page 41). This is only one example of the resulting destruction of the American environment because of the actions of greedy and self-centered executives.

Virginia is also famous for having many coal mines. Underneath the ground of many Virginia towns are large deposits of natural coal. To excavate the coal, men and women must go below the ground and dig it up. The coal must then be processed. This releases coal dust into the air and the water supplies, heavily damaging the environment and ecology of the commonwealth. "In the to reach mineral riches, miners peeled away the very crust of the earth, gutted mountains with water cannons, clear-cut woodlands, and destroyed the habitat of wildlife. The waste products of these enterprises were pumped into the atmosphere or piled in remote places" (Kline 2007,-page 42). Discovery of natural resources led directly to destruction of the natural environment.

The commonwealth of Virginia has imposed legislation which both prevents the environment and endeavors to educate future generations about the importance of protecting their natural resources. Through the program "Virginia Naturally," the state has provided funds to various communities to provide education about the importance of conservation and environmental protection (Virginia 2011). "Virginia Naturally" also provides businesses with incentives to create environmentally friendly procedures in the way of tax breaks. In this way the government of the state is doing everything within its power to ensure that no one is ignorant of the problems of environmental abuse.

There are additional programs that have been set up by the Virginia government in order to educate people about the environment and also to ensure that violators of environmental laws are punished. One such group, the Virginia Environment Endowment, provides scholarship money to public school students who create programs which will aid the environment within their own communities (VEE 2011).