Drake College Campus Environment

By the end of this report you should have a better perception on the geological landscape of Silver Creek Wetland Complex, and further in-depth knowledge on what stewardship responsibilities fall on you and your relationship with the land you use.

Date rapes, hate crimes and theft have become an apparent concern on college campuses. The most disturbing crime on a college campus is a school shooting. Being a victim of any crime is the last thing any student or parent thinks of when choosing a college or university. The possibilities of danger on a college campus have been increasing over the years due to the reported crimes ranging from theft to murder. Because of the recent years of college campus reported shootings, both student and parent have become alarmingly concerned about

As long as the weave of grass was stitched to the land, the prairie would flourish in dry years and wet. The grass could look brown and dead, but beneath the surface, the roots held the soil in place; it was alive and dormant. The short grass, buffalo and blue grama, had evolved as the perfect fit for the sandy loam of the arid zone. It could hold moisture a foot or more below ground level even during summer droughts, when hot winds robbed the surface of all water-bearing life. In turn, the grass nurtured pin-tailed grouse, prairie chickens, cranes, jackrabbits, snakes, and other creatures that got their water from foraging on the native turf.Through the driest years, the web of life held. When a farmer tore out the sod and then walked away, leaving the land naked, however, that barren patch posed a threat to neighbors. It could not revert to grass, because the roots were gone. It was empty, dead, and transient.

Based on research completed by University of Minnesota soil scientists, the state mandates that every wetland should be protected by a 50-foot buffer zone. The City of Lilliput, a rural town located 30 miles north of St. Cloud, Minnesota, increased the buffer zone to150 feet in1990 within their municipality. The rationale behind Lilliput’s increase was because the town is zoned for predominantly rural uses, i.e. farming and cattle ranching. Due to the animal wasted and farmers’ use of pesticides on their crops, the Town Council felt that increasing the buffer around surrounding wetlands would better protect it from these sources of contamination than would the state minimum of 50

Exercise Lab 1. How much does temperature vary in large and small aquatic environments? Lab 2. What determines the water clarity of lakes, rivers and oceans? Lab 3. Where does the phosphorus go? Lab 4. How does human activity in watersheds affect the quality of lakes and rivers? Lab 5. Are the Great Lakes being influenced by the global greenhouse effect? Lab 6. How is the flow of the Red Cedar River influenced by the weather? Lab 7. What is the relationship between flow and turbidity in the Red Cedar River? Page 2 4 6 8 12 15 18

Ducks Unlimited tries to revert these watersheds back to their natural levels by draining the wetlands that have extremely high levels of contaminants in the water. They then clean the soil in the habitat and find a way to decrease the extra contaminates from entering the watershed. Next they will pump healthy water back into the wetlands and install buffer strips that act like a filter that will catch the extra nutrients and silt.

On October 6th 2015, the students of Mattawan’s AP Environmental class took a trip to the local stream of the Mattawan Consolidated Schools area. The purpose of this trip was to conduct a stream study to determine the health, conditions, and pollution levels of this small body of water. A multitude of factors came into play when making a judgement on the stream’s health, and making sure to take all of these essential points was crucial to the study. A variety of thorough experiments were conducted to help make this overlying conclusion, as many students adopted many roles in the study. Students used a physical survey form, water test data sheet, and taxa recording sheet to record their findings. Teamwork was essential in making sure all of this information could be found accurately and efficiently. The combination of all of the final results allowed the class to make a judgement of the stream’s state.

When this occurs, water from the wetland buildup can seep into the ground and be stored as ground for aquifers.

The 7th graders took a nature hike and observed the nature around the Portage River. There, a nature expert talked about invasive species, seed distribution, and plants. When the water rises the seed pods come off of plants and float on the water, the seeds then are carried to new places. The 7th graders talked about how the monarchs are declining because of the lack of milkweed. They also talked about plants like goldenrod and poison ivy. Around the Portage River there are habitats like prairies, forests, and floodplains. Plants in the riparian zone help to filter the water before it goes into the river.

Hydrologic studies has always been the subdiscipline of environmental science that has most intrigued me; probably because the eco- and geological systems that comprise surface and shallow groundwater systems are so inexorably entwined and very delicate. Both of the virtual labs were interesting, and paint a clear picture of how we affect our hydrosphere and how that, in turn, affects us. Spotsylvania County and the city of Fredericksburg share four water treatment facilities that pull water from the Mott's Run Reservoir, the Ni River, and the Rappahannock River, which is the largest river in the local area, the other two being smaller tributaries that feed into it. The Rappahannock River is a significant body of water, providing the potable water for roughly a quarter-million people. Toward the coast the river sees mostly recreational and some light industrial use, and further upstream it is affected by many small to midsized agricultural operations that take place on the land adjacent to the river.

In his presentation, Cal Dueck of the Parker Wetlands conservation committee, argued that the wetlands should not be destroyed, because the ecosystem contributes to the overall health of the city and its inhabitants. His first point, to support his view, is the fact that the land serves as a natural water management system. The wetlands help regulate floods by absorbing excess water. If the land is developed, and covered in concrete, flooding may become a bigger problem in the city, and thus decrease the overall health of the city. In addition to flood control, the wetlands also help purify the ground water. The vegetation in the wetlands, per Ducks Unlimited Canada, “traps sediment and pollutants, and wetlands microorganisms break down the contaminants.” This means, that the people of Winnipeg, would have their rights to better ground water taken from them, if the land gets developed. Cal therefore argues, that when wetlands are destroyed, the well being of the cities inhabitants is also destroyed. This argument is in line with the arguments of William Blackstone, as presented by Joseph Desjardins in his book “Environmental Ethics: An introduction to environmental philosophy”. Blackstone argues that there is a need to recognize a new human right, which is the “right to a livable environment” . Furthermore, Blackstone also argues the right to a livable

“Jennings Environmental Education Center is one of several state parks specifically dedicated to providing environmental education and interpretation to the community.” http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/findapark/jennings/ Jennings Environmental Education Center is a 300-acre Pennsylvania state park. The Slippery Rock Watershed Coalition was formed in December 1994 to address the abandoned mine drainage impacting the Slippery Rock Creek Watershed. Over three-quarters of the park is covered by forest. These woodlands include stream valleys, upland forests, and wetlands, which provide diverse habitats for wildlife.

In this section, we will offer the most specific and brief analysis about the pricing that Drake University has imposed to its students. We begin with going deeper into what it means to be a school with pricing accountability, not just for ourselves but for the whole Drake community. Well, pricing is one of the building blocks that marketers must acknowledge before they decide to do a business. Most people assume that it is always so easy to understand about pricing; however, it actually one of the most difficult part to figure out when it comes to convincing a customer about the pricing. Customers always seek for their own benefits. For instance, they would ask for the “Does the price worth with what they would get? Does the price compatible with the time or experience of using the product?” All these questions are really important to take note for marketers as those questions is one of the main reasons of why Drake should put more emphasize on pricing. Maybe it seems easy for we all buy products that have prices, and you as a seller should sell your product for more than what it costs you to earn a revenue. Although this may be true, this statement definitely not true when it we delve into circumstances surrounding Drake University. Drake are not focusing only on profits, instead Drake

Also the land has to perk which means the land is not too wet and is safe for a structure and allows a septic tank to be installed that will function properly.

Wetland soils are extremely varied. They are found from the tropics to the subarctic. They can be seasonal or year-round, freshwater or saltwater, organic or mineral. The one thing that all of them have in common is that for at least part of the year they are saturated with water. This saturation has a significant impact on the soil's physics, chemistry, and biota. However, over the past century more than half of all the wetlands in the United States has been drained for agriculture and other uses such as construction. When the soils are drained the physics, chemistry, and biota are drastically changed. This paper is an attempt to