Great Plains Ecosystem Essay

“The Contested Plains: Indians, Goldseekers, and the Rush to Colorado” Written by Elliott West. I chose to write about this book because of the large range of events and transitions that occurred throughout the American West that the author includes in the text. Elliot West highlights the struggles that many endured while trying to create better circumstances for not only themselves but also their families by moving to the west. He chronicles the adaptations that many white settlers arriving in the west faced in order to be able to make a living for themselves. But another reason why I found the book interesting was because of the way Elliot West provided perspective for each side of the struggle over the American West. He gives us the

There are many major events that happened in the Great Plains. One major event is that in Spain returned Missouri River to France. The Louisiana purchase transferred from France to United States. This event happened during the year 1801. Furthermore, This is one of the major historical event that made the Plains a popular place.

The environmental issue in the Interior Plains is lumber/timber harvesting. Forest workers are cutting down trees to turn tree parts into lumber and timber.

Sugar Creek: Life on the Illinois Illinois Prairie, a monograph written by John Mack Faragher discusses the life of settlers in Sugar Creek a town of Sagaman county, Illinois. Faragher argues the discoveries of the environment, society, culture, and economy in Sugar Creek throughout the nineteenth century and the changes, development, improvements with it. There are four common themes throughout the monograph: First, the kicking out of the Kickapoo and other Indians in place of Anglo-Americans. Second, the relationship and changes between men and women’s roles throughout the nineteenth century. Third, the community life and the sensibility of bringing the town together. Finally, the transition of agriculture and the innovations that changed the town. Faragher uses many censuses, charts, and records to get an idea of the transition of life in Sugar Creek and the affects it had on the community. Although Faragher presents many arguments he does not entirely discuss the men’s involvement in contrast to women’s roles in the household and town.

A. Identify and briefly explain how the Plains Indians adapted to and transformed their environments through innovations in agriculture.

Have you ever been in a place of green with forests and animals everywhere? Well, where some of the Native Americans lived, there were such things. Native American tribes such as the Crow lived in the Great Plains. The Crow tribe of the Great Plains were nomadic and followed the buffalo migrations which provided their food. This tribe spent a good part of the year living in camps that could easily be dismantled and moved to follow the buffalo migrations. Other tribes of the plains were more sedentary. These tribes lived in permanent villages year round.

be the product of visitors’ introduction of this unnative species to the Yellowstone Lake and River. The exotic lake trout has few natural predators in the Yellowstone area, and the expansion of a lake trout population in this area is likely to lead in an abrupt decline oft the favorable native cutthroat trout population as it has in other western lakes. This poses some serious problems for Yellowstone waterways as the cutthroat trout is known as a major food source for 42 species of mammals and birds. The cutthroat trout is also favored by the thousands of anglers who visit Yellowstone each year, and it has been projected that the deterioration of the cutthroat trout population could eventually lead to a three-decade economic loss of $640 million in possible Yellowstone National Park revenues and the further endangerment of the grizzly bear and bald eagle (two major feeders of cutthroat trout) (Schullery, Paul).

The Colorado River Basin starts in the Rocky Mountains and cuts through 1500 miles of canyon lands and deserts of seven US states and two Mexican states to supply a collection of dams and reservoirs with water to help irrigate cropland, support 40 million people, and provide hydroelectric power for the inland western United States [1,2]. From early settlement, rights over the river have been debated and reassigned to different states in the upper and lower basin; however, all the distribution patterns lead to excessive consumption of the resource. In 1922, the seven US states signed into the Colorado River Compact, which outlined the policy for the distribution rights to the water [3], however, this compact was written during an exceptionally

     Since the beginning of the human race mankind has depended on the natural resources in their environment for survival. They utilized the available flora to nourish their body, heal their wounds, comfort their ailments and to create products to ease their daily lives. Many of the same plants utilized thousands of years ago by the indigenous people have been integrated into modern day medicines. The scientific interest and knowledge of plants for nourishment, healing, and practical uses is called ethnobotany.

The summers are warm and short. The winters are cold and long. Precipitation ranges from more than 500 mm per year in the north to less than 300 mm in the south of the Prairies. The winter mean temperatures for the coldest months vary from -9.4°C in Lethbridge and -18.3°C in Winnipeg. In contrast, the mean temperature for the warmest month in Winnipeg is 19.7°C. The grasses tend to have long roots which penetrate deep into the soil where they could find moisture. The northern edge of this ecozone marks the beginning of the transition into forest areas. Prior to agricultural settlement in the late 19th century, the Prairie ecozone was the home of millions of bison. Today, mammals of this ecozone include mule and white-tailed deer, coyote, pronghorn (south-central portion), badger, whitetail jackrabbit, Richardson's ground squirrel, northern pocket gopher and the prairie dog. Unique bird species include ferruginous hawk, greater prairie chicken, sharp-tailed grouse, American avocet, burrowing owl, great blue heron, black-billed magpie and Baltimore oriole. Plains grizzlies, swift fox and greater prairie chickens are a few of animals to disappear from the

One environmental issue that the great lakes watershed has been exposed to is invasive species. An invasive species is any organism that is foreign to an ecosystem and causes harm (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2016). In ordered to be classified as foreign they do not have to be from a different country but they just must be a non-native to an established ecosystem. Some of the species travel at their own will but they primarily spread through human activities unintentionally. As we import and export goods, or travel, some uninvited species may ride along and travel to new places. Organisms can be stowed away in ships or products like wood. Some ornamental plants may

The delta smelt is an estuarine fish that is endemic to the San Francisco Bay-Delta region of California. This species was listed as endangered under the California Endangered Species Act in 2010 after extended extremely low abundance indices. The historical range of the delta smelt extended from San Pablo Bay to Sacramento along the Sacramento River and Mossdale along the San Joaquin River. Delta smelt became extinct in the southern region of their native range in the 1970s and experienced a steep population decline in the 1980s. The greatest factor in the decline of the delta smelt is the anthropological impact on their native ecosystem. The introduction of invasive species and the alteration of their habitat from variable tidal systems to leveed channels have significantly decreased suitable habitats for certain life stages of the delta smelt. Also, the highly controversial exportation of water from the Delta has had a major impact on delta smelt populations. Large water pumps in the southern region of the Delta are both detrimental to delta smelt habitat and have the direct effect of killing individuals through entrainment in the pumps. According to several previous studies, the exportation of water is one of the key factors when it comes to the genetic diversity, as well as the distribution and abundance, of the delta

War is a huge issue in our world today. There is fighting going on all around us from small arguments to big wars. In history, The Battle of the Plains of Abraham, in 1759, was very different from World War l, in 1914 to 1918. This is demonstrated in The Battle of the Plains of Abraham through older battle tactics and techniques and weapons used by the British and the French to the developments of new battle techniques and weaponry used in World War l.

This policy memo is addressed to Congressman David Joyce who represents the 14th District of Ohio. Congressman Joyce is a Republican who could be considered a moderate conservative on an ideological scale, meaning that he is about halfway between moderate and far-leaning right (Rep. David Joyce, 2016). Issues that Joyce works toward are the economy and jobs, which is his number one priority, and is also against regulations and taxes. Joyce is heavily involved in energy with a focus on supporting the coal, wind, and natural gas industries, in addition he is against policies that may burden small businesses. The Great Lakes and environment are a priority for Joyce as he wants to protect the Great Lakes, but mainly for economic purposes. Joyce has sponsored three bills that work to protect and/or restore the Great Lakes. He has not been vocal in regards to whether or not he believes in climate change, although his stance toward coal and natural gas would suggest that he may not, although this may be solely to protect Ohioan jobs. Additional issues that he works toward are defense & national security, health care, the national debt, tax reform, veterans, and seniors (Issues & Legislation, 2016).

Dakota Skippers are no longer in Illinois and Iowa and are present only in scattered, isolated, sites in Minnesota, the Dakotas, and southern Canada. In 2002, the number of Dakota skippers found has been going down, with a big decrease after 2010. This butterfly may only be in