Ko Olau Mountains Watershed Partnership Case Study

The wilderness and forests need to be saved for the future generations, and a sort of “wilderness bank” needs to be formed in order to keep the reality of the wilderness alive and keep mankind grounded to the earth.

Ecosystems can be restored by retaining and restoring the ecological sustainability of watersheds, forests, and rangelands for present and future generations.

Sacred Headwaters region is ecologically important since it is the habitat for many wildlife, including caribou, wolves and grizzly bears. The great amounts of salmon and steelhead also spawn in this area. It is not only an environment that abundant in biodiversity, but also a place with an abundance of natural resources, such as, mineral, coal and coalbed methane. (Suzuki, 2013) Although Sacred Headwaters is rich in natural resources, those resources are limited, continuing extracting resources from this region will increase risks for environment issue and cause serious health problems to people eventually. Sustainable development and potential environmental consequences should always be considered. In order to protect Sacred Headwaters region,

Before the loss of springbank clover Coast Salish people ecologically managed the site by selective harvesting of root vegetables, weeding, and clearing which are all practices of stewardship. Creating my plant creation I was able to see that ethnobotany can be a bridge to reconciliation through practices of stewardship. Stewardship relates directly to the principle that Chief Adam Dick (Kwaxsistala) practices, teaches and values deeply, “Keeping it living”. By stewarding and “Keeping it living” we are not resentfully harming plants or animals by overharvesting and we are allowing them to continue to grow and reproduce. Furthermore, we are maintaining and sharing the knowledge at a global level to continue to encourage sustainable resource

Even in the Kono district of Sierra Leone, where the land was once thought to be beyond repair, land restoration is improving the landscape. Local communities are now working with international partners to fill in the mining pits, bring back native species, and replace lost topsoil. To further these efforts, Brilliant Earth’s non-profit fund has supported land restoration programs in the Kono district, helping to revive the local ecosystem and make former mining lands available for productive farming.

Can the most high-tech, compact, thoroughly monitored development still pose an unacceptable risk to the wilderness? In a situation such as this where the natural environment is at a serious risk and the public and decision makers are in a dispute, we must all turn to trained scientists in order to more precisely determine what is at risk and which outcome will serve all parties the best.

Meewasin strives to protect and enhance biodiversity in the Meewasin Valley through grazing, prescribed controlled burns, removal of exotic species and noxious weeds, seed collection and planting of native grass and wildflowers and clean-ups.

The agricultural facets of Appalachia have been influenced over time due to the introduction of various types of foreign farming practices, government enforced regulations, foreign animals and plants, and westward expansion. “Rapidly evolving technologies and fluctuating costs influence the nuances of sustainability, but the essence of the concept is protection of both the land and the people who occupy it” (400). Beginning simply with subsistence farming and hunting and evolving into modern large-scale industrial agriculture Appalachian agriculture has negatively influenced the natural landscape of the mountains and its forest which resulted in a poor economy that was only advanced after more productive farming methods were invented and practiced.

Lastly, one of the biggest benefits of the Wisconsin’s Managed Forest Law at the state level has been its effects on Wisconsin’s forests’ ecosystems. Within forests, the MFL has helped to provide wildlife habitat for game and threatened/ endangered species, maintain forest ecosystem health and vitality, conserve and maintain water and soil resources on and around forestland, and promote forest conservation and biological diversity (Gass 10). To help aid in creating sustainable forest environments, the Wisconsin MFL requires that landowners follow mandatory practices including: releasing trees from competing vegetation, reforesting land to meet minimum forest density standards, performing pre and post harvest treatments to insure forest regeneration,

Fair value can be assigned given that the right allows CFCL to earn future profit (the revenue expected to be earned will likely exceed the costs of logging) from use of the land. However, it may not be in CFCL’s best interest to estimate the exact value given the considerable amount of assumptions, as well as the time and costs needed to do so. CFCL will also need to consider expensing or amortizing the cost over the life of the right. Therefore, a look at cost versus benefit may suggest against valuing

The Laguna Creek Watershed is located in Fremont, California covering 25.1 mi2. Engineered channels along the flatlands of the watershed allow the water that comes from the Mission, Sabercat, Aqua Caliente, Vargas, Washington, Canada del Aliso, and Morrison creeks to flow into Laguna Creek. Laguna Creek drains into the foothills of the Diablo Range and Mud Slough. (Laguna Creek Watershed) The Laguna Creek Watershed Council is a nonprofit alliance that serves to protect Laguna Creek, associated riparian corridors, and tributary streams. The goals are accomplish through education of residents, community participation, and finding balanced solutions with all stakeholders. (Mission and Vision)

They have been asking homeowners that live on the creek bank to create a buffer zone, by not mowing the grass on the creek side, not removing rocks, and to landscape using native plants. The golf courses and ski resorts have pledged to use less chemicals and improve water drainage systems. In the popular tourist spots for hiking and biking many natural barriers and vegetation have been placed, along with signs to inform people where they can access the creek to wade, fish, or enjoy looking at the beauty close up. Vail has been raising awareness in the community and have students do hands on experiments. Some organizations have taken it upon themselves to help educate people and tourists, a great example being Walking Mountains Science Center, which both educates the community and has many hands-on programs.

Our watershed is important to us; it is what we need for are water, food, and growth of our environment. It makes us successful as a whole but when we damage it we damage everything we need and work to grow and protect. By doing a couple things for Greeley’s watershed we as a whole can start to change the pollution in our watershed. The plan is to use water barrels to collect the water that runs off the greenhouse at Northridge high school into gutters and the fills the barrels. When the greenhouse plants need water you get a hose and turn it on . with the native plants being planted around the greenhouse that are going to be grown the plants will be space out from the rest but be placed where they will be seen all around

Environmentalism has always been two sided. Nature versus urban. locals versus national. Frequently, large tracts of public and federal land are bought and developed by industry. Pristine wilderness turned to bustling epicenters of human activity, all in the name of progress and economic growth. This tale of preserving natural wilderness is one that begins with John Muir, an advocate against the taming of Yosemite national park and the Hetch-Hetchy reservoir, while the head of the US Forest Service, Gifford Pinchot, insisted on the reservoir to supply the city of San Francisco with water. This timeless epic of conservation or preservation brings us to the Jumbo Valley, a vast expanse of uninhabited, pristine wilderness home to diverse

I am writing to you in regard to the Bridger -Teton National Forest. It is “the largest intact ecosystem in the lower 48 United States. Offering nearly 1.2 million acres of designated Wilderness, over 3,000 miles of road and trail and thousands of miles of unspoiled rivers and streams.” (USDA Forest Service)