The fragile ecological existence of the U.S. Southwest is complicated by the presence of endangered migratory species who naturally move across our borders, including gray wolves and jaguars. The terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001 entrenched social rules regarding immigration and border security installed through the Illegal Immigration Act and Immigrant Responsibility Act. This and the Real ID Act allow border patrol to further diminish chances of survival for endangered species, by granting waivers of the Endangered Species Act and NEPA, in order to secure our borders. This is an analysis of the complex social needs coinciding with decisions regarding border activity along the U.S.-Mexico border, specifically the Arizona portion …show more content…
Even if the lands are protected, they are not safe from the ecological burden of protecting our borders. Due to changes in legislation the Border Patrol Agency is exempt from stringent environmental laws. This is true in any of the areas surrounding the border, and they are looking to expand the radius of exemption, to better protect our borders. The Defenders of Wildlife, the Sierra Club, and the Northern Jaguar Project are looking to reinstall a social rule which the United States already implemented with the Endangered Species Act. This legislation created the social rule that no species should be forced into extinction due to human activities. Riders on the Illegal Immigration Act and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 and the Real ID act of 2005 allowed this social rule to become obsolete. Social rules changes in favor of the environment occur when the public is largely in support for saving the environment. However this support can be splintered by another need of the country especially when the opposing discourse has a crisis wave to ride. This case shows how the issue of border security triumphs environmental needs due to the pertinence of immigration reform along with the crisis impact caused by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. Theory: Environmentally beneficial social rule changes occur when the public is in favor of protecting the environment, the task delegated to
After attending the “Traditional Ecological Knowledge in Ecosystem Sustainability Conference,” I learned about the ecological issues that Native Americans faced when individuals outside of their community appropriated land towards other means of production. Similarly, the speaker Delphine Jackson had discussed how her community was being disturbed by the construction of dams and highways, which destroyed the environment where animals lived and thrived. Additionally, the speaker Valeria A. Small explained the issues of their culture being impeded by an invasive plant that was established by non-native people. Getting their voices heard was not an easy task, for many of the people who created the newly developed roads and embedded the invasive plant species were seeing reality differently than the natives in the sense that the land was meant to be used
In her book, Line in the Sand: A History of the Western U.S.-Mexico Border, Rachel St. John provides a dynamic argument that focuses not just on the physical border itself or merely how border policy came to be, but looks at the borderlands as an entire region and how Mexico too played a part in creating both the border and border enforcement. St. John describes in her various chapters the development of border towns and how both the U.S. and Mexico created not just a physical barrier, but also a symbolic barrier that resulted in the division of races and cultures. The creation of national identities, argues St. John, is just as much a result of border policy as is the actual physical border. Additionally, St. John discusses the varied
Lost species affect the environment negatively and can disrupt ecosystems. Since the 1940s, many conservation efforts have been successful in helping the whooping crane population increase. By failing to ensure that whooping crane habitats have enough food in their winter habitat, the positive effects of conservation have been set back. The State of Texas breached the Migratory Bird Treaty and is liable for the deaths of whooping cranes. Given the outcome of the lawsuit, this situation could happen again in the future. As Canadian citizens, it’s extremely difficult to impact foreign legal decisions, but we can lobby our own government and legislators to encourage more participation in future international issues like this. We can also work with environmental organizations to work towards common goals for the benefit of the environment. We know that habitats must be properly protected and maintained by all parties involved to help not only the whooping crane, but other species as well, recover their population and thrive. Even just on our own as concerned citizens, we can raise awareness about the whooping crane. Although it might not seem like much, the effort that citizens put in can make a huge difference in the health of our endangered
Karl Jacoby. Crimes against Nature: Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation. Berkley: University of California, 2001.
The Southwest has evolved culturally, ethically, and in the ways people changed in disguising the area through the centuries. Each essay explain how the southwest has changed and why has it evolved to way we see it today. In the first essay geographer Richard Francaviglia explain the way the public views the region as it seen in (fig. 1) The map reveals two shades: the darkest covers Texas, New Mexico, south of Oklahoma, and a third of Arizona, the light shade covers all of Oklahoma, new Mexico, Arizona, and a third of southern California.
Over the past several years, the gray wolf, native to the Wisconsin area, has been listed federally as an endangered species due to the graphic and horrific treatment they had received during the industrialization periods of America, when they were frowned upon and hated because they are predatory creatures and did, on occasion, attack livestock and pets. Because the government was encouraging the hunting, including bounties for the animals, the wolves were hunted to near extinction. However, now Wisconsin faces a new problem. With the reintroduction of the wolves to the state, and their continued endangered status federally, the population has increased well beyond expectations, reaching what could be considered a problematic state. A
This country cannot work without mutual understanding and respect between the american people and the government. Listening to various ideals is part of the communication process and those who don’t support the protection of wilderness are choosing to stick with not supporting any bills that deal with the protection of the land. In the essay “Finding Common Ground on Protecting Montana Wilderness,” Rick Bass, an experienced author, advocate and resident of the Yaak Valley, states his views on the matter of protecting the wild lands from the timber industry and other members of the opposition while at the same time respecting their views.
The state legislature has favored the ranching industry above ecology and continues to do so. Public polls “conducted by Boise State indicate that the overwhelming majority of Idahoans (nearly 70 percent) support wolf restoration” (Laverty, par. 4) and the legislature is seeking to remedy this by re-educating the public with “a balanced view of the impact of wolves on big game species, those sectors of the economy dependent upon sport hunting, livestock, domestic animals, and humans” (State, 3). Furthermore, the “cost of wolf reintroduction will be presented as a part of any public education program including direct and indirect costs” (State, 3).
Prior to the creation of SB1070, Arizona has had many incidents of undocumented immigrants crossing its borders. Until the early 20th century, the U.S government took over the responsibilities of immigration control (Carroll, 2011). According to Chin and Miller (2011), harboring aliens or undocumented immigrants into the United States is considered a felony crime. Originally within the federal jurisdiction to handle such immigration offenses, the shift of responsibilities has now been shared with the state of Arizona (Chin and Miller, 2011). To prevent undocumented immigrants from crossing the borders and combat many smuggling cases of undocumented immigrants, vigilantism was motivated within the state of Arizona through the criminalization of undocumented immigrants (Frassinelli, Frenkell, & Watson, [Immigration and “Operations”: The Militarization (and Medicalization) of the US-Mexico Border] 2011).
The Mexican wolf is the southernmost subspecies of gray wolf in North America, its natural habitat was that of the southwest United States and Mexico, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona as their home range in the US. Mexican wolves typically feed on deer and elk. (Rinkevich, Murphy, & Barrett, 2011). The gray wolves were a menace to rancher’s cattle and farmer’s livestock. Depredation of livestock led ranchers and state governments to declare war on the Mexican gray wolves through public and private bounties. The Mexican gray wolves were successfully removed from the wild. (Foreman, 2004) The Endangered Species Act of 1973 was vital for the protection of the Mexican gray wolf. (Larkin, Noss, & Maehr, 2001) In 1990, the United States Fish & Wildlife Service coordinated and developed a Mexican wolf reintroduction recovery plan to establish a wild population of no less than 100 Mexican Gray wolves in March
Not only Idaho, but all of the Nation’s wilderness areas are of prime importance. Groups such as The National Audubon Society, the Wilderness Society, the Nature Conservancy and the Sierra Club do valuable work in preserving the rich natural heritage of the United States (Casten & Rijsberman 2011). Their efforts to inform the public, conserve wildlife, and wilderness areas should be applauded. Without their efforts, many scenic areas and byways would be polluted and destroyed beyond repair. However, with every civic movement there comes a time when one asks the questions: where do humans fit in, where is the line drawn between preservation and protection, and refusing to allow citizens to enjoy the wonder that is nature? National groups are great for spreading a general amount of information to the public. The national focus on improving property maintenance is wonderful, but they do not know the area for which they argue, they can only
On April 23, 2010, Arizona Governor Janice K. Brewer signed the Support Our Law Enforcement and Safe Neighborhoods Act (SOLESNA), or Arizona Senate Bill 1070 (S.B. 1070, as it is popularly known). The purpose of the act is “... to discourage and deter the unlawful entry and presence of aliens and economic activity by persons unlawfully present in the United States” (Senate Bill 1070, 2010). Arizona Senate Bill 1070 is considered one of the harshest anti-immigration law due to it’s enforcements. Nevertheless, it is not the first law of it’s kind. Geographically, Arizona is prime for an anti-immigration bill such as S.B. 1070, as it is one of four states (including California, Texas, and New Mexico) that borders Mexico. Previously, Arizona
The Mexican gray wolf is a large prey that, in the past, preyed on livestock which contributed to their near extinction by humans. However, the decline in the Mexican wolf lead to an overabundance in plant life which had a direct effect on other wildlife. There are many challenges involved with re-introducing wolves to other stakeholders such as to academics, mangers, ranchers, or landowners. It is not as simple as taking the Mexican wolf from where they are now and placing them in different areas in Arizona, New Mexico, the US, and across the border in Sonora, Mexico. This is a very large area of land that policies would have to cover. The best ways to illustrate that this concept is not as easy as it may seem are best described by nature culture dichotomy, social-ecological systems involving ecosystems with people, and the Anthropocene comprised with the idea of humans as agents of change.
There has been a great amount of controversy and concern relating to the reintroduction, recovery, and managing of wolves in several locations in the western part of the United States. The gray wolves were once protected on the Endanger Species list and in April 2011, the gray wolf was removed from the list and was considered a recovered animal. During this time western states began to hunt and trap wolves in order to decrease wolf population. The increase of wolves created a concern about livestock in many areas and in Wyoming the wolves were considered a nuisance. There are three factors that have contributed to the social conflicts concerning the management of wolves. The first factor involves sciences and political policy that affects the
The assignment this week challenged us to utilize our course objectives to address the requirements of the assignment. The objectives include how to apply the concepts of political ecology to environmental concerns, analyze the link between social, cultural, geographic, cultural, political factors, and environmental change, as well as assess methodological approaches used for research in political ecology. In addition, this assignment will discuss how reserves and national parks have been socially constructed/produced to be protected areas. Following this discussion, the conversation will include an overview of how this construction of national parks and reserves may result in the property rights reconstructing the resource into a rival good. Moreover, I will provide a brief discussion on the relationship between social construction of nature and environmental change. In conclusion, I will briefly review case studies and frameworks that are related to the conservation of biodiversity.