4-18-17

The first sentence I chose to quote is “Appalachians, or at least non-Cherokee Appalachians, sometimes are represented as being exploiters of the environment; at the same time, they also may be characterized as having a strong sense of place.”. This quote is in Michael Ann Williams article "When I Can Read My Title Clear". I chose this sentence because I find it interesting that the people of Appalachia have two stereotypes. In my perspective, I see the first one to be partially true and partially false. They are thought to exploit the environment which I think is partially true because a lot of the communities want mining to produce jobs or use nature to promote tourism. I find it to also be partially false because a lot of people in the communities fight against this because they want to protect their homes and community. The second stereotype of characterization is that the people of the Appalachians have a strong sense of place. I agree with this because most people in these communities don’t leave or travel anywhere so this makes their homes the only place they know and they are very attached.

http://blog.okfn.org/2011/09/06/freeing-train-data/

The second sentence I decided to quote is also from Michael Ann Williams article. “More to the point, even if the non-Indian settlers had wanted to exploit the environment, their ability to do so was limited by the difficulty of transportation.”. I chose this sentence because to me it is saying that the stereotype of people in the Appalachians exploiting the environment could not be true because the transportation in and out of the mountains severely limits the ability to exploit it.

http://www.sunset.com/travel/outdoor-adventure/national-parks

The third sentence I quoted is from T. Young’s article. “As land acquisition began in late 1925, the property that would become the park was held in more than 6600 separate tracts, all of which had to be purchased and vacated”.  I chose this sentence because I find the subject controversial. Parks are very important but is it fair the remove the current residents of the land needed to create them. I think that if the government offered an appropriate amount of money to the residents then maybe it would be less controversial; however most of the time the residents are offered an extremely inadequate amount of money for their land.

Williams, M. (2002). Culture, Environment and Conservation in the Appalachian South. Board of Trustees

of the University of Illinois: Illinois.

Young, T. (2006). False, cheap and degraded: when history, economy and environment collided at Cades Cove, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Journal of Historical Geography: Pomona.

4-11-17

The first sentence that stood out to me in this article is “The total production of natural gas has increased by more than 30% during the past decade.” (Environ. Sci. Technol). This sentence grabbed my attention because I find it amazing that this percentage has increased so dramatically. I think that the use of natural gases is very important and is changing energy use in a huge way.  However, I think that drilling and fracturing described in the same paragraph as this quote is too harmful to the environment.  Since this kind of extraction is so harmful and invasive to nature I think that the benefits may not be enough to justify it.

http://blogs.idahostatesman.com/natural-gas-drillers-get-pemits-from-state-for-payette-county-wells/

The second sentence that I decided to use as a quote is “Elevated levels of methane and other aliphatic hydrocarbons such as ethane and propane in shallow drinking water wells pose a potential flammability or explosion hazard to homes with private domestic wells.” (Environ. Sci. Technol).  I chose this sentence because I feel like not enough people are educated on the water contamination to extraction of natural gases. If more people were educated on this repercussion, then maybe there would be more rules and regulations to protect water. The protection of water against contamination from natural gases is not only important to the environment but also to people because it is very dangerous.

https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2013/05/13/federal-government-expected-to-unveil-fracking-regulations-for-public-lands-soon/a-natural-gas-drilling-rig-operates-as-natural-gas-piping-rises-from-underground-outside-rifle/

The third sentence I chose because it really sums everything up, it is “Our survey of the literature has identified four plausible risks to water resources associated with shale gas development and hydraulic fracturing” (Environ. Sci. Technol). The fact that there are 4 risks just stated in this article alone should tell people the dangers of gathering natural gases in the ways described in the article has way too much of a risk. Hydraulic drilling and fracturing is harmful to all of nature and not just our water supply, but our water supply is the biggest issue. It causes contamination and even explosions in homes due to the gases contaminating the water being flammable.

Vengosh A, Jackson B, Warner N, Darrah H, Kondash A. (2014). A Critical Review of the Risks to Water Resources from Unconventional Shale Gas Development and Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States.file:///C:/Users/akoch/Downloads/Vengosh%202014%20Review%20of%20risks%20to%20water%20resources%20from%20fracking.pdf

4-4-17

The first sentence that I chose was “This multilayered region is increasingly the focus of debates pitting the short-term economic value of coal and timber against the long-term value of a diverse forest system and topography”(Howell). because it reminded me about what we talked about in our North American Environment class. We talked about how one of the ideas the new president is trying to pass is additional mining in the mountains which would create additional jobs for the communities that need it. Whether I like the presidents views overall or not, I did not agree with this one. Yes, it will create jobs but they will be short term ones, and this will also aid in the deconstruction of nature in those areas.

http://www.steamboattoday.com/news/2013/jan/20/king-coal-underground-economic-engine-routt-county/

The second sentence I chose is “For projects that radically transform ecosystems, the checklist approach of federal legislation designed to protect air, water, wildlife, prime farmland, and a narrow range of cultural resources is inadequate.”(Howell).  I chose this one because there is a lot of truth to it. I agree that there are inadequate laws and regulations regarding the protection of our environment from industries that damage the environment. I know that in some areas there are rules that companies must leave the environment that they do their mining/logging in the same condition or better than before they started the project.

The third sentence that I chose from the article is “The prime locations for ginseng are found on the north-facing, wet sides of these depressions.”(Howell). I chose this sentence because I have heard a lot about the ginseng plant from my sister and people I work with, but I have never really thought about what it looks like or where it comes from. In this section of the article I especially liked this sentence because it included a detailed description of the type of places you would look for it in the environment. I think that this plant has many holistic uses for it and society needs to be more aware of where the supplements or ingredients they use come from.

http://identifythatplant.com/virginia-creeper-and-ginseng/ginseng-3/

Howell B. (2002). Culture, Environment, and Conservation in the Appalachian South. Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. Chicago.

3-30-17

The first quote that stood out to me was “Higher elevations would have been tundra-like, possibly similar to what one might find in modern-day northern Canada and Alaska.” ( HUMANS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS).  This quote caught my attention because I am a person who hates high temperatures to the point they put me in a bad mood. I always think about how I wish that everywhere was colder than it is. To find out in this statement that the area we are studying was once similar to Canada and Alaska is amazing to me because I have always wanted to move to those places because they are so cold. This really makes me wonder if one day the temperatures will drop again like this.

http://www.cruisebrothers.com/alaska-cruise-image.htm

This next quote I chose because it makes me think of where I am from. “The Revolutionary War, or American War of Independence, extended from 1775 to 1787 and resulted in the establishment of the United States as an independent country.” (HUMANS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS). Being from Massachusetts, there is a lot of history revolving around the revolutionary war there. When we were children , we were brought to historical sites such as where the Boston Tea Party took place. It is strange that we never learned a lot about how other places like the Appalachians were affected, I feel like there should be more thought on the subject that doesn’t involve just New England.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Boston_Tea_Party-Cooper.jpg

“As soon as settlers started moving into the region, logging of small areas of forest began.” (HUMANS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS). I chose this sentence because I think logging is one of the worst things to happen to the forests of the Appalachians. It amazes me that so much damage was done to the forest and that some areas have not recovered. There are different types off logging but clear cutting is the worst and was used so much that it really scarred the region.

Stephenson, S. (2013). HUMANS IN THE CENTRAL APPALACHIANS. West Virginia University Press  :Canada.

blog American Nations

From the article “AMERICAN NATIONS” by Collin Woodard “When the American Revolution broke out, British officials were still debating how best to restrict the emigration of the Borderlanders.” This statement really stood out to me because it related to the problems America is having today. A largely controversial topic that is spoken about often is border control to fight immigrants from other countries from coming onto American soil. Whether a person disagrees or not about allowing people to immigrate to their country there is no doubt that it is a large topic not only on United States soil but in other country’s too.

http://googlemapseurope.blogspot.com/2011/05/map-of-great-britain-pictures.html

From the article “AMERICAN NATIONS” by Collin Woodard “But Greater Appalachia started as a civilization without a government.” This sentence caught my attention because as a person who does not know a lot about the formation a Appalachia, I found it interesting that not only has this community been around this long but it also was not controlled by government. When thinking about the history of the United States there are a lot of instances that include the government taking control or forcing control of people. Even going back to when there were just the first few colonies formed in this country, they were still being controlled by the British government. So, the fact that this community fought so hard and lasted so long is incredible to me.

http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/native-americans/images/34175309/title/native-american-wallpaper

From the article “AMERICAN NATIONS” by Collin Woodard “Borderlanders lived among the Native Americans on whose land they were usually trespassing”. This sentence really relates back to the Native American presentations we did in class. The Native Americans were treated so poorly by so many people and this is what that sentence makes me think of. So much land was taken from them that a lot of Native American tribes that originated in the Appalachian Mountains were forced to relocate to the center of the country. Not only did a lot relocate but many tribes now cease to exist.

Woodard, C. (2011). AMERICAN NATIONS :A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America. New York; Penguin Group.

Earth Stewardship: science for action to sustain the human-earth system

In my honest opinion, this paper was very heavy which made it confusing for me to comprehend so I think that I didn’t get as much out of this article as I should have or could have if it was written in simpler terms that I understood better. From what I could gatheer, this is what stood out to me the most in the article.

“People and nature have always been intertwined—people receive many services from ecosystems, and society, in turn, affects ecosystems, sometimes severe” (Earth Stewardship: science for action to sustain the human-earth system). I feel like this sentence is very true, we are intertwined with nature. Although I feel this is true, I think that we have a very negative effect on nature. We do not have a mutual relationship, it’s more like the relationship that a tick and a person has. We are just sucking the life out nature like a tick does to us. The effects that we have on nature may seem small when you think about the fertilizer you use on your lawn, but it spreads much bigger than that. Every person thinks that they’re only one person and they won’t make a big difference, but when millions of people are saying that, then it does.

I’m going to combine my last two quotes in one because they are linked to each other.” Meeting human needs without environmental degradation is more likely to occur when a broad spectrum of ecosystem services are sustained (Daily 1997, MEA 2005). These include the harvest of water, food, and fuel; the interactions among ecosystems that regulate water quality, climate, and spread of disturbance and disease; and the non-material spiritual, aesthetic, and cultural benefits that cause people to value nature and life.” (Earth Stewardship: science for action to sustain the human-earth system). I agree with both sentences too because it is true that until better methods are in effect, the environment will continue to suffer due to human needs. I think that fuel is the largest contributor, if we could better implement solar electricity into our daily lives then nature would be much better off. North Carolina has recently become one of the leading states that uses solar energy efficiently. If we can all incorporated ideas along the lines of this the planet won’t suffer from our needs as much.

 http://www.greenerideal.com/alternative-energy/0319-celebrating-sun-solar-energy-and-the-equinox/

Chapin, III, F. S., M. E. Power, S. T. A. Pickett, A. Freitag, J. A. Reynolds, R. B. Jackson, D. M. Lodge, C. Duke, S. L. Collins, A. G. Power, and A. Bartuska. 2011. Earth Stewardship: science for action to sustain the human-earth system. Ecosphere 2(8):art89. doi:10.1890/ES11-00166.1

Chapter 7

The first quote that stood out to me was “Ingstad and his wife had investigated the north American coast from Florida to Labrador over the course of fifteen years, in an unsuccessful search for Viking landing sites” (Weidensaul). This statement stood out to me a lot because I have made the drive up the east coast from the southernmost point of Florida to only Maine. This is a huge amount of space to cover and I also feel that it is the most beautiful stretch of the United States. It amazes me that all out of all the times I have driven up this stretch of land I never once thought about the Vikings. I also never thought about the interaction between the Vikings and native American tribes like the author spoke about in the book. To me it is interesting to think about how they communicated back and forth when some tribes had their own language, and the Vikings were coming from a different country.

“In 1835 the federal government signed a spurious treaty with a handful of Cherokee who acted without the tribe’s authorization.” This sentence stood out to me because I find it interesting that just a few Cherokee people could sign away the tribe’s land without authorization. It also makes me think about how the government took advantage of the Cherokee people in this instance. It shows how the government was ruthless to all native American tribes and this is just one of the many examples.

The last quote that stood out to me was “The Cherokee got embroiled in the French and Indian war, first as allies with the British, but eventually falling out with them bloodily in the conflict known as the Cherokee war.” (Weidensaul). This stood out to me because I find it interesting that normal grade schools teach us about the big wars that affected us but not the ones that affected others especially the ones we lost or the ones that we look like the bad guys in. I was never told about the Cherokee war and I find that it is a very important event in history.

http://www.beastsofwar.com/saga/muster-beneath-banner-saga-vikings/





http://thenephilimchronicles.blogspot.com/2011/07/cherokee-and-mound-builders.html






http://adventuresofrabin.blogspot.com/2010/10/predictions-for-tonights-east-coast.html


Weidensaul, S. (2016). Mountains of the Heart: A Natural History of the Appalachians. Golden: Fulcrum Publishing.