Parks, Preservation, & Sense of Place

Sharpe

4/18/2017

Parks, Preservation, & Sense of Place:

This week, I had to read two articles. One by Michael Ann Williams called "'When I Can Read My Title Clear.'" The other article is by T. Young called "False, Cheap, and degraded." This blog will bring out some of the statements by these two individuals that I believe to be extremely shocking. The first shocking statement is by Michael Williams, where he states that "for some, this sense of order, of human over animal, was confirmed by their religious beliefs" (Williams, pg. 91). Simply, something like should not be feared of, as well as being partially right. Animals and humans should be considered equals rather than being dominate over the other. Unfortunately, humans ability to conquer the world and our greed profits us are negatively effecting the world and animals.

For the next two statements, it is from T. Young. One of these statements that I was shocked was that "Tennessee invoked eminent domain, condemned the land, and began forced departures" (Young, pg. 174). It is shocking that the United States today, especially in the 1900s, are so willing to kick people off their land. This kind of practice was no surprise during the 1700s and 1800s with the Native Americans, which was one of America's horrible events. But for this event, it was simply to create the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Map of the Great Smoky Mountains

(Author: Unknown)

Photo Location: http://patriotgetaways.com/smoky-mountain-history

But one promising thing that Young was mentioning was about the Red Wolves. Young states that "in January 1991, Red Wolves (Canis rufus) were re-introduced into the Great Smoky Mountains at Cades Cove and their population initially climbed to 25" (Young, pg. 183). This is good sign that if an endangered species is able to sustain itself after being re-introduced, it means that there is hope for other species around the world. Hopefully, some endangered species are able to come off the endangered species list and able to survive side by side with humans.

Red Wolf (Captive)

(Author: Tim Ross)

Photo Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:07-03-23RedWolfAlbanyGAChehaw.jpg

Citations:

Williams, M. A. (2002). "When I Can Read My Title Clear": Anti-Environmentalism and Sense of Place in the Great Smoky Mountains. In B. J. Howell (Eds.), Culture, Environment, and Conservation in the Appalachian South (87-99). Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press.

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, 32, 169-189.

Shale Gas and Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States

Jeffrey Sharpe

4/11/2017

Shale Gas and Hydraulic Fracturing in the United States:

For this week's reading, we had to read a journal article mostly about the cons of shale gas and the fracking process in which it is to retrieve it. One of the things that struck me the most was that in "northeastern Pennsylvania a subset of shallow drinking water wells consistently showed elevated methane, ethane, and propane concentration" (Vengosh, 8336-8337). It is shocking that this is an issue within the United States. The three types of gas mentioned above are highly flammable and when lit, it could possible hurt someone. Especially when the gases are sent to homes with water wells, which can burn down a house, or seriously hurt a child.

Fire

(Author: Unknown)

Photo Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Large_bonfire.jpg

Another shocking thing that I had read within the journal article was that "the buoyancy of gas and the flow rate of denser saline water would be substantially slower than the flow of natural gas" (Vengosh, 8338). Which is also another down side of having water wells. Which means that the gas, being lighter than the water, will be at the top of the well. Then it would flow into the well quicker than the regular water, which would fill the well with gas. Which can no longer be used for drinking purposes.

Fire fueled by gasoline.

(Author: U.S. Department of Justice)

Photo Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gasoline-fire.png

The last major issue I had within the text was that "it was suggested that sodium hydroxide (NaOH), 4,4-dimethyl, oxazolidine (C3H7NO), and hydrochloric acid (HCl) would be good indicators to monitor water contamination upon a leak or a spill of hydraulic fracturing fluids" (Vengosh, 8340). It is just shocking that large corporations that deal with fracking is so willing to use these chemicals. If there is a leak somewhere and it finds a way into the local water supply, it would be to late. People will be serious sick, or even killed they intake these chemicals if they do not know it. Possibly causing lawsuits on the company.

Citation:

Vengosh, A., Jackson, R. B., Warner, N., Darrah, T. 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. American Chemical Society, 48. 8334-8348.

Reclaiming the Commons

Sharpe

04/04/2017

Reclaiming the Commons:

This week for class, we had to read two separate chapters about the central Appalachian mountains, one by Mary Hufford, and one from Steven Stephenson. For the first two quotes that I will discuss here comes from Stephenson. The first interesting fact that I learned was "wells in the area (central Appalachian) in 1859 yielded appreciable amount of oil and marked the beginning of what became known the Burning Springs oil field, one of only two oil fields in the entire United States before the Civil War" (pg. 221-222). To me, it is surprising to find out that oil from the ground was used so early. You would expect that it would have been used later in the 1800s or in the early 1900s. When you expect that oil was used during this time period, you would think of oil produced from whale blubber, or simply whale oil.

Bottle of Whale Oil

(Author: Unknown)

Photo Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Natural_whale_oil_bottle.jpg

Another thing that I was shocked about was the careless disposal of waste from mining, especially coal mining. Stephenson states that "the ultimate product of the oxidation of sulfur is sulfuric acid" (pg.228). These mines within the Appalachian mountains was claimed to release sulfur within the surrounding area. And once it is converted to sulfuric acid, it is detrimental to the surrounding area. Especially when it is reached to a body of water. Ultimately killing everything in the water.

Sulfuric Acid in bottle (96% concentration)

(Author: W. Oelen)

Photo Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sulphuric_acid_96_percent_extra_pure.jpg

Now the next quote comes from Mary Hufford's reading. She states that by looking at "a detailed map of almost any portion of the region, and ginseng is registered somewhere, often associated with the deeper, moister places: Seng Branch, Sang Camp Creek, Ginseng, Seng Creek, and Three-Prong Holler" (pg. 104). The region that Mary Hufford is discussing about is within the Appalachian mountains area of the United States, mostly within West Virginia. This illustrates how ginseng is such a huge part in the daily lives of the people within the region. Possibly brining in money for the locals family to be able to live another day.

American Ginseng

(Author: John Carl Jacobs)

Photo Location: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:American_Ginseng_3.jpg

Citations:

Hufford, M. (2002). Reclaiming the Commons: Narratives of Progress, Preservation, and Ginseng. In Howell, B. J. (Ed.), Culture, Environment, and Conservation in the Appalachian South (pp. 100-120). Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press.

Stephenson, S. L. (2013). A Natural History of the Central Appalachians. Morgantown, WV: West Virginia University Press.