Chapter+One


 * Chapter One: Environmental Interrelationships **

Below are a few questions to think about and then respond to as you review chapter one.

** 1. What is the big deal about interconnectedness? **


 * Alex's response:** Interconnectedness is really important because it tells us that everything is connected. This means that if you affect one thing in an environment, you are essentially impacting everything else in some way. Because of this, we should take more time when making decisions that will directly affect the environment, because it will have benefits in some parts and consequences in others. The book puts it like this- "Tug on anything at all and you'll find it connected to everything else in the universe."

Catie : I like Alex's explanation of interconnectedness because she clearly describes how if one part of an environment is affected, everything else will also be impacted. To further this concept, I found another line in "Colors of the Wind" and thought it related to interconnectedness quite well. "And we are all connected to each other/ In a circle, in a hoop that never ends."

Nick: As an example, Increasing the amount of predatory carnivores in an ecosystem, let's say bobcats, could in turn cause the population of squirrels to dwindle, which would decrease the effective spread of acorns, causing a decrease in the amount of trees in the ecosystem. Interconnectedness thus allows us to state that an increase in bobcats in an ecosystem would lead to a decrease in the amount of new trees.

Cam: I like Nick's example of interconnectedness becasue it describes how one factor in an ecosystem can affect another factor that we may never have thought of. This is why it's so important that we understand interconnectedness, becauyse if we understand that then we will be able to understand how everything affects an ecosystem and ehat happens when one thing increases or decreases.

**2. Watch the video below and post a comment or responds to a post of a classmate.**

media type="youtube" key="0IomIER6pZY" height="315" width="420"

Catie: I thought that this video was sad. The Native Americans who lived in America appreciated the environment and the earth so much more than the "white men" from Europe. They protected it and were grateful for everything it gave them. They truly felt a connection with the environment. In contrast, the Europeans were only worried about materialism, owning land and gaining resources. Instead of giving to the environment, they only took from it. Despite the tribes treating the environment with much more care, they still disappeared and the white men prevailed. Because of this, anyone can observe how much the environment has changed over the past hundred years. It has become a world full of industry, highways, buildings and cars, and I find it sad, and even in 1854, Chief Seattle was able to predict this future, and was saddened by it as well. After watching the video, I went to my handy dandy iPod, and listened to the classic Disney song, "Colors of the Wind." Here are a few lines that I thought related: The Earth is just a dead thing you can claim But I know every rock and tree and creature Has a life, has a spirit, has a name" Come taste the sunsweet berries of the Earth Come roll in all the riches all around you And for once, never wonder what they're worth" Thanks for sharing that connection. Ms Bof
 * "You think you own whatever land you land on
 * "Come run the hidden pine trails of the forest

Freddie: This video was very sobering. It makes you take a step back from our busy lives, and take a long look at what we value, what we take for granted, and what we can change, individually, to respect the land we, frankly, took from its inhabitants. The lyrics from Catie's song describe well the difference between how the Native Americans saw land, earth and the natural environment, and how our ancestors saw it when they first came here. From the little I know about Native Americans, they had a sense of community so unlike ours. They respected the elders, who were the wisest, and sought to learn what they could to continue their traditions so that future generations would be able to enjoy, and treat nature with as much respect as they had been taught. An example of how American Indians respected nature, was to use every part of an animal they killed, and they were sad every time they did. They did not take the food, and lives of animals for granted, they tried to minimize the pain, and how much they had to hunt, for every single animal. Every little thing counts, and adds up to a big change. Every small thing we can change in our own lives to preserve the natural environment for the future, will add up.

** 3. In the text the author uses relationship proposed by Darwin involving cats & clover seeds. Create a visual image to describe this example. Depending on your comfort with technology, you can either post or just bring in your image. How about someone create a visual image and someone else add an explanation of the diagram. **
 * Alex Hochberg:** I'm drawing the diagram for this question and I will bring it in to class, since I'm not exceptional with technology. Thanks for jumping in Alex!



** 4. What is meant by the following terms: **
 * supporting services-

Nick: Supporting services exist to support other ecological services. Some examples include seed dispersal, water cycling. and the provisioning of a habitat.
 * ** regulatory services **

Nick: Regulatory services concern the regulation of the impact a corporation has on an ecosystem. This includes inspections of power plants as to make sure that they are complying with government set standards regarding the environment, keeping inventories on the amount of toxic waste released by plants, and dealing with air quality permit applications. Kyle: Cultural Services are the services provided by the ecosystem that support religious or spiritual values. These also refer to the use of the natural surroundings as a form of recreation. Kyle: Provisioning services are the ecosystem services such as the availability of food and fresh water, fibers for clothing, natural medicines, genetic resources. Generally, provisioning services provide the basic necesseties of survival.
 * ** cultural services- **
 * ** provisioning services – **

** 5. Find out information about environmental positions of our two senators and representatives. ** **Mohan :** Governor Lynch has set a goal of ensuring that New Hampshire gets 25 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2025. To help achieve this goal, the Governor created a Climate Change Task Force, which has recommended other steps the state can take to reduce global warming. New Hampshire has joined the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, a 10-state effort to reduce the pollution that causes global climate change and to increase energy efficiency. The Governor has also created a [|Green Jobs Initiative], which seeks to achieve the goals of increasing energy efficiency in homes and businesses while creating the green job opportunities. This sounds like a great program, do you think that it can be fully achieved by 2025?
 * 6. As a group create a list of current environmental issues impacting NH. Each person should only add one to the list. **
 * Max's Response: **NH may seem like a clean state, but many of our enviornmental issues lie hidden. Many of our great lakes have been taken over by __invasive and tenacious species like millfoil__. As with all cities, urban decay, massive trash/litter, and industrial emission plague parts of NH. The Merrimack River, one of our largest, is not in the best of shape, if you've ever been on it. These issues are very broad, and I leave it up to someone else to go into depth on one issue, perhaps the problems facing Winnipesaukee or recent efforts of industries to factor in greener buisness practices and facilities.

**Kelcie's Response:** An invasive species is a species which has moved from its native area, where it grew naturally, into a new area. This species is able to grow so rapidly and overtake everything around it due to the fact that its common enemies are not located in its new area of location. Because nothing around this new plant is used to it, the plant will continue to grow and spread all over. As of right now, Japanese knotweed is the most abundent invasive plant located in New Hampshire. How about someone find out something about invasive species in general or milfoil specifically?.


 * Logan's response: ** Over the past Summer, I studied the Merrimack River in depth. On emain concern for the city of Concord is the waste water treatment plant. This plant is assigned the job of cleaning a majority of concords water supply. With heavy rains, this plant frequently overflows into the river and contaminates the Rivers water. Concord has a open sewage system, which means that the sewage or waste that flows beneath the streets can and will overflow, with nothing to stop it. This is not only a issue presented in Concord but throughout New Hampshire, with the Merrimack being the main source. Did you learn about the sewage treatment plants at ASP ? When I went 35 years ago we studied the Merrimack River. At that time raw, completely untreated sewage flowed into the Merrimack throughout the city of Concord Ms Bof.

Freddie: Right up river of the Amoskeag Boathouse, there is a PSNH (Public Service of NH) coal power plant, that used river water as a coolant. They suck up river water, run it all around the factory to keep the machines cool, then spit it back out into the river. Nothing is added to the water during this process, so it doesn't seem to affect anything. Everyone who was rowed out of Amoskeag knows that the water below the power plant is almost bath tub warm. This drastic change in temperature has caused catastrophic changes in the ecosystem. Everything in an ecosystem is interconnected, as we read in the book. The temperature in the water had not only affected plant growth, but it most likely is causing some species to thrive, while others are perishing. The temperature had caused a change in the river's ecosystem, and interrelatedness tell us it changes a web of other things.

Nick: I can vouch for Freddie's claim, should anyone doubt him. The water by the powerplant is very warm, and although no chemicals may be added to the water, it just sort of seems disgusting when you plunge your hand into lukewarm river water next to a huge power plant. As Freddie said, the harm that is done to the ecosystem of the river is caused by the raise in termperature it causes. Even the species that have learned to thrive in the warm water are still at danger by that plant's presence. Should the plant ever decide to shut down for anyreason, the water adjacent to it will rapidly drop in temperature, potentially killing all species in proximity to the plant by thermal shock.

Catie : During the winter, when roads become icy, the state of NH lays out road salt to thaw the ice and make the roads safer. However, this impacts the environment because the salt runs off into ponds and habitats, affecting the animals and plants that live there. In ponds, the salt causes the level of chloride concentrations to rise, affecting plankton growth and sometimes killing off fish and other animals. Roadside plants and trees are affected by salt as well and may show reduced growth, early defoliation and some may die from lack of water.

Alex: Catie's response made me really think about how easily we can impact our environment. I never would have given much thought into how the salt we put on our roads affects the surrounding environment and ecosystems. It is something that has become so normal for us, and it is sad to think that we don't put more effort and thought into finding better ways to keep our roads safe without seriously damaging the surrounding natural life.