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Importance of Healthy Wetlands to the Economy
by Jasmine Chappell, 7th Period Biology We all know how important the wetlands are. However, we often don’t realize that healthy wetlands play a huge role in our economy. Wetlands have many important functions such as producing resources, helping in providing clean drinking water, and they can also be a big help in the event of a flood because they can absorb water. All of these factors tie back into the economy because they help generate money. Wetlands help in improving the quality of drinking water that you drink. Wetlands are capable of raising the quality of water that you will find in rivers and streams. That same water is the water that you will eventually end up drinking. According to the Environmental Protection Agency “A wetland’s natural filtration process can remove excess nutrients before water leaves a wetland, making it healthier for drinking, swimming and supporting plants and animals.” Going back to the importance to the economy, drinking water can be a huge factor in determining whether or not you want to live in a certain area. Dirty drinking water is capable of making you very sick, so when looking for a place to live, knowing the area has clean drinking water could be a deciding factor on whether or not you choose to live there. According the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, “Flood damages in the U.S. average $2 billion each year, causing significant loss of life and property.” Wetlands can be a huge help in the event of a flood because of their natural ability to not only soak up flood water but to store it in addition. On average, the typical wetland has the capacity and capability of storing 1 million gallons. Just think about that for a second. That is water that could have flooded out somebody’s house. According to the Environmental Protection Agency, “One of the most valuable benefits of wetlands is their ability to store flood waters. Maintaining only 15% of the land area of a watershed in wetlands can reduce flooding peaks by as much as 60%. The environmental factor of wetlands offering flood protection is a very big factor that makes an area more desirable to live in-especially if you are in a flood zone.” That being said, if you live in a flood-zone, houses near a healthy wetland become a more desirable option because you want to make sure your house is protected. With that, comes the demand for more people to want to live near the wetlands essentially, raising housing costs along with increasing the value of the neighborhood. Wetlands also help in cleaning the water. Because of the fact other sources of water filtration are extremely expensive, people have turned to alternative options in water filtration. The Environmental Protection Agency states “Wetlands provide an essential link in the life cycle of 75 percent of the fish and shellfish commercially harvested in the US, and up to 90 percent of the recreational fish catch. Wetlands provide a consistent food supply, shelter and nursery grounds for both marine and freshwater species. Landings of crab, shrimp and salmon were valued at 1,167 billion in 2004.” These numbers have drastically increased since 2004, resulting in an influx of even more money going back into our economy. It can clearly be shown that not only are healthy wetlands important in what they do for our environment, but they also have a huge impact on our economy. Healthy wetlands are vital in flood protection, providing clean water and serving as a place for filtration. Healthy wetlands are essential in shaping our economy. Healthy wetlands make certain areas more desirable to live in thus, increasing the demand raising house prices. The fact that wetlands provide cleaner, safer drinking water is another factor that makes people want to live in a certain region. Therefore, Healthy wetlands are essential in helping add to the economy in a positive way. Sources: http://water.epa.gov/type/wetlands/outreach/upload/EconomicBenefits.pdfhttp://idahoptv.org/dialogue4kids/season6/wetlands/whycare.cfm Test and Notebook check on Friday on the Chemistry of LIfe
To study, watch the videos on our Links page: http://michellesternscience.weebly.com/links--documents.html And review the powerpoints on the Notes page: http://michellesternscience.weebly.com/notes.html Your end of unit Concept Map should include these words (and any others you want to include). Show how each of these words connect to each other :
According to the California State Education Code, Gatorade is not considered a "nutritional" beverage. So, why were the reps on campus, handing out free samples?
Curious how they persuaded the coaches to allow them to come, and how our administrators decided they wouldn't be welcomed back??? Read the story here. While workers were digging to build the new Transbay Terminal in San Francisco, they unearthed the remains of a Woolly Mammoth!
Today was a big day! You got to meet Team Ham, our group of amazing teachers who are part of STRAW (Students and Teachers Restoring a Watershed) and PRBO Conservation Science (founded in 1965 as Point Reyes Bird Observatory), and hear about our impending wetland restoration project. I don't know if it made you more excited, but it sure got me fired up! I feel very lucky that we get to work in the field and try our hand at doing some REAL science!
Feel free to leave a comment below if you have any questions about our upcoming work or if you are excited about one aspect, in particular. I care deeply about our planet...and you should too. It's where we live. And we all deserve clean air and water. But our food system is broken and is harming the ecosystem. Although food may not seem to relate to Biology on the surface, it is deeply connected. Each time you eat, you are making a statement about how you feel that food should be produced. Want a McDonald's burger? If you pay for it, you are telling that company that you believe in their farming practices. This brief video might make you think twice about that. At least, I hope it does. I am very excited about a new project that my students will be working on for the next 2 years! We will be partnering with PRBO (Point Reyes Bird Observatory) and the California Coastal Commission to help restore the former airfield at Hamilton into a Wetland.
My students will be learning about soil composition, bird identification and monitoring, and biodiversity in a habitat undergoing succession. Nothing quite beats hands-on learning, especially when it ties in so closely to our California State content standards. One of the best parts of the project is that we will be working directly with an experienced teaching staff and scientists! If you are interested, check out the details about the project and its history. Congress is in the process of voting on a new Farm Bill. Here are the top 10 things you should know about the Farm Bill and how it will affect you...and the crops that our nation grows for the next 5-10 years. If you are not a fan of monoculture, subsidies, or animal welfare, take action and encourage others to do the same.
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