Many people think that dams are a good thing for the environment. This is not entirely true. There are far more negative than positive things that dams create. There are problems created with the environment, that only benefit the economy, which in result, hurt the environment more. Also the creation of dams makes it extremely hard for natural things living in ecosystems to survive.
The purpose of a dam is to conserve water for a town or community and for power. With the construction of a dam, there is going to be a community living there. This means more construction will take place and the environment will be destroyed to make way for buildings and roads. The problem with holding water back from it’s natural flow is that when the dam is built to hold water, it technically floods the upper region. This changes what once was a river, into a lake. The species of life that once lived there can no longer cope with the changing conditions, and this can cause them to become extirpated from that region. Different species move into the lake, and new niches are made, stolen and filled, causing competition for food sources. The construction of dams also affects the lower regions of the river. What used to be a normal river is now a stream that changes its water levels with the opening and closing of the dam. The frequent water level changes make it extraordinarily hard for species to maintain balance in the new ecosystem. A lot of fish are being killed with the release of water from dams. The water in the river below the dam is usually one constant temperature, but the water released from the dam almost always comes from the bottom of the lake. This is cold water being poured into a warm river, this creates a problem that most fish can’t cope with, so as a result they die. Also, the river used to bring debris, algae, dead fish and other nutrients down the river to sustain life, but now the dams are there and everything is being blocked. One large species that suffers is the salmon. The salmon have to swim up stream to their natural birth place to spawn. This was always up the normal river, but now that dams are built the fish can no longer go to their safe, secure, spawning grounds. Some dams have built fish ladders, but they don’t know how to use them because they are not natural. The result has been a severe decrease in salmon numbers in any dammed river.
The other reason for building dams is to create good scenery. The massive lake on one side, and the sheer drop off and view of the landscape are sure to attract tourists. More tourists means the town will build more places for them to stay and more attractions will be built in the community. This means clear cutting and the environment will once again be destroyed.
All of this has to do with money. Money is the source of all problems. Dams are built to create power and attract tourists. Bigger communities will be made, and more money will be raked into the little town. Money is the downfall of the environment, and with the construction of dams the environment has suffered so much more.
In conclusion, dams aren’t a good thing to have. It changes entire ecosystems and helps extirpate certain species of animals and plants that are important. We shouldn’t ever build another dam because it will destroy the environment, and with global warming it’s already fragile enough without them.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Aerial Wolf Hunting
Aerial wolf hunting. I believe that it is cruel to the species due to an unfair advantage over them. It is purely economic and should not be looked at like that. Wolf hunting should make a person feel ashamed of themselves for not giving the wolves a chance. Also they give hunters a bad name for killing the wolves so unethically. Killing for fun, when it is not necessary, is purely recreational and wrong. The pain it causes environmentalists to see these wolves being hunted by airplanes it too great to explain properly, and should be banned.
Wolves are glorious creatures. They have been hunted so badly in some areas they no longer exist there. They were extirpated. When you take a species out of the picture completely, it dramatically alters the ecosystem. Everything is one big cycle and when you change something others will begin to crumble and fall apart. Also, due to the fact that wolves are no longer seen in many parts of Canada, they have tried re-introducing them to the wild. For example in Yellowstone National Park they had taken way the wolves, and as a negative result the Elk population sky rocketed. When they reintroduced the wolves they noticed better biodiversity in the park. The only problem was some rogue wolves would attack large amounts of live stock, these wolves would be taken and killed. Wolf reintroduction has worked wonders for Yellowstone National Park and some parts of Canada. We shouldn’t ever extirpate them from one area again.
The sport of hunting wolves is unethical. Hunters don’t go on foot and use proper guns, they use airplanes and chase them until they’re exhausted and can’t run any further. Then they use shotguns and have to shoot them many times before they die. This is cruelty to animals. Anytime you hunt, you should kill the animal as swiftly, painless and least harmful to the animal, because there is no way to ban all hunting forever. Making the animal suffer is not necessary and it is unethical. People wolf hunt in Alaska for two reasons. One reason would be recreational purposes, just for fun, and the other is for money. It’s not even the native population that is hunting the wolves. It is people that come to visit that own their own small, low flying airplanes. They should make more things to do in Alaska that would take the fun out of wolf hunting. The only downside might be with the Alaskan traveling income. Wolf hunters will no longer come and leave their money in Alaska. I think they can live without that income.
People tried to cause arguments, saying that wolves hunt too many elk and deer and they are hurting the populations. This is untrue. Wolves hunt in packs, they will sneak up on prey and attack a large group. They try to separate the weaker, slower or sicker animal because they are easier prey. This actually improves the population of their prey. They hunt and kill the weaker of the species, letting better genes pass on to the next generation.
Wolf hunting will always go on, weather it’s legal or not. The only way to make everyone happy would be to set limits and regulations on hunting. Airplanes and shotguns should not be allowed as they create an unfair advantage for humans. Anyone who hunts unethically should be punished for cruelty to animals. People need to realize that wolves are an essential part to the wellbeing of the ecosystems. Yes, rogue wolves should be taken care of, but extirpating an entire species is wrong. Wolf hunting should be banned, or drastically altered in order to sustain the ecosystem.
Wolves are glorious creatures. They have been hunted so badly in some areas they no longer exist there. They were extirpated. When you take a species out of the picture completely, it dramatically alters the ecosystem. Everything is one big cycle and when you change something others will begin to crumble and fall apart. Also, due to the fact that wolves are no longer seen in many parts of Canada, they have tried re-introducing them to the wild. For example in Yellowstone National Park they had taken way the wolves, and as a negative result the Elk population sky rocketed. When they reintroduced the wolves they noticed better biodiversity in the park. The only problem was some rogue wolves would attack large amounts of live stock, these wolves would be taken and killed. Wolf reintroduction has worked wonders for Yellowstone National Park and some parts of Canada. We shouldn’t ever extirpate them from one area again.
The sport of hunting wolves is unethical. Hunters don’t go on foot and use proper guns, they use airplanes and chase them until they’re exhausted and can’t run any further. Then they use shotguns and have to shoot them many times before they die. This is cruelty to animals. Anytime you hunt, you should kill the animal as swiftly, painless and least harmful to the animal, because there is no way to ban all hunting forever. Making the animal suffer is not necessary and it is unethical. People wolf hunt in Alaska for two reasons. One reason would be recreational purposes, just for fun, and the other is for money. It’s not even the native population that is hunting the wolves. It is people that come to visit that own their own small, low flying airplanes. They should make more things to do in Alaska that would take the fun out of wolf hunting. The only downside might be with the Alaskan traveling income. Wolf hunters will no longer come and leave their money in Alaska. I think they can live without that income.
People tried to cause arguments, saying that wolves hunt too many elk and deer and they are hurting the populations. This is untrue. Wolves hunt in packs, they will sneak up on prey and attack a large group. They try to separate the weaker, slower or sicker animal because they are easier prey. This actually improves the population of their prey. They hunt and kill the weaker of the species, letting better genes pass on to the next generation.
Wolf hunting will always go on, weather it’s legal or not. The only way to make everyone happy would be to set limits and regulations on hunting. Airplanes and shotguns should not be allowed as they create an unfair advantage for humans. Anyone who hunts unethically should be punished for cruelty to animals. People need to realize that wolves are an essential part to the wellbeing of the ecosystems. Yes, rogue wolves should be taken care of, but extirpating an entire species is wrong. Wolf hunting should be banned, or drastically altered in order to sustain the ecosystem.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
