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Destroying the Environment: Government Mismanagement of Our Natural Resources

Destroying the Environment: Government Mismanagement of Our Natural Resources. “. . .Our People should see to it they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred” –President Theodore Roosevelt, 1903. Introduction.

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Destroying the Environment: Government Mismanagement of Our Natural Resources

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  1. Destroying the Environment:Government Mismanagement of Our Natural Resources “. . .Our People should see to it they are preserved for their children and their children’s children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred” –President Theodore Roosevelt, 1903

  2. Introduction • 42% of all U.S. land is owned by the government. 33% is owned by the Federal Government specifically. • Mounting evidence suggests that the Federal Government has been a poor manager. • Playing God in Yellowstone: The Destruction of America’s First National Park by Alston Chase details such atrocities at Yellowstone National Park by the Federal Agency: The National Park Service.

  3. National Park Agency • In absence of predators, deer population grow uncontrolled. • Wolves, Coyotes, Cougars were slaughtered under order of the agency to preserve deer. • This occurred for instance in 1906 at Kaibab North Plateau.

  4. The Beaver • The beaver helps to create Yellowstone. • Their dams retard the spring runoff that could clog other parts of the park. • These beaver created ponds provide many benefits including a raised water level. • Naturally, the beaver moves into streams lined with willow and aspen. • Problem, the now larger population of Elk eats too much willow and aspen. Thus the elk prevents the growth of the beaver population.

  5. Grizzly Bears • None has captured our imagination like the grizzly bear. • However, it is vanishing. • This is due to • Overgrazing on berries and shrubs by elk. • Major Construction projects. • And bear attacks from hungry bears looking for food from touristsw with “picnic baskets.”

  6. Politics of the Park Service • With a mission of preserving nature, other forces confuse it. • Expanding its budget • Protect its public image

  7. Budget Expansion • Yellowstone was partially financed by railroads who brought tourists to the park. Railroads also built park hotels. • When railroads dried up, the NPS changed its strategy. It attempted to attract tourists by promoting viewing of specific animals, and killed anything that harmed it. • Visitors had no idea that was even occurring.

  8. Public Image • To make sure that the agency survives, they must look like they are competent. • The Park Services accomplished this goal in two ways: • Severely limiting research of any kind in the parks • Controlling the research as well

  9. U.S. Forest Service • Two biggest vices: • Road building • Subsidized timber

  10. U.S. Forest Service • Harm from Road building

  11. U.S. Forest Service • Subsidized timber harvesting: politics of the USFS • Knutson-Vanderberg (K_V) Act of 1930

  12. Knutson-Vanderberg (K-V) Act of 1930

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