Attitudes towards Protecting the Wildlife - Research Paper Example

In our modern society, it seems as though we are increasingly cut off from the natural world. Very few of us even stop to think about the natural processes and products that make modern life possible. Billions of people every day in affluent countries live their lives, eat, sleep and communicate without ever thinking about the natural world. They ride in cars or on trains, eat fast food and stare into one sort of screen or another all day long. All of our modern technology has a basis in some very basic elements of the earth. Conveniences such as fast food and supermarkets have detached us from understanding where our food really comes from. Many people do not pause to think about how our actions affect the larger ecosystems around us. Wildlife and the wilderness is an important part of that ecosystem that is in danger of being degraded or destroyed every day. In the United States, many areas have been set aside for the preservation of natural places and spaces. The species of plants and animals in these places are important to human survival and help to maintain the balance of life in the natural world. Unfortunately, many of these places are being chipped away due to interests that would develop wild lands. This is always a danger for the wildlife that lives in these places because they lose their habitat that enables them to find food, migrate and reproduce. This essay is about several individuals that have taken time or given a part of their lives so that we can preserve natural spaces for the benefit of wildlife and humans. These natural habitats and protected areas are not places that just can be ignored. As we will see, a number of human activities can weaken these biomes, resulting in the extinction of plants and animals that make-up nature’s food web. One of my first interviews was with Mitch. He works for the State of Idaho in the Fish and Game Department. Mitch is an interesting individual. He is passionate about his work and protecting the species that keep balance in the ecosystem. While talking to him, he told me some surprising things about fish and game management in Idaho. The first part of our conversation was about history. He told me about how Europeans settled in the eastern part of the United States first. They immediately began to use the natural resources available to them. This began nearly four hundred years ago. He then explained how people slowly but surely moved west. Idaho was one of the parts of the United States to be heavily populated only in the past one hindered years or so. Even today, Mitch explained that 60% of the land in Idaho is still owned by the Federal government, not individuals in Idaho. In the next part of our talk, Mitch began to explain how this westward movement of people affected the wildlife in the west. The ecosystems in the east are more resilient because there is more rainfall there. Forests regenerate faster and animals are more able to adapt to new habitats due to the increased humidity. Many of the Europeans that moved into the west had the idea that natural resources would never run out because there was so much land available in the west. This was devastating for some species such as the American bison. Millions of these animals were slaughtered. They were used for food, for clothing, for meat and for shelter by the Native Americans. European settlers were only interested in driving the bison away so they could force the Native Americans to move and so they could establish cattle ranges on the ranges roamed by bison. Mitch explained that the near extinction of the American bison is one of America’s worst examples of exploitation of wildlife in history. I asked Mitch what he enjoyed most about his job and he said he enjoyed the challenge of striking a balance. He said that balance was the hardest thing to achieve because so many different players wanted to get control of the wildlife and land in Idaho. He said that there were powerful business interests that still wanted to develop protected land into houses for people and range land for cattle. Then there are the mining companies that want to mine coal and uranium. These activities are very damaging, especially to the streams and the fish in the streams. Mitch said that he is very active in his work and politically on a personal level in working against the ranchers and the miners. He feels that if the 60% of Federal land in Idaho is turned over to these interests, and then Idaho will not be worth living in. He feels that the streams, air and soil will be so polluted, wildlife will be driven away and people will have a lower quality of life. The next aspect Mitch tries to balance is the positive enjoyment of the environment verses the negative enjoyment of the environment. Mitch explains that he wants people to get out into nature so that they have an appreciation for the natural world. He wants people to hunt, fish and trap wildlife in a responsible, managed way. He says nothing makes him happier than to see families and individuals out canoeing and fishing on a lake or talking to some hunters that have had a successful hunt. Mitch feels that these are fine activities for a wilderness area when the rules are followed. His concern is that too many people go into natural areas and engage in destructive behaviors. He cites the use of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) in restricted areas as being a big problem. ATVs can lead to erosion of fragile soils and can pollute streams that fish use for raising their fry. The balance between destructive human practices and positive human practices is something Mitch strives to accomplish. The final bit of balancing Mitch must do in his job is for the wildlife. Mitch does not feel that every part of Idaho needs to be preserved for wildlife, but that science must be used in establishing what is best to make each species viable. Mitch believes that it is possible to protect wildlife, offer recreational activities and to a certain extent, honor some of the commercial interests expressed in Idaho. It is not easy, but it is what Mitch loves about his job. Another personal account of individuals working with and for the protection of wildlife is James, who worked as a student volunteer. He completed a service learning internship with the Department of Fish and Game in Idaho and wanted to speak about his experiences. He first talked about how much he learned about the natural world during his learning experience. He related that he had never made the connection between something as simple as trees and water quality. Trees are such an important part of the ecosystem and James learned that the management practices for forestland over the past few decades was really bad. The fact that fires were never allowed to burn actually made forests more prone to devastating wildfires. This is horrible for wildlife because entire ecosystems can be wiped out. Naturally occurring wildfires create new growth in forests that is important for many species of wildlife, especially deer. These animals love to live in the fringes and border areas of forests. Areas of natural burning create more fringe areas and stimulate the growth of plants that feed the deer. James worked to repair and repair areas devastated by wildfires. He said that working in the natural environment made him feel like he was becoming a better person. He said that learning about how natural resources sustained wildlife and humans has convinced him to be a conservationist forever. James says he will be a less greedy and selfish person as a result of his service learning activities for the Fish and Wildlife department in Idaho. A final interview was conducted with Faith. She is a person that also worked for the Fish and Game Department in Idaho, but in a very different capacity. Mitch and James were out in a natural setting most of the time, but Faith spends most of her time in an office meeting with politicians. She is a policy expert and a research scientist. Faith’s job is to make sure legislation is passed that protects the environment and wildlife that depends on the habitat natural places provides. Faith relates that her job is very challenging because the forces that want to exploit the protected lands in Idaho are very powerful and very wealthy. Millions of dollars are given to politicians in Idaho from mining, oil and development companies. These politicians then chip away at the rules protecting wildlife and natural lands. They are always pushing for less rules about where they can explore for natural gas or how many cattle they can put on Federally owned range land. She says that her job is discouraging sometimes because she feels as though some people in Idaho will not be satisfied until every bit of range land has cattle on it and every ounce of coal is pulled out of the ground. She notes that Idaho is a very strong Republican state and therefore is friendly to business. Her main hope is that enough citizens appreciate the beauty and usefulness of wilderness places to continue to protect them. She says she loves her work even though it is difficult. She knows that wildlife needs people like her to protect natural places from development by businesses. That is why she enjoys her job so much, even though she is not able to be out in nature as much as she would like. This research paper shows me that even though most Americans have distanced themselves from the natural world, there are many people that are still passionate about protecting wildlife and natural places. These people all feel closeness with nature and want it to be protected so that others can find the same joy they feel when in nature. I can see that humans have really damaged ecosystems in many ways and that because of this; we need to do a better job managing the relationship between wildlife and humans. The interview with Mitch was especially strong because I discovered some of the history that affects the world today. Even though it appears as though there is lots of land in America, we still need to treat the environment properly. Works Cited Idaho Statewide Implementation Strategy for the National Fire Plan. [Boise, Idaho]: Idaho Dept. of Lands, 2002. Print. Pollan, Michael. The Omnivores Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals. New York: Penguin, 2006. Print. A Review of Selected Wildlife Programs at the Department of Fish and Game. Boise, ID: Office of Performance Evaluations, Idaho State Legislature, 2000. Print. Read More