AY Honors/Environmental Conservation/Answer Key

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1. What is the difference between ecology and environmental conservation?

Ecology: Is defined as "the study of how organisms interact with each other and their physical environment."
Environmental conservation: Is defined as "the rational use of the environment to provide the highest sustainable quality of living for humanity."

2. Write a 500 word essay on how the increase in human population is threatening our existence on earth.

The most important threat to our existence on earth today is that of global warming. The human activity that has the greatest effect on warming is the release of greenhouse gases such as C0₂. For your research into this issue, see the following Wikipedia articles:

Other factors include Overpopulation and Deforestation. Can you think of others?

3. What does the term “death” of a lake or river mean? Is there a lake or river in your area or country which is classified as “dead”?

The death of a lake or river is said to occur when it becomes so polluted that it can no longer support life (such as fish, turtles, crustaceans, etc). The most famous dead river is probably the Cuyahoga River in Ohio which actually caught on fire many times, helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s.

Fires plagued the Cuyahoga beginning in 1936 when a spark from a blow torch ignited floating debris and oils. Fires erupted on the river several more times before June 22, 1969, when a river fire captured the attention of Time magazine, which described the Cuyahoga as the river that "oozes rather than flows" and in which a person "does not drown but decays."

This event helped spur an avalanche of pollution control activities resulting in the Clean Water Act, Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement, and the creation of the federal and state Environmental Protection Agency. As a result, large point sources of pollution on the Cuyahoga have received significant attention from the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency in recent decades.

Water quality has improved and, in recognition of this improvement, the Cuyahoga River was designated as one of 14 American Heritage Rivers in 1998. Pollution remains, however, including nonpoint source problems, Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs), and stagnation due to water impounded by dams. For this reason, the Environmental Protection Agency classified portions of the Cuyahoga River Watershed as one of 43 Great Lakes Areas of Concern.

4. Carry out a stream investigation of a small stream flowing through or near your home town. Check for the following:

a. Signs of Purity

Minnow up close2.jpg

(1) Abundance of small fish present
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(2) Water visually clear and fresh smelling
Pleasant Stream.JPG

(3) Stream banks covered with vegetation down to water's edge.
Kziv stream.JPG

(4) Small amounts of green algae in water (light green in color)
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(5) Some aquatic plants present, such as cattails, arrow-leaf, or pickerel weed.
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(6) Turtles present in the stream
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(7) Crayfish under stones in the stream
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(8) Sandbars covered with growing weeds indicating relatively stable water level

b. Signs of Stream Deterioration and Death

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(1) Large masses of blue-green algae present (dark green in color)
Norrköping, the stream “Motala ström” without water 7.jpg

(2) Scoured banks from high water level during storms
Iron hydroxide precipitate in stream.jpg

(3) Putrid smell of the water
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(4) Detergent foam present
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(5) Trash sticking out of mud and sand bars along the stream
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(6) Water loaded with silt
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(7) No aquatic insects or fish present
Obvious water pollution.jpeg

(8) Presence of raw sewage
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(9) Presence of oil on the surface of the water
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(10) No salamanders or frogs under rocks along stream bank
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(11) Stores or small factories dumping their wastes into the stream

5. If your stream is showing some of the above signs of death, do something about cleaning it up. Contact the closest government agency to ask what you and/or your group can do to help improve the stream. Organize a group of young people to help in cleaning the trash along your stream. If possible, get businesses to help in your campaign.

6. Make a visit to the city or county trash dump to see how this waste is handled. Find out the following:
a. How many tons of trash are dumped daily? Yearly?
b. What attempts are made to recycle any of this trash?
c. Is any of the trash burned or is all of it buried?
d. What is the cost per person per year for handling the trash?
e. What happens to junked autos in your area?

7. Make a visit to the nearest sewage plant. Draw and label a detailed diagram of what happens to the liquid and solid wastes from the time they come into the plant until they leave. In what form do they leave? Is any further use made of this waste?

To do:
import w:Sewage treatment for this section

8. Visit the nearest water purification plant. Construct a flow diagram of the steps in water purification from the time the water enters the plant until it leaves for distribution to homes and stores. Through reading and discussion with water works officials, determine whether water resources in the future are going to be enough to meet the demand.

9. Read and write a book report on an environment issues book such as Rachel Carson's Silent Spring.

10. What are rare and endangered species? Determine what efforts are being put forth to protect such species in your area. What can you do to help? Write a 300-500 word paper on your ideas.

References