Alaska's Choice: Salmon or Gold?

The Bristol Bay article notes that much of Alaska is still what the American West used to be; untouched. Blessed with natural marvels and emotions of endless possibilities, would we really want to further advance the Pebble mine production? If the mining begins, it will influence more development and industrialization due to the money it may bring in, especially during a hard time in the economy. The mining could devastate the last of America’s vast endless prospect and awe striking beauty. When will we learn from our mistakes? Humans have taken over much of America’s West, depleting its natural beauty. There is more to it besides views as well. The largest salmon run in the world now swims with possibly the world’s largest deposit of gold and copper. We must decide which is more important; the environment and salmon or industrialization for our benefit? Although hardships would be relieved with the much needed revenue that would come to the Bristol Bay area, Americans would just be repeating history by changing and developing the environment. It seems to me that somehow, somewhere, the economic and environmental struggles we see now can be linked back to the destruction of the environment. This could harm the untouched beauty of Alaskan scenery as well While the mine would enhance the economy, it could deplete the salmon, which fisheries depend on massively. The industrial growth could potentially lead to population growth in the area. The world’s largest stockeye salmon run may end completely. A woman poses with the salmon in a picture stating their tendency to not return through the entangled lakes and streams if the habitat is manipulated. Another linked picture shows Utah’s Bingham Canyon Mine, which is then referred to as a toxic-waste containment. Is this a name we want for Bristol Bay? Pebble Mine owners insist money and jobs would be a result of the mine. So again which is more important? This is a dilemma widespread in the world right now. We all need to learn from our history and realize that we are not the only ones living in this world.

Bat Genocide

This article was an incredibly informative and eye opening. It discusses the spread of an invasive fungus throughout the bat populations of the United States. This fungus leads to white nose syndrome among the bats, which surrounds their snouts in a white fungus and also covers their wings with white lesions that are detrimental to their ability to fly properly. This fungus has decimated the bat populations and continues to spread rapidly. One of the reasons that scientists believe this fungus is spreading so rapidly is the optimal conditions. This fungus thrives at temperatures between 35 and 45 degrees, which are also optimal for the hibernation of the brown bat. While the bats are hibernating, the fungus quickly spreads and eventually wakes them. When they awaken prematurely, they quickly use all of their minimal amounts of fat and starve or freeze to death. Scientists have not figured out how to stop this fungus from spreading so rapidly and at this point there is no known cure.
This article was very interesting because I had never thought of a fungus as being an invasive species. We had spoken about the rapa whelk as an invasive species and all of the detrimental effects it had on the bay, but that was an animal. It was strange to think that a fungus could be an invasive species. It is very important for this article to be shared in the community because the loss of these bats to the fungus will be very bad for its ecosystems. The bats consume an incredible amount of insects and if there are smaller numbers of bats around to eat the insects, there is going to be a huge influx of insects, which can have very detrimental effects on the whole ecosystem. Hopefully they will be able to find some way to stop the virus soon.

Bat Genocide

This article was interesting and really does show how destructive an invasive species can be. The article talks about how the bat population has suffered a major crash due to a fungus that grows on the bats noses. How the fungus works exactly isn't known for sure, or how it got into the United States. One of the theories is that the fungus, which 'makes its move' during the bats hibernation, wakes the infected bat up and causes it to lose a lot of the small amount of fat it was stored up for the winter. The disturbance during hibernation is believed to be the cause of the bats deaths and also the accompanying lesions on the wings that the fungus brings.

This article is important for the general public to know about because, even though most people don't like bats, it can really show how bad invasive species can be to whole populations. If the United States is somehow totally rid of bats then the insect population with start to climb, and most people don't want to see that. Also, it’s interesting how an invasive species in the United States hurts our bat population, but doesn’t do that much damage over in Europe. Also the fungus itself is interesting because it only really starts to grow when the bats are hibernating, but, as before said, no one can truly know for sure.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2010/12/bat-crash/quammen-text/3

Views on "Bristol Bay: Alaska’s Choice"

The article on Bristol Bay was very interesting because it incorporated a modern hot topic issue that deals with the environment versus the economy. Bristol Bay holds a vast amount of salmon, that instinctively swim up the streams to reproduce and die in the Bristol Bay sanctuary. Bristol Bay is one of North America’s largest king salmon run. The salmon run is the voyage the salmon makes as they swim against the currents to go upstream to reproduce. Not only does Bristol Bay hold one of the largest salmon runs, but it also holds a wealth of gold and copper, which could be possibly the largest deposit in the world. The poses a problem, however, of which is more important, the recent ever changing economy or the ancient salmon run. Some argue that the economy is more important, because the gold deposit could offer up to 3,000 more new jobs. In an economic recession, many argue this would be a major boost to the stagnant economy. Others argue that the environment is very important, and mining for the deposits should not be done because it will disrupt the salmon run. The salmon run brings in revenue and food as well, and if mining takes place, the entire ancient practice is put at risk.

I found the article very interesting because it incorporated a crucial issue in a time where the economy is down, and any source of jobs is seen as great, even if it is putting the environment at risk. I found the entire concept of the “salmon run” fascinating since I had no idea how ancient and instinctual this practice is for the salmons. I also found it interesting that setting up the mines in the Bristol Bay could potentially stop the entire ancient practice all together. This issue needs to be brought to the general public’s awareness because the decision on Bristol Bay could effect millions of people. Alaska holds the potential for 3000 more jobs, gold ore, copper ore, and much needed revenue from businesses that will sprout up because of the mines, which greatly effects the general public and the economy. Also, Alaska holds a sanctuary full of millions of trout and salmon which support Alaska’s ecosystem during the warmer months. The indigenous people of Bristol Bay have relied on the salmon run to bring in food and income, and if the mine is created, their entire reliance on the Bay will be at stake. Without the salmon spawning, the ecosystem will collapse and the food supply for many species and humans will deplete greatly and may eventually disappear. Now Alaska is awaiting the decision of whether to leave the bay as it is now, and not disrupt the villages and salmon who depend on the peaceful water, or create a mine that could create many jobs and lots of money.

Gulf OIl Spill

It is obvious that BP did not have a real back-up plan, but simply a "copy and pasted" plan that was not effective to the Gulf. The fact that the back-up plan was very outdated and copied from an Arctic back-up plan, shows their lack of care for the situation, they just wanted to make the public assure that everything would be alright in the event that a spill actually happened. When the spill in the Gulf happened, the presence of their carelessness was publicized, and the public immediately wanted to now why their back-up plan was not in effect, and not working. Although the spill was well below BP's worst case scenario, "Scientists on a federal task force said in early August that the blown-out well had disgorged as much as 62, 000 barrels a day at the outset- an enormous flow rate". I was personally surprised when I realized from this article that BP was really not prepared for this accident. Although BP's burn fleet was in effect, and many people were helping, it still was not enough to fix the problem and clean up the massive amount of oil spilled into the Gulf. After 12 weeks of massive oil spill, the cap was finally placed on the well.
This information about the spill is vital for the general public to know. The major facts people need to be informed about isnt even the facts of how it happenned or how BP has failed in their attempts, it is the effects on the environment. Over decades the oil that is in lagoons or marshes can stay there for decades, degrading the environment. A major priority is to just keep the oil away from the beaches because they drive the economy in the areas affected. However, the environment in all areas affected is significant as well.

Thoughts on Bristol Bay

While first reading the article, I was startled by the fact that there are untouched areas in the United States and how valuable these areas are in terms of resources. The author described how this area in Alaska contains a vast amount of deposits of both gold and copper and is a home for salmon. The question faced after reading this article was what is the top priority on our agenda…preserving the Earth or improving the economy. Both sides have valid points to support their argument. For example, many Alaskans are shown to be concerned about the fact how if this area is industrialized then many jobs will be created for the Alaskan locals so that they can use this money for their children to get a higher education. However, others feel that even though this industrialization will help the economy, there will never be something like this site again. Therefore, this article questions our environmental worldview.

The general public most likely has no idea that such an issue even exists. Before reading this article, I never knew that a place as beautiful as this existed and nor did I know that it had so much potential to help the economy. This is a very important matter because the results of following through on this project may be beneficial for the economy however it may be disastrous for the animals such as the salmon, for which this area is a home, since this project may lead to contamination of water and acid damage. By spreading awareness of such issues, it allows us to ponder the fact what is more important…Mother Nature or money. And this is the question that each American will have to ask themselves in deciding whether it is fair to go on and continue this project.

Oil Spill Reflections

Awareness about the BP Gulf oil spill is of the utmost importance. All along the way BP and other large oil companies cut corners to speed production rates. These "corner-cuts" are repeatedly overlooked until we have a major disaster like this. Now looking back, the alarming number of bad decisions from BP are exposed at a terrifying rate. "The decisions [BP] made when they had indications that the well was not stable, the decision to have one long pipe, the decision to have only six centralizers instead of 21 to create the best possible cement job—some of these things were very surprising to us here," says Ognedal, the director general of the Petroleum Safety Authority Norway (PSA). The PSA, after a Norwegian incident, outlined several safe practices for offshore drilling, many of which BP failed to take into account. What's even scarier is the fact that BP did not have an adequate recovery plan in case of an emergency. Even though they knew they were having complications at the drilling site, they still failed to manifest an appropriate action plan: "The company claimed that it could recover nearly 500,000 barrels a day using standard technology, so that even a worst-case spill would do minimal harm to the Gulf's fisheries and wildlife—including walruses, sea otters, and sea lions." Obviously, there are no walruses, sea otters, or sea lions in the Gulf's warm waters. It seems BP just copied previous action plans from other locations disregarding the many number of unique species they could cause harm to in the event of a spill. Additionally, they only managed to recover 25,000 barrels a day so apparently recovering 500,000 is not at all "standard" and is indeed a major over-exaggeration. It is an outrage to me that only a small number of the 126 members working on the crew at this site actually worked for BP because of their mass outsourcing since their merger with Amoco and ARCO. A shocking 4.9 million barrels of oil was estimated to have been released into the gulf, while BP removed only a fourth of that. The environmental effects of the spill have the potential to be devastating. Although oil is broken down fairly quickly by bacteria on the turbulent ocean side, areas where the water is still and dark, the oil falls deep and without high oxygen zones it can persist for decades. Fisherman Gustavo Mateos Moutiel remembers the horrible effects of the Ixtoc oil spill: "The Ixtoc spill about destroyed all the reefs. Octopus gone. Urchins gone. Oysters gone. Conch gone. Fish almost all gone. Our families were hungry. The petroleum on the beach was halfway up our knees." It is estimated that it can take 15-20 years for fishermen's catches to restore their normality, a time frame that will likely force them into other professions. The quote concluding the article struck me as again we are beckoned with a warning to do something profound to change our nasty ways with signs from some higher power: " 'Incidents like this are inevitable as we drill in deeper and deeper waters. We're playing a very dangerous game here. If this isn't a call to green power, I don't know what is.'

Americans burn nearly 20 million barrels of oil a day. In early August the U.S. Senate adjourned for the summer without taking up an energy bill." The word that keeps coming to my mind concerning this issue is fail. Failure to do the job correctly in the first place. Failure to accurately calculate a recovery strategy. Failure to be accountable for all the damage they have done. BP, and our government, have certainly failed us all.