Hello? Mia?
Hello! Mia! Anyone!
[Coughs]
Oh, I think it's letting up. Oh, Mia, there you are! Wow, I, uh,
I thought Kansas was supposed to be green and beautiful, not covered in all this dust.
Can you imagine what it would be like to live on what was supposed to be the best farmland
in the country and have it rapidly become an infertile wasteland covered in sand?
What if your family were farmers? What would you do?
This was the reality for over 2 million Americans during the Dust Bowl in the Midwest in the 1930s.
Wow, Mia, I guess the environment around us really can have a huge impact on our lives! I mean,
would you want to live here? In today's lesson, we'll journey throughout the U.S.
to take a closer look at how expansion has impacted the environment in different regions.
We'll answer the following guiding questions along the way: How has human
movement influenced the physical environment? How did expansion impact various species?
What efforts have been made to protect and restore the environment? We'll also address the essential
question: What are the consequences of human activity on the environment? Let's get into it!
OK, Mia, let's start our journey by figuring out why we're breathing in so much dust in Kansas.
It looks like we found ourselves in the 1930s, the era of the Dust Bowl. The Dust Bowl was a
period of severe dust storms that ravaged the North American prairies. These storms
caused major ecological and agricultural damage. But, what triggered the Dust Bowl?
The answer lies in a combination of overfarming due to an influx of farmers to the region,
new farming techniques, and shortsighted practices that failed to preserve the
prairie's native grasses that helped to keep the soil intact, moist, and healthy.
Let's look at how poor agricultural practices and planning changed the prairies.
The prairies only receive a moderate amount of rain, so the combination of the destruction
of native grasses and deep plowing allowed the soil to dry up and become loose on the surface.
When drought hit, the exposed, overplowed soil turned into fine dust and was carried
away in enormous dust storms. This disaster was a stark example of human activities
such as expansion and intensive farming directly triggering environmental changes.
Now think for a moment, could humans have interacted with the environment
differently to prevent such a disaster? Uh, no, Mia, don't answer that question
yet. Another dust storm is rolling in! Let's get out of here and look at another example.
As people expanded across the continent, they changed their surroundings to make
new places habitable and profitable, often with unintended consequences.
I have never been happier to be out of the dust and in the rain. Here we are in Washington state,
where we are definitely not in a drought. But, uh, why is there so much mud?
Well, as settlers cleared vast forests for farming and urban
development in Washington and throughout the West, they disrupted the ecosystem.
Tree roots stabilize the soil, so when they're removed, the risk of landslides increases.
The very act of making land suitable for human habitation increased the danger of natural
disasters. Settlers were then impacted by landslides that would take out roads,
their homes, and in some cases, their lives.
All right, I need a break from all these natural disasters, but before we go,
pause here to answer the question: How has human movement influenced the physical environment?
Mia and I decided to stop at a wildlife conservatory to
learn more about how human activities have impacted ecosystems and species.
Look, bison! We learned about these in our lesson on expansion and Native Americans.
Once roaming freely in the millions across the plains, the mighty bison nearly vanished in the
19th century. With the expansion of railroads and fences, white settlers could easily reach
the heart of bison country. Hunted for sport, for their skins, to displace Native Americans,
and sometimes just to clear the land, the bison population plummeted. This overhunting nearly
led to the extinction of a species that was a critical part of the Great Plains' ecosystem.
The bison were important because their grazing promoted new plant growth, their manure fertilized
the soil, and their migration patterns contributed to the biodiversity of the region. Without them,
plant life suffered, and other species in the area found it harder to survive.
But the effects of expansion didn't stop with the bison.
As humans transformed the land for farming and used pesticides and fertilizers to enhance
agricultural production, they inadvertently harmed many other species, like bees.
While you may think that bees are just a nuisance, they're actually an important species. Since the
1960s, they've been dying off in large numbers due to a combination of factors, including pesticide
exposure, habitat loss, and disease. The decrease in bee populations is alarming because bees play
a crucial role in pollination, which is essential for the growth of many of the fruits, vegetables,
and nuts we consume, hence impacting our food security and agricultural economy.
Can you think of any other species that may have been affected by U.S. expansion?
Pause here to think about the species still impacted by human activities today.
Human expansion and activities have had far-reaching implications for countless
species and ecosystems. These examples show the importance of considering all
inhabitants of this land when making decisions, not just humans. Let's pause
and answer our second guiding question: How did expansion impact various species?
Wow, Mia, now this place is beautiful! We made it to the final destination of our trip,
Crater Lake National Park. I think we might even be able to meet up with some friends here.
Even as people were expanding across the continent, there were those who
understood the importance of preserving and restoring the environment. These people set
the precedent for human activities that help to protect and restore our natural wonders!
Let's consider the story of President Theodore, or "Teddy," Roosevelt,
a proponent of U.S. expansionism and imperialism who was himself an avid conservationist. Roosevelt
understood the impacts that uncontrolled expansion could have on our natural resources.
He recognized that while progress was important, conservation was essential
for the long-term health of our nation and its people. The first national park in the U.S.,
Yellowstone, was created by Ulysses S. Grant 30 years before our story.
However, Roosevelt established five national parks during his presidency, the first one being Crater
Lake National Park in Oregon, established in 1902, where we are now over a hundred years later.
While serving as president, Roosevelt also initiated 18 national monuments,
51 bird sanctuaries, and 150 national forests, and kick-started the National
Wildlife Refuge system. In total, Roosevelt helped protect 230 million acres of public land!
National parks and federally protected lands are important because they protect the best
part of our natural heritage: stunning landscapes, extraordinary wildlife, and awe-inspiring forests.
These parks preserve biodiversity and provide places for research, education, and recreation.
National parks and protected areas were intended to counterbalance the environmental impacts of
expansion. They not only protect nature's beauty and the species that live there,
but they also safeguard the ecosystem services that we depend on, like clean water and air.
National parks also impact human activity on the environment in a positive way by
inspiring people in nature. Some people who go to national parks learn about the environment
and become conservationists themselves. What do you think the U.S. would be like
without these federally protected lands? Take a moment to ponder this question in your PDF.
Hey! It's our friends! Here's the Miaplaza U.S. history team enjoying the benefits of the national
park system. We hope you and your family help to support and preserve the natural beauty around
us. It can be easy to feel overwhelmed by the environmental challenges we face, but remember,
just as there has always been damage, there have also always been those who strive to
protect and restore our environment. And those efforts have only grown over time!
Now, think about your personal impact on the environment. Is there anything you could do
to contribute to a healthier planet? Head to your PDF to reflect on this and our guiding
question: What efforts have been made to protect and restore the environment?
As we've seen, the growth of the United States had profound effects on our
environment. Understanding the interplay between human activities and nature is
crucial in our efforts to shape a sustainable future. Until next time, keep making history!