IN A WORKING LANDSCAPE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CAN MEAN
ANYTHING THAT GENERATES MONEY, DEVELOPMENT, OR JOBS.
IT CAN MEAN CREATING A NEW BUSINESS,
BUILDING A NEW HOME, FARMING NEW LAND,
USING NATURAL RESOURCES, OR TOURISM.
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HELPS US SUSTAIN OUR WAY OF LIFE,
WHETHER WE LIVE IN A LANDSCAPE OR MERELY BENEFIT FROM IT.
>> WE ALL WANT A BETTER STANDARD OF LIVING.
WE WANT A BETTER STANDARD OF LIVING FOR OUR KIDS,
SO WE WANT THERE TO BE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
WE WANT THERE TO BE BETTER JOBS.
WE WANT THERE TO BE MORE CHOICES IN JOBS.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE ALL WANT TO LIVE IN AN AREA
THAT HAS CLEAN WATER, HAS OPEN SPACES,
AND HAS PLACES TO GO WHERE WE CAN SEE WILDLIFE
AND JUST BE BY OURSELVES.
SO HOW DO WE INCORPORATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
WITH THOSE ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES?
THE KEY IS IN WORKING LANDSCAPES AND A SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
>> SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WITHIN A WORKING LANDSCAPE
NEEDS TO SUPPORT THE SOCIAL, ECOLOGICAL,
AND ECONOMIC NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY.
BUT HOW DO YOU DECIDE IF AN ECONOMIC ACTIVITY
IS SUPPORTIVE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT?
A FAMILY FARM IS THE TRADITIONAL ECONOMIC COMPONENT
WITHIN MANY WORKING LANDSCAPES.
FARMERS USE THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF THE LAND
TO CREATE A PRODUCT TO SELL.
BUT AS ECONOMIC PRESSURES INCREASE,
IT CAN BECOME MORE DIFFICULT TO BALANCE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE LAND
WITH PROPER CONSERVATION PRACTICES.
DEPENDING ON HOW A FARMER MANAGES THIS BALANCE,
A FARM COULD OR COULD NOT BE CONSIDERED
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT.
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ALTHOUGH FARMING HAS BEEN
AN OLD STANDBY IN WORKING LANDSCAPES FOR CENTURIES,
THERE ARE MANY NEW WAYS PEOPLE ARE FINDING
TO GENERATE INCOME FROM THE LANDSCAPE.
THIS BED AND BREAKFAST BUSINESS
COULD BE AN EXAMPLE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
THAT CAN SUSTAIN ALL THREE ELEMENTS OF A WORKING LANDSCAPE.
IN THIS IDEAL SITUATION, THE OWNER MEETS SOCIAL NEEDS
THROUGH THE INTERACTION BETWEEN VISITORS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS.
ECOLOGICAL NEEDS ARE MET BY
MAINTAINING THE NATURAL SURROUNDINGS AND
EDUCATING VISITORS ON THE UNIQUE ECOSYSTEMS OF THE LOESS HILLS.
ECONOMIC NEEDS ARE MET BY MAKING MONEY ON THE BUSINESS.
THIS BUSINESS OWNER HAS A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING
OF THE UNIQUE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE.
SOMETIMES UNDERSTANDING IS THE FIRST STEP
IN PLANNING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
>> IT'S A MATTER OF UNDERSTANDING, ONCE AGAIN,
WHAT YOU HAVE IN YOUR LANDSCAPE AREA AND WHAT'S IMPORTANT
AND HOW YOU WANT TO PRESERVE AND PROTECT THAT AREA.
ONCE YOU HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING HOW IT FUNCTIONS,
YOU'LL UNDERSTAND WHAT'S CRITICAL FOR
ITS SUPPORT AND SUSTAINABILITY, MUCH LIKE OUR HUMAN BODY.
WE HAVE A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING ON HOW OUR HEART FUNCTIONS,
AND WE KNOW THAT EATING A DIET LOW IN FAT,
EXERCISING WILL KEEP THAT HEART STRONG.
>> IN THE LOESS HILLS, MOST RESIDENTS BELIEVE
THAT THE HEART OF THE REGION IS ON THE FRONT FACE,
OR WEST SIDE, OF THE HILLS.
IT'S THE MOST VISIBLE AND THE MOST FRAGILE.
THE SOIL HERE IS MOST VULNERABLE TO EROSION,
AND THE RARE PRAIRIE PLANTS STRUGGLE TO KEEP THEIR FOOTING.
UNDERSTANDING THE FRAGILE ASPECTS OF THE FRONT FACE
CAN HELP SUSTAIN THIS LANDSCAPE.
BUT REGARDLESS OF UNDERSTANDING,
SOME SENSITIVE AREAS OF THE LOESS HILLS ARE STILL DISTURBED.
MINING FOR FILL DIRT AND GRAVEL
IS AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY THAT TAKES PLACE IN THESE HILLS,
AND IT'S A CONTROVERSIAL TOPIC.
>> I WISH THE COUNTY WOULD DO SOMETHING,
PUT AN OVERLAY ON THE HILLS,
IN WHICH THEY SAID THAT SOME OF THIS MINING IS RESTRICTED.
THE WAY IT IS RIGHT NOW, IT'S A PERSON'S RIGHT TO DO IT.
I STRONGLY DISAGREE WITH IT.
I THINK IT'S A MISTAKE TO DO IT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, A PERSON HAS THE RIGHT TO DO IT.
>> IT'S NOT ONLY IN THE LOESS HILLS.
IT'S WITH VIRTUALLY EVERY NATURAL COMMUNITY
ACROSS THE UNITED STATES.
YOU SEE MARSHES DRAINED FOR HOUSING DEVELOPMENTS,
GOLF COURSES, THINGS LIKE THAT.
WE'RE SLOWLY PICKING APART OUR RESOURCES.
AT SOME POINT IN TIME, THERE'S NOT GOING TO BE ANYTHING LEFT.
IT HAS TO STOP SOMETIME; THERE HAS TO BE A COMPROMISE
BETWEEN WHAT'S TOO MUCH AND WHAT'S NOT ENOUGH.
>> SOMETIMES THAT COMPROMISE SIMPLY MEANS CHOOSING
MORE APPROPRIATE METHODS AND LOCATIONS.
AFTER ALL, MINING DOES PROVIDE
JOBS, MONEY, AND NATURAL RESOURCES
THAT SOCIETY USES FOR DEVELOPMENT.
>> JUST SPEAKING IN TERMS OF THE LOESS HILLS HERE,
WE HAVE A NEED FOR ROCK, FOR LIMESTONE GRAVEL FOR ROADS
AND FOR ALL OF THE THINGS THAT WE UTILIZE THAT RESOURCE FOR
IN TERMS OF DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S NECESSARY THAT WE HAVE THOSE THINGS,
SO IT'S GOING TO BE NECESSARY THAT WE HAVE MINING.
BUT WE CAN BE STRATEGIC ABOUT THE WAY WE POSITION THOSE MINES
AND THE WAY THAT WE GO ABOUT DOING THAT.
ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND THAT
WHAT MAKES THIS REGION UNIQUE IS THE LOESS HILLS
AND THERE ARE WAYS THAT WE CAN EXTRACT THE RESOURCE WE NEED,
BUT WE CAN MAKE CONCESSIONS TO THE LAND
SO THAT IT CAN STILL OPERATE AS A FUNCTIONING SYSTEM.