Wolves and Beavers in Yellowstone National Park

The elimination of two animal groups from Yellowstone National Park changed the course of rivers and decreased plant and animal diversity. What two animals had such a big impact?  Creatures that humans have long considered competitors and pests: wolves and beavers. Why Eliminate Wolves? It all started with good intentions. In the 1800s, wolves were seen as a threat to settlers’ livestock. Fear of the wolves also made it seem logical to eliminate them. Other predator populations such as bears, cougars, and coyotes were also hunted during this time in order to enhance other, preferred species. By the early 1970s, a survey of Yellowstone National Park showed no evidence of a wolf population. How Did a Lack of Wolves Change the Physical Geography of the Park? Without wolves to thin herds, elk and deer populations surpassed the park carrying capacity. Despite efforts to manage deer and elk populations, their preferred food sources of aspen and willow trees were decimated.  This resulted in a lack of food for beavers and their populations declined. Without beaver dams to slow the flow of rivers and create appropriate habitat, water-loving willows nearly disappeared.  The lack of shallow marshes created by beaver dams also decreased the quality of habitats for birds, amphibians, and other animals.  Rivers became faster and deeper. Reintroduction of the Wolves The process to restore habitat conditions was made possible with the passage of the 1973 Endangered Species Act. The law compelled US Fish and Wildlife Service to reestablish endangered populations when possible. Yellowstone National Park became one of three designated recovery sites for the Gray Wolf.  Amid much controversy, wolf reintroduction finally began in 1994 with the capture of wild wolves from Canada that were released in Yellowstone. A few years later, wolf populations stabilized and a wonderful story emerged about the restoration of park ecology.  It was hoped that with reduced elk populations, beavers would have access to their favored food and return to create lush wetlands. The return of the previously maligned wolf would transform the ecosystem for the better. It was a wonderful vision and some of it has come true, but nothing is ever easy in the restoration of complex ecosystems. Why Yellowstone Needs to Have Beavers Come Back Beavers have not returned to Yellowstone for a simple reason — they need food. Willows are preferred by beavers for dam construction and nutrition; however, despite the decline in the elk population, willows have not been recovering at the pace predicted.  The potential reason for this is a lack of the marshy habitat that favors their growth and expansion. Willows thrive in areas where soil is kept moist from regular flow of nearby water. Rivers in Yellowstone run faster and have steeper banks than they did during the era with beavers.  Without beaver ponds and meandering, slow-flow areas, willow trees are not thriving. Without willows, beavers are less likely to return.   Scientists have tried to resolve this dilemma by building dams that recreate beaver habitats. So far, willows have not spread into these man-made ponding areas.  Time, rainy conditions, and still lower elk and deer populations may all need to converge before there will be mature willows to lure back a large beaver population. Yellowstone Wolf Restoration Still a Great Story The great debate over how fully wolves have restored Yellowstone ecology may go on for years, but scientists seem to agree that the wolves have improved conditions. Wildlife biologists have noted that endangered grizzly bears often manage to steal wolf kills. This could be critical if other food sources such as fish populations continue to decline. Coyote and foxes still thrive, but in smaller numbers; perhaps due to competition with wolves. Fewer small predators have allowed populations of rodents and other small mammals to recover. It has even been suggested that deer and elk health has improved because they must move more quickly and remain alert with wolves in the area. Wolves in Yellowstone Today The expansion of the wolf population has been amazing. In 2011, the US Fish and Wildlife Service estimated that there were about 1,650 wolves in Yellowstone National Park. In addition, the wolves were taken off the endangered-species list in Idaho and Montana. Today, the packs in Yellowstone range from two to eleven wolves. The size of the packs varies with the size of the prey. Wolves are currently hunted in areas surrounding Yellowstone National Park. The National Park Service is still monitoring the wolf population in the park and surrounding areas. Hope for the Beaver? Beavers are among the most persistent wildlife on the planet.  Their reputation of nuisance comes from the challenge of discouraging them once they become attached to a stream or river. While they prefer willows, they can survive from other tree species, such as aspens. The National Park Service continues to monitor the beaver population. It is possible that over time the combination of reduced elk populations, improving aspens and willows, and a wet weather period could combine to create ideal conditions for their return.

Reaction paper 2 Free Essay Example, 750 words

Part 2 The usefulness of the term â€Å"patriarchy† for understanding gender relations Walby describes patriarchy as the husband’s control over hisproperty, and the woman’s subservience to him negates her having her own property, and her exclusion from paid work is the mechanism by which she remains under his control. The term â€Å"patriarchy† connotes the domineering role of men over women. Ostensibly, patriarchy is the means by which women were subjugated into roles of childbearer and child rearers. Bradley (date) admits that many contemporary marital unions are described as companionate rather than patriarchal, but still asserts that family life is still largely androcentric (p. 152). Even in Asian cultures, patriarchy enforces gender inequality. Afshar and Agarwal (1989) classify the Tamil society as strongly patriarchal, with the father’s dominance expressed in the family values and behaviour patterns of his wife and children (p. 182). Division of labour related to constructions of gender Bradley states that the capitalist relations are gender-stratified. Gender construction being intimately related to the physical differences between men and women, the women’s role of childbearer and, thereafter, child rearer, confined their perceived capacities to be nurturers and, as such, responsible for the care of the family and for meeting their needs. We will write a custom essay sample on Reaction paper 2 or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now Thus, work is segregated according to gender in line with preconceived notions of what skills are classified as â€Å"male† and which â€Å"female†. In Afshar and Agarwal (1989), sexual division of labor was seen to play a strong reinforcing force confirming the primacy of men and submission of women. Women in Tamil society may work as tea-pluckers, rubber-tappers or coconut plantation workers, but they were still responsible for attending to the needs of the family. Household work is taken over by the daughters as they grew up, as it is considered the purview of women since cooking, cleaning, laundry and caring for the children was considered â€Å"natural† for women (p. 183 ) Significance of class for analysing gender Class appears not to be closely related to gender discrimination in the minds of American students (Chancer we are acutely aware that class plays a decisive role in social relations†(p. 78). Thus, it is not that class is not significant to the understanding of the gender divide, but that class is anathema to the social psyche of Americans, because the idea that certain advantages are attendant to those born rich, and disadvantages to those born poor, is not acceptable to the highly individualistic American consciousness. It is different in the context of a country that acknowledges a strong distinction between the classes, such as the Sri Lankan caste system, reinforced by religious beliefs. Afshar and Agarwal (1989) point out that the values of caste ascribe to women an inferior status to that of men. Materialist approaches to gender and its limitations Walby (date) depicts the importance of labour power and the income produced thereform. The husband, she explains, is in control of his labour power for which reason he exercises control over the material fruits of his labour. On the other hand, the wife is seen as rendering labour subservient to the husband in his home, for which she is not paid and is therefore not in control of the fruits of her labour. Afshar and Agarwal (1989) relate conditions of wealth and poverty to gender differences, insofar as Tamil women have no control over the family resources. Nevertheless, it is noticed that in south India, women of higher caste were less outspoken and forthright than women of lower class. Because of their greater finesse, they had less control over their material resources. On the other hand, lower-caste women would be less schooled in the niceties of social graces, and because they tend to nag their husbands more, they are able to force their husband to relinquish some measure of control over the material resources, allowing the wife to exercise some discretion particularly where the needs of the household have to be met. From the ideological viewpoint, it is a further limitation that the Marxist approach is very simplistic and linear, in the sense that it describes certain phenomena according to the rise of other factors, and vice-versa, a fact that constricts the explanation of such phenomena. Furthermore, it supports the materialist conditions that gave rise to ideologies, the converse of which could likewise possibly be true. In this matter, the approach proves itself by nature to be deterministic and generalizing. Conclusion In the study of gender inequality, the concepts of patriarchy, materialism, and division of labour play significant roles, although class distinctions may or may not be helpful depending upon the social attitude towards social stratifications into classes or castes. Additionally, and more importantly, the connotation of patriarchy is of such breadth that it encompasses and is encompassed by other concepts as well. These other concepts, which include race, class, ethnicity and sexuality, may interchangeably overlap with gender. Finally, materialist approaches are likewise significant, because they imply power relations and structures that themselves give rise to other power relations.

T.s. Eliot Essay - 1241 Words

As one of Americas first modernist poets, T. S. Eliots unique style and subject matter would have a dramatic influence on writers for the century to come. Born in 1888 in St. Louis Mo. at the tail end of the quot;Cowboy eraquot; he grew up in the more civilized industrial era of the early 20th century, a time of the Wright Brothers and Henry Ford. The Eliot family was endowed with some of the best intellectual and political connections in America of that time, and as a result went to only the best schools. By 1906 he was a freshman in Harvard, finishing his bachelors in only 3 years and studying philosophy in France from 1910 to 1914, the outbreak of war. In 1915 the verse magazine Poetry published Eliots first notable piece, The†¦show more content†¦This marked contrast in opinions seems to be expected from one who wrote such controversial poems. In The WasteLand he was quot;highly concerned with the regeneration of the fragmented modern worldquot; and used a more mythical touch, somewhat akin to Homers Ulysses. Eliots viewed his giving the literary work structure the mythical method itself, something he learned from Joyce Leavell. Leavell even said quot;The assumption of the mythical method is that our culture and language once had a pervasive meaningfulness which has been lost in our increasingly rational and discontinuous society, but that by recovering the lost myth from within our culture, poets can restore mythic unity to literature.quot; amp;#9;So why was did was this poet often considered to be so controversial at times? quot;I am an Anglo-Catholic in religion, a classicist in literature, and a royalist in politics.quot; T.S. Eliot so defined, and even exaggerated, his own conservatism. The ideas of this stimulating writer were perhaps traditional, but the way in which he expressed them was extremely modern. Eliot was one of the first to reject conventional verse forms and language. His experiments with free expression contributed to his reputation as one of the most influential writers ofShow MoreRelatedThe Wasteland by T.S. Eliot1017 Words   |  4 PagesT.S. Eliot’s most famous poem â€Å"The Wasteland,† a grim picture of post-war London is analyzed as being the most important poetic work of the twentieth century. The first glance at this poem leads one to the conclusion that the content of this piece is bleak and depressing. The assumption can be made that Eliot has diagnosed his society with a te rminal disease, which he chooses to describe through his poem. After further analyzing â€Å"The Wasteland† it can be seen that out of the dust of this barren placeRead MoreT.S Eliot2104 Words   |  9 PagesEliots attitude was reflected in his work. A quote from T. S. Eliot: The Man and His Work states, Eliot was a man with the highest standards in his poetry, his critisism, and his behavior to others. ( Spender 34). Perhaps much of this can be attributed to his birth toward the end of the Victorian Era. Eliots background also had a major effect on his writing style. He was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on September 26, 1888. Though Eliot was born in America, he spent much of his life in England. AlthoughRead MoreThe Wasteland, by T.S. Eliot857 Words   |  4 Pagestwentieth century, T.S. Eliot transformed the traditional poetry form into a more modern style. Eliot was born in St. Louis, Missouri on September 26, 1888. At the age of 25, Eliot moved to England where he bega n his career as a poet. Eliot greatly attracted the modernist movement, which was poetry written in the reaction of Victorian poetry. His first poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, was known as one of the most famous pieces of the Modernist movement. In his poetry, Eliot combines themesRead MoreEssay on T.S. Eliot704 Words   |  3 PagesT.S. Eliot T.S. Eliot is said to be one of the most influential modernist poets of our time. His poetry, although very complex is the subject of literary classes and discussions around the world. His poems â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† and â€Å"The Waste Land† are not only alike in his literary style, but also share the same theme of unsuccessful male and female relationships. Eliot experienced a very unsuccessful relationship with the opposite sex when he was married to a drug-addictedRead MoreEssay T.S. Eliot and Modernism931 Words   |  4 Pagestwentieth century produced works of poetry and prose which were unique to the form. The writing style of modernism was unprecedented and reflective of the socio-political events of the period. T.S Eliot was a pre-eminent figure in modernism publishing many important works of prose and poetry in his lifetime. â€Å"Eliot forged a style of aggressively fragmentary, urban poetry, full of indelicate, ‘unpoeticâ₠¬â„¢ images and diction† (OXFORD BRITLIT) Eliot’s â€Å"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock† is a poem that fullyRead MoreThe Wasteland by T.S. Eliot Essay558 Words   |  3 PagesThe Wasteland by T.S. Eliot In the poem, The Waste Land, T. S. Eliot gives a primarily positive connotation by using the theme of speech, language, and failure of speech. In each of the sections, Eliot shows how speech and communication are important in life. He also shows that speech cannot always accomplish what actions can. The way the characters in the poem use speech show that speech and communication are important. A Game of Chess This section may be the best example of communicationRead More Gerontion by T.S. Eliot Essay1629 Words   |  7 PagesNature: Effects of Revision in Gerontion After such knowledge, what forgiveness? Think now History has many cunning passages, contrived corridors And issues, deceives with whispering ambitions, Guides us by vanities. These lines from T.S. Eliots Gerontion (1429, 34-37) appear in the final version of the poem, published in 1920. The speaker of this dramatic monologue is an old man sitting inside a â€Å"decayed house.† The reference to knowledge invokes the original sin of Adam and EveRead MoreEssay on T.s. Eliot And Society1454 Words   |  6 Pagesdaily lives to find greater reasoning. T.S. Eliot is considered to be one of the most prominent poets and playwrights of his time and his works are said to have promoted to â€Å"reshape modern literature† (World Book). He was born in 1888 in St. Louis, Missouri and studied at Harvard and Oxford. It was at Harvard where he met his guide and mentor Ezra Pound, a well-known modernist poet. Pound encouraged Eliot to expand his writing abilities and publish his work. Eliot became an England citizen in 1925 andRead MoreT.S. Eliot the Wasteland Essay1371 Words   |  6 Pages Oh keep the Dog far hence, that’s friend to men, Or with his nails hell dig it up again! You! Hypocrite lecteur! – mon semblable, - mon frà ¨re! T.S. Eliot, â€Å"The Burial of the Dead†, The Waste Land, lines 60-76. T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land is a Modernist piece of literature. Combining â€Å"traditional content† and radical style, Eliot has captured the tension between past and present. For him, the past is at once nostalgic, yet responsible for the present shared post-war â€Å"sense of desolationRead MoreWilliam Wordsworth and T.S. Eliot814 Words   |  4 PagesWilliam Wordsworth and T.S. Eliot are both excellent and admirable poets from different time periods that have very distinct views on what it means to be a true poet. On one hand Wordsworth strived to be unique, romantic and sentimental in a time where people needed a poet as such. On the other hand, Eliot lived in a time where romanticism and sentimentalism did not satisfy readers that needed something less elevated and more realistic. Although they had opposing views neither is right or wrong and

Securities and Exchange Commission free essay sample

The Securities and Exchange Commission is a government agency with the primary responsibility of enforcing the federal securities laws and regulating the securities industry or stock market. The main reason for the creation of the (U.S.) SEC in 1934 as an independent, non-partisan, quasi-judicial agency was to regulate the stock market and prevent corporate abuses relating to the offering and sale of securities and corporate reporting. The SEC was given the power to license and regulate stock exchanges. The SEC, as allowed by the Congress, can bring â€Å"civil enforcement actions against individuals or companies found to have committed accounting fraud, provide false information or engaged insider trading or other violations of the securities law.† It was designed to promote full public disclosure and to protect the investing public fraudulent and manipulative practices in the securities market. The U.S. SEC is composed five commissioners appointed by the U.S. President and approved by the Senate and one of them is appointed as the Chairman of the Commission – the agency’s chief executive. We will write a custom essay sample on Securities and Exchange Commission or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page    The responsibilities of this regulatory agency are organized into four Divisions and 18 offices, all located in Washington, DC. However, there are also Securities and Exchange Commission agencies in other countries, independent or separate from the U.S. SEC. Since the SEC oversees the inspection of securities firms, brokers, investment advisers and ratings agencies, it can closely monitor the regularities, or its lack thereof, in firms and take the necessary action against those committing fraud and manipulative acts. It can righteously propose and implement rules regarding the operations of the securities markets. As mandated by SEC, public companies submit quarterly and annual reports as part of its statutory requirement. This is crucial for the investors to make sound decisions when investing in the capital markets. Through this, the SEC can appropriately keep an eye on the operations of its registered firms thereby achieving assuring fair and factual undertakings. Reference US Securities and Exchange Commission. 2007, September 11. â€Å"The Investor’s Advocate: How the SEC Protects Investors, Maintains Market Integrity, and Facilities Capital Formation†. Retrieved October 29, 2007, from http://www.sec.gov/about/whatwedo.shtml#laws.