Fall 2015 Presentation Topics

Group 1 presentation topic for September 23, 2015:

Aldo Leopold referred to himself as a conservationist. Others accuse him of being a preservationist. Define, compare, and contrast these two philosophies for us, and – based on what you read in Part 2 of “A Sand County Almanac” - give us your verdict (or verdicts) on which label should be applied to Mr. Leopold.

Group 2 presentation topic for September 23, 2015:

Read Lynn White’s"The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis". Present to the class an overview of the article and White’s arguments, focusing specifically on these questions:

• From White’s article list a few examples where man has changed his environment. 

• According to White what is the greatest event in human history since the invention of agriculture?

• According to White what was the greatest psychic revolution in the history of our culture and what are the implications of that revolution?

• What is animism and how does Christianity’s defeat of it result in an ecological crisis?

• White’s concluding remark is “Hence we shall continue to have a worsening ecological crisis until we reject the Christian axiom that nature has no reason for existence save to serve man.” Do you feel White is correct in his conclusion? Why?  

Group 3 presentation topic for October 7, 2015:

Provide the class with an overview of Michael Soule’s article “What is conservation biology?”. Define the term for us, give us some real-world examples of conservation biologists in action. Be sure to also highlight how conservation biology relates to wilderness, as well as connections to other concepts we’ve covered such as biocentrism, ecocentrism, and Deep Ecology.

Group 4 presentation topic for October 14, 2015

Give us an overview of Michael Soule’s article “An Unflinching Vision”. What is the “vision” to which Soule refers? Teach us about what Soule says concerning habitat fragmentation, its various effects, and what this has to do with wilderness areas. What is the “alternative” he argues for? What are the three forms of conservation advocacy that Soule discusses and how does this relate to Deep Ecology?

Group 5 presentation topic for October 28, 2015
Teach us about John Muir. What did he have to do with wilderness in the United States? Why should we care about him?

Group 6 presentation topic presentation topic for November 4, 2015:

Gifford Pinchot and John Muir were contemporaries during the birth of the American conservation and wilderness movements. Teach us about who Gifford Pinchot was, what his place was in the history of American conservation. Pay specific attention to Pinchot’s friendship/conflicts with John Muir and how the two men’s philosophies differed/overlapped.

Topics to choose from for your group's second presentation:

These topics are available on a first come basis. Your group will provide me with a note designating your topic choice signed by all members. 

Groups 1, 2, and 3 will present on December 2, 2015:

Groups 4, 5, and 6 will present on December 9, 2015:

1. The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness is the most visited wilderness area in the United States. Provide the class with an overview of the area’s natural and human history. Be sure to cover the significance of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness Act of 1978.

2. Teach the class about the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline. Use these questions to guide you: What exactly is proposed? Is it a threat to wilderness areas? If so, how? What are tar sands? What are the pros/cons presented by the two sides, and are their points valid? President Obama turned down the project in January of 2011, so why isn’t the issue dead?

3. Alaska is truly the last frontier when it comes to wilderness. The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has come up time and again in the news as a possible site for oil exploration, but few people have a concrete idea of what the Refuge is like (or even where it is, exactly). Introduce us to ANWR – what is it, why should we care about it, and – in your humble opinions- should oil companies be allowed to “drill, baby, drill”?

4. What is the Y 2 Y initiative? How did it begin?

What are its main goals?

What are the main wildlife species that would benefit from the realization of Y 2 Y?

What are the obstacles to the Y 2 Y vision?

How far along is the initiative? Has there been progress made?

5. Invasive species are an “ever-growing” concern in wilderness (and other natural) areas around the world. What is the difference between alien species and invasive alien species? How did these most of these species come to be in the US? Why are they such a threat? What is being done about it? Give us a general overview of the invasive species problem in the United States, (and/or New York State in particular), using at least three of the following specific examples to illustrate your points:

Pythons in the Everglades

Giant Hogweed (NYS)

Zebra Mussel (NYS)

Northern Snakehead

Multiflora Rose (NYS)

Garlic Mustard (NYS)

Japanese Knotweed (NYS)

6. Tell us the story of the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.

• What was it like before the Dam? What about now?
• What were the arguments for and against the dam?
• Was the only purpose, as Abbey accused in “Down the River”, “…the generation of cash through electricity?”
• Does the Lake’s popularity (more than 1.9 million visitors in 2008) justify the dam’s presence? 

7. In the article “Nature as Amusement Park” by McClellan, the author pits the desires of ORV-users and the like against those of individuals who are more closely aligned with Aldo Leopold’s “land ethic”. Focus in on the issue – should ORV be allowed in designated wilderness areas? Stage a brief debate for us, giving us both sides of the issue.

8. Provide the class with an overview of chapter 9 (The Wilderness Cult) from Roderick Nash’s Wilderness and the American Mind. Keep in mind that you should research beyond the pages of Nash’s book. Nash uses this chapter to argue that there was a major shift in attitudes toward wilderness in the 1800s and not just among the privileged classes. Discuss the shift and give examples, including these points.

·   Who was Joe Knowles and what did he do? According to Nash, what was his greatest accomplishment?

·   What were the facets of the “wilderness cult” see pg. 145)?

·   Tell us about Frederick Jackson Turner and his work.

·   The founding of the Boy Scouts of America

·   Discuss Teddy Roosevelt’s role in the “wilderness cult”

·   Natural history’s emergence as a literary genre.

·   Who was Robert Underwood Johnson?

9. Provide the class with an overview of The American Environmental Values Survey. (click article title to get the  text) 

• What were the organization(s) and methods behind the survey? 

• How does the information regarding American attitudes relate to what we’ve discussed about anthropocentrism vs. biocentrism/ecocentrism?

• Do you feel this survey is an accurate representation of the landscape of American attitudes? Why or why not?

• How does this survey relate to wilderness?

10. Watch The Adirondacks (2008), a PBS documentary focusing on New York’s own 6-million-acre Adirondack Park. The Park provides us with a perfect example of the struggle between wilderness and civilization, preservation vs. conservation. Give the class an overview of what the Adirondack Park is like, the conflicts among the various factions within and without the Park, and how it all relates to what we’ve learned about wilderness

11. In “Industrial Tourism and the National Parks”, Edward Abbey argues for the removal of cars from our National Parks. At the core of his argument is the issue of accessibility. Put on a brief debate for the class on the topic of:

National Parks should be accessible to all – they are for people

vs.

National parks are for nature; by making them accessible to all, we ruin what makes them worth preserving.