Acting Locally BIO 280 9/9/2013

Acting Locally My father was a teacher. He would take the family on educational camping trips to learn about the environment. One of the trips that was most memorable is the trip to Death Valley in California. Death Valley is an amazing place to visit if you love nature. There is so much to see and learn about. You will see faults, geologic formations, sand dunes, salt flats, and so much more. Death Valley has the lowest elevation in the United States. Death Valley dates back to the Ice Age and was covered by ice. It contains many species and beautiful landscapes. Ash Meadows is a wetland region with springs, small reservoirs, and streams. “The meadows are protected as national wildlife refuge principally for the many types of birds found there, but they also support fish, lizards, and various mammals, and provide the sole United States habit for no fewer than 24 species.” (americansouthwest.net, 2013) Devils Hole is a flooded cave entrance which provides the only remaining habitat for the endangered species the Devils Hole Pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis). Farming has caused a dramatic drop in the water level in the Ash Meadows. This drop threatens to expose spawning and feeding shelves of the Pupfish. The Pupfish has been around for thousands of years and calls this restrictive environment home. The water level changes caused by barometric pressure, evaporation, precipitation, tide forces and pumping from nearby farms. A fragile ecosystem like the wetlands at Ash Meadow can be at risk of degradation if groundwater is depleted. Ash Meadows provides a natural habitat for many endangered species. “Groundwater overdrafts can cause shallow water tables to fall and natural springs to dry up, resulting in a collapse of a whole ecosystem.” (Bergkamp & Cross, pg.4 2005) A proposed nuclear waste site at Yucca Mountain could cause groundwater contamination as the waste may leak through to the groundwater resources throughout Death Valley affecting Ash Meadow and Devils Hole. The Ash Meadow National Wildlife Refuge surrounds Devils Hole. It has provided some level of reclamation to the area. It began with the removal of non-native vegetation. It provides conservation and preservation in every way needed. The natural flow of groundwater is beginning to return to the area. The groundwater provides a natural form of water purification and waste management for the ecosystem. Death Valley has gone through many changes in recent years. There have been detoxification, restoration, and water purification projects. These changes have helped the ecosystem grow stronger and have caused little harm to the ecosystem. While the surrounding environment of an ecosystem is healthy with multiple species. It could be help by implementing a passive restoration plan. A passive restoration plan gives aid to the recovery of a large area of deforestation and degradation so an ecosystem can regenerate. In more damaged areas, an ecological rehabilitation plan may be needed for recovery. An ecological rehabilitation plan aims to improve the ecosystem’s processes to help it recover the flow of ecological service. This is the most common recovery plan in grazing areas, old mining sites, and wetlands. These plans can help the ecosystems to become sustainable. The ecosystems can and will become strong and grow. Management Plans Ecosystem management is defined as a process that aims to conserve major ecological services and restore natural resources while meeting the socioeconomic, political, and cultural needs of current and future generations. The management plans for the Death Valley ecosystems have many equally tiered parts. The plan of action of the management plan touches areas that include air quality, cave resources, geological resources, paleontological resources, noise and overflights, night sky, species and habitats of special consideration, water resources and view sheds. I will not touch on every area of this comprehensive list but I will discuss the more important topics. The air quality plan will monitor the air quality, participate in the national air quality network and monitor ozone and particulate matter. Cave resources plan include the avoidance of the development of caves to perpetuate natural conditions while seeking to protect the resources. Species and habitats of special consideration will focus on the identification and promotion of conservation for all endangered species and their critical habitats within the park. It will manage and protect the Devils Hole and the pupfish and other plants and animals. The water resource plan includes striving to maintain water levels at Devils Hole. It will eliminate unneeded facilities, restore natural water resources to be self-sustaining and provide water developments for native plants and wildlife. The plan is a large undertaking that will take years to finally be completed but the plan is cost effective. It will leave the ecosystems and park in better shape than it is right now. It will enable the area to grow stronger and remain in healthy form into the future. (Death Valley National Park, 2013) Prioritize There are many species that inhabit Death Valley that are on the endangered species list. The first priority should be the Devils Hole Pupfish. Devils Hole is the only place on Earth that these fish are found. “Since population surveys began, Devil Hole Pupfish numbers have not exceed 533 individuals.” (Deserts Death Valley, 2013) There has been an automatic feeder put in place. There have been monitoring equipment and high security fences have been erected to prevent the disturbing of the pupfish. The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher was on the verge of extinction. These songbirds had its numbers cut by 90 percent. After some campaigning by locals, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declared this bird endangered in 1995. Since then the numbers have been on a steady increase. The ecosystems, Devils Hole and Ash Meadow, are priorities. There are many plans focusing on different areas of the ecosystems intended to protect and preserve this incredible wonders of nature. “Although the California Desert Protection Act of 1994 formally protected millions of acres in Death Valley, the park’s unique biologic and geologic assets continue to face degradation from numerous species.” (Preserving Death Valley, 2013) The biggest threats are air pollution, invasive species, water mining, overgrazing, and human activity. Because it is a desert, globally warming and climate change do not have a major impact on the ecosystem. These threats are being studied and removed if possible in order to keep the ecosystems healthy and strong. The plans have been established to combat these threats. The air quality is closely monitored to combat air pollution. Biologists are restoring native plants in order to combat invasive plant life. A water source has been secured to help the Devil Hole pupfish to maintain its numbers through legislation. Overgrazing is a problem caused by burros, a program is in place that has reduced the burro population in Death Valley to less than hundred. I feel that the plans have been established to properly take care of these wonderful ecosystems. If I was to rank the priorities, I feel that ceasing exploitation activities is the most important. The biggest threat to any ecosystem is human activity. The plans are there to protect these ecosystems from natural occurrence and human activity. But this area is growing in human population quickly. It would be wise to monitor the activities in Death Valley and surrounding area. So a plan can be enacted to combat future exploitation. The management plans and plans to combat threats to biodiversity are ranked lower and of equal value. I feel this way because this plans are extensive and focus on many of the problems facing the ecosystem. There has been much effort and research put into the establishment of these plans and enacting these plans. The plans encourage biodiversity and allow it to thrive. If a problem arises that could damage biodiversity, it is dealt with in a quick manner. The cost of these plans are economically feasible when compared to other plans in other areas of the country. The plans could always use improvement but these plans are adaptable to different concerns and cover many areas. Practical and Political Actions The biggest political action is help protect these ecosystems is the California Desert Protection Act. This act established the area as a national park and is protected by the government. It provides these ecosystems with the means to support biodiversity and conservation. A second political action is the laws passed to protect the water level in the caverns that the pupfish live. It protects against agriculture in nearby areas from lowering the water level needed for the pupfish’s survival. The best practical action is to protect areas of the ecosystem from human activity. There are so many amazing creatures in Death Valley. We need to allow them to thrive and not destroy their habitats. Another practical action is to be aware of your surroundings and absorb the education that is Death Valley. Conclusion There are many plans to protect the Death Valley ecosystems. I have described and prioritized some of them. This is a beautiful area that inhabits many organisms. There are some endangered species living in Death Valley. The pupfish lives in Death Valley and nowhere else on the planet. The plans are established to protect and conserve the ecosystems and their biodiversity. They are economically feasible. Death Valley is a place filled with amazing geologic formations. It is an incredible place to visit if you enjoy the environment and want it to be protected.

References
Ash Meadows (2013) Retrieved from http://www.americansouthwest.net
Bergkamp, G. & Cross, K. (2005) Groundwater and ecosystem services: towards their Sustainable use Retrieved from http://www.aguas.igme.es
Death Valley (2013) Retrieved from http://www.nps.gov
Desert Death Valley (2013) Retrieved from http://www.weebly.com
Preserving Death Valley (2013) Retrieved from http://www.ohranger.com