Alligators have long been important to Louisianans for their skins (for belts, shoes, boots, luggage, watch bands, etc.), meat (sauce picante, gumbo, sausage, etc.), and, since the advent of nature-based tourism, as a magnet that draws visitors to the swamps. They have played a major role in our culture: We wear them, we eat them,Continue reading “Hunting Alligators”
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A Trust for Grand Staircase-Escalante
Private land trusts are proliferating around the nation as ways of preserving environmental values. So why not a federal land trust to manage the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument in southern Utah?
Incentives key to improving park service
Bozeman Daily Chronicle August 4, 1999 By Richard Stroup The special corner of God’s country called Yellowstone National Park is constantly in the news — and the news is often bad. We learn that there are too many visitors, too many elk, too many crumbling roads, and not enough money. On July 25 theContinue reading “Incentives key to improving park service”
Water, water everywhere, waiting for a market
Orange County RegisterJuly 18, 1999 CLAY LANDRYCopyright 1999 The Orange County Register THE WRITER: Mr. Landry is a research associate at the political Economy Research Center in Bozeman, Mont., and the author of "Saving Our Streams Through Water Markets: A Practical Guide." Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt called for water markets, conservation and aquifer recharge inContinue reading “Water, water everywhere, waiting for a market”
Poplars To The Rescue
The lowly poplar tree is well on its way to becoming the new hero of environmental cleanups. Fast-growing hybrid poplars can provide an economical and reliable way to clean contaminants from the soil. Scientists have found that poplars absorb a variety of chemicals which they safely store or release into the air as less volatileContinue reading “Poplars To The Rescue”
Saving Open Space
When a 930-acre farm went on the market near Yellow Springs, Ohio, a town known for its 1960s counterculture ambiance, the residents went to battle in the marketplace. Fearful that developers would buy the property at auction, residents earmarked $400,000 from a greenspace fund and organized an array of fund-raising events. A concert along withContinue reading “Saving Open Space”
Economic Value of Government-provided Information
Late 19th-century storm warnings from the U.S. Weather Service yielded substantial, positive net returns to society. Economists are notorious for using both sides of our mouths when talking about the government. We claim that government has a comparative advantage in provision of so-called public goods, such as national defense, the creation of property right systems,Continue reading “Economic Value of Government-provided Information”
An Attraction For Sharks
Shark fishing had been a way of life for generations of Donsol residents. Families in this tiny village in the Philippines relied on the giant, docile whale shark for their main source of income until overfishing made the shark increasingly scarce. With guidance from the World Wildlife Fund, however, the villagers have created a newContinue reading “An Attraction For Sharks”
New Life For Old Timber
The reclaimed wood industry which began in the Northeast is now taking hold in the Northwest. As sources of old-growth timber dwindle and environmental awareness grows, old wood is much in demand. Duluth Timber Company, a Minnesota-based firm, is doing a booming business in Seattle selling reclaimed wood from demolished homes, factories, warehouses, and evenContinue reading “New Life For Old Timber”
A River Ablaze
Early in the summer of 1969, the Cuyahoga River caught fire. Piles of logs, picnic benches, and other debris had collected below a railroad trestle, which impeded their movement down the river. These piles only lacked a spark to set them afire. A passing train with a broken wheel bearing probably provided that spark,Continue reading “A River Ablaze”