[…] to expand parking by 20 percent without removing any trees. The new parking lot was built in layers. First gravel was spread and covered with a water-permeable sheet that unrolls like carpet. The sheet is honeycombed with molded plastic rings that keep the gravel in place and prevent ruts from forming. A finer layer […]
[…] much capital to catch too few fish. Economist Frederick Bell was one of the first to verify empirically the overexploitation of a commons fishery open to all. Studying New Englandβs northern lobster fishery in 1966, he found that an efficient output of lobster would have occurred at 17.2 million pounds. To attain this output, […]
[…] sit on ESAβs reauthorizing subcommittees, because they are likely to have more power over the Service. Although there are technically several stages in the ESA process, Andoβs study focuses on the two stages that appear to be the most important in determining the duration and outcome of a listing decision. During Andoβs study periodβthe […]
[…] areas, brush control can be achieved with 300 sheep on a single acre for one day. Livestock growers are finding that herds for hire can be a reliable source of income. In northern California, Ann Pieschel, who owns Goats Unlimited, has all the work she can handle. She has contracts with private landowners, farmers, […]
Georgia catfish farmers are homing in on a new cash crop that will allow them to operate two businesses for the price of one, almost. It will also help them meet Georgia clean water standards for discharges from their fish tanks. Catfish thrive on pellet food that is rich in nitrogen, phosphorous, and protein. […]
The chattering, white-faced Mono Ti Ti monkey is rapidly disappearing from its jungle habitat along Costa Ricaβs Pacific coast. Development, farming, and tourism have destroyed large chunks of its already circumscribed habitat, and the population has fallen from 5,000 to less than 1,000 during the past 30 years. Stepping up to the challenge, a […]
Paradise Valley, Montana. Photo courtesy of U.S. Department of the Interior. Federal land management agencies are increasingly receptive to innovative partnerships that can help share the burden of managing millions of acres of public land. In the case of Ohioβs Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area, farmers are being sought to run about 35 small […]
Overfishing in the oceans is a classic example of the "tragedy of the commons"βoverexploitation of an unowned resource. Fishing in U.S. waters is no longer a commons free of fishing restrictions, yet many fisheries still suffer from the tragedy of the commons.
[…] of commercial aircraft. So far, the federal government hasnβt sought to regulate the decibel output of Metallica or Fido, but it does restrict the noise that air planes may generate. Given the racket that people raise over airport noise, one would think that the social benefits of regulating airport noise must be great. In […]
[…] by river and estuary ecosystems, the new technology works faster and more intensely for industrial applications. The wastewater passes through a series of tanks stocked with microorganisms, plants, snails and fish that clean it without using any chemicals. As the water becomes cleaner, it flows from closed tanks to open ones that resemble marshes […]