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Yellowstone National Park
Brief Description- Yellowstone National Park is the world's first national park.
Historical Significance- It was the first park to be exposed to the public in America.
Impact- The park has been visited by millions of people and has become the most visited touring spot in America. -
The Lacey Act
Brief Description- The act prohibited any illegal trafficking of wildlife and plant life across state borders. It was created to stop any "pot hunters" that killed large numbers of animals for money.
Historical Significance- The act became a solution for other related issues such as the Black Bass Act which included illegally hunted Black Bass.
Impact- The act helped the United States government enforce conservation laws. -
The Burton Act
Brief Description- The act was created to preserve the Niagara Falls by putting a freeze on power development (hydroelectricity) and the redirection of water by hydroelectric facilities.
Historical Significance- The bill prohibited further diversion of water supplying the Niagara Falls.
Impact- Niagara Falls is one of America's most visited sites for tourists and has been under the Burton Act for over 100 years. The Niagara Falls will be around for many generations to come, because of this act. -
Taylor Grazing Act
Brief Description- The law was created to prevent overgrazing and to provide useful development for the lifestock industry. Many farmers lost their businesses as a result of the huge loss of food to provide for their animals.
Historical Significance- The law was signed by President Roosevelt and adding 140 million acres of vegataion for animals to graze again.
Impact- The act helped the farmers stabilize their industry by providing land for grazing and planting crops. -
Silent Spring
Brief Description- The book, Silent Spring, was published alerting the public about the dangers of pesticides. DDT was a commonly used and harmful pesticide which was produced in the U.S until 1972.
Historical Significance- The book became well-known throughout the Science industry and was a reliable source for many scientists to use.
Impact- The world became more cautious about the food they ate and how it was grown. Pesticide makers were furious and defended the chemicals manufactured. -
Oregon Bottle Bill
Brief Description- Oregon passed its first law for bottle recycling and partnered with local and national distributors.
Historical significance- The law reduced litter and provided more bottles (plastic and glass) for recycling in just a couple of months after the law was passed.
Impact- Over 90% of soda businesses made more money from the program and an average of 28% of the bottles were recycled. Oregon has also created a bottle recycling cooperative which manages the money collected. -
Niagara Falls Leakage
Brief Description- A leakage of buried toxic chemicals caused the Love Canal to be left full of chemical waste.
Historical Significance- This was the worst environmental disaster in U.S history and eventually everybody had to evacuate, because they were getting sick.
Impact- Over 500,000 houses were abandoned and later destroyed leaving an empty city. Now, the Love Canal is a beautiful, lively city full of people. It's now called Black Creek Village. -
Live Earth Concerts
Brief Description- Live Earth concerts are a non-profit organization, which helps raise money for global warming.
Historical Significance- Live Earth is one of the world's biggest fundraiser that everyone in the world can take part in.
Impact- Every year since 2007, more people have been donated money, which helped raise over millions of dollars each year as a result. -
San Francisco Oil Spill
Brief Description- A container ship struck a tower and spilled 58,000 gallons of oil into the Bay. Many plants, animals, nearby beaches, and residents were affected by the spill.
Historical Significance- The oil spill threatened to hurt the entire ecosystem .
Impact- At least 8 beaches had to be closed down and left dozens of wildlife dead. Tides in the Pacific Ocean began to change rapidly due to the heavy sheet of oil spreading across the ocean from the Bay. -
Great Lakes Compact
Brief Description- Great Lakes Compact was an agreement between the eight Great Lakes states. The act banned any water from being pimped out of the basin with regulated expections.
Historical Significance- The Great Lakes contain 20% of the world's fresh surface water supply. This regulation allowed this important resource to be protected.
Impact- Regulations now protect the lakes by eight states and Canada, The states had to adopt policies in order to manage their water use
