On May 11, 1858, Minnesota became the 32nd state to join the United States of America (Minnesota). Early on, the state was filled with vast resources and an abundance of wildlife. Most of the wildlife, such as deer, elk and moose, contributed to the settler’s diet. Natural predators created competition and hardships for the new settlers; one of these animals was the Gray Wolf. The decrease in the amount of large mammals that the settlers consumed left wolves’ preying on cattle.
Tonya Ballman History 110 05 The Destruction of the Bison by Andrew Isenberg describes the decline and near extinction of the bison in the United States due to the conversion of Natives to Equestrian Nomadism, the establishment of the fur trade, and other abiotic factors combined with overgrazing and several other natural factors. Fortunately for the bison, however, an interest was taken in their preservation and they were brought back from the brink of extinction through breeding and protective programs. In the early 18th century, “the bison hunter Robert M. Wright and General Philip Sheridan calculated that 100 million bison roamed the Great Plains.” (Page 23) The bison were thriving on the abundant amount of shortgrass in the area. Although there were certain environmental obstacles that threatened the livelihood of the bison, such as wolves, blizzards, and drought, the carrying capacity of the plains allowed them to reproduce quickly enough to where their population remained the same and even grew in some years. It wasn’t until the introduction of the horse and equestrian related practices to Native Americans in the plains that the bison population would become threatened.
Whitetail deer usually have twins but unfortunately sometimes one of them dies. Male deer also called bucks are very territorial and usually stick to a one square mile radius, when the food conditions are adequate. The bucks grow antlers which fall off yearly and grow back bigger. When the antlers fall off they are called sheds and can be found and used to make chandeliers. The bucks scrape the trees to mark their territory.
The Arctic wolves are the prey of the Grey wolf and coyotes. The Artic Wolf’s behaviour is very headstrong and bold. They can endure the Arctic weather conditions with the help of their deeply insulated pale white fur. They are capable of surviving for years in sub-zero temperatures and for five months, each year, they live in pitch darkness. Arctic Wolves travel in approximately 20 wolves per pack and each pack deliberately tries to avoid other packs.
The Iroquois were not simply passive observers of the conflict between the French and British. They were a formidable military power. In fact, they held the balance of power in the West for the 17th and 18th centuries. According to Francis Parkman, the famous 19th century historian, the Iroquois were at the height of their power in the 17th century, with a population of around 12,000 people. Our image of native Americans comes mainly from those John Ford westerns, that they were savages who scalped innocent white settlers who just wanted to farm on the empty prairie.
The great military debate that has existed for decades attributes to which firearm has the better rifle platform, Eugene Stoner’s M-16 or Mikhail Kalishnikov’s AK-47? Both are used extensively by police and military forces around the world. These two weapons platforms have been going head to head against each other in various military conflicts around the world for nearly 50 years. Still, each seems to shine in their own particular way. As a primary infantry weapon of modern military forces, these two types of assault rifles have become the most widely used firearms in the world.
Today the Amazonia has had 20% of its forest destroyed as a result of cattle ranches, mining, logging and agriculture. Much of this has occurred in the last 50 years. A focus on Brazil: Brazil possesses the greatest portion of the Amazonia. Since 1970, over 600,000 sq km have been destroyed. Between 2000 and 2006 alone, 150,000 sq km (an area larger than Greece) was lost.
Today, more than 30 million people live in the region and are dependent on the Amazon’s ecosystem for food and shelter. Farming in the Amazon causes deforestation and has many other environmental impacts, yet still a number of crops such as soy and coffee are cultivated there. Cattle ranches also exist. Soy Plantations Soybeans are an important crop all over the world, they are frost sensitive and the best growing conditions are, according to Encarta Encyclopedia Online, in a temperature between 20 and 30 degrees Celsius, like the Amazon. Commercial farmers produce the vast majority of soybean consumed in the world.
To me it’s a past time, an adrenalin rush, as well as a way to put extra food on the table. Deer hunting is a way to get in touch with true nature; it has been a way for people to provide food for their families for hundreds of years. Also deer are magnificent creatures and it’s amazing that they can be found all over the world. The cave drawings in the Chauvet Cave show a couple of horses looking in one direction and below the horses two rhinos fighting. They might have drawn rhinos because they are powerful animals and horses because they where a way of travel.
We only have five species remaining in the world today, and all of them are endangered. The Southern white rhinos were once found in large numbers across Southern Africa. They have horns and thick skin to protect themselves against predators like the lion and the hyena. But today, their biggest threat and enemy, is the human. This problem has become more public in the last two years and has drawn a lot of attention, which has resulted in international documentaries trying to raise awareness and support for these majestic creatures.