Environment in the Pacific Northwest Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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The Pacif Ic Northwest is a region of varied landforms and differing climatic conditions consisting of two states: Oregon and Washington. As of 2005, Oregon is 98,386 square miles and ranks as the 9th largest state; it has an estimated population of 3,641,056 and is the 27th most populated state. Also as of 2005, Washington is 71,303 square miles and ranks as the 18th largest state; it has an estimated population of 6,287,759 and is the 15th most populated state. Both states are located on the west coast of North America within a latitudinal band containing a humid coastal climate. Precipitation amounts are particularly high along the coasts of both states and especially on the windward slopes of the Coastal Range and the Cascade Mountains. High pressure over the eastern Pacific Ocean blocks the moist air from moving farther south. This guarantees maximum precipitation along the coastal areas of Oregon and Washington. On some occasions, the amount of rainfall can be extraordinarily excessive and flooding can be a serious problem. In November 2006, areas of western Washington received over 15 inches of rainfall, an amount that brought severe flooding to homes and businesses. Televised news accounts showed automobiles and even houses caught up in fast moving rivers. Earthquakes are not infrequent, and the massive eruption of Mount St. Helens in the 1980s is a reminder of the dynamic geological nature of the region.

To the east of the prominent north-south trending mountain ranges, precipitation diminishes significantly. The coastal areas of the two states receive between 60 and 80 inches of precipitation annually while areas inland range from 10 to 20 inches annually. In fact, both states contain areas of true desert in their eastern areas. Vegetation in the region includes Douglas fir, redwoods, spruce, red cedar, and hemlock within the alpine coniferous forest. Grasslands are found within the steppe east of the mountains.

The Pacific Northwest was identified by Joel Garreau in his 1981 book The Nine Nations of North America as lying within two regions: Ecotopia, a borrowing from a 1975 book of the same name by Ernest Callenbach, and the Empty Quarter, an expanse of the interior stretching from the border with New Mexico north through the arid and mountainous western United States and into Canada and Alaska. The Empty Quarter is characterized by having the lowest population densities of any area of comparable size on the continent. The term Ecotopia is derived from Callenbach’s combination of the two words ecological and utopia. The term characterizes well the attitudes of the people in the region and identifies their love of nature and overwhelming support of environmental awareness and protection. The coastal area has also been called “Cascadia” after the Cascade Mountains and because of the multitude of rivers flowing out of the highlands into the Pacific Ocean.

The fast flowing and voluminous rivers in the region are valuable sources of power for the generation of electricity. Within the Columbia Basin, hydroelectric power is used in the processing of aluminum, a metal used extensively in the manufacture of airplanes. With several major operations of the Boeing aircraft company being located in the Puget Sound region, it comes as no surprise that this world class manufacturer of airplanes is the most important customer for aluminum produced locally. Accessibility to substantial amounts of aluminum within the Pacific Northwest is one reason why Boeing remains within this region despite its significant number of rainy days each year, a climatic condition not ideal for operating aircraft.

The Pacific Northwest was visited by Western explorers and settlers much later than other regions in North America. In 1778, Captain James Cook explored along the Pacific Coast in search of the long-sought Northwest Passage. The historic Lewis and Clark expedition of 1806 was the first to enter the region by land. A number of American Indian groups were encountered by early explorers in the region. Among them were the Klamath, Nez Perce, Bannock, and Chinook. By the 1840s, settlers were arriving by way of the Oregon Trail, an activity that waited until a boundary dispute with the United Kingdom could be resolved. Railroad construction in the 1880s brought a much-needed surface connection to points east for the shipment of the region’s first important products: Lumber and wheat.

Industrial production in the Pacific Northwest received a powerful impetus with the opening of the Bonneville Dam in 1943. Power generation from this structure allowed for the expansion of existing industries and development of new ones. Water control also assisted in the expansion of the agricultural sector in the region. The variety of agricultural products grown in the region rivals the variability of the landforms. Washington alone ranks highly in an abundance of food products. Prominent in its product inventory are hops, spearmint oil, lentils, peas, cherries, plums (and prunes), onions, cranberries, strawberries, grapes, carrots, potatoes, apricots, asparagus, and apples.

Agriculture in Oregon’s fertile Willamette Valley is equally productive. Cattle raising, dairy operations, apples, peppermint, and potatoes are just a few of the important agricultural products in the state. Both states are important in lumber production but controversies over the years about harvesting, clear cutting, and alleged mismanagement of the resource have clouded the industry. Salmon fishing has long been an economic mainstay in the Pacific Northwest. The country’s third major wheat growing area is on the Columbia Plateau. The area is referred to as the “Palouse” and both spring and winter wheat is grown there.

Lumber operations have been a constant economic activity in the region. Emerging from this industry in recent years is a burgeoning furniture manufacturing complex. The wood products industry employs over 50,000 workers, many of them in the booming furniture-manufacturing sector. Perhaps the greatest single economic endeavor has been the emergence of Microsoft under the leadership of Bill Gates, an unparalleled software producing operation that has made Gates the richest man in the world. But Gates is not alone in acquiring a massive fortune. The Puget Sound area in Washington is reportedly the home of more billionaires than any other place in the world. The accumulation of wealth from fast growing computer enterprises has created something of a rich man, poor man society in which the gap between the haves and have-nots is increasing.

A prominent urban corridor, or conurbation, has grown over the years in the intermountain valleys from Eugene, Oregon north to Seattle and beyond to Vancouver, British Columbia. This corridor is home to nearly eight million people in Oregon and Washington. Its annual economic output exceeds $200 million and represents a wide range of industrial and service activities. The corridor has become an important center for electronics and computer related activities, which is a reflection of the emerging information age seen in many regions of the United States. The region is also a favored retirement location for people seeking an association with both true wilderness and the dynamic of a stimulating and ecologically aware urban populace.

Seattle is the region’s largest city, a claim it has held since the late 19th century when the region became an important supplier of lumber and wheat to the rest of the country. Initially, Seattle was a logging center but it quickly gained in prominence as a regional growth center once it was included in the national railroad system. The rise of Boeing has guaranteed Seattle a measure of urban prominence since the 1920s. Portland, Oregon has access to the interior by way of the Columbia River Valley. As such, it has long been an important shipping point for food products to the interior and to overseas locations. Both Seattle and Portland have populations in excess of one million. In many ways the Pacific Northwest is more closely tied to other Pacific Rim countries than to points east in the United States and Canada, an attribute shared with California and British Columbia. Trade with Japan, China, and countries in southeast Asia continues to increase every year.

Bibliography:

Ernest Callenbach, Ecotopia (Bantam Books, 1975);
David Peterson Del Mar, Oregon’s Promise: An Interpretive History (Oregon State University Press, 2003);
Jane Claire Dirks-Edmunds, Not Just Trees: The Legacy of a Douglas-fir Forest (Washington State University Press, 1999);
John C. Hudson, Across This Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002);
Philip L. Jackson and A. Jon Kimerling, , Atlas of the Pacific Northwest, 9th ed. (Oregon State University Press, 2003);
Hill Williams, The Restless Northwest: A Geological Story (Washington State University Press, 2002).