Environment in the Southwest Essay ⋆ Environment Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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The Southwest is an arid region of high surface relief and relatively low population density. The four states within the region are Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. As of 2005, Arizona is 114,006 square miles and ranks as the 6th largest state; it has an estimated population of 5,939,292 and is the 18th most populated state. Nevada is 110,567 square miles and ranks as the 7th largest state; it has an estimated population of 2,414,807 and is the 35th most populated state. New Mexico is 121,593 square miles and ranks as the 5th largest state; it has an estimated population of 1,928,384 and is the 36th most populated state. Finally, Utah is 84,904 square miles and ranks as the 13th largest state; it has an estimated population of 2,469,585 and is the 34th most populated state. As the numbers indicate, all four states are relatively large in area and rank low in population. Each of these states has its own unique physical and cultural characteristics and all of them share certain attributes as well. The four-state region is part of the larger area characterized as the Empty Quarter by journalist Joel Garreau in his 1981 book The Nine Nations of North America because of its low population densities.

The region is representative of the widespread dry climates of the western United States. Specifically, each of the states has extensive areas of desert, steppe, and undifferentiated highlands. Seasonal temperature regimes range from cool to cold winters and mild to cool summers and much of the variation is attributable to changes in altitude. Precipitation is decidedly on the low side with some areas receiving less than 10 inches per year and others averaging between 10 and 20 inches per year. Vegetation found in this four-state region includes broadleaf deciduous and a variety of coniferous species including ponderosa pine, pifion, and juniper. The latter two tend to grow within the same location resulting in extensive areas of pifion and juniper forests. Unique within the region is the saguaro cactus found in Arizona and northern Mexico. The saguaro cactus grows upward of 12 feet or more and has curving branches, white flowers, and an edible red fruit. The soils in the region are primarily aridisols reflective of the dry climate and mountain soils found within its many uplands and mountainous areas. The region is marked by decidedly rugged and angular mountainous terrain. This characteristic is due to the relative geologic youth of mountains in the west, which have yet to become eroded and rounded like the Appalachian complex in the east.

Culturally, the region is quite diverse. Anglo, Latino, and Native American peoples have coexisted for years within this four-state region. The Native American cohort was, of course, the first inhabitant and its tenure in the region dates back over 10,000 years. Latino presence dates from the early years of Spanish exploration in the 17th century. The Anglo contingent arrived during the western expansion in the mid-19th century.

Perhaps the earliest formal international land route in North American history was the Camino Real (the Royal Road), which began in Mexico City and followed a generally northward course connecting the capitals of the Spanish colonial territory. The colonial centers and inclusive dates of occupation in New Mexico included San Juan Pueblo (1598-1600) and San Gabriel (1600-09), both places located within a few miles of each other and approximately 50 miles north of Santa Fe, the Spanish colonial capital of longest duration (1609-1821). When Mexico achieved independence, the Camino Real was no longer considered a royal route but was nonetheless used extensively for years to come. The Camino Real entered the region at Ciudad Juarez and El Paso and then followed the rift valley northward through current day Las Cruces, Fort Selden, Socorro, Isleta Pueblo, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, San Juan Pueblo, and San Gabriel. The route followed closely the valley of the Rio Grande River and other land routes of the period. In the modern era, Interstate 25 follows essentially the same route as far as Santa Fe before turning to the east and then north to Raton before crossing into Colorado.

In the colonial era, Santa Fe was a favored location because of two specific site characteristics: First, the settlement was on the Santa Fe River and close to the Rio Grande, insuring access to reliable water sources; second, with the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to the north and east and the Jemez Mountains 30 miles to the west, it was easily defended from attacks by Native Americans hostile to the Spanish.

Currently, the Native American groups reside primarily on reservations and pueblos within the four-state region. The largest single group is the Navajo, whose homeland is centered in the Four Corners area, the place where four southwestern states meet: New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Within the Navajo area in northern Arizona is an enclave of Hopi. In addition, there are a number of Apache tribes in New Mexico and Arizona. Utes in Colorado and Papago in southern Arizona are also Native Americans, adding to the cultural diversity within the region. Utah is the homeland of the Mormon religion-the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints-and Salt Lake City is the primary metropolitan center in the state.

Economic activity within the region has similarities and some decided differences. In Nevada, where the federal government still owns nearly 90 percent of the land, the forms of agriculture found in the Midwest and other regions to the east did not develop. The Homestead Act in the 19th century, which provided 160-acre parcels of land to prospective farmers, did not fit the vast expanses of arid land within Nevada. Nonetheless, land adjacent to adequate water sources was selected for agricultural pursuits. Agricultural activity within the Phoenix area grew slowly until the advent of the refrigerated railroad car, which allowed for the shipment of fresh and frozen food products nationwide. Concurrent with this important technological innovation was the realization that the Phoenix area was an ideal retirement area and a haven for those suffering from respiratory ailments. Within a few short decades, Phoenix grew dramatically in population. This metropolitan area is also the center for a thriving electronics industry and other high value added manufacturing activities.

Economic activity in Arizona was based on the so-called Five C’s: Cotton, copper, cattle, citrus, and climate, with the latter referring to the reputedly ideal weather situation encouraging tourism. Cotton production gradually migrated west out of the old Cotton Belt in the south following the onslaught of the boll weevil early in the 20th century. The warm and sunny environs, especially in Texas and Arizona, were ideal for cotton growing as long as adequate water was available. With irrigation water diverted to this activity and other agricultural products, cotton growing flourished. Copper mining is an important activity as well. In addition to mining the copper ore, the concentrating and smelting of the raw product also takes place close to the mine sites because only a small percentage of the ore has copper within it and it cannot be economically shipped great distances. Cattle is important to the Arizona economy, especially in recent decades during which the building of feed lots near large urban markets occurred concurrently with a significant shift away from open grazing on federal lands. Citrus growing, especially orange groves, grew in prominence in Arizona as the activity gave way to urban development in southern California. Tourism continues to be an important industry in Arizona and throughout the four-state region.

The natural wonders of the Colorado Plateau, a vast area of geologic uplift that saw the rise of Pike’s Peak and associated mountains in the state, continue to draw tourists from around the world. The Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce, Capital Reef, and the Canyonlands region near Moab, Utah, exhibit dramatic eroded sandstone and shale landforms found nowhere else in the world. Also unique are the flourishing clusters of hotels and gambling establishments in Las Vegas, Lake Tahoe, and Reno, which attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. Early in its history Nevada became important in mining. Near the end of the 19th century, the famous Comstock Lode played out and the Nevada economy was decimated. By 1910, however, other mining operations began and the future of the state’s economy was no longer in danger.

Nevada currently is the center of a controversy focused on the proposed permanent storage of spent radioactive fuels from government projects and over 120 nuclear power plants around the country. Yucca Mountain, a remote site 100 miles northwest of Las Vegas, was identified in the 1970s by the Environmental Protection Agency as the favored place for the underground storage of the spent nuclear fuel. The proposal has met with considerable objections by environmental groups and the State of Nevada from the onset. Representatives of the state objected strenuously to a Nevada site for disposal because the state has no nuclear plants within its borders. In addition, experts are now suggesting that the whole question of burying nuclear wastes be reexamined to determine if more efficient ways can be found to dispose of this dangerous nuclear by-product. Nevada is also the home of the famous Hoover Dam, a gigantic structure on the lower Colorado River that provides both river control and hydroelectric power within the region and beyond. Hoover Dam is one of a number of major water control structures installed on rivers in the southwest. In recent years, proposals have been made by environmentalists and other scientists that the era of great dams was no longer valid and that plans be made to eliminate the majority of them in the western United States.

The border with Mexico in Arizona and New Mexico has become the center of an international controversy surrounding the illegal immigration of primarily Latinos into the United States. Estimates suggest that as many as one million illegal aliens annually have entered the United States over the last three decades. There is a genuine sociological pushpull process in operation in this movement: The pull is, of course, the perceived economic opportunities within the highly productive and wealthy United States, and the push is the high unemployment and lack of sufficient numbers of jobs within Mexico. The issue has defied mutually agreeable resolution through the years and remains a sore point in U.S. relations with the affected Latin American countries, as well as in domestic politics. There is a tragic aspect to the situation along the border: over the years, perhaps thousands of people attempting to enter the United States have died due to exposure in the inhospitable desert environments. In addition, attempts to smuggle people across the border in packed semi-trailers have resulted in many deaths. The existence of an illegal cross border drug trade only exacerbates an already serious set of problems plaguing the United States and Mexico.

A number of Mexican migrants have moved to the expanding dairy production region of eastern New Mexico. The region has grown dramatically with the purchase of extensive and relatively inexpensive areas of land in the region by Californians interested in establishing dairy operations. In 2005

New Mexico ranked as the fourth largest dairy state in the country. The optimism of the state’s dairy industry is best exemplified by its stated goal to surpass Wisconsin and become the leading dairy state in the United States. New Mexico also has extensive grazing opportunities for cattle and sheep. There are even a few llama raising operations in the state.

A variety of agricultural products are grown in sunny New Mexico. Hay predominates and is an essential ingredient in the successful dairy and cattle raising industries. Pecans are grown in the southern part of the state and chiles, both red and green, are found in abundance in New Mexico. In fact, the official state question is “Red or green?” referring, of course, to which chili pepper a customer prefers when ordering a restaurant dish.

Fresh water availability is a constant concern within the region and in contiguous western and Midwestern states. From the mid-1990s to the present, a serious drought has gripped the region. One of the immediate consequences of the drought was the weakening of the pifion and other coniferous trees followed by an invasion of the pine beetle. The insect is able to penetrate the bark of a weakened tree and set up a colony. The response of the tree is literally to shut down its activity. Within four weeks of a pine beetle invasion, the needles on a mature pifion will be brown and the tree dead. It is estimated that virtually all the pifion in Arizona were lost and a good share of the New Mexico stand was similarly affected. Another outcome of the drought impacted the annual and legally required delivery of water from New Mexico to Texas. In order to ensure that the correct amount of water was available, the New Mexico state government purchased agricultural land along the Pecos and took it out of production, allowing for the required delivery of water to Texas.

Bibliography:

Clay Anderson, Arizona Grand Canyon (Hunter Publishers, Inc., 2001);
John C. Hudson, Across this Land: A Regional Geography of the United States and Canada (Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002);
Donald W. Meinig, Southwest: Three Peoples in Geographical Change, 1600-1970 (University of New Mexico Press, 1988);
John Murray, Cactus Country: An Illustrated Guide (National Book Network, 1997);
National Park Service, El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro: National Historic Trail (U.S. Department of the Interior, 2002).