FNJ 6

Road Trip - Cities

1. Sudbury (Canada) - Archean

2. Sept-Iles (Canada) - Proterozoic
3. Lansing (U.S) - Paleozoic (Pennsylvanian)
4. Detroit (U.S)/Waterloo (Canada) - Paleozoic (Devonian)
5. Victoria (Canada) - Mesozoic
6. Olympia (U.S) - Cenozoic (Paleogene)
7. Tacoma/Seattle (U.S) - Cenozoic (Neogene)

FNJ 7

Role: ​Member of the Niagara Escarpment Commission

As a member of the Niagara Escarpment Commission, my objective is to preserve the Niagara

Escarpment, especially with its designation as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve. The
designation emphasizes the escarpment’s importance as a landform that includes scientific
valuable representatives of the effects of human activities on natural ecosystems. While there
are significant deposits of aggregate in the escarpment, the extraction of the resource can
cause significant and irreversible damage to groundwater and other water courses. This can
damage water purity and alkalinity by introducing foreign material in the form of sediments,
biowaste, and human waste. The argument for economic gains of retrieving aggregate can be
concerning when there is a high potential for damage to the local and regional ecosystems that
depend on the watersheds in the reserve.

References:

1. 2017-2018 Niagara Escarpment Biosphere Reserve Annual Report - Niagara

Escarpment Commission
2. Niagara Escarpment Plan (2017) - Niagara Escarpment Commission

FNJ 8

Big Idea 9.4: Humans affect the quality, availability, and distribution of Earth's water. What
human activities negatively impacted water resources in the two examples?

1. In Guelph, the use of the local aquifer by Nestlé to produce bottled water, which is then
shipped across the nation, has exacerbated the depletion of available groundwater.
Residents had to significantly reduce their water usage when Southwest Ontario faced a
drought over the past few years. Nevertheless, Nestlé continued their water intake
despite regulations mandating that they limit their operations.

2. The Colorado River has a wide reach throughout Western America and Mexico as it
spans thousands of kilometers and carves through numerous cities. While human
factors pertaining to regional and global climate change might be a significant cause for
the decline in the Colorado River’s water reservoirs, it is challenging to map a direct
connection between the two concepts. More immediate human impact that can be
considered consists of rapid population growth; infrastructure development; damming
and diverting; oil spills; and overuse with poor management techniques.

Big Idea 7.3: Natural Resources are limited. Why is water considered a limited resource in
these two examples?

1. Since the groundwater at Guelph is being depleted faster than its replenishment rate,
especially with the water being transported for consumption in a different location, the
available water is considered to be a limited resource by the local municipality.

2. Similar to the first example, a rapid depletion rate that is far greater than the
replenishment rate is emphasizing the need for water in the Colorado River to be
treated more as a highly limited and valuable resource.
Big Idea 5.2: Water is essential for life on Earth. Who is negatively impacted in each of these
examples?

1. The local residents are negatively affected the most by Nestlé’s water consumption. The
effects range from water usage restrictions to increased sustainability planning at a
municipal level due to the rapid depletion of groundwater.

2. There are multiple stakeholders in this example. Ecosystems that depend on the
Colorado River and the availability of freshwater will see significant decline. Humans will
be negatively impacted in the form of economic loss (e.g. drought), water unavailability,
declining urbanization, and less energy (dams will be operating with less available water
in reservoirs).

Big Idea 1.1: Earth scientists find solutions to society's needs. List 2 potential solutions for
each of the two examples.

1. While the presence of a large corporation does bring economic growth to a city, it can
also negatively affect residents if their business practices, especially when it concerns
natural resources, are not policed to maintain quality of life for all stakeholders. While
Nestlé might inject much needed capital into the local economy, its operations are
significantly altering the sustainability of local groundwater. A solution to the problem
would be to have tighter local and regional policies that define the boundaries of
Nestlé’s water intake and swift and hefty fines for any breaches that occur.

2. Major conservation efforts and better water consumption models are required for each
township that is dependent on the Colorado River. For example, Denver and its water
management organization, Denver Water, managed to maintain consumption rate,
despite the population growing by half a million over the last 30 years.