What Hath Man Wrought?

An Environmental Study

Hazelwood Elementary School

Linda Mackey

The beauty of the mountains of Western North Carolina has drawn people since the beginning of the American nation.

A mountain bog

The rocky outcroppings of the mountains are evidence of the geologic forces which formed them. Lichens, millions of years old, can be found on the rocks.

A rock formation covered with lichens

Pristine streams flow downward from the mountains providing clear, clean water for those who live here.

A mountain waterfall

The mountains are home to a variety of plant and animal life, interdependent upon each other for survival.

A rabbit nibbles grass on the lawn.

Blackberry bushes provide food for insects, mammals, birds, and humans.

Blackberries grow on the side of the road.

Mountain trees provide food for the inhabitants of the mountain region.

A walnut tree

Mountain inhabitants for hundreds of years used plants for medicinal purposes.

Orange jewelweed, used as a remedy for poison ivy

Riverbanks provide a home for medicinal plants.

Yellow jewelweed, also called “Touch-me-not”

Plants are beautiful as well as useful, attracting visitors to the area.

Phlox

Fresh springs feed streams that connect to the rivers.

A spring-fed stream along a roadside

But there is a delicate balance between using nature for our good and preserving it for the future.

A shed built by a farmer in the 1950s

As man has developed the land, he has made many changes; some harmful, some helpful.

A grape arbor growing along a storage shed and a barbed-wire fence

As man creates convenience for himself, he must consider conservation of the land.

Phone lines are installed underground along a roadside.

Construction of homes and home sites create areas of erosion which wash away precious topsoil.

A mobile home park owner has installed a fence to retard erosion.

Domestic animals that are raised for commercial enterprises have long been a major cause of pollution of the mountain’s rivers.

Cows grazing in a pasture

Pristine streams are affected by animals and humans before they reach rivers.

A healthy stream is disturbed by thirsty cows.

Insects depend upon plants for food. Humans use pesticides to control them.

A spider awaits unsuspecting insects

Birds depend upon plants for building nests.

A bird nest in a maple tree

Pollution from factories can create a harmful environment for plants.

Balsam firs on Mount Mitchell

The environmental conditions created by pollution can destroy trees.

The Balsam woolly adelgid, an insect that feeds on fir trees, thrives in an area of intense air pollution.

Careless introduction of plants to the U. S. can cause disease. Many chestnut trees were destroyed by a fungus bark disease in the early 1900s, believed to be of Asiatic origin.

A rare American chestnut tree

Man can create harm where good is intended. Many introduced plants in the mountains have become pests.

Kudzu, introduced to control erosion, is an eyesore to many mountaineers.

Animals that have been harmed by humans or exposed to other harmful influences must have a home.

A black bear housed at the Western North Carolina Nature Center

It is illegal for humans to keep wild animals as pets.

A raccoon finds a home in a cage.

If you find a hurt or sick wild animal, call the Haywood County Animal Shelter/Animal Control—456-5338.

A deer at the Nature Center can no longer survive in the wild.

This river has been polluted for many years.

Fungi, growing in the river, are evidence of pollution.

After several decades, a ban on eating fish caught in this river was recently lifted. This provides evidence that man has tried to correct his errors.

A once-polluted river is gradually being cleaned up.

Your parents and grandparents are working to make a better world for you. What will you do to make the world a better place for your children?

The End