"All Our Exurbs Live in Texas -- State Has Half the U.S.'s Fastest Growing Cities
Texas may be big, but it's filling up and sprawling out fast. New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that eight of the country's 15 fastest-growing cities -- during the period April 2010 to July 2011 -- were in the Lone Star State. Round Rock, just north of Austin, grew by nearly 5 percent during that time; Austin itself added about 30,000 people, pulling ahead of San Francisco in size. That kind of rapid, often unplanned growth comes at a cost: Austin's trying to build a water-treatment plant in the heart of habitat for the very rare Jollyville Plateau salamander, a project the Center for Biological Diversity's been fighting.
Of course, Texas is one of many growth-and-sprawl hotspots. Human populations are swelling in other regions rich in biodiversity too -- for example, around San Diego and Denver, both also home to species the Center's trying to save from forces driven by runaway human population. As these populations grow, more habitat is paved over, more air is polluted, more water is sucked away and more invasive species gain a foothold. Each of these is an incremental step in a larger process that's bringing massive, rapid change to the ecosystems that support life.
Among the most vulnerable to habitat loss, pesticides and invasive species are reptiles and amphibians, which are also egregiously underprotected in the United States and beyond. The Center just filed to get 53 of these "herpetofauna" species protected under the Endangered Species Act. Check out this map to see which of them are close to you."
Thank you for marrying me, my dear.
Eeeee by 'eck you are more than welcome, me duck.
ReplyDeleteGood grief, doesn't time fly? It's my 30th next month.
ReplyDeleteAh so sweet -- so Nick moves to Texas and now the Jollyville Plateau salamander is threatened:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/overpopulation/7_billion_and_counting/index.html
"All Our Exurbs Live in Texas -- State Has Half the U.S.'s Fastest Growing Cities
Texas may be big, but it's filling up and sprawling out fast. New data from the U.S. Census Bureau show that eight of the country's 15 fastest-growing cities -- during the period April 2010 to July 2011 -- were in the Lone Star State. Round Rock, just north of Austin, grew by nearly 5 percent during that time; Austin itself added about 30,000 people, pulling ahead of San Francisco in size. That kind of rapid, often unplanned growth comes at a cost: Austin's trying to build a water-treatment plant in the heart of habitat for the very rare Jollyville Plateau salamander, a project the Center for Biological Diversity's been fighting.
Of course, Texas is one of many growth-and-sprawl hotspots. Human populations are swelling in other regions rich in biodiversity too -- for example, around San Diego and Denver, both also home to species the Center's trying to save from forces driven by runaway human population. As these populations grow, more habitat is paved over, more air is polluted, more water is sucked away and more invasive species gain a foothold. Each of these is an incremental step in a larger process that's bringing massive, rapid change to the ecosystems that support life.
Among the most vulnerable to habitat loss, pesticides and invasive species are reptiles and amphibians, which are also egregiously underprotected in the United States and beyond. The Center just filed to get 53 of these "herpetofauna" species protected under the Endangered Species Act. Check out this map to see which of them are close to you."
And they called it puppy love.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations guys!
ReplyDelete