Chapter 16 - The Pacific Northwest PDF

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Summary

Like California, the Pacific Northwest is a region that has largely been isolated from the rest of North America by imposing mountains, coastlines, and forests. The region is also unique because it has developed one of the most environmentally focused cultures in North America in response to the hug...

Description

Chapter 16: The Pacific Northwest

Overview Like California, the Pacific Northwest is a region that has largely been isolated from the rest of North America by imposing mountains, coastlines, and forests. The region is also unique because it has developed one of the most environmentally focused cultures in North America in response to the huge concentration of natural resources and the beauty of the landscape. The mountains of the Cascades are the only active volcanoes in North America. And, like California, this region has also developed strong economic connections with the Pacific Rim.

Outline 1. Environmental Setting a. Landforms b. Weather, Climate, and Hazards 2. Historical Settlement a. Native Americans and First Nations People b. Early Europeans c. Post-1880s Settlement d. Cultural Geography: Slavic Settlement in the Pacific Northwest 3. Regional Economies and Politics a. Resources and the Primary Sector b. Economic Geography: The Geography of Microbrews in the Pacific Northwest c. The Pacific Rim Connection d. The Pacific Rim Connection Today e. High Technology, Tourism, and the Pacific f. Northwest Economy g. Population Growth and Environmental Issues h. Environmental Geography: Forestry Management in the Pacific 4. Culture, Peoples, and Places a. Places in Alaska b. Places in British Columbia c. Places in Washington d. Places in Oregon 5. The Future of the Pacific Northwest

Student Learning Outcomes    

Identify the major mountain ranges and valley systems that are located in the Pacific Northwest region. Discuss the influences of the location of high mountains in the Pacific Northwest on the region’s unique patterns of weather and climate. Define each of the following concepts discussed in this chapter: Ecotopia, Cascadia, orographic rainfall, rain shadow. Summarize the conflict between Britain and the United States over control of the Oregon Territory.

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Discuss the impacts of the continental railroads in Canada and the United States as they related to the population growth and economic development of cities such as Vancouver and Seattle. Compare and contrast early Russian settlement in the northern part of the Pacific Northwest with the more recent settlement of Russian refugees in other parts of the region. Summarize some of the major environmental problems in the largest cities of the Pacific Northwest caused by the region’s rapid population growth during the past two decades or so. List two reasons why the Pacific Northwest is well positioned to take advantage of trade networks with the growing economies of Pacific Rim nations such as China and Japan.

Teaching Strategies for Chapter 16: The Pacific Northwest 1. Environmental Setting The unique environmental setting of the Pacific Northwest might be most productively approached through comparison with its neighboring regions of California and the Intermontane. Like California, the Pacific Northwest is a region dominated by mountain ranges that parallel the coast. The Cascades are active volcanoes, being produced by the interaction of the North American plate and the Juan de Fuca plate. Figure 16.2 shows the average rainfall and temperatures during summer and winter for selected cities in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. It is easy to compare this map with Figure 16.1 and see the general climatic patterns of the region. The many mountain ranges of the region produce many areas located in the rain shadow of peaks: for example, Brookings in southwestern Oregon gets over 70 inches of rain a year, whereas Medford in the shadow of the coast range gets only 18 inches, and Klamath Falls in the shadow of the Cascades gets even less, around 12 inches. In general, the climate gets drier and more extreme the farther from the Pacific one travels. To the east is the dry continental climate of the Intermontane, to the south is California’s warm dry summers and mild, wet winters. But many parts of the Pacific Northwest experience some of the highest levels of precipitation in North America, producing the majestic forests of the region. The Olympic Peninsula is marked by over 12 feet of rain per year. A useful resource for exploring the physical and cultural geography of the Pacific Northwest is the Atlas of the Virtual Pacific Northwest (http://academic.evergreen.edu/projects/virtualatlas/), created by students and faculty of Evergreen State College in Washington. 2. Historical Settlement The Pacific Northwest was one of the last parts of North America to be explored by Europeans. Many native groups lived in the region and depended on fish and marine resources for their livings. Today many of these groups are actively involved in the conservation and management of the natural resources of the region. For more information on the history of Northwest native peoples, an excellent resource is the American Indians of the Pacific Northwest Collection at the University of Washington Library (http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/). Early Russian explorers arrived in the 1700s and eventually established forts and trading posts up and down the coast from Fort Ross in Northern California to what is now Alaska. By the 19th century, the Pacific Northwest became the final battleground between Britain and the United States in the rush to gain control of North America. This was not a military battle, but rather a rush to settle the region.

British and American settlers arrived in the region, claiming homesteads and establishing towns (see Figure 16.4). This was in a sense the final expression of manifest destiny. In 1846, the current boundaries between Canada and the United States were established. Railroads were also late arriving in the Pacific Northwest; the Northern Pacific didn’t reach Seattle until 1883. Once railroads made travel to the region easier, growth and settlement rapidly increased. Today the region continues to attract new immigrants, including relatively large numbers of Russians (see Box 16.2), Chinese, and Latinos. Vancouver has a particularly large population of relatively wealthy immigrants from Hong Kong because both Canada and Hong Kong have ties to the British Empire. 3. Regional Economies and Politics In some ways the economy of the Pacific Northwest resembles that of the Intermontane. For most of its history, the region has been primarily oriented towards the primary sector and the extraction of natural resources. A useful comparison might also be made to the Atlantic Periphery. The region long relied on fishing and forestry as the economic base. Students could be asked to consider what geographic advantages the Pacific Northwest enjoys that these two regions do not. One factor that has allowed the Pacific Northwest to develop beyond a larger population and stronger economy than either of these regions is the mild climate and fertile farm soils of the Willamette and Fraser River Valleys. The mild climate and beautiful landscape have attracted increasing number of tourists and retirees in recent decades. Like California during World War II, the region developed a strong aerospace industry and military connections. A growing connection with the Pacific Rim is reducing its isolation and peripheral status. Economic prosperity and population growth has brought with it environmental dilemmas. The region has developed a strong culture of environmental concern, as the beautiful landscape is a major attraction for new residents. However, growth continues to create challenges for the management of natural resources. One example of this care for the natural resources of the region can be seen in websites such as Salmon Nation (http://www.salmonnation.com/index.php). Box 16.3 discusses the history of forest management in the Pacific Northwest. Over the past 20 years, the region has learned much about how to manage natural resources cooperatively, but in the early 1990s the Pacific Northwest was the focus of one of the most rancorous environmental debates in the history of North America, what was called the spotted owl wars. An award-winning documentary, The God Squad and the Case of the Northern Spotted Owl, examining this conflict over the management of forests and endangered species could be a starting point for a class discussion on environmentalism and resource management. 4. Culture, Peoples, and Places The cities of the Pacific Northwest have experienced rapid growth and resulting issues such as sprawl, pollution, and transportation problems. However, the largest cities of the region have been particularly focused on developing innovative management strategies that find solutions for these environmental problems and maintain a high quality of life. Chapter 16 summarizes some of these innovations such as Portland’s use of strong urban growth boundaries that limit sprawl. A short research project could ask students to research the steps these cities have taken to develop and maintain their status as green and livable cities.

Conceptual Checkpoints 16.1 What is the relationship between the landform patterns of the Pacific Northwest region and its dominant patterns of weather and climate? The climate is wet and mild near the coast. Storm systems generally travel from west to east across the mountain ranges, which tend to run north-south. Slopes on the western side of these ranges tend to get high levels of precipitation and slopes on the eastern sides tend to get very little precipitation. 16.2 Discuss the settlement patterns and cultural “landscape signatures” of Chinese immigrants in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Russian refugees in Oregon’s Willamette Valley and Alaska. Most Chinese immigrants to Vancouver are relatively wealthy residents of Hong Kong. They come to Canada with money to start businesses and/or skills for professional jobs. These immigrants have contributed to the extremely expensive cost of suburban housing in the Vancouver region. Russian Old Believers settled on the Kenai Peninsula and near Woodburn in Oregon. More recently Russian immigrants have arrived in large numbers in Portland. 16.3 What is the role of the natural environment in the economy of the Pacific Northwest region and what are the roles of governmental agencies in managing these natural resources? The primary sector has long been the major economic driver of the Pacific Northwest, although that has been changing since the mid-20th century. Farming, forestry, and fishing have all been key economic sectors. Governmental agencies have taken a major role in controlling the exploitation of these resources in order to protect them for future generations. 16.4 Compare and contrast the planned cities of Richland and Longview in Washington state. When and why was each city founded, and how did their evolution through time differ? Richland and Longview were both preplanned cities. Longview was created and designed by the Long-Bell Lumber Company in order to be a model city. Richland, in contrast, was developed by the U.S government in order to accommodate a government facility for nuclear energy.

Answers to Review Questions 1. Why is the Pacific Northwest region often referred to as Ecotopia by literary scholars and the popular press? Students should know that this was because of a novel by Ernest Callenbach called Ecotopia. Ecotopia, meaning ecological utopia, was a linear region from San Francisco to southern Alaska that, in the book, attempted to secede from the United States. More recently, this same region of North America is referred to as Cascadia based on its environmental connections and its environmentally conscious sense of place. 2. What major mountain ranges are located in the Pacific Northwest? The Coast Mountains and the Cascade Range.

3. What climatic and landform processes cause orographic rainfall to occur as compared to the processes that cause the rain shadow effect in certain areas of the American West? Orographic rainfall occurs on the windward side of mountains (generally the western side), where, as air masses are forced upwards, they cool and can no longer hold as much moisture. Rain shadows generally exist on the leeward side of mountains where air masses tend to be dry and warm as they descend. 4. After years of debate between the British and American governments about the Oregon Territory, what was their ultimate agreement about where to locate the international boundary between today’s Canada and the United States, and why did Vancouver Island end up going to the British instead of to the Americans (despite its location on both sides of this line)? The border was set at the 49th parallel of latitude. However, Vancouver Island had already become the primary location of British operations in the region and so the island went to Canada. 5. What were some of the long-term economic impacts of the completion of the transcontinental railroad in Canada and also in the United States, especially in cities such as Vancouver and Seattle? The Transcontinental Railroad reduced the isolation of the Pacific Northwest, increasing trade and encouraging thousands of new settlers to the region. Seattle and Vancouver became major transportation and trade centers because they were located at the end points of major rail lines. 6. Discuss the complex migration journey of Russian Old Believers from their homeland in western Russia in the 1600s to their present-day settlement in Oregon and Alaska. Student should know that the Russian Old Believers left their homeland in the 1600s in search of religious freedom. First they travelled to Siberia, and then about 300 years later they left Russia altogether for China because of the Soviet’s persecution of religious groups. When China became communist in the late 1940s, the Old Believers left and travelled to Brazil where they had been promised free land. However, because of the hot climate and political instability they left South America for Oregon. One small group left Oregon for Alaska after their children came into contact with gangs and drugs in a Woodburn park. 7. What are the dominant crops grown in these three agricultural areas of the Pacific Northwest: Willamette Valley, Palouse, and Fraser Valley? Willamette Valley: grapes, hops, peas, potatoes, hay, and vegetables Few crops are grown in the Frasier Valley as the land is too rugged, cold, and rainy for commercial farming. Palouse: wheat, apples, and pears 8. What are some of the most pressing environmental issues related to lumbering, fishing, and farming in the Pacific Northwest at the present time? Both lumbering and fishing are threatened by overharvesting. Salmon in particular require streams to spawn in and many rivers are now dammed, cutting off salmon from their spawning streams. Farmers are threatened by population growth and urban sprawl....