A Land Developer’s Point of View Sheet
More and more people are moving to this area
because they want to live in a beautiful place where
there are mountains, forests, lakes, and saltwater. As
you read this selection, think about these questions,
then discuss them from the point of view of a land
developer:
How do land developers contribute to Puget
Sound’s environmental problems?
What could you do to solve the Sound’s problems?
Which solutions are the hardest for you to do?
How will a healthier Puget Sound benefit you?
Land Developer’s Viewpoint
Land development is all about providing people with
the things they want in order to live in this region. As
more and more people move here, the land around
Puget Sound is being covered with the things people
want; houses, schools, office buildings, and shopping
centers, and the roads they need to reach these places.
Planning and building all these things provide many
jobs for people such as architects, engineers, real estate
agents, bankers, and many more.
As people continue to fill the space around Puget
Sound, forests are cut, farmland is turned into suburbs,
wetlands are filled, and wildlife is forced out. Many kinds
of animals and plants lose their homes as we build ours.
Some people think there is too much land development
going on and too many people living here.
It is important to have good rules about land develop-
ment. Land developers must know and follow many
rules about what they can build, where and how they
can build and how many buildings they can put in one
place. There are also many rules designed to prevent
such pollution problems as erosion from construction
sites. Developers often think there are too many rules
and that they are difficult and expensive to follow.
Other people want more rules that control and guide
land development.
Lesson 15
Examining a Real Environmental Problem
Resource: Ecosystems Teachers Guide Pgs.160–172
Point of View:
Land Developer
Land Development Can be Hard on
Puget Sound
These are problems a land developer can create in the
Puget Sound region:
Developing land creates homes, schools, shopping
centers, roads, and jobs. It also brings more people into
the Puget Sound area, and each person or family who
comes here adds more garbage, sewage, and cars to
the region. All these people and the things we use and
do add up to more pollution that eventually reaches
Puget Sound.
The forests around Puget Sound prevent soil from
washing off the hills, into streams, and then into the
Sound. Land developers must cut trees to clear land for
buildings as well as use the wood for construction.
Developers must build many hard surfaces like roads
and parking lots on top of the land they clear. Rainwater
is slowed by trees and bushes and can soak gently into
the soil. But water moves quickly over bare, hard
surfaces, often creating floods before going into the
Sound. Runoff rolls into Puget Sound, carrying pollutants
from the hard surfaces with it.
During land development, water loaded with sediment
may run off construction sites. The sediment is
damaging to salmon streams and can clog the gills of
fish as well.
How Can Land Developers Help
Puget Sound?
Here are some things land developers can do to
help protect Puget Sound:
•
Carefully follow land development rules about
preventing erosion. For example, special
barriers called silt fences allow water to pass
through while holding back sediment. This
keeps the soil on the land and out of
Puget Sound.
•
Consider the needs of wildlife when you clear
land and build. Leave as many trees as possible
to prevent soil erosion and provide habitat for
animals.
•
Try to cover less of the land with hard surfaces.
Use pavement that lets water seep through it.
•
Use space wisely by planning buildings close
together. This helps prevent the spread of
homes and towns into farmlands and forests.
•
Build energy-efficient buildings that create less
pollution.
Changes and Tradeoffs
What are the changes and tradeoffs that land
developers must make to protect Puget Sound?
How do you think these solutions might help the
Sound?
