Figure 1

The Blue Ridge Ecosystem is located at the Blue Ridge Mountains that runs across the easternmost regions of the Appalachian Mountains making up parts of Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. The ecosystem primarily consists of temperate deciduous forests such as oaks, hickories, and maples that go through cool summers and cold winters. Blue Ridge sheltered many plants and animals during the Ice Age and survived mainly because of the height of the mountains (up to 6, 684 ft.), which is why it is still home to over 250 endemic plant species. Various amphibians (bullfrogs, pickerel frogs, American toads, etc.), reptiles (Black Rat Snake, Snapper Turtle, etc.), birds (saw-whet owls, Cerulean warblers, wood ducks, etc.), and mammals (specifically many black bears) are found in the region.

Figure 2

History

In the 1400’s the Cherokee Nation had developed an agricultural society to support them with food and medicine; they also hunted for deer and bears when necessary. Europeans then started settling in in the 1600’s and by the end of the eighteenth century most of Native Americans were strictly farmers. In amidst of the Gold Rush of the 1830’s mining and the construction/use of roads and railroads have impacted the Blue Ridge ecosystem. Larger impacts on the Blue Ridge ecosystem occurred after the Civil War when the copper industry developed using timber to fuel copper smelters. Major lumber companies also played a huge factor in nearly decimating the Blue Ridge ecosystem. These devastations lead the nation to focus on preserving the ecosystem by organizing National Parks and Forests to protect the region from clear-cutting. Today almost one-third of the region is under public ownership, including two National parks, seven National forests, and 29 wilderness areas. 

Figure 3

Human Impact & Future Prospects

These National Parks and parkway programs have increasingly grown popular to where now over 20 million tourists visit the sites each year. Although many benefits derive from these tourists, there is a growing concern about the threat and impact it is having on the ecosystem. There are talks about deforesting more regions of the Blue Ridge Mountains to build more attractions for tourists, which would mean the ecosystem can expect more pollution as well as destruction of natural habitats.

Figure 4

Currently the Blue Ridge Ecosystem is considered stable and most of the region remains relatively untouched, however, there are man made changes within the region that has drastically affected their ecosystem. Power projects such as constructed reservoirs, dams, and hydroelectric power plants are invading wildlife habitats while producing millions of dollars for the economy. The constructions of reservoirs have destroyed habitats to native species while resulting to near extinctions for some such as the Oconee Bell Wildflower and the Clemson Salamander. Rivers and lakes temperature have risen because of the nearby power plants, which causes major concern to the 250 fish species documented in the Blue Ridge ecosystem. The same can be said about the fish that die because of turbines in reservoirs and dams. 

Figure 5

These power plants along with pollution from local and nearby cities have also had a huge influence on the air quality. Hydrocarbons released by trees give off a blue haze in the atmosphere, hence the name Blue Ridge, but air pollution accumulated over the years has drastically reduced the blue haze. Annual rainfalls on average of 60-75 inches have found to be 5-10 times more acidic than average rain and this is due mostly because of the air pollution. Acid rain causes chemical imbalances towards soil resulting in loss of trees and contamination of streams and lakes. A recent study conducted by Scott et al. (2002), have found evidence that, “recent transformation of landscapes by humans is currently a significant determinant of stream water nutrient levels, thermal properties, and channel sediment processes in the region”. As more trees are cut down for development, an abundance of chemicals such as Nitrogen and Ammonium are found in water streams, Figure 5 presents a plot of the correlation between the two. 

Figure 6

As seen in Figure 6 and Figure 7, formed by the U.S. Department of the Interior, cutting down forests to develop more land has been a growing trend over the years. With millions of tourists visiting the parkway sites pumping money into the economy, it is plausible to think that more land will be developed to accommodate more tourists at the expense of the ecosystem. Furthermore, without awareness and action regarding air pollution and consequences of local power plants, the 250 endemic plant species as well as native animal species are in threat. The air pollution may influence the admired blue haze of Blue Ridge, to a point where tourists will see a gray haze instead. 

Figure 7

How to Improve/Maintain

Although the Blue Ridge ecosystem is considered to be stable there are the negative impacts by humans as mentioned above, however, there are ways to improve the ecosystem, or at least maintain it. There should be more awareness regarding the negative effects tourists may have if more land was developed. Studies should be conducted to present projections to congressmen about how developing more land for tourists may be more detrimental than expected. Individual conscious efforts on pollution should be taken and although it is probably highly unlikely to remove current power plants, there should be constant monitoring on water streams. Keeping standards and monitoring water streams can help minimize the effect of pollution on the ecosystem. This way both humans can benefit from power plants and the ecosystem does not suffer much from pollution. 

Reference List
1. Figure 1; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rainy_Blue_Ridge-27527.jpg

2. Figure 2, 6, 7; http://landcovertrends.usgs.gov/east/eco66Report.html#_ftn1

3. Figure 3, 4; http://www.flickr.com/photos/brp75/

4. Figure 5; Scott, M. C., Helfman G. E., McTammany, M. E., Benfield, E. F., Bolstad P. V., 2002. Multiscale Influences on Physical and Chemical Stream Conditions Across Blue Ridge Landscapes

5. http://www.cas.sc.edu/cege/resources/scmaps/manual/chap2.pdf

6. http://www.georgiaencyclopedia.org/nge/Article.jsp?id=h-2141&hl=y

7. http://www.nps.gov/blri/naturescience/naturalfeaturesandecosystems.htm

8. Blue Moon Ridge and Smoky Mountains by Deborah Huso