Land Developer
A land developer acquires vacant or occupied land to build new housing tracts or shopping centers. The developer must follow existing local, county, and state laws or regulations. A developer may find his/her efforts blocked if the land is home to an endangered or threatened species of animal or plant. He/she may find that a certain plant cannot be destroyed and if one exists on the property he/she must plan the development around the plant and leave it where it is or move the plant to a new location. Water, gas and electric (utilities) must be available for the development.
Assignment:
Explore the resources below and others available to you concerning deserts and land development. Remember, you're creating both a written summation, to be turned into you teacher, and a multimedia presentation, to be presented to the rest of the class. Collect information needed to complete the Main Point, answer the Knowledge Questions and the Thought Question. For your written summation, write a paper doing each of the three assignments: Main Point, Knowledge Questions, and the Thought Question. Then, using Hyperstudio or Powerpoint, put that same information into a multimedia presentation. Try to incorporate new and exciting ideas into your multimedia presentation. Be creative, but remember, you will be graded on the quality of your work. Good luck!
Resources:
www.fws.gov/~r9endspp/endspp.html
www.r1.fws.gov/text/turtle.html
www.ci.eugene.or.us/pw/storm/erosion.htm
Main Point:
Find at least two plants and/or animals that are protected in our desert. Find out why they are protected and how their existence on a piece of property may affect decisions a developer needs to make. Find and save a picture of each plant or animal.
Knowledge Questions
- What items must a builder/developer include in a new home built in the desert. Why are these items important?
- What are some of the construction related erosion problems a land developer may cause?
- What precautions can a developer utilize in order to minimize erosion related problems?
Thought Question:
Evaluate the usefulness of a program such as the CCDCP. Are programs like this one worth the time and money? Come up with some other alternatives think might be more effective?
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