Hinterland In The Pacific Northwest

The Pacific Northwest was once full of an abundance of untapped resources, it was barely populated and was the definition of a hinterland. As the Pacific Northwest started to become known and resources started to become majorly exploited and shipped, we slowly become what we are now, not a hinterland. After all the overuse and misuse of the land we are not and will never hinterland again. The definition of a hinterland is defined as parts of the country that is less developed and unchartered. The Pacific Northwest use to be a hinterland, but as this area grew with the railroad system that brought people here. We slowly started to become less of a hinterland till we weren't one anymore. Logging became a defining part of what built …show more content…
Some of the high predator animals in the sea like orcas, seals, and otters are seven times more polluted than canada's (PBS). This is because they eat other animals that contain toxins and other pollutants in the water and it also gets stuck in the blubber layer. We put in over 150 thousand pounds of waste into the Puget sound a day (PBS). Which would explain how sickly our animals are getting and living shorter lives. The storm runoff water is the number one enemy to the waters of Puget sound. When it rains the water goes into the storm drain and eventually makes it back into the water. Whether it's oil from cars, or dirt, maybe even plastic. The clean water act never stopped the storm water runoffs (PBS). People thought that the water was like a toilet, that we could flush anything into the water and it would eventually go away but after awhile people figured out that the water is like a bathtub: what you put in it says in it forever (PBS). Now it is too late to ever completely restore the waters to what they once were many years …show more content…
The nuclear waste from the bombs we made for World War two was put in tanks many years ago. These tanks are placed underground, and have been leaking for years now. Jeff Lyon believes that over one million gallons of waste has leaked into the environment. What has leaked is now going into the underground water banks heading towards the Columbia river ( Lynon). Juli Kearns has also been doing research about the low radiation levels the tanks have been giving off. There has been an effect on the livestock, dairy, and food even though it's a very low radiation it's still horrific (Kearns). She says even though poisoning the land and people the government still tried to make Richland attractive to families ( Kearns). It's only a matter of time before our waters get more polluted and toxic then it alreadys