Environmental Science, 10th Edition (Cunningham)

Chapter 10: Pest Control

GE Exercise: Almond Orchard

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To continue:
- Make sure you have the Google Earth software installed and running.
- Copy the following latitude and longitude and paste into the "Fly to" field under the Search tab.
- Hit "Enter" for Google Earth to take you to the specified coordinates, then come back here and read the following overview.

Latitude/Longitude: 36.7033, -119.589

Overview: Almond Orchard, p. 208

The $1.6 billion almond crop is totally dependent on rented honeybee colonies to pollinate flowers and produce fruit. Unfortunately, honeybees are disappearing rapidly. Some beekeepers report that up to 70 percent of their bees have succumbed to disease or simply abandoned their hives. A number of causes have been suggested for this "colony collapse disorder," including excessive pesticide use, parasitic mites, fungal diseases, even excessive cell phone use. No one knows exactly what is happening, but billions of dollars in agricultural production is threatened.

The town of Sanger, just to the east of this place marker, calls itself the "almond blossom capital" of California and is the home of the Almond Growers Exchange.

1
What are the linear rows of dark dots in this view?
A)Holes
B)Sprinklers
C)Shrubs
D)Missile silos
E)Trees
2
What is the big, dark, linear structure running along the southern border of this orchard?
A)A road
B)A ditch
C)An irrigation canal
D)A pesticide canal
E)An abyss
3
What observations might suggest that pesticides are used extensively in this area?
A)There's no direct or indirect evidence of pesticide use in this area.
B)Storage tanks are clearly marked as "pesticides."
C)Discarded fertilizer containers and used pesticide equipment litter the ground everywhere.
D)This is a heavily agricultural area with many different types of mono-crop orchards, vineyards, and farm fields, which typically require pesticide use.
E)The absence of weeds and shrubs indicates a high use of pesticides.
4
What do we call this area of California, and why is it important?
A)Southern California, important for its orange groves and the entertainment industry
B)Central Valley, important because most of the winter vegetables grown in America come from this valley
C)Eastern California, important for its rugged mountains and large reservoirs
D)The Delta, important for the richness of its biological diversity and for providing water for large parts of California
E)Coastal California, important for broccoli, garlic, and brussels sprout farming
5
How much pesticides are used in California every year? (Hint: do a search for something like "total pesticide use California.")
A)Somewhere between 50 and 100 million pounds of active pesticide ingredients
B)Somewhere between 100 and 200 million pounds of active pesticide ingredients
C)Somewhere between 200 and 400 million pounds of active pesticide ingredients
D)Somewhere between 400 and 800 million pounds of active pesticide ingredients
E)Somewhere between 800 and 1200 million pounds of active pesticide ingredients
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