Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, 1986-1990
Title
Environmental Studies at Middlebury College, 1986-1990
Collection Items
Bison crosses road during the Yellowstone Fires of 1988
A bison crosses a road to escape the smoke and flames of the infamous "Summer of Fire" in Yellowstone National Park, when 51 different fires ravaged the grasslands, understory, and forest canopy. Yet there were wildlife casualties as well: an…
A firestorm from the North Fork fire approaches the Old Faithful complex
A crown fire consumes the Yellowstone canopy in September 1988. Within the park, fires damaged around 739,880 acres - that is, 36% of the park's total land.
Grass growing after Yellowstone fires
Although the Yellowstone fires devastated the park ecosystem, the drastic disturbance was actually beneficial in other ways. The fire thinned the canopy and thereby allowed light to reach shrubs, saplings, and grasses. Furthermore, ash enriched the…
Firefighters spraying foam
A wildland firefighting crew uses a fire-retardant foam to extinguish flames on a YCC dormitory at Mammoth Hot Springs. Yellowstone's fire policy came under heavy criticism during the summer of 1988, as firefighters adopted a "let it burn" strategy…
Valdez-based seafood processors picket Exxon's Headquarters, protesting shortage of work
Images of oil-slicked wildlife elicited strong emotions during the Exxon Valdez disaster. In comparison, the people who bore the catastrophe's widespread economic costs received sparse coverage. Here, a man protests the lack of work brought about by…
Excerpt from transcript of radio transmissions recorded by the Vessel Traffic Center, Valdez, Alaska
In the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, ship captain Joseph J. Hazelwood quickly became the subject of controversy when it was reported that he had not been at the wheel when the ship breached Bligh Reef. Then Hazelwood 's failure to pass a…
Oil Spill Cleanup: You vs. Exxon
An advertisement for the board game "On the Rocks: The Great Alaska Oil Spill," created by Richard Lynn, a Valdez bartender and participant in oil-spill cleanup efforts. The game pitted players against each other in a race-against-the-clock: whoever…
Oil spill progression: March 18 - May 18, 1989
Beginning on March 27, a windstorm accelerated the spill's spread and rendered cleanup especially challenging. The inclement weather would become the norm for the next several months. Consequently, watercraft could not skim the spill, in-situ burning…
Alaska's Big Spill: Can the Wilderness Heal?
The cover of the January 1990 issue of National Geographic magazine featured an oil-slicked bird - an image used repeatedly in popular media to appeal to the American public's empathy.To add to the emotional intensity of the Exxon Valdez disaster,…
Toxic Wastes and Race in the United States: A National Report on the Racial and Socio-Economic Characteristics of Communities with Hazardous Waste Sites
In 1987, the United Church of Christ (UCC), headed by executive director Benjamin Chavis Jr., published a seminal report about the relationship of race and socioeconomic class to contaminated waste sites across the U.S. The UCC's assessment revealed…