COMM 2381: Oral Communication

Asian carp were introduced in America to help control certain plant species, but are thought to have an adverse effect on food cycles.

• The National Park Service provides a great overview and an action plan.
• The U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service also provides a Fact sheet.
• The U.S. Geological Survey maintains a list of current research on the topic.

Bee colonies have reportedly collapsed at higher than normal rates in recent history.  Colony Collapse Disorder has already caused agricultural and environmental problems.

• The Environmental Protection Agency outlines the history and proposed solutions here.
• The U.S. Dept of Agriculture research service provides updated news and a topic overview here.

Several varieties of elephants are being massacred to the point of extinction for their ivory.

• The World Wildlife Federation has an overview of threats to the African elephant here.

Even if they are no longer being used by a fisher, fishing nets, poles, and other equipment can trap and kill fish, crustaceans, and other marine wildlife.

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration defines the problem here and outlines the impact in a 2015 report here.

Sustained higher water temperatures have caused coral in the Great Barrier Reef to bleach.  This can cause the coral to starve and become diseased, which has huge implications for the reef.

• The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority defines the problem and describes the history here and outline a Coral bleaching risk and impact assessment plan here.

Juno is a NASA space probe orbiting the planet Jupiter.  It took five years to travel there and arrived July 4, 2016. 

• Where is Juno now? Use NASA’s Eyes on the Solar System to ride Juno in real-time here.
• NASA provides images, videos, other media and an overview of Juno here.

The New Horizons' mission is to learn more about the former planet of Pluto, its moons, and its surroundings.

• Follow what New Horizons is currently doing on Twitter
• Learn more about Pluto with this series of Pluto in a Minute videos

In an attempt to sustain National Parks, some are looking towards privatizing parks and federally-owned lands in order to relieve the strain on state and local governments' budgets and keep the parks open.

• To find out more about the aims and goals of Park Privatization, click here.
• Some arguments for and against Park Privatization from 2012.

Solid waste management has become controversial in some regions where private companies receive trash from out of state clients for disposal.

• The Environmental Protection Agency discusses the implications of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, a law that regulates both hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste.

While some believe zoos are a way for people to learn more about animals from other continents and keeping animals in captivity may allow them to live longer lives since they are not forced to survive in the wild, others believe keeping animals in captivity in zoos in different continents and climates that they are used to is a form of animal cruelty.

• The fatal shooting of a gorilla named Harambe after a child fell into his encampment sparked a new round of controversy and new calls for the closing of zoos due to the treatment of animals.
• In spite of the issues that can arise from their existence, some still believe that zoos are good.