The high school is running out of room for all its
students and activities. The school board wants to construct a new building.
There are three proposals that are being seriously considered. First,
is a site not far from the existing building on a wetland. To build
the new school, the wetland would have to be filled in and made suitable
for construction. It is a great location. The second proposal includes
building the school on the edge of town in an area that is being rapidly
developed with new homes. The land used to belong to a farmer who has
sold it to developers. The third site is a large plot of land that used
to belong to a manufacturing company. The old buildings would have to
be removed. There would be a lot of space for sports fields and the
location is good.
- What makes a wetland different from any other ecosystem?
- What options do a farmer have other than selling
his land to a developer?
- What needs to be considered before the decision
about constructing a new school can be made?
- What law(s) govern the types of things that must
be reviewed before a site can be approved for building?
- What are the pros and cons of each proposed site?
- Given the information above, which site sounds most
reasonable from an environmental perspective?
- What agency could you use as a resource for information
about the effect of building on each site?
