1. My Environment By Samantha Shirk

2. Above is the location of my house. Everything inside of the red box is my family’s property. The area inside the orange box is my house itself.

3. Overview of my Environment  My house resides in East Earl, which is located in Lancaster County, PA  East Earl Township was founded in 1851  Lancaster County was established May 10, 1729.  It was formed as an experiment of pragmatism (“A philosophical movement or system having various forms, but generally stressing practical consequences as constituting the essential criterion in determining meaning, truth, or value.” Dictionary.com)  At the time, the three main counties in PA, Philadelphia, Bucks, and Chester, copies of English Shire counties, wanted to try something new after problems were presented to Englishmen.  Lancaster County has been named “Pennsylvania’s First Western County.” (LancasterHistory.org) Pictures of the my family’s field behind my house

4. My Environment  The farm that I live on was purchased by our family in 1758 and I am the 10 th generation to live on the farm.  Silver Valley Farm has a total of 65 acres, 2 of which belong to my first family and the rest to my grandparents.  My grandfather farms all the land himself and raises corn, soy beans, hay, and wheat.  What I like:  It is very peaceful (no car noises)  Lots of free area for 4-wheeling/driving  Good environment and landscape for raising coats  Sledding in the winter down big hills  What I don’t like:  Springtime aromas (manure)  I have to drive to go anywhere; nothing is close enough to walk to  Get snowed in during the winter

5. About My Environment Lancaster County Weather Patterns: Hot summers, cold winters (More Details about Lancaster County Weather)More Details about Lancaster County Weather  Warmest Month: July – average of 74.9 degrees F  Coolest Month: January – average of 29.8 degrees F  Average of 42.8 inches of rain per year Energy Sources used in Pennsylvania  Coal-mining industry is one of the nation’s largest  Large nuclear power plant fleet  16 th largest wind power capacity in nation

6. About My Environment Watersheds:  Lancaster County is a part of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed that drains into the basin of the Susquehanna River  Practices that Help Watersheds  Don’t fertilize yards before it rains to prevent chemical-infiltrated runoff water  Dispose of green waste properly like a compost  Use non-toxic cleaning products when it is possible  Practices that Hurt Watersheds  Polluted runoff water from crops infiltrate rivers  People extract river water for city-use which slows down the river and could hurt ecosystems based on the river’ natural cycle

7. About My Environment Common Plants of Lancaster County  Trees: Red/ Sugar Maple, American Holly, Sycamore  Wildflowers: Blue Wild Indigo, Fire Pink  Shrubs: Spicebush, Choke-cherry Common Animals of Lancaster County:  Birds: Dark-eyed Junco, Blue Jays, Mallard ducks  Mammals: Red Fox, White-tailed Deer, Woodchuck

8. About My Environment Environmental Problems:  120 state parks and 20 state forests are majorly threatened because of:  Potential privatization  Severe funding cuts/budget shortfalls in the government  Low priority maintenance/ repair projects  Extreme threat of Marcellus Shale gas drilling  Clear cuts/pollution with it  Government set aside 700 thousand acres for drilling

9. About My Environment Natural Environmental Facts:  Lancaster County’s has some of the richest, most productive, non-irrigated agricultural soils in the world ( LancasterFarmland.org)  Lancaster County’s farming industry provides 150,000 jobs  $4 billion a year contributes to the local economy from farmland  About 6,000 farms reside in Lancaster County; each average about 78 acres

10. My Home and Life  My water comes from a well my family dug when we built our house  In my home, we have a dumpster we put all of our trash in. Each week, the company picks up our dumpster and takes all of our trash to a landfill in Lanchester.  My family and I recycle all of our plastic and aluminum products  In my house, we have a sand-mound waste disposal that naturally disposes of our waste into a septic-field tank. The sewage then filters our waste back into the ground naturally through the tank.

11. My Home and Life Things I do that are environmentally friendly:  Recycle  Burn paper products  Compost pile Things I do that are not environmentally friendly  Take long showers  Lots of electric cords left plugged in  Leaving lights turned on Things I do to change:  Turning lots off  Unplugging electronic devices  Quicker routines

12. My Home and Life Habitats I live around:  Pond behind my house: Large pond surrounded by tall grasses and growing trees. It only has water in it only during some parts of the year. My family and I would use it for recreational use like hunting, or as a home for water wildlife  Woodlot behind my house: This large area is filled with trees. During hunting seasons, my family and I use it for recreational use and hunting. We also use down-wood for firewood. It is a home to many forest animals like deer, foxes, and raccoons.  Farming fields surrounding my house: About 55 acres of rich farmland surrounds my house. My family and I tend the fields and make a profit off of our crops like corn, wheat, soy beans, and hay. Other wildlife live throughout the fields during the year. My family and I also use the land for recreational use like 4-wheeling and hay rides. This is a picture of some of our fields behind my house. On the left is the woodlot we use for hunting. Below is the picture of our pond

13. My Home and Life My Top 5 Foods:  Strawberries: Grown on an farm in Lancaster County, picked to sell at food stand and sold to me.  Watermelon: Grown on an farm in Lancaster County, picked to sell at food stand and sold to me.  Milk: Milked from a cow, collected to be transferred to a store where it will be processed, tested, packaged, and labeled to be sold at a local grocery store.  Cantaloupe: Grown on an farm in Lancaster County, picked to sell at food stand and sold to me.  Corn: Grown on an farm in Lancaster County, picked to sell at food stand and sold to me.

14. Cited Sources:  "Common Wild Flowers of PA." Pennsylvania Wildlife. Pennsylvania Wildlife, 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013..  Current Results.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sept. 2013..  "Diversity of People, Ideas and Economy." LancasterHistory.org. Lancaster County's Historical Society, 2012. Web. 4 Sept. 2013..  "East Earl Township." East Earl Township, Lancaster County Pennsylvania. East Earl Township, 2013. Web. 4 Sept. 2013..  "Farming in Lancaster County." The Lancaster Farm Trust. The Lancaster Farm Trust, 2009. Web. 9 Sept. 2013..  "Lancaster County Weather." USA.com. USA.com, 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013..  "Mammals of Pennsylvania." The American Society of Mammalogists. The American Society of Mammalogists, 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013..  "Monthly Averages for East Earl, PA." The Weather Channel. TRUSTe, 2012. Web. 5 Sept. 2013..  "Pennsylvania Bird Watching and Feeding Information." Birdzilla.com. Birdzilla.com, 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013..  "Pennsylvania Plants for Wildlife Habitat & Conservation Landscaping." Birdzilla.com. Birdzilla.com, 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013..  "Positive Urban Practices." Butte County Watershd Education and Outreach Project. Butte County Watershd Education and Outreach Project, 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013..  "Protect Our State Parks and Forests." Penn Environment. Penn Environment, 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013..  "Renewable Energy for America." Natural Resources Defense Council. Natural Resources Defense Council, 2013. Web. 9 Sept. 2013..  "Showing Common Trees of PA List Page." Pennsylvania Wildlife. Showing Common Trees of PA List Page, 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013..  "Watersheds." About.com. About.com., 2013. Web. 6 Sept. 2013..  "What Is A Watershed?" Lancaster County Watersheds. Lancaster County Conservation District's Watershed Program,, 2013. Web. 5 Sept. 2013..