Re: Urban sprawl increases

["Philip Cook" <PCOOK@novell.uidaho.edu>]

The complete report from which CNN and other news media 
distilled their tidbits is available at the USDA National Resources 
Inventory web site:

http://www.nhq.nrcs.usda.gov/CCS/NRIrlse.html

Philip Cook

>From:           	Ron Force <rforce@moscow.com>
>Subject:        	Urban sparwl increases

> From CNN:
> 
> 'URBAN SPRAWL' DOUBLED DURING '90S
> 
> DECEMBER 7, 1999 WEB POSTED AT: 1:33 PM EST (1833 GMT)
> 
> WASHINGTON (AP) -- AMERICANS HAVE DOUBLED THE DEVELOPMENT OF FARMLAND,
> FORESTS AND OTHER OPEN SPACE DURING THE 1990S, ACCORDING TO A GOVERNMENT
> REPORT THAT IS LIKELY TO FUEL THE DEBATE OVER SUBURBAN SPRAWL.
> 
> NEARLY 16 MILLION ACRES OF LAND WERE CONVERTED TO DEVELOPMENT BETWEEN
> 1992 AND 1997 -- A RATE OF 3.2 MILLION PER YEAR, THE AGRICULTURE
> DEPARTMENT SAID MONDAY. BETWEEN 1982 AND 1992, THE DEVELOPMENT RATE WAS
> 1.4 MILLION ACRES A YEAR.
> 
> THE DEVELOPMENT HAS DRIVEN UP LAND VALUES, PROVIDING A WINDFALL TO MANY
> FARMERS WHO LIVE NEAR CITIES AND CHOOSE TO SELL OUT. BUT CRITICS OF THE
> TREND, INCLUDING VICE PRESIDENT AL GORE, SAY THAT IT IS HURTING THE
> ENVIRONMENT AND QUALITY OF LIVING AROUND THE NATION'S CITIES.
> 
> "THESE NEW FIGURES CONFIRM WHAT COMMUNITIES ACROSS AMERICA ALREADY KNOW
> -- TOO MUCH OF OUR PRECIOUS OPEN SPACE IS BEING GOBBLED UP BY SPRAWL,"
> SAID GORE, WHO HAS MADE SUBURBAN DEVELOPMENT AN ISSUE IN HIS
> PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN. "WE NEED TO HELP COMMUNITIES GROW IN WAYS THAT
> WORK."
> 
> (story continues at:
> http://cnn.com/1999/NATURE/12/07/suburbansprawl.ap/index.html)
> 
> 
> --
> Ron  Force
> rforce@moscow.com
> Moscow, Idaho U.S.A.
> 
>