welcome

BIOTA...it's from the Greek 'biotē' meaning life; coined in 1901 to refer to the flora and fauna of a region, and it was chosen as the title of my blog was not solely for the convenient alliteration, but rather for the basin-wide recognition of all things living and their interconnectedness. The measure of any healthy ecosystem can almost directly be related to the region's water system. Human development has, without a doubt, altered these natual ecological paths, reducing complex biotic communities to uninhabitable concrete expanses.
The Delaware River is 330 mile stretch of free flowing water, and its basin encompasses over 13,000 miles, about 4 % of the continental United States. Over 17 million people depend on the watershed for drinking water (DRK), and much more for industrial, agricultural, and recreational use. This far-reaching aquifer serves as an underlying principle for the prosperity of the region it serves. However it is under constant threat from all aspects of human development; as the river waters flow through miles of farmland, expanses of suburban development, and deep urban pockets, each of which make their pollutant contributions to the regional water system. Ecological alteration between the natural world and human development is unavoidable. Freshwater is, without a doubt, the most vital resource to our survival, the ever-present prerequisite to any form of life.

The purpose of this blog is to discuss the environmental alterations that are currently taking place among the Delaware Water Basin. My most vital resource is the USGS publication warehouse, which houses an extensive database of environmental assessments, many concerning the Delaware River Basin. Another is valuable reource is the Delaware Riverkeeper Network, for facts and demographic statistics. I also use ArcGIS 9.3, which I obtain my data files from ESRI and the USGS, and PASDA.