Growth, The Destruction of Nature in Dewey-Humboldt, Arizona
Click the link below to go to the Google Earth Engine for a 32-year aerial-photo time-lapse of the growth of Dewey-Humboldt (D-H) in central Arizona. The animation begins in 1984 and ends in 2016. The later photos in the series are higher resolution than the early ones, but you can still track the changes from beginning to end.
Though citizen efforts have slowed D-H growth, there has nevertheless been a substantial loss of natural vegetation. The greatest losses have been in the upland shrubs and chaparral vegetation of the town’s foothills. Watch the animation for appearance of the Prescott Country Club and the developments in the Blue Hills on the west side of town and along Foothill Road in the east. Substantial chaparral losses are also occurring in the unincorporated areas east of D-H.
There have been no successful efforts by citizens to slow neighboring Prescott Valley’s growth. The greatest losses there have been in the desert grasslands east and north of town. Once occupied by herds of antelope and other wildlife, the Arizona Game and Fish Department has written off the area as a lost cause.
The Google Earth Engine works for any place on planet Earth. Drag the scene to areas of interest and watch the time-lapse animation there.
GarryRogers Nature Conservation 