I knew I wanted my preliminary final project topic to focus on environmental ethics, but I wasn’t sure of the exact topic. Then I actually thought back to the first blog post where we shared fun facts about ourselves, and mine was hiking and traveling to National parks. I know I have a passion for that, and it’s something I am interested in, too. One topic that is relevant to me and something I’m learning in my other class is habitat disruption and land use. So, my goal is to try to connect the two, so I came up with this research question: “How has human land use around national parks changed the landscapes and habitats that parks are intended to protect?”

The Primary DH methods that I would like to use would be digital mapping or storytelling. I want to build my knowledge in those two methods because they interest me most and help me engage better with the topic. That also supports public-facing work, which can help my audience understand my thoughts and ideas better. The map below is an example of information I would use for this project.

This image was taken from the Habitat Destruction Statistics Website. Habitat Destruction Statistics.

Just like this map portrays above, I want to show that the relationship between protected land and surrounding development is particularly visible.