Reading Exam 1

Notes

Reading Exam 1 THE Farallon Island, or devils Teeth, as they are referred to by sailors, area group of small islands with rocky, barren terrain and treacherous, 48 km (30 miles) off the coast of San Francisco, California although the islands are small, with a combined total land area of 0.41km squared (0.16 square miles), they are positioned in a major ocean current, which enables them to house dense populations of birds, rodents seals, and other water mammals. The abundance of wildlife first attracted Russian and American fur traders in the early 1800s, who then nearly eliminated the seal population in the area. The islands then became an agricultural resource for San Francisco during the gold rush era when egg companies began harvesting bird eggs on the islands. In 1863, violence between viral egg companies erupted on the islands (known as the Egg War") which inadvertently attracted national attention and provoked lawmakers to pass legislation to protect and rehabilitate the island's natural ecosystem. In 1881, an executive order was passed that decreed egging illegal on the Farallon's. This ended private enterprises on the islands was reinforced in 1909 when Presi...