As in most of the early villages along the Skagit river, one of the first priorities was to clear the forest land to provide space for a townsite and residential area. This photo of the Hamilton Logging Co. shows a crew in action.
Because of aridity and scarcity of rain Arabian Gulf is considered to be poor as far as natural plants are concerned. Natural vegetation in the Arabian Gulf region have deep roots or thorn-like small leaves, hence they endure aridity and overcome its impact.
Cat Island barely exists. The thick crude oil that spewed into the Gulf during the spill coated the roots of the mangroves, cutting off their ability to take in oxygen. The mangrove trees suffocated and died, and Cat Island eroded away at an even more rapid pace. But I also saw restoration success in progress.