Above were just a few things that caused habitat loss or change. There are many ways in which living organisms can affect their ecosystem. In some areas, it is because of fire management. Fire is a natural event, so managing fire correctly is very important. In other areas, fisherman have taken too many fish from one area. This places the species at risk of extinction. It also affects other living things that may rely on these fish for food. The image below shows a picture of a mine. Mining changes the Earths surface. This area may once have been a forest or a prairie. Think about how many plants and animals may once have lived here. Now it is a giant hole in the ground. Pollution is also a major factor in habitat loss and change.

How does mining change the earths surface?

While this process moved along, diplomacy continued its rounds. Direct pressure on the Taliban had proved unsuccessful. As one NSC staff note put it, "Under the Taliban, Afghanistan is not so much a state sponsor of terrorism as it is a state sponsored by terrorists." In early 2000, the United States began a high-level effort to persuade Pakistan to use its influence over the Taliban. In January 2000, Assistant Secretary of State Karl Inderfurth and the State Department's counterterrorism coordinator, Michael Sheehan, met with General Musharraf in Islamabad, dangling before him the possibility of a presidential visit in March as a reward for Pakistani cooperation. Such a visit was coveted by Musharraf, partly as a sign of his government's legitimacy. He told the two envoys that he would meet with Mullah Omar and press him on Bin Laden. They left, however, reporting to Washington that Pakistan was unlikely in fact to do anything," given what it sees as the benefits of Taliban control of Afghanistan." President Clinton was scheduled to travel to India. The State Department felt that he should not visit India without also visiting Pakistan. The Secret Service and the CIA, however, warned in the strongest terms that visiting Pakistan would risk the President's life. Counterterrorism officials also argued that Pakistan had not done enough to merit a presidential visit. But President Clinton insisted on including Pakistan in the itinerary for his trip to South Asia. His one-day stopover on March 25, 2000, was the first time a U.S. president had been there since 1969. At his meeting with Musharraf and others, President Clinton concentrated on tensions between Pakistan and India and the dangers of nuclear proliferation, but also discussed Bin Laden. President Clinton told us that when he pulled Musharraf aside for a brief, one-on-one meeting, he pleaded with the general for help regarding Bin Laden." I offered him the moon when I went to see him, in terms of better relations with the United States, if he'd help us get Bin Laden and deal with another issue or two." The U.S. effort continued.

Why did Musharraf want the President to visit Pakistan?

My parents, Kelly and Kelley, said that it was that time of year to take a family vacation. We've been to big ride parks that have hotels with large pools. This year my parents wanted to do something different. They wanted to take us all to Elk River Castle. After lots of planning we hit the road for our trip. My Brother Kelsey and I enjoyed the long car ride there. Once we arrive, the castle looked much bigger than we had imagined. There was so much to see and so much to do. There was a swimming pool, movie theater and an elevator to take us from floor to floor. What a magical place! I was so excited because we had the whole place to our family! We spent our vacation playing around the huge castle and finding small mysterious places. There was even a tiny room in the back of one of the closets. My brother, Kelsey, and I played hide and go seek for hours, watched movies and swam until the sun went down. It was sad when our vacation finally came to an end but we made some amazing memories. We'll never forget our trip to Elk River Castle!
Even though the narrator's parents wanted to plan a different-than-normal family vacation, name at least one thing that was the same as past vacations.