When land is cleared, habitats are lost. It may be cleared for agriculture. It may also be used for building new homes or businesses. Within the past 100 years, the amount of land used for agriculture has almost doubled. Land used for grazing cattle has more than doubled. Many wetlands have also been lost to agriculture. The U.S. has lost almost all the natural tall-grass prairies. Thee areas of tall thick grass have virtually disappeared. These areas of land had thick fertile soil. Their grasses had very deep root systems. These deep and thick roots reduced the amount of soil erosion. They also were home to many plants and animals. Prairies were wonderful places. They were home to colorful flowers, prairie dogs, and herds of bison.

What opportunities come from the loss of habitat due to clearing land?

Surviving being shot and stabbed at the end of the previous film , the stepfather has been institutionalized in Puget Sound , Washington since , spending his time building model houses in the workshop . Assigned a new doctor named Joseph Danvers the stepfather begins confiding in him to gain his trust , ultimately murdering the doctor during a session by stabbing him in the neck with a blade smuggled out of the workshop . After killing Danvers the stepfather beats a suspicious guard named Ralph Smith to death with his own nightstick with only two strikes and takes his uniform , successfully sneaking out of the sanitarium . Checking into a hotel after robbing and murdering a traveling salesman the stepfather alters his appearance , takes the name Doctor Gene F. Clifford from the newspaper obituaries and travels to Palm Meadows , Los Angeles after seeing an ad for it on an episode of Dream House . Gene arrives in Palm Meadows and meets real estate agent Carol Grayland and leases a house just across the street from her and her son Todd . During a session with the wives of the neighborhood , Gene learns Carol 's dentist husband , Philip had absconded with his mistress the previous year . Gene begins courting Carol , eventually winning over her and Todd . Gene 's plan to marry Carol is soon complicated when Phil returns , wanting to reconcile with his wife . Needing Phil out of the way , Gene persuades Carol to send Phil over for a meeting , during which Gene kills him with a broken bottle , covering up Phil 's disappearance afterward by arranging it so that it looks as though he simply ran off again .

Who does the Stepfather plan to marry?

(CNN) -- Horror-meister, Stephen King calls George Pelecanos "perhaps the greatest living American crime writer." His stories are set in Pelecanos' hometown of Washington, D.C., but this is not the side of the U.S. capitol that you see portrayed on TV with white marble monuments, lawyers and lobbyists. Pelecanos is more interested in working families struggling to get by, the racial tensions in its ethnic neighborhoods and the low-lifes on the edges. His crime-writing peers call Pelecanos the "undisputed poet" of Washington's gritty side. The best-selling and award-winning author is out this week with his 17th and latest novel, "The Cut." It's the first in a new series featuring Iraq war veteran and private investigator Spero Lucas. When he's not working for a Washington defense attorney, Lucas recovers stolen property for a 40% cut. Now, a high-profile crime boss hires Lucas to find out who's been stealing from him, and it could turn out to be Lucas' biggest payday or an untimely end. While Pelecanos made his bones in the noir tradition, there's a definite "Western" feel to "The Cut." The new novel takes place in a morally gray and often violent world. It's peppered with pitch-perfect dialogue and captures the sights, sounds and taste of Washington in rich detail. In short, Pelecanos reads like the real deal. Pelecanos knows a thing or two about capturing the authenticity of urban America with an ethnically and socially diverse cast. In addition to his success as a novelist, Pelecanos is a producer and writer for HBO's New Orleans-set, "Treme." He was previously a producer and Emmy-nominated writer on the hit series "The Wire" and the miniseries "The Pacific." Read an excerpt from "The Cut" CNN recently spoke to Pelecanos about his new novel. The following is an edited transcript. CNN: Tell me more about your new character, Spero Lucas.
George Pelecanos has been involved as a writer and producer for which television shows?