soil and water conservation - Elsinga

1 soil and water conservationHow to Use This PamphletThe secret to successfully earning a merit badge is for you to use both the pamphlet and the suggestions of your counselor can be as important to you as a coach is to an athlete. Use all of the resources your counselor can make available to you. This may be the best chance you will have to learn about this particular subject. Make it you or your counselor feels that any information in this pamphlet is incorrect, please let us know. Please state your source of badge pamphlets are reprinted annually and requirements updated regularly. Your suggestions for improvement are comments along with a brief statement about yourself to Youth Development, S209 Boy Scouts of America 1325 West Walnut Hill Lane Box 152079 Irving, TX Pays for This Pamphlet?

2 This merit badge pamphlet is one in a series of more than 100 covering all kinds of hobby and career subjects. It is made available for you to buy as a service of the national and local councils, Boy Scouts of America. The costs of the development, writing, and editing of the merit badge pamphlets are paid for by the Boy Scouts of America in order to bring you the best book at a reasonable And water ConServAtionBoY SCoUtS oF AMeriCAMerit BAdGe SerieS35952 ISBN 978-0-8395-3291-0 2004 Boy Scouts of America2010 Revision of the 2004 EditionBANG/Brainerd, MN4-2010/056818 soil And water conservation 3 Requirements1. Do the following:a. Tell what soil is.

3 Tell how it is Describe three kinds of soil . Tell how they are Name the three main plant nutrients in fertile soil . Tell how they can be put back when used Do the following:a. Define soil Tell why soil erosion is important. Tell how it affects Name three kinds of soil erosion. Describe Take pictures of or draw two kinds of soil Do the following:a. Tell what is meant by conservation practices. b. Describe the effect of three kinds of erosion-control Take pictures of or draw three kinds of erosion-control Do the following:a. Explain what a watershed Outline the smallest watershed that you can find on a contour Outline, as far as the map will allow, the next larger watershed that also has the smaller one in soil And water ConServAtiond.

4 Explain what a river basin is. Tell why all people living in a river basin should be concerned about land and water use in the Do the following:a. Make a drawing to show the hydrologic Demonstrate at least two of the following actions of water in relation to soil : percolation, capillary action, precipitation, evaporation, Explain how removal of vegetation will affect the way water runs off a Tell how uses of forest, range, and farmland affect usable water Explain how industrial use affects water Do the following:a. Tell what is meant by water pollution. b. Describe common sources of water pollution and explain the effects of Tell what is meant by primary water treatment, secondary waste treatment, and biochemical oxygen demand.

5 D. Make a drawing showing the principles of complete waste Do TWO of the following:a. Make a trip to two of the following places. Write a report of more than 500 words about the soil and water and energy conservation practices you saw. (1) An agricultural experiment (2) A managed forest or a woodlot, range, or pasture (3) A wildlife refuge or a fish or game management area (4) A conservation -managed farm or ranch (5) A managed watershedSoil And water conservation 5 (6) A waste-treatment plant (7) A public drinking- water treatment plant (8) An industry water -use installation (9) A desalinization plantb. Plant 100 trees, bushes, and/or vines for a good Seed an area of at least one-fifth acre for some worthwhile conservation purposes, using suitable grasses or legumes alone or in a Study a soil survey report.

6 Describe the things in it. Using tracing paper and pen, trace over any of the soil maps and outline an area with three or more different kinds of soil . List each kind of soil by full name and map Make a list of places in your neighborhood, camps, school ground, or park that have erosion, sedimentation, or pollution problems. Describe how these could be corrected through individual or group Carry out any other soil and water conservation project approved by your merit badge And water conservation 7 ContentsIntroduction ..9 What Is soil ? ..13 How water Behaves ..27 Causes and Effects of Erosion ..35 conservation on the Land ..45 conservation in Watersheds.

7 53 water Pollution ..63 conservation and Agriculture.. 79 How You Can Help ..83 Resources ..94 soil And water conservation Earth, all living things have moved through self-renewing life cycles, have depended on air and water , have grown and died. All these life-forms are tied together. To survive, they all plants, animals, birds, insects, and organisms too small to be seen without a microscope need air, water , soil , and sunlight in some life-forms are closely linked and depend on one another for their existence; this is called the web of nature. If one strand of the web is damaged or destroyed, the other strands will feel the result in some way.

8 If the web is strong, with all parts working well, a wholesome environment on Earth will flourish for people and all other living takes the attention and help of many people to keep Earth s environment in good working order to support its growing population, which must have air, water , food, clothing, shelter, and living soil And water responsibility to learnWe all have a place in the great web of nature and should be concerned about what happens to the soil , water , and all things we call natural resources. We all have a duty to learn more about the natural resources on which our lives depend so that we can help make sure that these resources are used intelligently and cared for isn t just the responsibility of soil and plant scientists, hydrologists, wildlife managers, landowners, and the forest or mine owner alone.

9 It must be your duty, too. To enjoy woods, wildlife, and flowers; clean water ; natural open spaces near our homes; and a good food supply, then you, too, must be a And water conservation be a natural resource conservationist, you must have a good knowledge of those natural resources. The soil and water conservation merit badge will introduce you to the fascinating world of soil and water and to the plants and animals that share Earth with us. To understand soil and water conservation as a whole, we must first study parts of it. This is why soil and water are discussed separately first, before they are considered as an inseparable whole. As you learn more about soil and water conservation and carry out your conservation projects, you will begin to see that it is nearly impossible to separate soil and water as parts of Earth s natural you begin work on your soil and water conservation merit badge, discuss the requirements with your counselor.

10 Your counselor can help you choose projects that you can do readily and from which you can learn the most, depending on where you And water conservation is soil ?What Is soil ? soil is not living, but it supports life. We walk, play, travel, and build on it. You call it dirt and don t think much about it, but your life and that of all other creatures depend completely on the relatively thin layer of soil that has developed on most of the land surface of Earth. If you look closely at some soil , you ll see many bits of rock, mineral crystals, plant roots, decayed leaves and other materials, worms, tiny living and dead plants and animals, water , and air.