Determining the Kinds and Importance of Natural Resources

1. Determining the Kinds and Importanceof Natural Resources

2. Why is it important to conserve natural resources? • Natural resource conservation is the wise use of natural resources. It involves using and protecting resources so that they will last longer. By practicing conservation, we use fewer nonrenewable resources. • Nonrenewable resources are those that cannot be replaced once they are used up.

3. Why is it important to conserve natural resources? • There are two main reasons to conserve natural resources: • 1. To meet demand - people use products made from resources. If we want to continue using these products, conservation needs to be practiced. • 2. To maintain standard of living - People want electricity, running water, and nice homes. In order to maintain these standards, those who use resources need to conserve them.

4. Examples of methods of natural resource conservation • Reusing - some materials can be reused without being remade. An example is a wooden pallet used in warehousing. Merchandise is stacked on the pallet and then moved with a hydraulic truck. As more and more companies reuse pallets, fewer trees need to be harvested, and less energy is used in making new pallets.

5. Examples of methods of natural resource conservation • Avoiding waste - this involves using resources more efficiently. Examples include turning lights off when not in use, using timers with appliances, and repairing leaky faucets. These techniques decrease the amount of electricity and water that is being wasted.

6. Examples of methods of natural resource conservation • Life on Earth revolves around relationships. In an interdependent relationship, organisms depend on each other to survive. In a symbiotic relationship, species live together and benefit from each other. The human species is part of this symbiotic relationship. People must live responsibly in order to insure the continued availability of natural resources.

7. Examples of methods of natural resource conservation • Cropping practices - are techniques used by agriculture producers to prolong the supply of soil used to grow crops. Contour plowing is one cropping practice that has become widely used.

9. What causes damage to natural resources? • Damage to natural resources lowers their value of and wastes their usefulness. Damage may be due to pollution, loss, and reduced quality. • Pollution is releasing hazardous or poisonous substances into the environment. Pollution destroys or lowers the quality of many natural resources. A pollutant is a substance that causes pollution. If enough pollutants enter the environment the result is pollution.

10. What causes damage to natural resources? • Pollution causes undesirable changes to natural resources. Examples of ways pollution causes damage to natural resources are: • 1. Disease - Pollutants can cause disease in humans, animals, and/or wildlife. A pollutant that causes cancer is known as a carcinogen. A carcinogen is usually contained in a chemical that enters the environment accidentally or through an application that was intended to solve a problem.

11. What causes damage to natural resources? • Reduced growth - Pollution may reduce or stunt the growth of a plant or animal. Trees may grow at reduced annual rates or a fish species may not grow to its normal size at maturity. • Reproduction failures - Pollutantscan cause reproduction failures. Organismsmay not be able to produce enough offspring to maintain their continued population levels.

12. What causes damage to natural resources? • Death - Pollution can lead to death. An example is waterfowl caught in oil spills. The fowl become coated in oil and dies.

13. What causes damage to natural resources? • Reduced quality of resources is known as degradation. As resources are degraded through overuse and pollution, they have less value to those who use the resources.

14. This value can be classified into two categories: • 1. Economic value is the monetary benefits derived from using a resource. It encompasses all of the jobs created through the use of the resource. • 2. Aesthetic value is the psychological benefit derived from using a resource. People feel good and enjoy using the resource.

15. Developing and practicing natural resource conservation? • Beginning in the late 1800.s federal, state, and local governments began to realize that the country.s natural resources were being depleted. Much of this depletion was due to exploitation. Exploitation is the unwise use of natural resources for economic gain. • These governments became involved through the establishment of laws and policies in a number of areas.

16. Developing and practicing natural resource conservation? • Wildlife conservation - the federal government enacted laws to conserve wildlife. Specific laws and policies included: • 1. The establishment of Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Millions of acres in Wyoming, Montana, and Idaho were set aside for wildlife conservation. • 2. The Lacey Act was enacted in 1900 and regulated the shipment of illegally killed animals. • 3. The Migratory Bird Hunting Stamp Act requires duck and geese hunters to buy stamps that go toward benefitting migratory game birds. The act became a law in 1934.

17. Developing and practicing natural resource conservation? • Forest conservation - The U.S. Forest Service was established in 1905 as part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. It promotes the best use of forest land. • Soil conservation efforts can be traced back to the early 1700.s. Jared Henry, an early soil scientist carried out experiments on soil erosion. In the 1930.s, the Soil Conservation Service (SCS) was set up within the U.S. Department of Agriculture to promote soil conservation.

18. Developing and practicing natural resource conservation? • Water conservation is closely related to soil conservation. The quality of the water supply is dependent on the amount of soil runoff. Federal programs promote the use of water and soil conservation methods. • Environmental conservation involves controlling the release of wastes into the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), established in 1970, sets and enforces guidelines on the release of pollutants. • New technologies involve using fewer inputs. Many of these technologies are used in agriculture to produce better crops with less harm to the environment.

19. leaders of the early natural resources conservation movement. • Beginning in late 1800.s, several people played leadership roles in promoting the conservation of natural resources. A few of the more prominent leaders were: • John Muir is best known for exploring what is now the Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks. He wrote about the things he saw and promoted their conservation. • Theodore Roosevelt - U.S. President from 1901 to 1909. He established the first wildlife refuge area in 1903. He actively promoted widespread conservation by individual states.

20. leaders of the early natural resources conservation movement. • Aldo Leopold pioneered the use of ecology in learning about wildlife. Ecology is the study of how living organisms exist in their natural environment. • D. Gifford Pinchot - from 1898 until 1910, Pinchot headed the agency that became the National Forest Service. He promoted the wise use of forests and other natural resources. • E. Franklin D. Roosevelt -U.S. President in the 1930.s and 1940.s. He was instrumental in setting up the U.S. Department of Agriculture with the mission of conserving soil and water.

21. leaders of the early natural resources conservation movement. • F. Hugh Bennett is commonly referred to as the father of soil conservation. He was the first head of the Soil Conservation Service. Bennett promoted the use of scientific methods to determine soil qualitites. • G. Rachel Carson led efforts to inform people of risks from pesticides. Her work in this area led to government restrictions on pesticide use.