? What soil and water conservation practices can you list?

CONSERVATION PRACTICESCONSERVATION PRACTICES

INTRODUCTION

Soil and water conservation practices help pro­tect these precious natural resources. Everyone, whether they live in an urban or a rural area, is responsible for helping to conserve and protect soil and water. Everyone can conserve water by using it sparingly at home, school, or work. Gar­deners can use methods that decrease water loss and protect their soil. Farmers can choose from a variety of conservation practices, ranging from simple to complicated methods, often called best management practices (BMPs). Agricultural BMPs are essential to protect and save our soil and water resources. This activity introduces some common examples of agricultural BMPs. Some conservation practices apply only to agriculture, while others can be used in both agricultural and urban settings. BMPs help maintain a healthy environment. Complete at least one of the Do It activities.

Courtesy Toni Y. Cecil

TOOL KIT

o Pen or pencil

o Conservation Practices worksheet

o Camera

DOIT

#1

WORKSHEET

• Complete the Conservation Practices worksheet.

• Answer the Chat questions.

DOIT

#2

LOCAL CONSERVATION PRACTICES

• Take pictures of 10 conservation practices being used in your county.

• Create a table, similar to the table in Do It #1, that shows:

Your picture

The conservation practice location

A brief description of how the conservation practice works

• Create an educational poster to show local conservation practices.

• Answer the Chat questions.

LIFE SKILLS

• Acquiring knowledge

• Communicating

• Mastering technology

1 PURDUE EXTENSION

chat

Share What Happened: How many conserva­tion practices did you know before starting this activity? How many do you know now?

Apply: How do soil and water conservation practices benefit society?

Generalize to Your Life:

• What can individuals do to conserve soil and water?

• What can communities do to conserve soil and water?

Courtesy Jim Blazek

DIG DEEPER

• Learn about other conservation practices! Visit the Natural Resources Conservation Service homepage, www.nrcs.usda.gov, enter “conservation practices” in the search box, and click on the link to the alphabetical index (or Internet search for “NRCS conservation practices”). You will find a list of recommended practices, the conservation practice standards, and an information sheet. Click on the Informa­tion Sheet (PDF) file in column 4 for a brief description of each practice.

• Talk to a Soil and Water Conservation District employee about the conservation practices being used in your county.

• Talk to the Agriculture and Natural Re­sources Educator in your local Extension office about the conservation practices being used in your county.

• Educate family and friends about what they can do to conserve soil and water.

NOTES:

PURDUE EXTENSION 2

CONSERVATION PRACTICES WORKSHEET

Scientists and producers use a variety of practices to conserve both soil and water. The goal of conservation practices (CP) is to keep soil in place and use water wisely. The list below indicates how some different CPs work.

How Conservation Practices Work

A – Reduces the energy of water hitting soil because the water is deflected by plants, residue, rocks, other barriers

B – Reduces the amount of water used

C – Slows runoff; rain flows over plants or residue rather than bare soil

D – Collects and retains water so sediment can settle out

E – Infiltration increases because of rougher surface

F – Decreases (shortens) slope

G – Roots help hold soil in place

H – Reduces the amount of water used

I – Reduces the energy of the wind by restricting or slowing it

J – Retains water

Conservation Practices

• Identify the CP in each of the pictures on the next page.

Use the Conservation Practices word bank to identify the CPs shown in the pictures.

Guessing is fine.

• Select the conservation description (A–J) from How Conservation Practices Work and write the corresponding letter(s) next to How it works.

More than one letter might apply to some of the conservation practices.

Most of the word bank words appear in the glossary.

• Review your answers with your adult helper.

Courtesy Jim Blazek

3 PURDUE EXTENSION

CONSERVATION PRACTICES WORKSHEET continued

Photos courtesy USDA NRCS

CONSERVATION PRACTICES WORD BANK

• Filter/buffer strip • No till

• Contour planting • Strip cropping

• Cover crop • Stream bank protection

• Drip irrigation • Wetland

• Grassed waterway

CP:

How it works:

CP:

How it works:

CP:

How it works:

CP:

How it works:

CP:

How it works:

CP:

How it works:

CP:

How it works:

CP:

How it works:

CP:

How it works:

PURDUE EXTENSION 4