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Erosion Patrol Student Packet

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Erosion Patrol Student Packet Join the Erosion Patrol Team Student Packet Contents Acknowledgments & Credits Vocabulary List Why conserve our soil? Activity 1 Activity 2 Activity 3 What causes soil erosion? Activity 4 Activity 5 Activity 6 How to prevent soil erosion? Activity 7 Activity 8 Activity 9 Supplemental Activities Activity 10 Activity 11 Activity 12 Member Certificate References Acknowledgements - Original Creation/Updates of the Erosion Patrol (1990s) Project Coordinator: Randy Cotten Teacher work committee: Alma Ammons Hoffmann Peggy Tutor Kring Lisa Marie Thompson Lynne Dean Thorton Peggy Ann Harrin Trexler Ad Hoc Committee: Mell Nevils P.E., State Sedimentation Specialist Bill Spooner, N.C. Dept. Public Instruction Mike Talley, Wake County Public Schools Design and Illustration: Office of Public Affairs EHNR Catherine Martin Denise Smith John D. Hardee ( It takes 500 years - poster ) A cooperative program of The North Carolina Department of Environment, Health, and Natural Resources The North Carolina Sedimentation Control Commission and The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction James G. Martin, Governor William W. Cobey Jr., Secretary EHNR Credits - Original Creation/Updates of the Erosion Patrol (1990s) Special recognition is given to Denise Smith and Catherine Martin. This project would not have been possible without their tireless research, talent and creativity. Amazing Soil Stories California Association of Resource Conservation Districts Acknowledgements – 2018 Update Roy A. Cooper III, Governor Michael S. Regan, Secretary DEQ Project updated by: Rebecca Coppa, Sedimentation and Education Engineer The North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality Division of Energy, Mineral and Land Resources Land Quality Section EROSION PATROL VOCABULARY LIST Aggregates - Broken rocks of different sizes Fertilizer - It enriches soil for plant growth, used to control erosion. but may pollute water if applied incorrectly. Agricultural Erosion - The loss of soil from Forest Erosion - The loss of soil from not overgrazing livestock, not rotating crops using good erosion control in the forest and and poor conservation practices. during forest timber harvesting practices. Big Problems - Loss of topsoil, loss of Ground Cover - Any plant or other material habitat, loss of clean drinking water, that provides a protective mat (like a pollution of our planet. blanket) to prevent erosion. Buffer - Trees and shrubs used to protect Gully - A deep, wide channel. Large the land and water against sediment amounts of soil are lost when gullies are pollution. formed. Conservation - The wise use and protection Harvest - To gather a crop from a field, of our natural resources. orchard or pasture. Conservation Tillage - A farming method to Habitat - An area in which plants and protect the soil by leaving ground cover animals live, grow and reproduce. throughout the year. (Such as stalks and leaves left after harvesting a crop.) Irrigation - The practice of watering land and crops using ditches, pipes or streams. Contour Plowing - To plow, plant, cultivate and harvest along the curve of the land to Logging - Removal of the trees from an area reduce erosion. The crop is planted of land. horizontally along the curve of the field Mineral - A natural substance that is not instead of up and down the field. vegetable or animal. Crop Rotation - Growth of different crops Nutrient - Something that provides each year on the same land to help keep nourishment for an organism to live. It can soil productive. be food or chemicals. Ecology - The science of the relationship Natural Resources - Found in nature – fish, between plants, animals and their forests, minerals, soil, water, wildlife. environments. Organic Matter - Plant and animal material Environment - Everything that surrounds in different stages of decay (decomposition) us. that may be part of the soil. Erosion - The loosening and movement of Organism - A living being (people, animals, soil by wind, water, and other forces. insects). Parent Material - Minerals, rock and Sediment Trap - An erosion control device organic materials that break apart to form that traps sediment before it washes into soil. the water. A sediment trap is like a small sediment basin. Particle - A very small piece or part of something bigger. Sheet Erosion - Particles of soil carried away in flowing water. Precipitation - Forms of moisture that fall to the earth (rain, snow, sleet and hail). Silt - A fine grained, sediment, with particles between the size of sand and clay. Productive Soil - Soil that can support the growth of crops and animals. Silt Fence - Fences of plastic, burlap and wood, used to keep soil from washing into Reclamation - When a worn out surface the water. mine is restored as near as possible to the condition it was in before the mining Soil - A naturally occurring mixture of started. It involves filling in holes and minerals, organic matter, water and air. replanting grass, trees and shrubs. This composition forms the surface of the land. Reservoir - A body of water, often a lake, in which water is collected or stored. Soil Compaction - Soil particles packed together by heavy weight applied to the soil Rill and Gully Erosion - Where water forms surface. Usually caused by large equipment channels that carry soil away. like tractors and bulldozers. RipRap - Large stones of various sizes used Soil Survey - To identify, map and explain to control erosion. types of soil in an area. Row Crop - Agricultural crops such as corn Splash Erosion - Erosion caused by and soybeans grown in rows. raindrops hitting bare ground and knocking Run Off - Water that Flows off of land and soil particles apart. into streams, rivers, lakes and other water- Stream and Channel Erosion - Serious rill ways. and gully erosion, commonly found on Sediment - Solid materials, both mineral steep slopes with heavy erosion damage. and organic, that have been moved from Surface Mining or Strip Mining - Mining one place to another by air, water, gravity, where the mineral is removed from an open or ice. pit in the ground. Sediment Basin - A depression in the earth Terracing - An erosion control practice in made to catch sediment and allow water to which ridges or steps are built on a steep flow. slope to slow down the water and increase soil moisture. Till – To plow the land in preparation for Vegetative Covering - Vegetation such as raising crops. grass, trees, and plants that protect soil from erosion. Turbidity - Cloudy water caused by sediment entering streams, lakes, rivers and Weathering - The breaking down of rocks water-ways. The result of erosion and and minerals by wind, water, and living sedimentation. things. Urban Erosion - Highways, houses, malls, Windbreak - Plants growing closely office buildings and anything people build together to protect the soil from the force that may cause serious erosion. of strong winds. They reduce soil erosion and provide a habitat for wildlife. Which things do you think would be good or bad for soil? Put the words in the list under the correct heading. Add some words of your own. GOOD BAD Example: mulch (protective layer) clear cutting/logging trees hard rain roads roots strong winds rocks ACTIVITY1 flowers earthworms moles cows fertilizer grass crops dead animals trash baking sun mushrooms leaves cement all terrain bikes Select two words and tell why you put them under that heading: If We Lose the Soil, They Lose Their Home. © Soil is one of our most precious resources. It is import ant for every living thing. How do each of these creatures/items depend on the soil? ACTIVITY 2 Join the Erosion Patrol Team and help protect our soil by learning and caring about it. because I like to swim in because we live in the forest that because clean water tastes good. because I eat plants that clean water. grows in the soil. grow in soil. ACTIVITY 3 10 Reasons Why We Need To Stop Soil Erosion. Draw a picture of an animal, a person, an insect or a plant that might give the reason listed under the box. Can you think of more reasons why it is important to protect our environment and save our soil? The Erosion Patrol because I need soil is on the lookout! because I like to to grow. work in my garden. because I like flowers that because I eat insects that live in because silt makes me because all living things grow in the soil. the soil. muddy. need soil. Comic and Coloring Book Trouble at the Pond! ACTIVITY4 0 Edward Fish struggles to breathe! The pond is murky, cloudy and horribly muddy. Ed is wheezing as he swims slowly to the pond's edge. Luckily, there's Clementine Opossum. "HELP! gasps Edward. Il l can't breathe! The pond is so muddy today...". Edward is weak and can barely tell Clementine about the condition of the pond. "You look terrible, Edward! Hang on," says Clementine, "This looks like a job for the Erosion Patrol.” Clementine runs as fast as an opossum can run, until she reaches the clearing in the woods where the Erosion Patrol makes its secret headquarters. 1 Once there, she tells Chico Raccoon about the trouble at the pond. "But what can it be?”, asks Hopper Rabbit. "Sedimentary, my dear Hopper!” says Chico. "We are dealing with erosion." "Edward's pond has a bunch of sediment in it. That's what makes the water muddy. Muddy water makes it hard for Edward fish to breathe. The sediment in Edwards pond reduces the amount of oxygen in the water and also hurts his gills”, says Chico. “We can start to look for the cause of all that sediment at the new construction site.” He opens his Erosion Patrol Field Notebook to a clean page. 2 The Erosion Patrol finds the construction site and begin their investigation. "Clementine, you check out the silt fences, make sure each section is secure. Hopper, you check for sediment traps and riprap channels. Make sure everything's in order." Hopper hops over the silt fence.
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