Edition 3 (2016) GOAL STATEMENT: Students will understand how Maryland farmers and developers can use conservation techniques to reduce environmental damage. OBJECTIVES: Students will identify ways agriculture and land development might help or harm the environment. Students will match examples of conservation strategies with their descriptions. Students will create a conservation plan that could help reduce the negative environmental impacts of a fictional area. REQUIRED MATERIALS: Set of conservation technique photos and descriptions, cut apart and mixed up (1 per group) Conservation Choices chart worksheet (1 per student) Conservation Choices booklet (1 per student) These can be ordered from the Maryland Department of Agriculture or you can request some from your local Soil Conservation District office. Conservation Plan Scenario worksheet (1 per group) Poster paper, markers, and other supplies for poster making AMOUNT OF TIME TO ALLOW: 70 minutes. Extension activities will take additional time.
Although agriculture and land development are necessary for the success of human society, they can also cause environmental damage. Water quality in the Chesapeake Bay is influenced by many factors including human population, land use practices, and conservation strategies within the Bay watershed. The watershed consists of parts of six states and Washington, DC. To help preserve environmental quality, Maryland regulations require farmers, developers, and landowners to incorporate a variety of conservation techniques. These techniques, sometimes known as best management practices (BMPs), minimize negative environmental impacts. The benefits of conservation techniques include protection of topsoil, reduction of nutrient runoff, and creation of wildlife habitat. For information about conservation techniques used in Maryland, search online for Maryland Department of Agriculture s Conservation Choices booklet (available as a PDF). You may also request copies from your local Soil Conservation District office. The booklet contain photographs and brief descriptions of many common conservation techniques used in Maryland. 25 minutes Ask students to think of a time when they or someone they know did something that was helpful in one way and harmful in another way. Allow students to share their examples. You might want to give an example such as I once adopted a starving stray cat and took care of it, but the cat kept catching and eating bluebirds. Bluebirds are a declining species in Maryland, and my cat contributed to the decline. My good deed caused a problem for wildlife. Have students suggest some ways in which agriculture and land development might help or harm the environment. Make a list of benefits and drawbacks. Ask the class if anyone has seen real-life examples of these benefits and drawbacks. Remind the class that farmers and developers are interested in protecting the land and water. They want Maryland residents to live and work in a safe, productive Chesapeake Bay watershed. A wide variety of conservation techniques can be used to reduce the negative effects of farming and development on the environment. During this lesson, students will learn about several techniques used in Maryland. Conservation Technique Matching 1. Divide students into small groups. Provide each group with a set of conservation strategy photos and descriptions. (The instructor will need to cut apart and mix up the pieces before the lesson.) You may want to distribute copies of the Maryland Department of Agriculture Conservation Choices booklet to provide students with additional information. 2. Ask students to examine the pictures and descriptions. Have students match each photo with its corresponding description. 3. Have students fill out the Conservation Choices chart. Students should include a description or drawing of each conservation strategy. This chart will serve as a quick
reference sheet for the next part of the lesson. 4. Review each conservation strategy to ensure that students understand the basics of how the strategy is done and why it is used. 25 minutes Practice Scenarios Describe a few sample scenarios to the class to see if students can identify appropriate conservation strategies that could be used. Below are two sample scenarios: 1. A farmer has a chicken house on her property, and she grows corn in the fields surrounding the chicken house. The farmer stores chicken manure in a pile beside the chicken house, next to a ditch that flows down a steep slope into the river. Whenever it rains, water runs swiftly from the farm through the ditch and into the river. It carries chicken manure from the pile (all year) and topsoil from the bare corn field (during the winter) directly to the river. The manure and soil eventually enter the Chesapeake Bay and cause pollution. What conservation strategies might help reduce the farm s environmental impact? Sample strategies include: Grassed waterways planting grass in the ditch will slow the movement of water and help stop manure and soil particles before they reach the river. Cover crops planting other crops on the corn field after the corn has been harvested will help protect the soil, and the plant roots will reduce erosion by holding soil in place. Crop residue management and no-till farming leaving the bottom part of the corn plant in the ground when the corn is harvested will help hold topsoil in place. Planting new crops in the spring without tilling up the ground will protect topsoil because the soil is not disturbed. Grade control structure the farmer might want to build a small concrete dam or storm water pond to regulate the speed and amount of water flowing into the stream. The farmer may want to build a manure storage facility to better contain the chicken waste. 2. A developer has just finished building a housing development at the top of a hill with a beautiful view of the Chesapeake Bay. Homeowners in the area have noticed that wind and rain carry large amounts of soil down a small stream into the Bay, and they are not happy about losing topsoil to erosion. They have also noticed that a thick mat of algae is growing in the Bay at the bottom of the hill. Many homeowners fertilize their lawns, and they suspect that much of the fertilizer is being carried to the Bay. What are some conservation strategies that might help reduce the development s environmental impact? Sample strategies include: Stream protection planting buffer/filter strips of grass and shrubs between the development and the stream will help reduce the speed of water and amount of soil or fertilizer entering the stream. Hedgerows planting a hedgerow of trees that help block the wind will reduce the
amount of topsoil carried into the stream. Diversion some of the water running off the housing development could be redirected so that it flows through a grassy area with a gentle slope that allows much of the water to sink into the ground before entering the stream. Wetland restoration if the developer destroyed any wetlands during construction, those wetlands could be restored and enlarged. Inform the class that services are available to assist farmers and developers with planning, financing, and implementing of conservation strategies. Local Soil Conservation District offices provide technical assistance and cost-share programs for the development and implementation of conservation plans. University of Maryland Extension offices employ nutrient management specialists who help farmers decide how to best manage manure and fertilizer application to mitigate environmental damage. Conservation Plan Simulation Provide each group with a copy of the Conservation Plan Scenario. (Alternatively, you may wish to create several different scenarios or allow students to come up with their own scenarios.) Explain that students will develop a conservation plan to help fix the soil and water problems of the area. Conservation plans should include at least five conservation strategies from those the class has studied and/or other strategies they think would be useful. Provide groups with poster paper, markers, and other materials so they can diagram and label their plans. 20 minutes Have each group present its conservation plan to the class and describe the techniques they chose to implement. As groups present their plans, compare and contrast the strategies that they chose. Lead the discussion to focus on the idea that there isn t a single strategy that works in all situations. Conservation plans must be carefully crafted to address the specific needs of an area. Interview local farmers or developers and ask them about the conservation strategies they use. Have students research water quality indicators including nitrates, phosphates, turbidity, ph, and pesticide pollutants and how changes in these areas can harm aquatic life. Familiarity with water quality indicators will help students develop a deeper understanding of how conservation techniques help protect the environment. The Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov) provides useful resources. Have students measure water quality indicators of local streams to assess stream health. Inexpensive water quality test kits can be ordered from LaMotte Chemical Company in Chestertown, Maryland (www.lamotte.com).
Many people work with farmers and developers to help them use best management practices (BMPs) as they conserve resources and protect the environment. Nutrient Management Specialist This person works with farmers to write plans that are intended to protect topsoil and reduce the entry of nutrients such as fertilizer into waterways. Water Quality Specialist This person takes samples of water from streams and the Bay and analyzes them to identify pollutants that could potentially harm aquatic life. Environmental Inspector This person works for the state or federal government. They visit farms and developed areas to make sure that conservation strategies are being followed, and they require corrections to be made if areas are in violation of conservation policy. Soil Conservation Planner or Technician A soil conservation planner helps farmers, developers, and landowners identify the best conservation strategies and/or best management practices for their land. A soil conservation technician helps people apply and install the strategies that the planner recommends. Student understanding can be evaluated through class discussion or assessment of completed activity data sheets. The following questions may also be used to evaluate student learning. 1. Explain two conservation techniques that farmers and developers use to minimize negative environmental impacts. 2. Give one example of an action a farmer or developer might take that would have both positive and negative effects on the environment. Explain your answer. 3. Name one environmental problem that could be caused by agriculture or land development, and explain one or more conservation strategies that could be used to fix the problem. Maryland Department of Agriculture, <www.mda.maryland.gov>. The Environmental Protection Agency website, <www.epa.gov>.
Name: Date: Period: STRATEGY Strategies Used by Farmers to Protect the Environment Description or Drawing (HOW is it done?) How It Helps the Environment (WHY is it done?) Contour Farming Cover Crops Critical Area Planting Crop Residue Management/ No-Till Farming because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry,
Name: Date: Period: STRATEGY Strategies Used by Farmers to Protect the Environment (2) Description or Drawing (HOW is it done?) How It Helps the Environment (WHY is it done?) Crop Rotation Farm Pond or Sediment Control Pond Grade (Water) Control Structure or Diversion Grassed Waterway because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry,
Name: Date: Period: STRATEGY Strategies Used by Farmers to Protect the Environment (3) Description or Drawing (HOW is it done?) How It Helps the Environment (WHY is it done?) Stream Protection (includes filter/ buffer strips) Terrace Farming Wetland Restoration Windbreaks Other Techniques You Identified: because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry,
Name: Date: Period: Conservation Plan Scenario This area is in trouble! Create a conservation plan that will help the local business developers, farmers, and homeowners. Shopping Center (elevation 75 feet) Rainfall that runs off contains oil from cars and causes the stream bank to erode. Pieces of parking lot fall off into the river. Corn Field (elevation 100 feet) Rain and wind cause soil and fertilizer to move down the rows, through a drainage ditch, and into the river. R Housing Development (elevation 25 feet) Topsoil, fertilizer, and pesticides run off roads and lawns into the river. The exposed soil on the hillside is also eroding. E IV R Vegetable Field (elevation 30 feet) In the summer there is very little erosion. During the winter the soil is left exposed. Wind and rain blow soil into the river and erode the stream bank. Soybean Field (elevation 30 feet) Wind comes from the north (top) and blows soil from between the rows into the river. Chesapeake Bay (elevation 0 feet) because of race, age, sex, color, sexual orientation, physical or mental disability, religion, ancestry,