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Conservation

Conservation is the protection of natural resources. For hundreds of years man has used his surroundings unwisely. Forests have been destroyed, leaving the soil exposed to wind and rain. Farmlands have been exhausted by over-cultivation. Industrial waste has polluted or poisoned lakes and rivers. Robbed of their habitat, many kinds of animals have been much reduced in numbers. Some are very rare and others have become extinct. Today, the need to conserve wildlife and natural resources is a world problem. It involves the study of ecology, the branch of biology concerned with the relationships between all living things and their surroundings. Man must avoid upsetting Nature's balance.

In the United States, many early settlers cut down huge forests and plowed up grasslands, destroying the natural habitat of wild animals. For several years, farmers raised great harvests from their new and fertile land. However, the soil gradually lost its fertility. The soil was also exposed to the rain and wind and soil erosion began. Millions of tons of soil were lost. In dry regions, such as the Dust Bowl, in the southwestern United States, the wind did most of the damage. In regions with abundant rain, the soil on bare hillsides was washed into rivers and swept into the sea. Many fish were killed as the rivers became choked with mud. Another result of the destruction of natural vegetation was extensive flooding. The rainwater had once sunk gently into the soil and much of it was absorbed by the roots of plants. On bare plowed slopes, much of the rainwater flowed over the surface directly into the rivers. The rivers soon became so swollen that they overflowed. The Tennessee Valley region, Mississippi, was the scene of many such floods.

In 1933, the Tennessee Valley Authority began a major conservation program. New forests were planted on bare hillsides. Dams were also built to control flood-waters. In 1935, the U.S. government also set up the Soil Conservation Service, which advised farmers on how to obtain the best possible results from their land. Fertilizers were added to restore fertility to over-cultivated land and farmers were taught new methods, such as contour plowing on sloping ground. To prevent rainwater from trickling down the side of a hill, the land is plowed crossways, or along the contour. In this way, the rainwater is caught in the furrows.

Since the 1700 s, laws have been passed to protect animals. In 1872, the government set up Yellowstone National Park, which was the first wildlife preserve in the United States. The last few remaining bison in the United States were sent to Yellowstone. In 1916, the National Park Service was set up. This service is part of the United States Department of the Interior and is responsible for the development and protection of certain areas that contain wildlife, beautiful scenery or items of historic interest. Today, preserves cover millions of acres and the land and animals within them are protected by law. Tourists are encouraged to visit the parks. The Park Service provides guides and information.