Modifying the Natural Environment ResourcesCompiled by E.I. See

Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland Curriculum 2.0 – Grade 5 2012

Topic One: Agriculture Cultivating the Land

In Queen Anne's County, Maryland, an irrigation boom sprays water on a field of potatoes at Chino Farms.

Maryland AGPRINT, Retrieved: October 25, 2012, http://www.agprint.maryland.gov/

…Introduction Forty-one states are bigger than Maryland but only eighteen have a larger population. As a result, the population density of Maryland is 542 people per square mile, the 5th highest of all the states. Compare that to our neighbors*.Yet, many people don’t realize that Maryland is still a highly agricultural state. Over 2,000,000 acres—almost 1/3 of the state’s land—is farmed. The 2007 Census of Agriculture, conducted and published by the United States Department of Agriculture, says that there are 12,834 farms in Maryland: 636 more than in 2002. The total market value of agricultural products sold was over $1.8 billion in 2007, up almost 42% since 2002. Crops, including nursery and greenhouse, accounted for over $600,000,000; livestock, including poultry and their products, accounted for over $1.2 billion. Poultry and eggs alone accounted for sales of more than $900,000,000…

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HOW TO STUDY CULTURES: HOW ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES DEFINE CULTURE: CLIMATE AND AGRICULTURE

NATURAL RESOURCES ,CORNELL COOPERATIVE EXTENSIONModern Agriculture: Its Effects on the Environmentby Nancy M. Trautmann and Keith S. Porter Center for Environmental Research Robert J. Wagenet Department of Agronomy Cornell UniversityRetrieved: October 25, 2012 http://psep.cce.cornell.edu/facts-slides-self/facts/mod-ag-grw85.aspx…Agriculture has been a major component of the United States economy ever since colonial days, when 9 out of 10 working persons were employed on a farm. Productivity of American agriculture has tripled since then, and today only 3 percent of our labor force produces enough food and fiber to meet domestic [local and national] needs as well as supplying about 10 percent of total overseas consumption [food needs]. This huge increase in efficiency has been the result of many factors, including use of fertilizer, and pesticides, introduction of farm machinery, development of hybrid strains, and increased knowledge about farm management practices. As agriculture has become more intensive, farmers have become capable of producing higher yields [harvests] using less labor and less land. Intensification of agriculture has not, however, been an unmixed blessing. Environmental impacts have increased, including potential degradation [ruining] of the soil and water resources vital to both farm productivity and human health. Such environmental problems can best be understood by tracing their evolution through the history of farming in this country….

Use information and claims from the article above to answer the question: How do people modify the natural environment and what are the consequences of the modifications?

Topic Two: Dams

The Hoover Dam spans the Colorado River in Black Canyon between Arizona and Nevada, some 30 miles southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada.

POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF DAMS ON THE ENVIRONMENTM. Sait TAHMİSCİOĞLU, Nermin ANUL, Fatih EKMEKÇİ, and Nurcan DURMUŞState Hydraulic Works General Directorate 06100 Yücetepe/AnkaraRetrieved: October 25, 2012http://www.creditvalleyca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/60.pdf

…Dams contribute to the national economy from many aspects like irrigation, drinking water supply, flood control, electricity generation, fishing, tourism, are also effective in increasing the living and culture level of the region [in which they] were constructed. Meanwhile, the new environment created by the dam also supports the arrival of different species to the area. Dams are not only important in economical growth, but also in overall economical and moral development. In many developed countries, dams have performed a key role in the development of the underdeveloped regions…Use information and claims from the article above to answer the question: How do people modify the natural environment and what are the consequences of the modifications?

Negative Impacts of Hydroelectric DamsChief Engineer Mohit Sanguri • edited by: Lamar StonecypherRetrieved October 25, 2012http://www.brighthubengineering.com/geotechnical-engineering/71200-negative-impacts-of-hydroelectric-dams/…Negative Impact of DamsThe negative effects of large hydroelectric dams are as follows: In flat basins, large dams cause flooding of large tracts of land. It has the effect of

killing local animals and habitats. People have to be displaced causing change in life style and customs, even causing

emotional scarring. About 40 to 80 million people have been displaced physically by dams worldwide.

Large amounts of plant life are submerged and decay anaerobically (in the absence of oxygen) generating greenhouse gases like methane. It is estimated that a hydroelectric power plant produces 3.5 times of greenhouse gases as compared to a thermal power plant burning fossil fuels.

The migratory pattern of river animals like salmon and trout are affected and in the future [these animals] may be wiped out.

Dams restrict the sediments that were responsible for the fertile lands downstream. Now farmers use chemical fertilizers and pesticides to compensate the loss in productivity…

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Click on the link below to watch a video to gather information to help your answer the question: How do people in the United States modify the natural environment and what are the consequences of the modification?

Greatest Inventions with Bill Nye: Engineering and Architecture: Dams

In what other ways do people modify the natural environment and what are the consequences of the modifications?

References• "Construction of New Hoover Bridge."

Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. <http://quest.eb.com/images/111_1505791>.

• "Hoover Dam." Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. <http://quest.eb.com/images/139_1940416>.

• "Irrigation Boom." Encyclopædia Britannica Image Quest. Web. 11 Dec. 2012. <http://quest.eb.com/images/300_2265062>.