Soil & Water Conservation

Merit Badge Workbook

This workbook can help you but you still need to read the merit badge pamphlet (book). No one can add or subtract from the Boy
Scout Requirements #33215. Merit Badge Workbooks and much more are below: Online Resources.
Workbook developer: craig@craiglincoln.com. Requirements revised: 2005, Workbook updated: April 2008.
Scouts Name: ____________________________________________

Unit: ____________________________

Counselors Name: _________________________________________ Counselors Ph #: _____________________________

1. Do the following:
A. Tell what soil is. ______________________________________________________________________________________
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Tell how it is formed. _____________________________________________________________________________________
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B. Describe three kinds of soil. Tell how they are different.
___________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
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___________________________________ __________________________________________________________________
C. Describe the three main plant nutrients in fertile soil.
______________________ _______________________________________________________________________________
______________________ _______________________________________________________________________________
______________________ _______________________________________________________________________________
Tell how they can be put back when used up. __________________________________________________________________
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2. Do the following:
A. Define soil erosion. ____________________________________________________________________________________
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B. Tell why it is important. ________________________________________________________________________________
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Tell how it affects you. ____________________________________________________________________________________
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Merit Badge Workbook

Scout's Name: ________________________

C. Name three kinds of soil erosion. Describe each.

____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
____________________________ ________________________________________________________________________
D. Take pictures or draw two kinds of soil erosion.

3. Do the following:
A. Tell what is meant by conservation practices. ________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
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B. Describe the effect of three kinds of erosion-control practices.
1. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
2. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
3. ____________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
C. Take pictures or draw three kinds of erosion-control practices. (Attach photos, separate page or use the back of a page.)

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Merit Badge Workbook

Scout's Name: ________________________

4. Do the following:
A. Explain what a watershed is. _____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
B. Outline the smallest watershed that you can find on a contour map.
C. Then outline on your map, as far as possible, the next larger watershed which also has the smallest in it.
D. Explain what a river basin is. ____________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tell why all people living in it should be concerned about land and water use in it. _____________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
5. Do the following:
A. Make a drawing to show the hydrologic cycle.

B. Show by demonstration at least two of the following actions of water in relation to soil: percolation, capillary action,
precipitation, evaporation, and transpiration.
C. Explain how removal of vegetation will affect the way water runs off a watershed. ___________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
D. Tell how uses of forest, range, and farm land affect usable water supply. __________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
E. Explain how industrial use affects water supply. ______________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
6. Do the following:
A. Tell what is meant by water pollution. ______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
B. Describe common sources of water pollution and explain the effects.
Water Pollution Source

Effects:

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Merit Badge Workbook

Scout's Name: ________________________

____________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

____________________________

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____________________________

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____________________________

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C. Tell what is meant by "primary water treatment," _____________________________________________________________

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"secondary waste treatment," ______________________________________________________________________________
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and "biochemical oxygen demand." _________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
D. Make a drawing showing the principles of complete waste treatment.

7. Do TWO of the following:

A. Make a trip to two of the following places. Write a report of more than 500 words about the soil and water and energy
conservation practices you saw. (Attach a page or use the back of a page.)
1. An agricultural experiment.

6. A waste-treatment plant.

2. A managed forest or woodlot, range, or pasture.

7. A public drinking water treatment plant.

3. A wildlife refuge or a fish or game management area.

8. Industry water use installation.

4. A conservation-managed farm or ranch.

9. Desalinization plant

5. A managed watershed.
B. Plant 100 trees, bushes and/or vines for a good purpose.____________________________________________________
C. Seed an area of at least 1/5 acre for some worthwhile conservation purpose, using suitable grasses or legumes alone or
in a mixture. ______________________________________________________________________________________
D. Study a soil survey report. Describe the things in it. On tracing paper over any of the soil maps, outline an area with three
or more different kinds of soil. List each kind of soil by full name and map symbol. _______________________________
E. Make a list of places in your neighborhood, camps, school ground, or park that have erosion, sedimentation, or pollution
problems. Describe how these could be corrected through individual or group action.
F. Carry out any other soil and water conservation project approved by your merit badge counselor.
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Merit Badge Workbook

Scout's Name: ________________________

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Online Resources (Use any Internet resource with caution and only with your parents or guardians permission.)
Boy Scouts of America: scouting.org Guide to Safe Scouting
Age-Appropriate Guidelines
Safe Swim Defense
Scout
Tenderfoot
Second Class
First Class
Rank Videos
Safety Afloat
Boy Scout Merit Badge Workbooks: usscouts.org -or- meritbadge.org Merit Badge Books: www.scoutstuff.org
American Fisheries Society: http://www.fisheries.org
American Meteorological Society: http://www.ametsoc.org/AMS
American Museum of Natural History: http://www.amnh.org
American Zoo and Aquarium Association: http://www.aza.org
Chesapeake Bay Program: http://www.chesapeakebay.net
Conservation and Resource Center: http://www.si.edu/crc
Discover Magazine: http://www.discover.com
The Discovery Channel: http://dsc.discovery.com/
Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov
EnviroLink Network: http://www.envirolink.org
Int. Assn. of Fish and Wildlife Agencies: http://www.iafwa.org
Leave No Trace Center: http://www.LNT.org
Nat. Climatic Data Center: http://lwf.ncdc.noaa.gov/oa/ncdc.html Nat. Fish and Wildlife Foundation: http://www.nfwf.org
Nat. Geographic Society: http://www.nationalgeographic.com
Nat. Oceanic and Atmospheric Admin: http://www.noaa.gov
Nat. Park Service: http://www.nps.gov
Nat. Wildlife Federation: http://www.nwf.org
Natural Resources Cons. Service: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov
Soil and Water Conservation Society: http://www.swcs.org
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service: http://www.fws.gov
Wildlife Conservation Society: http://wcs.org