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Stuff Every Conservation Scout Should Know: the Study Guide

Practice facts for the Soil and Water Conservation merit badge. Not an official Scouting America credential. Grab a snack: this guide is the friendly version, with the answers explained and a groan-worthy joke waiting at the end of most cards.

Knowing Conservation Scout saves you money, time and the occasional embarrassment.

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Chapter 1: Slope Safety

What is contour plowing?

Short answer: Plowing furrows along the land's contour lines

Contour plowing follows level lines to slow runoff on slopes.

Groan of the day: Contour plowing goes with the flow, sideways.

Sources: Soil conservation

What is terrace farming?

Short answer: Building flat steps on a hillside to farm

Terraces create level steps on slopes that reduce erosion.

Groan of the day: Terraces give a hillside a staircase for crops.

Sources: Soil conservation

What is a windbreak?

Short answer: A dense row of trees that blocks wind

Windbreaks are dense tree rows that shield fields from wind erosion.

Groan of the day: Windbreaks tell the wind to break it up.

Sources: Soil conservation

What is conservation tillage?

Short answer: Farming methods that reduce soil disturbance

Conservation tillage limits plowing to protect soil structure.

Groan of the day: Conservation tillage is easy on the soil, no-till we stop.

Sources: Soil conservation

What is crop rotation?

Short answer: Changing crops in a field over time

Rotating different crops helps maintain soil fertility and health.

Groan of the day: Crop rotation keeps soil from getting bored.

Sources: Soil conservation

What causes soil salinity?

Short answer: Irrigating with salty water that evaporates

Salty irrigation water evaporates and leaves salt behind in soil.

Groan of the day: Salty soil is not worth its salt.

Sources: Soil conservation

What can deforestation lead to?

Short answer: Large-scale erosion and loss of nutrients

Removing forests often causes erosion, nutrient loss, and desertification.

Groan of the day: Deforestation leaves soil feeling exposed.

Sources: Soil conservation

What is a grass way used for?

Short answer: Channeling and slowing runoff

Grass ways slow surface runoff and encourage water to soak in.

Groan of the day: A grass way is a path of least resistance for runoff.

Sources: Soil conservation

What is keyline design?

Short answer: Contour farming that considers the whole watershed

Keyline design enhances contour farming by using watershed properties.

Groan of the day: Keyline design is the key to better contour farming.

Sources: Soil conservation

What role does soil carbon play?

Short answer: It acts as a carbon sink for climate mitigation

Soil carbon stores carbon and helps mitigate climate change.

Groan of the day: Soil carbon is a sink, and that is a good thing.

Sources: Soil conservation

The cheat sheet

The whole guide on one screen. Screenshot it, print it, stick it on the fridge.

  • Soil forms as rock breaks down and dead plants decay into it.
  • These three are the main plant nutrients in fertile soil.
  • Erosion is soil being worn away and moved by forces like wind and water.
  • Erosion removes the topmost fertile layer, harming farming and land.
  • A watershed is land that drains rain and snow into a common waterway.
  • A river basin is the whole area that drains into a river system.
  • Water flows through the basin, so upstream actions affect all who live there.
  • An aquifer is underground rock or soil that holds usable water.
  • Communities often rely on aquifers as a source of drinking water.
  • The hydrologic cycle traces water moving through the environment.
  • Percolation is water moving downward through the soil.
  • Capillary action pulls water up through small spaces in soil.

Pop quiz

Think of your answer first, then peek.

  1. What is soil mainly made of?
    • Weathered rock and decayed plant material
    • Only solid rock
    • Only water and air
    Show the answer

    Weathered rock and decayed plant material. Soil forms as rock breaks down and dead plants decay into it.

  2. What is percolation?
    • Water evaporating from leaves
    • Water soaking down through soil
    • Water freezing on top of soil
    Show the answer

    Water soaking down through soil. Percolation is water moving downward through the soil.

  3. What is a windbreak?
    • A machine that makes wind
    • A wall of water
    • A dense row of trees that blocks wind
    Show the answer

    A dense row of trees that blocks wind. Windbreaks are dense tree rows that shield fields from wind erosion.

  4. What is keyline design?
    • Contour farming that considers the whole watershed
    • A design for buildings
    • A type of fertilizer
    Show the answer

    Contour farming that considers the whole watershed. Keyline design enhances contour farming by using watershed properties.

  5. What can degraded soil require to produce high yields?
    • Less water
    • Synthetic fertilizer
    • More sunlight only
    Show the answer

    Synthetic fertilizer. Degraded soil often needs synthetic fertilizer for high yields.

Now make it stick

Read a chapter, then play the deck and see how much stuck.

This guide covers the 50 free cards. The other 15 are in the game for members.

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