Economic Use of Public Natural Areas
Grade Level: 9-12

Summary: In this lesson, students examine a variety of examples of the public controversy between the use of public natural areas for economic activites such as ranching and logging and efforts to protect natural areas from development for future generations. Students will complete a research project on resource consuption and be encouraged to formulate their own opinions on the issues.

View the Lesson Plans for this Unit
View the Content Standards

Download Related Documents:
Research Project Student Instructions

Activity 1:
Power Plant Controversy

Students examine their own use of natural resources and learn some of the pros and cons of power generation.

Featured video clips in this activity:

Fluvanna Power Plant A controversy ignites over a proposed power plant in Fluvanna County, Virginia.

Activity 2:

Grazing America's Public Lands
Students make make observations about the impacts of cattle on riparian zones.

Related Links:

Report on Cattle Grazing on Public Lands
Forest Guardians
WWP Before and After Picture Show

Featured video clips in this activity:

Rangeland Repair - Part 1 Some Oregon ranchers address environmental concerns as they experiment with new ranching methods that both repair the land and prove beneficial to business.

Rangeland Repair - Part 2 Some Oregon ranchers address environmental concerns as they experiment with new ranching methods that both repair the land and prove beneficial to business.

Activity 3:

Natural Resource Consumption Costs and Benefits
Students will research an area of natural resource use to examine the costs and benefits of using a particular resource and the impact of resource extraction industries on the environment.

Activity 4:

An Ecological Footprint
Students will use an online calculator to determine the amount of land required to sustain their lifestyles and understand how natural resources are being used to support them.

Related websites:

Redefining Progress - Ecological Footprint Calculator

Footprint Estimation Form