ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
- Make a timeline of the history of environmental science in America.
Identify the contribution made by the Boy Scouts of America to environmental
science. Include dates, names of people or organizations, and important
events.
- Define the following terms and describe the relationships among them:
population, community, ecosystem, biosphere, symbiosis, niche, habitat,
conservation, threatened species, endangered species, extinction.
- Do ONE activity in EACH of the following categories (using the
activities in this pamphlet as the basis for planning and carrying out your
projects):
- Ecology
- Conduct an experiment to find out how living things respond to
changes in their environments. Discuss your observations with your
counselor.
- Conduct an experiment illustrating the greenhouse effect. Keep
a journal of your data and observations. Discuss your conclusions
with your counselor.
- Air Pollution
- Perform an experiment to test for particulates that contribute
to air pollution. Discuss your findings with your counselor.
- Conduct a study to test the effects of acid rain on plants.
Discuss your findings with your counselor.
- Water Pollution
- Conduct an experiment to show how living things react to
thermal pollution. Discuss your observations with your counselor.
- Conduct an experiment to identify the methods that could be
used to mediate (reduce) the effects of an oil spill on waterfowl.
Discuss your results with your counselor.
- Land Pollution
- Conduct an experiment to illustrate soil erosion by water. Take
photographs or make a drawing of the soil before and after your
experiment, and make a poster showing your results. Present your
poster to your patrol or troop.
- Perform an experiment to determine the effect of an oil spill
on land. Share your journal and discuss your conclusions with your
counselor.
- Endangered Species
- Do research on one endangered species found in your state. Find
out what its natural habitat is, why it is endangered, what is being
done to preserve it, and how many individual organisms are left in
the wild. Prepare a 100-word report about the organism, including a
drawing. Present your report to your patrol or troop.
- Do research on one species that was endangered or threatened
but which has now recovered. Find out how the organism recovered,
and what its new status is. Write a 100-word report on the species
and discuss it with your counselor.
- Resource Recovery
- Perform an experiment on packaging materials to find out which
ones are biodegradable. Discuss your conclusions with your
counselor.
- Find out if your local community has a recycling program in
effect. If it does, find out what items are recycled, and who pays
for recycling. If your community does not have a recycling program,
write questions for and conduct a survey on recycling. Include
questions about attitudes toward recycling, what should be recycled,
and your community's willingness to support a recycling program.
Discuss your findings with your counselor.
- Build an ecosystem in a bottle. Include soil, plants, fungi, and small
animals found in your local environment. Maintain the ecosystem for at least
seven days after completing construction of the ecosystem. Observe it daily,
and keep a record of your observations. Discuss your observations with your
counselor.
- Choose an outdoor area to study. In your study area, do ONE of the
following:
- Mark off three study plots of four square yards each, and count the
number of species found there. Then estimate how much space is occupied
by each species found in the plots. Make a chart, graph, or table to
compare the plots. Write a report that adequately discusses the
biodiversity and population density of your study area. Discuss your
report with your counselor.
- Make four visits to the study area, staying for at least 30 minutes
each time, to observe the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem.
Keep a journal of your observations, including a discussion of
differences noted during the four visits. Write a report on your
observations and discuss it with your counselor.
- Propose a hypothetical construction project in your community and
prepare a limited environmental impact statement for the project. Study the
area to see what the impact of the project might be upon the living and
nonliving parts of the ecosystem.
- Develop a plan that would help solve an environmental problem, reduce
an environmental impact, or affect environmental awareness in your
community. Include plans for a specific project that could be done by your
patrol or troop.
- Discuss three possible careers in the field of environmental science.
Identify the education that you would need to pursue ONE of these careers.
BSA Advancement ID#: 7
Source: Boy Scout Requirements, #33215E, revised 2002
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