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Show correction of this destructive result of man's mis- use of the land. If we are to have true conserva- tion education the teacher must also go to the field to understand the developmental processes which flow from the construction of a series of multiple-purpose reservoirs in a basin program. They should learn how such projects work to- gether to conserve water which would otherwise descend as destructive floods, and to use it for irrigation, navigation, hydroelectric power de- velopment, and the other purposes of man. They should study at first hand the changes in farming, in expanded industrial opportunity, and in per capita income wrought by the combined use of water and land in comprehensive basin programs. Further Teaching Other promising work already begun includes the following: 1. Museums.-Examples of this can be found in the program of Nashville's Children's Mu- seum, which embodies field expeditions, movies, talks, and displays in close cooperation with the schools; and in the work of the Academy of Nat- ural Sciences of Philadelphia, which includes en- grossing exhibitions coupled with lectures for the general public and a program of education through the press, radio, and television. The museums of the Nation can make a basic con- tribution in the field of resources education. 2. Citizens3 Organizations.-S u c h national and local organizations as Friends of the Land, the Garden Clubs of America, Parent-Teacher Asso- ciations, some sportsmen's organizations, farm and labor organizations, and the service clubs of businessmen, which begin to see the relation be- tween wise resources use and a stable economic order, are of great importance in the dissemina- tion of ideas in the field of conservation. Vigor- ous movements of this type should be encouraged. All of these groups should broaden their programs to include intelligent understanding of the possi- bility of river basin programs which enlist the cooperation of entire regions in the most con- structive form of conservation. 3. Special Organizations.-Organizations such as the Conservation Foundation, the National Committee on Policies in Conservation Educa- tion, the American Watershed Council, which has been created to promote the spread of an over-all conservation attack on small watersheds and in river basins, are spearheads of a broad and developing conservation movement and serve a vital function. The local association of citizens in any valley or small watershed can be of great importance in the education of the people and in the coordination and utilization of the various public agencies which may serve the communities which invite their help. 4. International Conferences.-Such interna- tional conferences concerned with the technical, social, and economic problem of resources as the United Nations Scientific Conference on Con- servation and Utilization of Resources, the Inter- national Technical Conference for the Protection of Nature, and the Inter-American Conference on Conservation of Renewable Resources should be encouraged. Conservation problems are world-wide and also yield rich harvests of experi- ence from other nations. A Local Example One of the very promising experiments in con- servation education on a broad scale is taking place in a small, historic valley draining parts of Pennsylvania and Delaware. The Brandywine Valley Association is a watershed association of citizens. In its valley this organization conducts a vigorous program of education. It helped in promoting the formation of a Soil Conservation District under State law. It helped establish a workshop in the teachers college in its area and cooperates in the financing of the field trips. It conducts conservation tours opening the eyes of citizens to erosion and stream pollution as they exist and to conservation practices as they are established. It works with schools and encour- ages projects by students who have made their own investigation of community needs for conservation. Stimulated by such teaching, eighth grade stu- dents of one of the schools in the Brandywine Valley decided upon a unique form of graduation. 275 |
