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Natural Resources Reader’s Theater 1. Bill 2. Betty 3. Bob 4. Brooke Bill: Hi, guys. What are you guys up to? Betty: Oh hi, Bill! We just came outside to this big tree to do some studying for our science test this afternoon. Bob: We thought since our unit is on things you find out in nature, it made sense to do our studying right here in the outdoors! Brooke: We are soaking up the nature together as we soak up the information to do well on our tests! Bill: Cool! Well, I’d love to join you. What were you guys talking about before I came up? Betty: We were just getting started about how Virginia is rich in a wide variety of natural resources. Bill: Remind me again about what a natural resource is. Bob: A natural resource is something we use that comes from nature. Brooke: And a wide variety means that there are lots of different types of natural resources we’ve got right here in our state. Bill: But if I remember right, natural resources fall into one of two categories: renewable resource and nonrenewable resources. What’s the difference between these two? Betty: Great question! Renewable resources can be replaced after they are used. Bob: Remember that with good management, we can maintain an abundant supply of renewable natural resources, like trees and fish. Brooke: But once we have used up non-renewable resources like coal, minerals, and oil, they are gone forever. Bill: So what types of renewable resources do we have here in Virginia? 1 Betty: Well, the main one I was thinking of was forests. Bob: Hey, me too! Trees are a renewable resource, because they grow back after they are harvested. This process is called regeneration. Betty: Natural and man-made cultivated forests are a widespread resource all over Virginia. Brooke: What are some other natural resources? Bill: I was thinking about arable land. Betty: What is arable mean? Bill: Arable land means land that can be farmed. Betty: Oh, that’s right! Now, what about mineral resources? Which of those are found in our state? Brooke: Coal is a nonrenewable natural resource that is used for energy. Bob: And don’t forget that it’s found in the Appalachian Plateau here in Virginia! Betty: Good thinking! Sand is also a useful resource. It would mainly be found in the Coastal Plain region, though, because that’s where all the beaches are located. Bob: What is sand used for—other than building sand castles of course? Betty: Sand is used to make the concrete used to make our sidewalks and even the man-made building stone that make up the walls of our school! Bill: That’s not all though! Sand is used to make glass and septic tanks! Brooke: Septic tanks? Bill: Yeah, the sewer. Brooke: (holds her nose) Ewww! Bill: Yeah, but think about it—without septic tanks, how else could we clean up that stuff? Betty: And remember that tough word: aggregates? They are natural resources found in Virginia too. Brooke: Yeah! Aggregates are just a big fancy words for rocks and sand! 2 Bob: Limestone is a major aggregate here in our state. We make foundations of houses with limestone, because it is strong. Brooke: Some of our sidewalks and cement are made of limestone too! Bill: I heard that sand is also used in the filling for the back of carpet. Betty: Seriously? I’d never think of it being there! Bob: Don’t forget limestone is found in reservoirs for groundwater and ore deposits. Betty: Groundwater and ore deposits? What’s that? Bob: Groundwater is water held underground in the soil or in pores and crevices in rock that people pump out with wells, so that we can use it. Bill: Ore deposits, however, are something different. Betty: I thought so. Help me out here. Bill: An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract valuable elements people can use as resources. Bob: Think useful rocks! Brooke: And then there’s gravel! Gravel is an aggregate too. Bill: Gravel is the stuff that look like mini rocks on driveways and roads without pavement. Betty: Gravel is used for concrete and other masonry uses. Bob: What’s masonry? Bill: Masonry is stonework that builders put on buildings and make stuff with stone. Brooke: Think of all of the jobs that are created, because of these natural resources. I mean, if Virginia did not have natural resources, our economy would definitely not be as strong. Bob: Wow, good point. I never thought of it that way! But think about the miners; they have a job, because of the coal mines and the limestone quarries. 3 Bill: But then you’ve got all of the builders using these mined rocks and materials to build roads, sidewalks, houses, schools, and office buildings! Betty: Not just that, but think of the jobs created to transport the resources from the places they are found to the businesses that use them! Bob: Yeah! Like trains and trucks! They both need drivers, so that definitely creates a job right there. Brooke: And all of that arable land gives jobs to farmers who plant crops that is turned into food. Betty: And then again, the people who drive the food to the grocery stores have jobs because of the arable land resource too! Bill: Wow, this is really helping me see how natural resources are so important to Virginia’s economy. It’s really starting to connect in my mind. Brooke: Isn’t wildlife part of Virginia’s natural resource collection too? Betty: Yep, sure is! Fish, birds, deer! You name it! The Native Americans knew how to use wildlife as a natural resource best of all! They were very resourceful people and used even the bones to make tools out of! Brooke: Clean water and clean air are also important natural resources! Bob: Remember, keeping our water and air pollution-free is the way to save these resources for future generations. Betty: Yeah, that pollution experiment really made me think about all of the junk and trash we dump into the creeks and rivers that we don’t even think about it. Bill: Remember all of that water is flowing out to the Chesapeake Bay! Brooke: Because we live in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Bob: Remind me of what a watershed is. Bill: A watershed is an area over which surface water flows into a single collection place. Betty: But it’s not just the water, it’s also whatever the water is carrying with it— including minerals and sadly trash people who have polluted water systems have put in it. 4 Brooke: Doesn’t the Chesapeake Bay watershed cover over half of Virginia’s land area? Bob: Yeah, that’s right. But what about the other half of Virginia? Where does all of that water drain to? Bill: Well, remember the map on the back wall. It has it color coded to show us that the other two major watershed systems are the Gulf of Mexico and the North Carolina Sounds. Betty: Ok, so let me get this straight: all of the area below the James River in Virginia has its water flow down south towards the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Brooke: Yeah, and then everything in the Appalachian Plateau and the very southern tip of the Valley and Ridge regions flow into rivers that lead to the great Mississippi River—that eventually lead out into the Gulf of Mexico way down south near New Orleans! Bob: Wow, the raindrops that fall in those regions have one very long journey! Bill: Virginia has several types of water resources including groundwater, lakes, reservoirs, rivers, bays, and the Atlantic Ocean. Betty: Don’t forget that Virginia’s natural resources also give people the opportunities to enjoy recreational activities outdoors! Brooke: Yeah, with all of the beautiful scenery, it attracts lots of visitors to camp, hike, fish, canoe, and lots more! Bob: That reminds me of a farm I was driving past the other day. They were advertising for their annual fall corn maze! Would that be considered a recreational activity? Betty: Absolutely! That arable land produced the corn, and now the farmer can benefit from visitors enjoying his cornfield before the harvest, because of the maze! Bill: Hey, let’s see if we can get a group together and go this Saturday! Brooke: Oh yeah! That would be so much fun! 5